New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

Federal unemployment benefits have expired in New Mexico. What other benefits are still out there for people who are struggling economically during the pandemic? What's going to happen to renters? Gene talks to UNM Law Professor Serge Martinez, and Teague Gonzalez and Felipe Guevara of the NM Center on Law and Poverty.

Correspondent Antonia Gonzales talks with U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh about how the workforce is recovering after all the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two also discuss ongoing efforts to help out of work employees, and how the federal government is working with indigenous communities to make sure they're on the road to recovery as well.

The Line opinion panel talks about a proposed mental health hotline, which will be implemented next year after then-President Trump signed a bipartisan bill at the end of his term to create a three-digit help line, allowing people living with mental illness to dial 9-8-8 in a crisis. New Mexico is in the process of planning its rollout.

As thousands of Afghan refugees arrive at New Mexico military bases, the state is prepared to welcome some of them into its communities. Senior producer Matt Grubs speaks with Deputy Human Services Secretary Angela Medrano, who helps oversee the state’s Refugee Resettlement Program, about the next steps and what the federal government is – and is not – disclosing about refugee arrivals.

The Line opinion panel talks through the implications of the now-infamous flashing lights in the cockpit of Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity ship during its maiden crewed voyage. The New Yorker magazine reported that the lights, which indicated the ship would deviate from its designated airspace, represented a major issue. Virgin Galactic disagreed, but the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the ship grounded while it investigates. The incident raises questions about New Mexico’s nascent space tourism industry.

The Line panelists also take up the issue of charter schools. As districts across the state suffer declining enrollment, especially during the pandemic, some are considering whether they should approve more schools that draw funding away from traditional district structures.

Although humans have added satellites, space shuttles, and airplanes to the dark vista of the sky, our species has looked up at the same night skies for millions of years. We’ve navigated by the stars, told stories about the shapes we see, and sought to learn more about what lies beyond our own planet. This episode of Our Land is inspired by Carl Sagan, who wrote in his 1985 novel, Contact, about “cosmic isolationism.” That is, just as we began learning more about the universe, we also began to cut ourselves off from it. This month, we explore what it means to connect with the night sky – and protect it for future generations.

The Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium has been trying for years to get the U.S. government to compensate families who were impacted by the Trinity nuclear test. So far, they’ve been barred from accessing federal money though the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, and the deadline to file a claim is less than a year away. Correspondent Russell Contreras speaks with Tina Cordova about the latest effort, which now has the support of a bipartisan pair of senators representing New Mexico and Idaho.

The Line opinion panel takes a closer look at the implications of a predicted $1.4 billion surplus in the state’s next budget year. Lawmakers and the governor are already rolling out ideas to spend it, while others caution against yet another ratcheting up of the state’s baseline costs. The group weighs the likelihood that crime legislation – and funding – will be a centerpiece of the 2022 legislative session.

New Mexico in Focus searches for perspective on the end of the war in Afghanistan and the resulting humanitarian crisis as tens of thousands of Afghans look to flee Taliban rule. Gene Grant speaks with local café owner Mula Akbar, a refugee from Afghanistan who came to the U.S. in the late ‘80s. He also talks to Jeff Hall, the economic development programs manager of Lutheran Family Services. Both men are working to connect incoming Afghans with needed support as they relocate to New Mexico.

An uncertain future faces New Mexicans who have benefited from additional federal unemployment money. The boost runs out Saturday, and The Line discusses what workers and employers can expect. Many Republican-led states have already ended additional federal benefits in an effort to jumpstart the job market. But they’ve seen modest gains, if any, and a notable drop in consumer spending. This round of cutoffs is likely to impact Democratic-led states. We also had the chance this week to ask U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh about whether or not the state should use other pandemic relief funds to extend those benefits. 

New Mexico in Focus continues its examination of how different groups view the end of the war in Afghanistan. For many in the Southeast Asian community, images of the mass exodus from Kabul bring to mind the end of the war in Vietnam. Matt Grubs speaks with software developer and Vietnamese immigrant Tam Le about parallels between the ends of the two conflicts. Le came to the United States of America as a child in the early 1980s. His family split up to make the arduous journey, and it was more than a decade before they were reunited.

The Line opinion panel digs into a draft plan to address educational disparities raised in the Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit as a state District Court continues to urge reform. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the plan, which some education advocates say is too vague for a developing state response 3 years after a court decided New Mexico’s public schools aren’t providing an equitable education to vulnerable students. A major issue is the lack of reliable broadband internet service across the state, brought to light during the pandemic.

Line Guests:

Rebecca Latham, CEO, Girl Scouts of NM

Sophie Martin, attorney

Edmund Perea, attorney & public safety consultant

Guests:

Mula Akbar, owner, Café Istanbul

Jeff Hall, Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains

Tam Le, software developer and Vietnamese immigrant

Nicole Maxwell, Alamogordo Daily News

Marty Walsh, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor

Resources: 

New Mexico Flush With Cash as Revenues Climb, Oil Recovers – Associated Press

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains

Some don’t know what they’ll do when federal unemployment assistance ends – NM Political Report

New Mexico Asian Family Center

Organizer and activist Kay Bounkeua is taking over for former legislative powerhouse Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, who resigned in the face of alleged financial improprieties. Believed to be the first Asian American woman to hold office in the Legislature, Bounkeua sits down with NMiF senior producer Matt Grubs to talk representation and redistricting.

Plans for the SunZia Transmission Project have been in the works since 2006, with $150 million already spent. That $4 billion project is supposed to someday bring wind-generated power from New Mexico to markets in Arizona and California. This week, correspondent Laura Paskus talks to John Ryan, SunZia New Mexico executive director, and Sandra Noll, who lives in Socorro County and worries how the project will affect migrating birds, ecotourism and the rural communities nearby. We know we need to transition to more renewable energy, but the question is how to balance that with local impacts?

Correspondents:

Laura Paskus, NMiF environmental producer

Guests:

Rep. Kay Bounkeua, NM House District 19

Sandra Noll, Protect Our Rio Grande

John Ryan, executive director, SunZia New Mexico

For More Information:

Kay Bounkeua appointed to fill seat vacated by Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton – KOB-4

SunZia New Mexico project homepage:

https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2011785/510

Fact sheet: https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2011785/200481766/20041399/250047592/Newsletter1_NOI_6.4_v3_06%20162021_508.pdf

To submit public comment on the project:

https://www.blm.gov/press-release/comment-period-and-public-meeting-update-sunzia-southwest-transmission-project

Two women have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court that argues a vaccine mandate for certain health care workers and for attendance at the New Mexico State Fair violates their constitutional rights. The lawsuit seeks to bar the mandate’s enforcement. Meanwhile, the state’s Youth Livestock Board has moved its annual competition to Roswell in an effort to sidestep the vaccine mandate, which impacted children in FFA and 4-H programs who are too young to receive an approved vaccine. The Line opinion panelists look at continued pushback against the governor’s public health orders.

Fleeing Taliban rule, Afghans who were able to leave their homeland are now arriving in the U.S., including to a part of Fort Bliss Army Base that’s in New Mexico. The Line opinion panel offers thoughts on Democratic leaders reaching out to the White House to accept Afghans and what the state can realistically offer.

The Line opinion panel looks at sobering numbers for pedestrian fatalities in New Mexico. Albuquerque has long had a serious problem – leading the nation for pedestrian deaths four years running – but what does the rest of the sprawling state do for people who prefer or have no other choice than to walk?

Host:

Line Guests:

Michael Bird, public health expert

For More Information:

Lawsuit targets expanded NM vaccine mandates – Albuquerque Journal

ICUs full as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations grow – NM Political Report

U.S. regulators give full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine – Santa Fe New Mexican

Bad mask info puts prep athletes on edge – Albuquerque Journal

Local churches pushback on re-instated mask mandate – KRQE

First Afghan refugees arrive in New Mexico – KRQE

NM leaders offer to help Afghan refugees – Albuquerque Journal

A call to action as New Mexico leads US in deaths of pedestrians – Albuquerque Journal

Broadcast meteorologist Jorge Torres knows the weather of the American Southwest. He’s worked at television stations in El Paso and Albuquerque, and he’s now at ABC-15 in Phoenix, Arizona. He also understands the climate, and the importance of covering climate change and its impacts for local audiences. Unlike many stations nationwide, at ABC-15 Torres talks about climate change in his forecasts and also works with the station’s news reporters on stories about human-caused climate change. Torres, who previously worked at KOB-4 in Albuquerque, talks about the importance of the climate story and offers advice for other broadcast meteorologists who want to localize this global story.

Gun violence was on the minds of New Mexicans in 2016. Sadly, it has remained in the news since then, especially in light of recent shootings in Albuquerque. In the spring of 2016, former NMiF producer Sarah Gustavus sat down with Dr. Scott Carroll, a child psychiatrist and former director of child psychiatric consultation services at UNM Hospital. They looked at how gun violence can impact children and what parents and other adults can do to help children cope after a traumatic event.

Correspondent:

Guest:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Dr. Scott Carroll, MD, child psychiatrist

Correspondent:

Guest:  

Jorge Torres, ABC15 Meteorologist                                                                                                                                                                                

Mask up! The nearly unrestrained rise in COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated people has led to the return of a mask mandate while indoors and which will remain in effect at least until September 15. The governor’s latest public health order also has new vaccine requirements for some people who work in health care and school settings. The Line opinion panel weighs the impact and the political implications.

The Line also discusses the troubling crime trend in the wake of a child-on-child shooting at an Albuquerque middle school and another fatal gun attack at one of the city’s sports bars. The shootings and other crimes have the governor ordering New Mexico State Police officers back to the Duke City to ease the burden on local police agencies. Meanwhile, the police response to a robbery at an Albuquerque coffee shop ended Thursday morning with one officer critically injured, three other officers wounded and at least one suspect shot.

Data released by the U.S. Census shows 20 of New Mexico’s 33 counties lost population between 2010 and 2020 – and that New Mexico’s largest cities show the biggest gains. Will this result in a widening of the urban-rural divide, or is it simply putting numbers to a trend many have recognized for years? The Line panelists examine the implication of the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau. The panel also talks about what rural depopulation means for Republicans and for redistricting.

Line Guests:

Dan Foley, former NM House minority whip

Sophie Martin, attorney

Jessica Onsurez, news director, Carlsbad Current-Argus

Planning for the state’s newest industry, recreational cannabis, is speeding along in New Mexico. This week, we excerpt part of a recent conversation on our “Growing Forward” podcast, with Regulation and Licensing Department Superintendent Linda Trujillo, about the progress of rulemaking for cannabis producers. The Department will begin accepting applications in just a few weeks, but those rules are still being finalized.

Correspondent Megan Kamerick checks in with Albuquerque Journal staff writer Kevin Robinson-Avila who recently pointed out some serious concerns over transparency surrounding Virgin Galactic’s recent historic space launch at the publicly funded Spaceport America.

The Line opinion panel discusses the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, tied mostly to the rapid spread of the Delta variant. The group also explores the ongoing challenges of increasing the state’s vaccination rate. Even though New Mexico is doing better than many states, the overwhelmingly majority of new cases are among the unvaccinated. Timing is also crucial in this equation, as students across the state head back to the classroom.

The group also weighs in on the latest shake-up in Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Administration. Children, Youth and Families Department Secretary Brian Blalock announced his resignation this week under a cloud of controversy and in the face of a whistleblower lawsuit. The Governor announced she is replacing Blalock with newly retired Supreme Court Justice Barbara Vigil. But, the questions remain about the longstanding challenges and mixed results for the embattled CYFD.

Plus, the potential for a major financial crisis in New Mexico. The state’s moratorium on evictions is still in place, but that hasn’t stopped some landlords from filing thousands of notices during the pandemic. And, this week marked the end of the moratorium on utility shut offs for New Mexicans behind on payments. There is COVID relief available for people facing difficult financial decisions, but very little of those funds have been tapped so far and time is running out or the state risks losing those federal dollars.

We also talked to Environmental Correspondent Laura Paskus this week on Facebook Live. She broke down the nitty-gritty of that new IPCC report and what the new science says about the risks to New Mexico. She also discusses how we can all get involved in turning the tide without feeling overwhelmed. 

Kevin Ferrara, a retired U.S. Air Force firefighter, spoke to correspondent Laura Paskus from his home in Pennsylvania. Ferrara trained at Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois in 1991 and was assigned to Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, N.M. until 1995. During that time, he and other firefighters used Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), now known to contain toxic chemicals that have contaminated local waters at hundreds of military bases nationwide. Today, Ferrara is an outspoken advocate for the U.S. military and Veterans Affairs to acknowledge the potential health impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on firefighters.

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, home for the August congressional recess, sits down with senior producer Matt Grubs. The pair discuss bipartisan efforts to forge a compromise over nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure projects. They also explore other congressional issues, including comprehensive immigration reform and the growing challenges from the fast-spreading Delta variant of COVID-19. Rep. Leger Fernandez also spent a few minutes with Groundwater War Correspondent Laura Paskus to discuss her efforts to deal with contamination from AFFFs, or firefighting foam used at military installations in New Mexico. 

Correspondents:

Matt Grubs

Laura Paskus

Guests:

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, NM-CD3

Kevin Ferrara, USAF (Retired)

For More Information:

Kevin Ferrara Full Interview

Groundwater War Website

Infrastructure Plan Would Add Hundreds of Billions to Deficit – Washington Post

Biden Signals Support for Unilateral Immigration Reform – New York Times