New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

This week, New Mexico in Focus continues its in-depth look at the state’s newly legal recreational cannabis industry. While June 29 marked the day the law went into effect, the state says April 2022 is likely when stores will open. As New Mexico considers its rules and regulations, The Line opinion panel discusses the public-facing part of the effort.

Growing Forward podcast hosts Megan Kamerick and Andy Lyman also speak with Adam Levin of the Pew Charitable Trusts, who has studied states that roll out legal cannabis industries. Levin points out that unclear or untimely regulations and clogged marketplaces can hamper the tax revenue states get when they legalize recreational cannabis.

This week the NCAA also opened the doors to college athletes getting paid for the use of their name and likeness. But, what will that mean for athletes in New Mexico? Albuquerque Journal Reporter Geoff Grammer joined host Gene Grant on Facebook Live to break it all down!

Former Albuquerque Journal and Washington Post reporter Marie C. Baca has started a newsletter based on New Mexico’s social media scene. Gwyneth Doland chats with her about the new venture.

The Line opinion panel discusses New Mexico’s seemingly permanent place near the bottom of an annual child well-being survey. According to the recently released Kids Count report, the state is no longer last in the rankings, moving to 49th place in the nation. Are these baby steps of improvement worth celebrating?

Plus, Laura Paskus speaks with New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney about the development of new regulations for the oil and gas industry, as the governor focuses on combating climate change.

Covid-19 restrictions began shutting down our state in March 2020. Now, more than 15 months later, New Mexico is ready to reopen fully. New strains of the virus, including the Delta variant, are still a concern, urging some to call for caution. The Line opinion panel takes on the implications of the state’s full reopening, scheduled for July 1.

The Line opinion panelists consider another important date: June 29, when adult-use cannabis becomes legal. There’s a long way to go for New Mexico’s nascent industry and cities like Albuquerque are figuring out important zoning issues. The Line also looks at economic impacts and protections for small and micro businesses as they compete against the larger players in the industry.

Growing Forward podcast hosts Megan Kamerick and Andy Lyman talk to Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart about how her deputies will deal with the new cannabis law.

And, we catch up with New Mexico's newest state legislator, Representative Pamelya Herndon, who was appointed this week to fill out Melanie Stansbury's term in the Roundhouse. Stansbury recently won a special election to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

New Mexico's environmental regulators learned from the Air Force in 2018 that it had contaminated local waters with PFAS from fire fighting foams used at Cannon and Holloman Air Force bases. Since that time, the state has been sued by the U.S. Department of Defense for trying to compel the military to clean up that pollution--and in June, the Biden administration's DOD called New Mexico's attempts to compel cleanup under one of the military's permits "arbitrary and capricious." Meanwhile, Kenney is also asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for help in setting federal pollution standards for the toxic substances.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force announced in June a $16.6 million contract to build a pilot water treatment plant at the southeastern corner of Cannon Air Force Base, to test three different options for removing PFAS from the groundwater. If all goes according to plan, the "pump and treat" plant will begin operations in 2023.

Plus, Host Gene Grant speaks with Rep. Melanie Stansbury, whose victory in the special election for New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District was watched closely by politicos in the U.S. and abroad. The congresswoman, who was sworn into office Monday, discusses her policy priorities.

Correspondents:

Gene Grant

Laura Paskus

Guests:

Chris Gierke, remedial project manager, U.S. Air Force

Sec. James Kenney, NM Environment Department

Rep. Melanie Stansbury, (D-NM) 1st Congressional District

The Line opinion panel takes up a topic on everyone’s sweat-soaked brow this week: the unseasonably hot late-spring temperatures. Climate change and megafires to the west have combined to turn mid-June into a miserable slog for much of the state. With record-setting temperatures and prolonged drought conditions becoming the new normal, the question comes up as July 4th approaches: should fireworks be banned for personal use?

The Line panel also talks about upcoming cannabis legalization and potential pitfalls. Conflicts of interest have started cropping up as members of New Mexico’s citizen legislature stand to profit from the cannabis industry. 

The group also looks at what progress – if any – has been made by city leaders in Santa Fe and Albuquerque after protests of colonialist statues and monuments last summer. The eyesore left behind by the toppled obelisk in the Santa Fe Plaza is a reminder that a path forward has not yet opened. And in Albuquerque, the fate of the Oñate sculpture removed after last year's protest also remains undecided.

Host:

The Line Opinion Panel:

Dede Feldman, former state senator

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

TJ Trout, radio host, KKOB

This month marks the ten-year anniversary of the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, which burned 156,000 acres of the Jemez Mountains. At the time, Las Conchas was the largest fire in New Mexico’s recorded history.

Here in New Mexico—and across the West—wildfire season is getting longer. Wildfires, bigger. And these trends will continue in our warming world. Between 1970 and 2020, New Mexico’s average annual temperature has risen by 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit—and forecasts show we’re in for more and more warming into the future.

But wildfires aren’t the only problem spurred by rising temperatures and drought, which have even more impacts on our forests, including insect infestations.

On this month’s episode of Our Land, we look at how climate change is altering New Mexico’s forests and what the future holds.

A 30-year veteran of the battle for affordable housing, Mike Loftin of Homewise talks with senior producer Matt Grubs about the ABQ Home for Life program. The effort by the city to attract new residents was born of work-from-home discoveries about the workforce. Loftin explains why it’s important to think holistically about housing costs.

This week, our crew also takes a trip to the Santa Fe Farmers Market to find out how growers are emerging from the pandemic. The shutdown’s impact has forced changes in how some growers do business, including innovations that seem here to stay in a post-pandemic world.

The Line opinion panel reacts to a unanimous decision this week from the New Mexico Supreme Court denying financial compensation from the state to businesses affected by the COVID-19 public health order. The court’s decision came five months after the first oral arguments were heard in roughly 20 lawsuits by businesses seeking relief. The panel examines the finer legal points of the issue.

The group also discusses Sen. Martin Heinrich’s call to have open and honest discussions about unidentified flying objects and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The Pentagon is expected to release a report later this month on these unexplained phenomena. Will the report reveal long-held secrets or be, as news account predict, inconclusive? The truth is still out there.

And finally, the Line panelists take a closer look at the committee charged with bringing fairness to the process of redrawing political boundaries after each Census count. The redistricting panel has all been appointed, but critics say it lacks geographic and cultural diversity – there is only one woman on the committee, and no Native American representation.

Host:

The Line Opinion Panel:

Sophie Martin, attorney

Albuquerque Journal photojournalist and photo editor Dean Hanson calls it a career after 35 years at the paper. Senior producer Matt Grubs talks with Hanson as the self-described “camera guy” looks back at his experience and shares some of his favorite images.

Looking to leverage what has traditionally been a low cost of living and affordable housing market, the City of Albuquerque is expanding its “Home for Life” program. The effort seeks to lure former residents and remote workers to New Mexico. But a booming housing market means homes are harder to find than ever before. Senior producer Matt Grubs interviews Synthia Jaramillo, director of Albuquerque’s Economic Development Department, about how she’ll measure the program’s success and avoid overcrowding a seller’s real estate market.

Correspondent:

Matt Grubs, NMiF senior producer

Guests:

Dean Hanson, photojournalist

Synthia Jaramillo, Albuquerque Economic Development Department

Voters in New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District chose a new representative to send to Washington. With the eyes of the national political crowd on Albuquerque and the rest of the district, Democratic candidate Melanie Stansbury ran away with the election, hitting the 60 percent mark over three conservative challengers. Ms. Stansbury portrayed her win as a symbolic victory for voting rights, for science and for women. The Line opinion panel talks takeaways from the special election for New Mexico’s CD1.

The Line opinion panel also discusses New Mexico’s vaccination push, which this week added a cash sweepstakes to the effort using federal aid funds. Is a lottery a good tactic by New Mexico’s Department of Health to encourage everyone to get vaccinated, or has Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham “usurped legislative authority to rehabilitate her image” as state Senate Republicans claim?

Plus, We have yet to see the halfway mark for 2021,but Albuquerque has already seen 50 homicide deaths. That’s twice as many murders as the city had at this point last year. The Line opinion panel discusses the Duke City’s rising violent crime rate.

Host:

The Line Opinion Panel:

Merritt Allen, Vox Optima public relations

Antonia Gonzales gathers a group of experts to talk about bringing tribal communities out of the pandemic with the right kind of behavioral health support. It’s a problem for all communities in the state, but one that the Indian Affairs Department has been working on since the onset of COVID-19. 

To see our early report on the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program, just click here. 

Segments:

Bosque Science and Data Program Faces Cuts