New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Pride celebrations in New Mexico’s capital city. Santa Fe is marking the occasion with a series of events that will eclipse any previous Pride festivities in the city. NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio speaks with the executive director of the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance, Kevin Bowen, to ask about what went into this year’s planning, and why New Mexico con...

NMiF Senior Producer introduces this week's episode with headlines from around the state including new developments in the deadly 'Rust' shooting case . Plus, republican state Senator Mark Moores of Albuquerque announces he won't run for re-election , and the state's Tax and Revenue Department says it will start distributing tax rebate payments as soon as June 21. Then, Gene Gr...

Michelle Otero was the City of Albuquerque’s Poet Laureate from 2018 through 2020. This year, FlowerSong Press published her prose book, “Vessels: A Memoir of Borders.”  In conversation with Our Land’s Laura Paskus she talks about the challenges and rewards of writing about family, trauma, and history. Host: Laura Paskus Guest: Michelle Otero, Author, “Vessels: A Memoir of Borders”  NMiF on Facebo...

NMPBS has a new executive producer for public affairs. Jeff Proctor has been entrenched in New Mexico journalism for decades. This week he sits down with Gene to introduce himself to New Mexico in Focus viewers, while revisiting some of his past work and laying out his vision for NMiF moving forward.   Correspondent: Gene Grant  Guest: Jeff Proctor, executive producer, NMPBS  Jeff Proctor - Santa...

NMiF Senior Producer introduces the show and lays out some headlines from around the state — including the protest that pushed U.S. Interior Sec. Deb Haaland's planned visit to Chaco Park all the way to Albuquerque. Plus, Walgreens has announced a $500 settlement in an opioid lawsuit from the state. And an Legislative Finance Committee report projects even more revenue from oil and gas product...

NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio introduces the podcast this week with headlines from around the state, including the federal government's decision to protect Chaco Canyon and a 10-mile buffer zone from mineral extraction. Gene Grant and The Line Opinion Panel react to the mayor’s comments from our exclusive interview and to some of the larger themes from the state of the city address. First,...

In a special episode of the podcast, Gene Grant speaks with Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis about Mayor Tim Keller's recent state of the city address. Councilor Lewis reacts to the Mayor's priorities for the next year and shares his own opinion on what should be done to address homelessness and bolster the city's economy. Later this week on the podcast, The Line Opinion Panel reac...

NMiF senior producer Lou DiVizio sits down with Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller for an exclusive, in-depth interview covering a variety of issues in the city, including homelessness, affordable housing and public safety. The mayor also responds to a question about his re-election plans as he rolls out several projects that will take years to complete. Later this week on the podcast, Gene Grant speaks...

NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio opens the show with headlines from around the state, including an update on the criticism surrounding New Mexico State University. According to reporting from the Las Cruces Sun-News , Athletic Director Mario Moccia is getting some support from area business owners and athletic boosters after Moccia signed a 5-year contract extension amid allegations of sexual hara...

NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio introduces the podcast this week with a roundup of headlines around the state. That includes the new ESPN report detailing the alleged hazing and sexual assaults that took place on the New Mexico State men's basketball team. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announces $12.6 million for a desalination facility in Alamogordo meant to remove of 'forever chemicals...

This was a grim year in the New Mexico Legislature when it came to action on climate change. Lawmakers passed very few measures related to climate change this session, and those that did pass were vetoed by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Our Land Senior Producer Laura Paskus spoke with the leaders of three nonprofits about what went wrong and why. They also talked about why climate change...

NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio introduces the show with an update on the hazing scandal at New Mexico State University. Plus, the Navajo Nation Council is calling on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to withdraw her nomination for secretary of the state's Indian Affairs Department. Gene Grant and The Line Opinion Panel unpack the recent arrest of an Albuquerque teenager police say brought two...

On Earth Day this year, Our Land Senior Producer Laura Paskus sat down with author and professor Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi), who was in Albuquerque to deliver the Leopold Writing Program’s annual lecture. In the conversation you’re about to hear, Dr. Kimmerer talks about many of the themes in her best-selling and beloved book, Braiding Sweetgrass . We spoke outside on a lovely spring morning...

NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio introduces an interview between Gene Grant and New Mexico filmmaker Larry Sheffield. The two chat about his new documentary profiling J. Robert Oppenheimer. The film pieces together old footage, declassified documents and other research from months and years after the nuclear test at White Sands Missile Range. It premiered Saturday, April 22 at the SALA Los Alamos...

NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio introduces this week's podcast with several state headlines, including the decision from prosecutors to drop the manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin without prejudice. That means charges against the actor can still be refiled. Gene Grant and The Line Opinion Panel assess the first year of recreational cannabis sales in our state. The panelists respond to q...

For the first time in conference history, the NCAA’s Mountain West saw one of its teams make it to the Final Four and the national championship game. The San Diego State Aztecs are only the second team in the conference since 2016 to make it past the first round of the tournament. The UNM basketball team would have loved to switch places with their in-conference rival, but SDSU’s run could still e...

NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio starts the show with statewide headlines, including Sec. Barbara Vigil's departure from the Children Youth and Families Department. In other news, the New Mexico Environment Department is offering free well testing for PFAS contamination. You can request to have your well tested by clicking this link . Gene Grant and The Line Opinion Panel react to Gov. Michell...

NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio introduces the show this week with a recap Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's decisions on proposed legislation from the Roundhouse. The Governor made some serious changes to HB 547 , what had been a wide-ranging tax passage. After the Governor's line item vetoes, the package was pared down to a $500 per-person tax rebate, an expansion to the state’s child t...

NMiF Senior Producer Lou DiVizio introduces two recent interviews about public transit in Albuquerque, specifically the city bus system. First, Christopher Ramírez and Althea Atherton with Together for Brothers talk with Laura Paskus about the City of Albuquerque’s Zero Fares Pilot Program and why transit equity doesn’t just benefit those who need to take advantage of free fares on the city’s buse...

New Mexico in Focus Senior Producer Lou DiVizio runs through some of the major stories from around the state, including a decision from the New Mexico Supreme Court that temporarily blocks a handful of local anti-abortion ordinances. Gene Grant and the Line Opinion Panel explore the influence of lobbying in the state legislature. Gene asks if special interests have too much power in the Roundhouse...

New Mexico in Focus Political Correspondent Gwyneth Doland catches up with a group of up-and-coming New Mexico journalists to talk about their experience covering the Roundhouse during the 2023 legislative session.    Host: Lou DiVizio   Correspondent:   Gwyneth Doland    Guests:  Bella Davis, author, New Mexico in Depth   Jeanette DeDios, reporter, KUNM-FM   Megan Gleason, author, Source New Mexi...

New Mexico in Focus Senior Producer Lou DiVizio opens the show with updates on several stories from around the state. Gene Grant sits down with Martha Burk, political psychologist, author and host of the podcast, ‘Real Time with Martha Burk.’ Gene asks about a series of issues in the 2023 legislature that will impact women and families, including new a reproductive rights law and the failure of pa...

New Mexico in Focus Senior Producer Lou DiVizio runs through some of the biggest items to come out of the 2023 legislative session, including a record-setting $9.6 billion budget plan and a wide-ranging tax package that went through some last-minute tweaks. Among those tweaks came another change to a proposed alcohol tax increase , amounting to about a penny per drink. Read more from Trip Jennings...

New Mexico in Focus Senior Producer Lou DiVizio kicks off the show with an update on several key pieces of legislation moving through the Roundhouse. That includes the $9.6B budget package passed by the state Senate Sunday. HB 2 would increase spending by nearly 14%, which works out to more than $1B. The Governor held a press conference in her office Tuesday morning to announce a bipartisan agreem...

In New Mexico, wildlife belong to the people but are managed by the state. New Mexico Wildlife Federation Executive Director Jesse Deubel discusses hunting authorizations, wildlife management models, food security, the New Mexico Game Commission’s “dysfunction,” and more. Want to see more environmental coverage from NMPBS? Visit the NMPBS App: https://portal.knme.org/show/our-land-new-mexicos-envi...