New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Laura Paskus continues her series of interviews with journalists around the state as they cover COVID-19 in their communities. Diego Lopez is a reporter with the Cibola Citizen in Grants. City leaders are clashing in the western New Mexico town as the mayor has demanded businesses be allowed to reopen, despite the governor’s public health order.

Navajo Nation leaders and health officials are working around the clock fighting COVID-19 while providing relief to tribal citizens with food, water, firewood and other supplies. There have been more than 100 deaths in the outbreak, but many people have recovered or are in the recovery process. Correspondent Antonia Gonzales talks with a Navajo citizen who shares his COVID-19 recovery story and a Navajo journalist whose recent piece in the New York Times highlighted some reasons why the virus is spreading so rapidly across Navajo land.

Senior producer Matt Grubs looks at COVID-19’s impact on the Northwest part of the state. The Gallup lockdown has kept Grants’ Cibola General Hospital busy. In Farmington, San Juan Regional Medical Center has seen an uptick in cases just this week. San Juan’s CEO and a chief nursing officer at Cibola General discuss the impact on both hospital operations and the doctors and nurses who are treating those infected by the novel coronavirus.

Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community in the Islamic faith, began April 23 with Muslims worldwide knowing this would be an observance unlike any they’d experienced. Correspondent Megan Kamerick speaks with three Muslims in Albuquerque to learn how they are adapting to this new reality and observing principles of service and community while staying apart.

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss COVID-19 updates, including Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s newest decisions. The Line also looks at current and long-term effects of COVID-19 on the New Mexico tourism industry.

This week on New Mexico in Focus, senior producer Matt Grubs takes a close look at the state’s COVID-19 testing capability with Sec. Kathyleen Kunkel of the NM Department of Health. New Mexico is able to test more than 5,000 people a day, but routinely falls thousands of tests short of that mark.

Correspondent Laura Paskus continues with her series of interviews with journalists around the state as they cover COVID-19 in their communities. Arlyssa Becenti is a reporter with the Navajo Times, which is based in Window Rock, Arizona, and covers the entire 27,000-square mile Navajo Nation.

Paskus also checks in with Jeff Proctor, criminal justice reporter for New Mexico In Depth and contributing editor for the Santa Fe Reporter. He’s been tracking how some 6,600 inmates in New Mexico are affected by the pandemic, and what the state is doing to protect prisoners and correctional employees from the deadly virus.

Correspondent Antonia Gonzales looks into tribal cultural responses to the current pandemic. Native Americans across the country are finding ways to share their culture, language and traditions with one another as COVID-19 put a halt to tribal gatherings. Virtual pow-wows, beading classes, pottery making, language and story-sharing are among the many things to move online. A number of Facebook groups, town halls, and Zoom meetings are connecting tribal communities offering encouragement and positivity during these trying times. Gonzales talks with some guests about the resilience of Native people.

Senior producer Matt Grubs tackles the issue of voting during the pandemic with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. This week, county clerks began sending out applications for mail-in absentee ballots as they prepare for the June 2 primary. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled last month that ballots had to be requested by voters in the upcoming election, rather than allowing clerks to skip a step and just send the ballots. Sec. Toulouse Oliver talks about her concern for public health and in-person voting.

On this month’s episode of Our Land, we look back to 2018, when the Rio Grande dried in April after a warm, dry winter. At the time, correspondent Laura Paskus spoke with scientists whose research showed how climate change is already affecting the amount of streamflow in the Rio Grande that comes from snowmelt, especially in the spring. The river’s flow in 2020 is bearing out that grim prediction just two years later.

This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Megan Kamerick talks with researchers at the University of New Mexico who are among hundreds of scientists around the world working to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that has led to the death of more than 57,000 in the United States alone.

Senior producer Matt Grubs talks to executives from hospitals in Las Cruces and Portales. Both Mountain View Regional Medical Center and Roosevelt General Hospital are still waiting for a surge of COVID-19 cases, while acknowledging that stay-at-home orders have flattened disease curves. But the coronavirus has changed how both facilities prepare for pandemics going forward.

Correspondent Laura Paskus continues with the fourth in her series of interviews with journalists around the state as they cover COVID-19 in their communities. Adrian Hedden, a journalist with the Carlsbad Current-Argus, discusses the consequences of the outbreak in the Carlsbad area.

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss COVID-19 updates, including Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s plan to extend restrictions through May 15. Although her approval rating in a recent poll is at 62%, not everyone views her policies favorably. This includes Mayor Martin Hicks of Grants, who has encouraged others to follow him in defying the governor’s shut-down orders. The Line also looks at school, city, and state budgets that are in trouble as a result of the pandemic.

This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Megan Kamerick talks with Drs. Sanjeev Arora and Leslie Hayes about telehealth and how rural medical centers and hospitals are handling cases of the novel coronavirus.

Senior producer Matt Grubs talks to U.S. Sen. Tom Udall about the COVID-19 pandemic as the Senate passes its latest attempt to provide a safety net for the U.S. economy and healthcare system.

Correspondent Laura Paskus continues with the third in her series of interviews with journalists around the state as they cover COVID-19 in their communities. Staci Matlock, managing editor of the Taos News, discusses the progress and results of the outbreak in Northern New Mexico.

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss how rural hospitals are struggling to keep their doors open while they brace for a surge in COVID-19 patients, and what’s ahead for health care in less populated parts New Mexico. The Line also looks whether the state has enough resources to expand novel coronavirus testing for every citizen, and what it might need to reopen the economy.

This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Laura Paskus continues with her series of interviews with journalists around the state as they cover COVID-19 in their communities. Algernon D’Ammassa, a reporter with the Las Cruces Sun-News who lives in Deming, has been covering the pandemic crisis in Southern New Mexico.

Correspondent Antonia Gonzales talks with New Mexico’s Indian Affairs secretary and two tribal leaders about COVID-19 and Native communities. Tribes are working to slow the disease’s spread as state, national and congressional leaders are raising concerns about the devastating impact COVID-19 can have on tribes across the country.

Correspondent Laura Paskus reports on the Trump administration’s plans to open more than 2.3 million acres of wildlife refuges to hunting and fishing. That would include New Mexico’s Bosque del Apache and Bitter Lake National Wildlife refuges.

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss partisan reactions to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s public health restrictions. The Line also looks at the spread of COVID-19 in jails and prisons,and debates the call for early release of some non-violent prisoners.

This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Megan Kamerick talks with officials from the City of Albuquerque and nonprofits helping those without housing. They discuss efforts to help curtail COVID-19 spread among people experiencing homelessness and how the response to this pandemic may shape public health and housing in the future.

“Our Land” correspondent Laura Paskus sits down with Santa Fe National Forest fire fighter Terrance Gallegos, who went to Australia to help combat the country’s recent unprecedented bushfires, which burned more than 72,000 square miles and destroyed some 6,000 buildings. Based on that experience, he looks ahead to New Mexico’s fire season.

Correspondent Megan Kamerick talks with members of the Catholic and Jewish communities about how they are trying to adapt faith traditions during a pandemic. Both the Christian and Jewish faiths will adjust major celebrations for Holy Week, which leads up to Easter, and Passover, a commemoration of the story of Exodus.

Correspondent Laura Paskus begins a series of interviews with journalists around the state as they cover COVID-19 in their communities. Noel Smith reports on the Navajo Nation for the Farmington Daily Times. She’s also a tribal member and has seen her home devastated by a COVID-19 outbreak.

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s new actions to deal with COVID-19, including tighter restrictions on businesses, extending those restrictions through April, and ordering the early release of low-risk prison inmates. The Line also looks at the effects of the pandemic on faith communities.

This week on New Mexico in Focus, senior producer Matt Grubs speaks with Dr. David Scrase, who is part of the team coordinating New Mexico’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A geriatrician who now leads the Human Services Department, Scrase talks about the state’s testing capacity, how it impacts the spread of the novel coronavirus, and how the health care system is preparing for a spike in cases.

Correspondent Megan Kamerick talks with the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence about how victims can deal with and escape abuse as New Mexico enters into more weeks of stay-at-home orders.

As the nation’s economy reels from the COVID-19 crisis, the Environmental Protection Agency has rolled back regulations, allowing for greater pollution. The surprise announcement came last week. Correspondent Laura Paskus talks about the changes with Sec. James Kenney of the New Mexico Environment Department.

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss local government’s actions, including closing public schools through the end of this term to slow the spread of the current virus pandemic. The group also looks at how parents are educating kids while they’re at home, including NMPBS’ partnership with APS – “APS @ Home” – which will start broadcasting K-5 lessons on channel 5.1 from 8 a.m. to noon. Lessons begin April 6. They also talk about the effects of COVID-19 prevention on businesses statewide.

This week on New Mexico in Focus, senior producer Matt Grubs speaks with Secretary Bill McCamley of Workforce Solutions about the state’s expanded response for workers who have been laid off because of actions to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

Matt Grubs also follows up with Our Land correspondent Laura Paskus, who broke the news this week that the Pentagon has identified four more possible contamination sites as she continues to investigate toxic chemicals in groundwater near military bases.

Correspondent Antonia Gonzales talks with President Jonathan Nez of the Navajo Nation and National Indian Health Board CEO Stacy Bohlen about how they are dealing with scarce resources in their response to virus outbreaks on tribal lands.

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recent statewide “stay-at-home” order, what it means for people being laid off or furloughed, and what it means for the businesses that employed them. The Line also debates the best way to go about a legislative special session that is surely inevitable. For their final segment, The Line panelists look toward the possibility of holding an all-mail primary election.

This week on New Mexico in Focus, senior producer Matt Grubs speaks with two psychiatrists about how to deal with the realities of social distancing as the nation responds to the COVID-19 outbreak. For many people, staying at home can start to feel overwhelming, especially as they struggle to explain to their children what’s happening in the world beyond the front door.   

The U.S. Census quietly got underway last week. The count is vital for states like New Mexico, which have large numbers of people who are part of historically undercounted populations. Correspondent Antonia Gonzales sits down with Charlotte Little and Jamie Gloshay of the New Mexico Native American Census Coalition to talk about the challenge of avoiding an undercount and the ways in which the state’s Native community is responding.   

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel take a broad look at New Mexico’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Are state and local leaders doing enough? How have New Mexicans responded to the call for social distancing? Others believe New Mexico is overreacting. What are the immediate and long-term economic impacts on businesses and citizens, especially for low-income populations? For their final segment, The Line panelists will each choose “One More Thing” to talk about – a segment that is usually reserved for the web but which gets the broadcast treatment this week.

Las Cruces NPR Station KRWG today (3/19/20) hosted a live call-in show for people with questions about COVID-19, partnering with other New Mexico PBS stations: KENW, KUNM and KANW. We wanted to share with all of you in case it helps to answer any lingering questions you may have. Tune in tomorrow for this week's podcast edition of New Mexico in Focus, when we will talk about the state response to the pandemic, as well as get advice for a pair of psychiatrists on how to cope with things like maintaining a sense of normalcy, isolation issues and much more.