New Mexico News Insiders

In New Mexico, an estimated one out of seven children experience the death of a parent or sibling before graduating high school. National rankings also list the state high in violent crime and low in education. So how is grief impacting young students and families? This week on the podcast, Mickey Kivitz, the new Director of Education for the Grief Center , joins Gabby to discuss new efforts to re...

Just three days into his criminal trial, Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case for the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was dismissed by a Santa Fe judge citing the 'state's discovery violation,' also known as a 'Brady violation.' The rule isn't new, but it's shining a spotlight on the issue of withholding evidence in the criminal justice system. The 'Rust' movie armorer is...

Ruidoso has been through a brutal cycle of wildfires, flooding, recovery, and repeat. As the village recoups from the devastating wildfires and monsoon flooding, they're also welcoming back tourists - a vital component to the mountain town's economy. This week, longtime resident and village spokesperson Kerry Gladden joins Gabby to discuss how the village emergency response worked out, how the com...

In 2023, internet crime victims reported $12.5 billion in losses, according to the FBI. There's also been an uptick in complaints filed by elderly victims. From cryptocurrency scams, and call center schemes, to falsely claiming to buy your timeshare property - scammers are getting increasingly savvy in their targeting efforts. A longtime IRS criminal investigator joins Gabby this week to discuss h...

New Mexico’s largest school district has a new leader in Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Gabriella Blakey. This week on the podcast, Gabby and guest cohost, Jessica Garate talk with Blakey about how her experience within APS is informing her decisions as a leader for the district. Blakey addresses school safety, guns on campuses, an extended school year, teacher and family challenge...

It has become one crisis after another for the Village of Ruidoso lately. Within hours of the South Fork and Salt Fires sparking, the entire village was under evacuation as the fire quickly spread to homes and businesses. At least two people were killed in the wildfire, around 1,400 structures were burned, and the feds are now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of pers...

It's a gem of the southwestern United States and southwest New Mexico. One hundred years later, the Gila Wilderness is celebrating its formal dedication as the very first federally designated wilderness area in the U.S. Early conservation leader Aldo Leopold proposed the idea, realizing the need to preserve the land's natural state. This week on the podcast, Chris and Gabby discuss the origin stor...

Was it aliens? Or something else? From the famous Roswell incident, or flying saucers reported in Farmington, to an inexplicable case about a boy in Hobbs reportedly burned by a UFO in 1964. This week Chris and Gabby discuss the popular and lesser-known reported UFO events in New Mexico with a man who's made it his mission to curate the largest collection of UFO materials ever assembled. David Mar...

New Mexico’s largest hospital, and the only hospital in the state with a level-one trauma center has been under construction for more than a year. Chris and Gabby discuss the changes the new ‘Critical Care Tower’ promises to bring to UNMH, and how upgrades are aimed to transform medical care for thousands of patients. How will the new space serve patients and staff? When will the Critical Care Tow...

The first chapter of the 2024 election is here with New Mexicans taking part in the primary election on Tuesday, June 4. This time around, while Republicans are looking a few intraparty contests, there are far more contested races inside the Democratic party. This week on the New Mexico News Podcast, UNM Political Science Professor and KRQE’s Political Analyst, Gabe Sanchez, joins Chris and Gabby...

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is investing in a big new technology package, hoping to help deputies with crime-fighting around the county. Alongside newer TASERs, body cameras, license plate reading cameras and gunshot detectors, the county is also investing in a new cloud-based service called ‘FUSUS.' The company behind it describes the tech as a “real-time intelligence ecosystem,” allow...

It's been almost 12 years since the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would start investigating Albuquerque Police. Today, the APD says it has "met all requirements in the Court-Approved Settlement Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice," and the reform process will come to an end . APD Chief Harold Medina joins Chris & Gabby to discuss the key changes APD has adopted over the las...

An Albuquerque grandmother was dancing in her living room to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie when she came face-to-face with a home intruder. KRQE Anchor-Reporter Jessica Garate first reported the story and obtained the emotional 911 call the woman made as she was trying to coax the man back outside. Jessica joins Chris & Gabby in a behind-the-scenes conversation about what led to the woman s...

Two years into recreational cannabis becoming legal in New Mexico, local cannabis distributors are finding themselves in a legal conundrum. Border Patrol Agents have seized more than $300,000 worth of local cannabis products at checkpoints, according to the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. Matt Chadwick, owner of Top Crop Cannabis, says the checkpoint seizures seemingly started out of the...

The U.S. Supreme Court is taking up a case that could impact how states and local agencies deal with homeless encampments. UNM School of Law Professor Joshua Kastenberg joins Gabby to discuss Albuquerque's current policies on encampments, and the local implications of the case known as Grants Pass v. Johnson. Are there similarities between this case and New Mexico's homeless issues? What immediate...

Victims are still struggling two years later to recover from the state’s largest, most destructive wildfire in New Mexico’s history. The government-sparked Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Wildfire burned through more than 341,000 acres, destroyed hundreds of homes, and displaced families across northern New Mexico. Pam Abreu shares her story with Gabby about challenges she’s faced since losing the family...

Hundreds of New Mexicans are waiting for a life-saving organ donation from someone they may never meet. According to Donor Services, Kidneys are the most needed organ in New Mexico due to the increased risk of diabetes and kidney failure. This week, Victoria Yocum shares her journey as a young woman with a rare liver disease, the obstacles she navigated in the local healthcare system, and how she’...

More than 200 pending criminal cases - mostly DWIs - were dropped in Bernalillo County due to Albuquerque Police officers’ credibility being compromised. The now-former DWI officers are targets of a federal investigation that involves accusations officers were accepting money to get DWI cases dismissed. Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman joins Chris & Gabby for an in-depth discuss...

Families in an Albuquerque neighborhood learned their plans to build a playground were quashed with the help of a former politician who lives near the park. KRQE News 13's Jessica Garate exposed the 'playground politics' where former Lt. Governor Diane Denish (2003-Jan. 1, 2011) is accused of using her political connections to get Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to line-item veto capital outlay fundin...

Fear of retaliation is one of the main reasons people hesitate to report knowledge of a crime. But in Albuquerque and across the country, tipsters can remain completely anonymous to Crime Stoppers , and receive reward money in return for helping law enforcement solve a crime. The origin story of Crime Stoppers starts in Albuquerque in 1976 with the murder of a gas station attendant and a detective...

Running a small business has its challenges. Running a small business along Central Avenue in Albuquerque's International District is particularly challenging these days. Some major stores have shut down. Other business owners are dealing with drug users, homelessness, and crime right outside their doorstep. This week, Chris & Gabby sit down with the owner of Southwestern Minerals, who has had...

It took a jury in Santa Fe two-and-a-half hours to convict Hannah Gutierrez of involuntary manslaughter after nearly 10 days of testimony and evidence. Gutierrez was the armorer on the film set of Rust in October 2021 when Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in an accidental shooting during a rehearsal scene with Alec Baldwin. Baldwin was holding a gun that was unknowingly loaded with real...

It has been called possibly the biggest police corruption case in Albuquerque; an alleged scheme linking officers within the Albuquerque Police Department's DWI unit and a local defense attorney. News 13 has learned federal investigators are looking into accusations that officers were getting paid to get DWI cases dismissed. This week, members of the KRQE Investigates team break down what we’ve le...

Law enforcement is using genealogy testing to solve crimes that have otherwise led investigators to dead ends years ago. This week Chris & Gabby sit down with New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez to discuss his announcement of the state’s first-of-its-kind Cold Case Unit . The unit will partner with smaller departments across the state to focus on solving old cases using genealogy databases...

There are six 'Safe Haven baby boxes' in New Mexico and more in the works, where mothers in crisis are promised anonymity, no questions asked if they surrender a newborn. But the Children Youth and Families Department Secretary cites state and federal law, claiming newborn surrenders need to be investigated to ensure the mother made the decision willingly and the father is aware of it. If a Native...