New Mexico News Insiders

New Mexico's Top federal law enforcement officer peels back the curtain on what's historically been a pretty secretive job. The state's U.S. Attorney's Office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes ranging from murder, organized crime, and issues in Indian Country, to investigating and prosecuting public corruption. This week, New Mexico's U.S. Attorney , Alexander Uballez, shares some of h...

From an impressive turn-around to losing its head football coach, and now legal challenges amid the basketball team - there have been significant highs and lows for the University of New Mexico's Lobo Athletic Department over the last few months. This week Chris and Gabby sit down with KRQE Sports gurus Van Tate and Jared Chester to drill into the season of Lobo sports. How will the new Athletic D...

What could become of the Expo New Mexico State Fairgrounds? Near the end of 2024, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a 'Request for Proposal,' or RFP, seeking ideas for a master plan to redevelop 236 acres of state-owned land in the central part of Albuquerque. This week, Chris & Gabby break down what this could mean for the area near the International District with freshman District 6...

From crime, homelessness, economic investments, and a new presidential administration - there are several potential changes in the pipeline for 2025. This week, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller joins Chris and Gabby to discuss some major events from 2024 and what's ahead for the new year. Keller is officially in the final year of his second term and will run for a third term. What's his thinking behin...

From historic wildfires and flooding, to one of the most watched criminal trials of the year, 2024 has been another big news year for New Mexico. This week on KRQE's News 13's New Mexico News Insiders , Chris and Gabby are taking a look back at some of the most impactful stories of 2024 with KRQE's evening anchors, Jessica Garate, and Dean Staley. This year, we've put together a roundtable discuss...

Happy Holidays from New Mexico News Insiders! This week, we're back for another look at some of the best "good news" stories from 2024. KRQE Anchor-Reporters Jessica Garate and Annalisa Pardo join Chris and Gabby to talk about a few special stories they put together this year, which are airing in KRQE's annual "Good News" newscast special. Annalisa takes us behind the scenes of a newer federal cou...

Ever wonder what New Mexico looked like before dinosaurs roamed the earth? Local paleontologists have been studying fossils and renovating a new space at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science to bring visitors a first-hand look at the prehistoric southwest. This week, the museum’s Curator of Paleontology, Dr. Spencer Lucas, joins Chris and Gabby to talk about their latest exhibit “A...

More than four-and-a-half years since the pandemic-related closure of the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, the Bureau of Land Management and Cochiti Pueblo announced the monument is now reopened to the public. The long-awaited reopening , however, comes with several new conditions, processes, and higher fees. Former UNM Professor and longtime geologist Dr. Gary Smith joins Chris and Gabb...

Plenty of industries are in need of staff, but did you know New Mexico has an accounting crisis? That’s according to State Auditor, Joseph Maestas. When local governments can’t hire a good accountant, the ripple effect on local economies can be damaging. Auditor Maestas shares what his industry is doing to try and recruit fresh talent, retain workforce in New Mexico, and improve how the state mana...

When it comes to overall child well-being in New Mexico, the state ranks 50th in the nation according to a ' Kids Count' report . But that ranking doesn't even include child abuse and neglect data. What sort of indicators are used to measure child welfare? And how can New Mexico move out of last place? Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Amy Dudewicz has had a long career in local law en...

With an aging population and fewer children being born, New Mexico could head toward a concerning decline, according to UNM researchers. Geospatial & Population Studies (UNM-GPS) Senior Research Scientist Jacqueline Miller joins Chris & Gabby to discuss her projections based on 2020 Census numbers. While the numbers aren’t set in stone, Miller explains what this could mean for the state’s...

Social media can help people stay connected from anywhere in the world. But it’s also a platform where predators can connect with children more easily than ever before. This week, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez joins Chris and Gabby to explain why he’s taking internet giants, Meta and Snapchat, to court over what he believes are dangerous platforms for children. Are Meta and Snapchat doin...

Election Day 2024 is here. It's been a contentious national election season, and locally, New Mexico could see some big changes. UNM Political Science Professor and KRQE Political Analyst, Gabe Sanchez, joins Chris and Gabby to break down the races to watch in this election. Will a visit from Donald Trump impact voters or local candidates? How much do political ads matter? Locally, it's also the f...

New Mexicans aren’t alone in experiencing more extreme weather events lately. Meanwhile, those responsible for reporting accurate information during a life-threatening disaster are also facing more extreme examples of weather misinformation, or weather 'skeptics.' This week we clear the fog on some common misconceptions and discuss emerging topics like 'cloud seeding,' climate science, and what it...

The authenticity and trust in local elections has become a growing topic of discourse, and in some cases, led to disagreements in the United States. In an effort to ensure voters can trust the process, New Mexicans will see nonpartisan ‘Election Monitors’ at polling locations across the state on November 5th. Observe New Mexico Elections Co-Lead, Carmen López, and Associate Director of Democracy,...

Between gun trafficking, targeting the fentanyl supply chain, and investigating human smuggling operations, there's an agency operating in the shadows to crack down on illegal activity spilling across New Mexico's border. Special Agent In Charge of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso Division, J.T. Stevens, joins Chris and Gabby this week to discuss the complexities of HSI missions. SAC Steve...

Albuquerque police detectives are using genealogy to solve decades-old cold case crimes. In this latest example, APD and the FBI identified the victims from two cold case homicides using genealogy and DNA research. Despite signs of foul play when their skeletal remains were discovered years ago, the women were only known as 'Jane Doe' until now. Kyle Hartsock, Commander of APD's Criminal Investiga...

While state leaders have celebrated New Mexico's "billion dollar" cannabis industry , more than two years into recreational sales, there's growing concern about the regulatory apparatus tasked with monitoring thousands of licensed cannabis facilities. A recent Larry Barker investigation exposed how New Mexico's Cannabis Control Division has only inspected roughly half of the state's more than 3,00...

In the run-up to the November election, one of two New Mexico Senate seats is on the ballot. Democratic incumbent Senator Martin Heinrich is seeking another term, facing Republican challenger, Nella Domenici, daughter of the late Pete Domenici. Listeners will hear both candidates share their ideas about policy and changes they'd like to work on for New Mexico. Topics range from the economy, educat...

It's a case that rattled New Mexico's Muslim community after three men were shot and killed seemingly at random in the summer of 2022. Investigators at the time wouldn’t call it a ‘hate crime’ before a suspect was identified. Today, with Muhammad Syed behind bars for the murders, the motive remains a mystery. Syed was convicted earlier this year in one of the murders, then recently took a plea dea...

Chief Troy Weisler is more than a year in on the job of leading the New Mexico State Police. The NMSP employs around 700 sworn officers across 12 different districts in New Mexico. As a 22-year veteran of one of the state's largest police departments, Chief Weisler shares his perspective with Chris and Gabby on the state's crime problem, and how his department is uniquely positioned to help addres...

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller recently delivered his ‘State of the City’ address, calling it ‘A Future Worth Fighting For.’ What does he mean by that, exactly? This week, Mayor Keller joins Gabby and Chris for an in-depth discussion about crime, homelessness, the economy, and more. Keller says the metro’s biggest problem leads back to Fentanyl. He also admits the city’s housing voucher program isn’...

It's a new era that American cities, counties, and states are now facing in how they can address homelessness in law and ordinance. A June ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Grants Pass vs. Johnson cleared the way for cities nationwide to enforce bans on people sleeping outside in public places. The ruling generally gives local governments more latitude to address homeless encampmen...

New Mexico’s Chile farmers are reporting a ‘bumper crop’ year for the state’s beloved crop as the aroma of green Chile roasting season fills the air. Ben Etcheverry, President of the New Mexico Chile Association, joins Chris and Gabby to discuss how nature played a vital part in this year’s harvest. He also addresses industry concerns like inflation, shrinking margins for local farmers, and the st...

New Mexico Health authorities shared some alarming results from surprise visits to several long-term care facilities. Elderly residents shared concerns through a survey about staff shortages, unappetizing food, hygiene issues, and lack of physical activities. In one case, staff at a senior care facility lost track of an elderly resident during a surprise visit from the state. So what’s being done...