New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

This week on New Mexico in Focus, we report from the special legislative session at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, where lawmakers quickly passed a series of funding and other bills meant to shore up health care, public media and COVID vaccine access in the wake of massive cuts and confusion from the Trump administration.  

Host: Nash Jones 

Segments: 
 

State House Speaker Sums Up Special Session 

Correspondent: Nash Jones 

Guest: State House Speaker Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque 

Senate Majority Leader on Urgency of Special Session 

Correspondent: Nash Jones 

Guest: State Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe 

State Senate Minority Floor Leader on Special Session Objections, Political Violence 

Correspondent: Nash Jones 

Guest: State Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington 

GOP Opposition to COVID Vaccine Bill 

Correspondents:

Gwyneth Doland 

Nash Jones 

Guests:

State Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho 

State Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque 

Health Care Authority Secretary Breaks Down Funding for Rural NM 

Correspondent: Nash Jones 

Guest: Kari Armijo, Cabinet Secretary, NM Health Care Authority 

Funding to Study Interstate Medical Compacts Passes 

Correspondent: Nash Jones 

Guest: Marschall Smith, Executive Director, Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission 

NM Legislature Backfills Some Federal Funding Cuts for Public Media 

Correspondent: Gwyneth Doland 

Guests: 

State Rep. Martha Garcia, D-Pine Hill 

State Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo 

State Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview 

State Rep. Randall Pettigrew, R-Lovington 

This episode of the podcast, we conclude our interviews with Albuquerque mayoral candidates when political newcomer Mayling Armijo speaks with NMiF Show Host Nash Jones. Nash explores some of the big issues facing the city: homelessness, housing, crime and economic opportunity. 

Host: Lou DiVizio

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Guest: Mayling Armijo, Albuquerque Mayoral Candidate 

At the end of National Suicide Prevention Month, NMiF Show Host Nash Jones sit down with a Health Department official and two staffers from the New Mexico Crisis & Access Line to talk about an uptick last year in suicides across the state — and lift up suggestions for community care.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Guests:

Clarie Miller, NM Health Department, Suicide Prevention Coordinator

Claire Carmony, NM Crisis & Access Line, 988 Program Manager

Rosella Sanchez, NM Crisis & Access Line, Director of Community and Stakeholder Relations 

We near the end of our interviews with candidates for Albuquerque Mayor with current city councilor Louie Sanchez. NMiF Show Host Nash Jonesexplores some of the big issues facing the city with Sanchez: homelessness, housing, crime and economic opportunity.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Guest: Louie Sanchez, Albuquerque City Councilor, Mayoral Candidate 

Reporter Cailley Chella takes us to Santa Fe, where she spoke with three of the city's eight candidates vying for the mayor’s office in the City Different. Letitia Montoya, Jeanne O'Dean and Oscar Rodriguez tell Chella their thoughts on Santa Fe's affordability crisis and the city's recent partnership with Urban Alchemy to work with the rising unhoused population. 

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Reporter: Cailley Chella

Guests:

Letitia Montoya, Santa Fe Mayoral Candidate

Oscar Rodriguez, Santa Fe Mayoral Candidate

Jeanne O'Dean, Santa Fe Mayoral Candidate

We continue our look-ahead to Albuquerque's mayoral election. In an effort to fairly give all seven candidates airtime over the next few weeks, our team set a threshold for who would qualify for a one-on-one interview based on fundraising and petition signatures. Those interviews are forthcoming. Correspondent Cailley Chella sits down with candidates Daniel Chavez and Eddie Varela to get their thoughts on crime, housing and Albuquerque's sanctuary city status. 

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Reporter: Cailley Chella

Guests:

Eddie Varela, Albuquerque Mayoral Candidate

Daniel Chavez, Albuquerque Mayoral Candidate 

We return to Albuquerque's upcoming mayoral election with an interview of one of Mayor Tim Keller's progressive challengers, former New Mexico U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez. Host Nash Jones asks whether his time as a chief federal law enforcement officer would inform his priorities as mayor.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Guest: Alexander Uballez, Candidate for Albuquerque Mayor

This week on New Mexico in Focus, we zero-in on Albuquerque's upcoming mayoral election a one-on-one interview with incumbent Tim Keller. NMiF Show Host Nash Jones asks Keller why voters should elect him for an unprecedented third consecutive term.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Guest: Tim Keller, Albuquerque Mayor

It's local election season. In Albuquerque and Santa Fe, mayoral and city council candidates have an opportunity to fund their campaigns with taxpayer money if they qualify for public financing. In Albuquerque, just one candidate for mayor reached the threshold for public dollars: incumbent Mayor Tim Keller. Senior Producer Lou DiVizio met with one of the people who originally crafted Albuquerque's public financing system, former city councilor Eric Griego, to ask him if it's still working. And, Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark stops by our studio to break down how Santa Fe's ranked-choice voting system works. 

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Guest: Dr. Eric Griego, Ph.D., Former Albuquerque City Councilor, UNM Adjunct Professor 

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Guest: Katharine Clark, SF County Clerk

State Environment Secretary James Kenney made a rare appearance at last month's meeting of the Water Quality Control Commission. Kenney advocated for the board to adopt a proposal that would expand the state's use of “produced water” — oil and gas wastewater that's loaded with questionable chemicals. Previous pushes to pass a similar proposal have died in the Legislature, as well as with the water commission. This latest proposal, however, has moved forward, and the board will consider it in November. Jerry Redfern, an oil and gas reporter with Capital and Main, recently stopped by our studio to ask Kenney about his department's sudden embrace of expanded uses for wastewater.

Host: Lou DiVizio

Correspondent: Jerry Redfern

Guest: James Kenney, Secretary, New Mexico Environment Department