New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez explains how he’s approaching his new position as state infrastructure adviser. Chávez shares some of his priorities with correspondent Gwyneth Doland and explains how the public can get involved in the process of allocating $3.7B in federal infrastructure funding.

Host Gene Grant talks with Charles Ashley III about his goals in his new role as Albuquerque's Economic Development Director.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is urging the State Investment Commission immediately divest from any interests that could benefit the Russian government. Our Line Opinion Panel discusses that request, and the impact federal sanctions are having on gas prices around the country.

Correspondents:

Gwyneth Doland

Gene Grant

Guests:

Martin Chávez, New Mexico Infrastructure Adviser

Charles Ashley III, director, Albuquerque Economic Development

Line Opinion Panelists:

Edmund Perea, attorney/legal and public safety analyst

Michael Bird, fmr. president of the American Public Health Association

Julie Ann Grimm, editor, Santa Fe Reporter

For More Information:

Governor Urges Divestment From Russian Government – NM Governor's Office

Governor Wants New Mexico to Divest From Russia – Source NM

NM Poised to Receive $3.7B Under Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill – Santa Fe New Mexican

Fmr. Mayor Chávez to Serve as NM’s Infrastructure Adviser– Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico Rural Infrastructure Report – Pivotal NM

Albuquerque Economic Development

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t giving up on her plan to make New Mexico a hub for Hydrogen power. The Governor recently signed a partnership agreement with Colorado, Wyoming and Utah to lobby jointly for a piece of $8B up for grabs from the federal government. Our Line Panelists debate whether this is a prudent move for our state’s energy future.

Tens of thousands of New Mexicans are scrambling after being told they have to repay some of the unemployment relief they received during the pandemic. The state’s Department of Workforce Solutions says it paid out too much, and now it wants the people who unknowingly received the extra money to pay it back months later. Our Line Opinion Panelists discuss the moral implications of such a mistake and try to come up with a solution.

And, Our Land reporter Laura Paskus talks with State Senator Jeff Steinborn to learn more about Holtec's plan to dispose of nuclear waste here in New Mexico, the company's track record in other states, and why the legislature didn't pass a bill this session that would have blocked the waste from coming here.

Line Opinion Panelists:

Merritt Allen, Vox Optima Public Relations

Jessica Onsurez, news director, Carlsbad Current Argus

Dede Feldman, former state senator

Guest:

Jeff Steinborn, New Mexico Senator (D)

For More Information:

State Overpaid Millions in Unemployment Benefits, Now DWS Wants it Back – Searchlight NM

New Mexico Governor Signs Interstate Hydrogen Hub Deal – Santa Few New Mexican

NM Joins Three Other States in Effort to Create Hydrogen Hub – NM Political Report

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The Line Opinion Panel recaps the New Mexico Republican Party’s pre-primary convention. Delegates there selected three candidates to lead the party’s section of the ballot, with one notable exception. Panelists also touch on voting issues at the convention, and disappointment from some party members about how the convention was conducted.

A philosophy professor sheltering outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv shares his experiences since the Russian Invasion began. He, like many in the country, is dedicated to staying and protecting his country. He explains Russia’s strategy of trying to break down morale, but adds, it won’t work. Plus, a group of Ukrainian Americans here in New Mexico is trying to raise support for its home country. In an exclusive roundtable interview, three members of that group share the horrors their friends and loved ones are enduring in their home country. Plus, they lay out how we as Americans and New Mexicans, can help stand up to the authoritarian aggression of Russia.

And finally, Correspondent Antonia Gonzales spends a few minutes with Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, who has decided to keep the reservation's mask mandate in place, even as states like New Mexico and Arizona drop theirs. The two discuss the latest on the Tribe's response to COVID-19 and even President Joe Biden's recent State of the Union speech.

Guests:

Anonymous Philosophy Professor

George Klapischak - Interpreter

Nataliya Pavlenko-Edelman, president, Ukrainian Americans of New Mexico

Larysa Castilla, Ukrainian American, Nurse

George Danilov, Ukrainian American 

For More Information:

War in Ukraine – Ukrainian Government’s Collection of Verified News Reports

Breaking News: Russian Invasion of Ukraine – Collection of Verified News Reports

Ukrainian Americans of New Mexico – Nonprofit Webpage

Humanitarian Aid – Ukraine Courage

Ronchetti Steps Up Damage Control After GOP Convention – Santa Fe New Mexican

Environment reporter Laura Paskus talks with Albuquerque City Councilor Brook Bassan (District 4 - Northeast Heights) about her proposal to repeal the city's plastic bag ban, and why she thinks her constituents want it to end.

Patrol shifts for Albuquerque police officers have been extended to twelve hours to help cover staffing shortages at the department. Our Line Panelists weigh the possible positives and negatives of this change. Plus, how does this fit with the growing calls for a crackdown on crime?

Correspondents:

Gene Grant

Laura Paskus

Line Opinion Panelists:

Tom Garrity, Garrity Group public relations

Cathryn McGill, founder and director, NM Black Leadership Council

TJ Trout, radio host, KKOB

Guest:

Brooke Bassan, Albuquerque City Councilor, District 4

For More Information:

Albuquerque Police Officers Shifting to a 12-Hour Schedule – Associated Press

12-Hour Shifts Begin for APD – KRQE

Full Interview: Laura Paskus Talks Plastic Bag Ban With Councilor Brooke Bassan – Our Land, NM PBS

Clean and Green Ordinance – City of Albuquerque

Albuquerque City Councilor Wants to Repeal Plastic Bag Ban - KRQE

The Line Opinion Panel reacts to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s decision to end the statewide indoor mask mandate. State Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase cites a significant drop in cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. Panelists try to understand the rationale and discuss the burden school districts must now carry.

Correspondent Megan Kamerick speaks with the Archbishop of Santa Fe about his recent pastoral letter, calling for international nuclear disarmament. Archbishop John C. Wester explains his stance, while noting the presence of two federal nuclear weapons laboratories here in New Mexico.

New Mexico’s largest electrical utility is going to keep part of a coal-fired power plant in San Juan open a bit longer than planned. The company says it’s necessary to avoid rolling blackouts during the hottest summer months. The Line Opinion Panel unpacks what this seemingly minor setback could mean for the state’s long-term transition to renewable energy sources.

Correspondents:

Gene Grant

Megan Kamerick

Line Opinion Panelists:

Tom Garrity, Garrity Group public relations

Cathryn McGill, founder and director, NM Black Leadership Council

TJ Trout, radio host, KKOB

Guest:

Archbishop John C. Wester, Archdiocese of Santa Fe

For More Information:

New Mexico Indoor Mask Mandate Lifted – Governor's Office

NM DOH Public Health Order – NM Department of Health

How Do People Feel After New Mexico Lifts Indoor Mask Mandate - KOAT

San Juan Extension to Avoid Blackouts – Albuquerque Journal

PNM Press Release

Santa Fe’s Archbishop Wester Urges Nuclear Disarmament in New Pastoral Letter – National Catholic Reporter

Living in the Light of Christ's Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament - Archdiocese of Santa Fe

The city of Albuquerque has been involved in conversations with Pueblos and Tribes since June, when 215 unmarked graves of unidentified Indigenous youth were discovered at the site of a former Indian Boarding School in British Columbia. Correspondent Antonia Gonzales talks with Dr. Theodore Jojola about this difficult history and the current efforts to acknowledge that history and foster healing.

De Haven Solimon Chaffins grew up living with her grandparents on the Laguna Pueblo. The landscape there shaped her view of the world... the natural landscape... and the Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine. That huge open pit mine is a federal Superfund site and is still polluting water and causing cancers. This week, Chaffins sits down with Our Land Correspondent Laura Paskus to explain how her artwork explores the story of the mine and its impacts. You can see some of her work at an exhibit called ‘Radon Daughter,’ on display at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center through the end of this month.

Plus, we introduce you to the new Director of the Africana Studies Department at UNM. Kirsten Pai Buick is no stranger to the university, but she takes the helm just as the program prepares to evolve into a fully-fledged ethnic studies department. The pair discuss that transition, and Buick's goals and aspirations as she builds a department. 

Correspondents:

Antonia Gonzales

Laura Paskus

Gene Grant

Guests:

Dr. Theodore Jojola, director, UNM Indigenous Design & Planning Institute

De Haven Solimon Chaffins (Laguna/Zuni), artist

For More Information:

City moving forward to honor burial site of Native American boarding school students - KRQE

City holds community conversations about Albuquerque Indian School burial site – KUNM

Indian School Graves Rediscovered Under City Park – The Paper

Of Hummingbirds and Hope: Radon Daughter Sooths the Yellow Dragon – Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology – IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine, Laguna Pueblo, EPA Superfund Site

The 2022 Legislative Session ended at noon on Thursday, February 17th. A frantic finish helped push many of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s top priorities over the finish line, including a record budget, substantial teacher raises, and a package of crime bills. Our Line opinion panel of working journalists break down those key issues and the tactics used to get them to the governor’s desk.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham laid out an aggressive agenda for the 2022 Legislative Session, especially considering it was just a 30-day, budget session. Some of her big-ticket items were seemingly doomed from the start, such as efforts to position New Mexico as a Hyrdrogen energy hub. Others, like the Voting Rights Act, were defeated by a last-minute filibuster. Our Line opinion panelists break it all down and also react to the surprising news that Speaker of the House Brian Egolf will not run for reelection.

Plus, NMiF Host Gene Grant talks with UNM Political Science Professor Timothy Krebs about the recently completed 30-day Legislative Session.

Host:

Gene Grant

Line Opinion Panelists:

Algernon D’Ammassa, reporter, Las Cruces Sun-News

Julia Goldberg, reporter, Santa Fe Reporter

Trip Jennings, executive director, New Mexico in Depth

Guest:

Timothy Krebs, UNM Political Science Professor

For More Information:                                 

Gov. touts session successes as 64 bills pass amid challenges – Albuquerque Journal

What passed, what failed in the 2022 legislative session – Santa Fe New Mexican

Legislature: Last full day of 2022 session unfolds, reconciled budget clears both chambers – Las Cruces Sun-News

Voting bill dies as 30-day session comes to an end – Albuquerque Journal

GOP senator's filibuster kills voting rights bill – Santa Fe New Mexican

What the failed cannabis clean up bill means – New Mexico Political Report

NM House speaker won’t seek another term – Albuquerque Journal

Environment Reporter Laura Paskus talks with Rep. Melanie Stansbury (CD-1) about her latest efforts in Washington, D.C. including introducing the Water Smart Access for Tribes Act.

On average, temperatures in New Mexico have risen three degrees since the 1970s. Retired UNM Professor David Gutzler talks about the impacts of warming on New Mexico’s landscapes, rivers, and communities – and discusses why it’s so hard for policymakers and politicians to act on climate.

Correspondent:

Laura Paskus

Guests:

Melanie Stansbury, U.S. Representative, (D) New Mexico

David Gutzler, Climate Scientist

For More Information:

Stansbury, Colleagues Introduce Tribal Water Security Bill

H.R. 6238 – Water Smart Access for Tribes Act

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The Super Bowl kicks off today, and for many people that will also include some form of gambling. As the industry reaches more and more into the world of professional sports, the Navajo Nation is taking steps to launch its first Sportsbook. Correspondent Antonia Gonzales learns more about how it works and what it might mean for the Nation and it's finances. 

Gonzales also continues her coverage of a push from Indigenous communities to discontinue the use of Native American names and imagery in professional sports. The latest example has to do with a U.K. rugby team. Antonia learns how the push is paying off and how it might serve as a model for other teams and professional leagues. 

Plus, Native American youth will be gathering soon in Arizona for the first Native Youth UNITY gathering since the pandemic started. Find out more about the event, designed to help young people deal with the stresses, depression and isolation of the last two years. And hear about the star-studded line-up at this unique event. 

For More Information:

UNITY Midyear Conference 2022

Quannah Chasinghorse New Mexico in Focus Interview (September, 2021)

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s push to make New Mexico a hub for hydrogen is barely hanging on. The Line Opinion Panel explores the changes made in a third piece of legislation, and panelists debate the apparent strategic failures in the rollout of this plan.

The panel also reacts to a call for help from the union president at the Bernalillo County Jail. With staffing shortages inching towards a crisis, should the state step in? And does this reality expose a problem in our approach to law enforcement and curbing crime in general?

A package of voting reforms might have a tough time making it through the session before lawmakers head home. The Line Opinion Panel explores what’s inside the pieces that have gotten some traction, and what’s holding back the rest.

Host:

Gene Grant

Line Opinion Panelists:

Andy Lyman, reporter, NM Political Report

Dan Foley, fmr. New Mexico representative

Inez Russell Gomez, editorial page editor, Santa Fe New Mexican

For More Information:

Committee Considers New Plan on Hydrogen – Santa Fe New Mexican

New Mexico Republicans Line Up Against Environmental Bills – The Paper

Reporter Jerry Redfern Talks Hydrogen Energy – Our Land

Pretrial Monitoring Bill Surfaces in House, Advances Quickly – Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico Legislators Rework Proposed Crime Legislation - KOB

Union President Addresses Staffing Shortage Concerns at MDC – KOB

Voter-Access Bill Advances in New Mexico Legislature – Associated Press

Governor Optimistic of Approval for Tax Cuts, Voting Access – Associated Press

New Mexico Senate Seeks New Protections for Election Workers - KRWG