NM inFOCUS: Ep 203 - JPPOs/McCain Town Hall

July 13-19 is National Probation and Parole Officers’ Week. Each year Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD)'s Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers (JPPO's) provide direct services to more than 15,000 youth in communities throughout New Mexico. David Alire Garcia sits down with several of these public servants.

This past Tuesday, Senator McCain's "Straight Talk Express" rolled into the Hotel Albuquerque, and Gene Grant went to this town hall even and interviewed several attendees. Then, he and The Line panelists give a New Mexico perspective on the presidential campaign, speculate on what the state will do with its $400 million windfall, and give their opinions on the controversial New Yorker cover of Senator and Mrs. Obama.
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NM inFOCUS: Ep 203 - JPPOs/McCain Town Hall (Intro)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 203 - JPPOs/McCain Town Hall (In Focus)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 203 - JPPOs/McCain Town Hall(McCain Town Hall)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 203 - JPPOs/McCain Town Hall (The Line)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 203 - JPPOs/McCain Town Hall (Outro)

John McCain Town Hall - Watch it here!

We will have much more on Senator McCain's visit here to Albuquerque on this Friday night's show, but for those of you who couldn't make Tuesday's event, here's the video:

Part 1

Webcast by Ustream.TV

Part 2

Free Videos by Ustream.TV

Here are a couple of pictures from the event as well.



Tune in Friday night at 7pm for much more with Gene Grant, David Alire Garcia, and the rest of the gang here at NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS!

Kevin McDonald
Public Affairs Producer

Conexiones - The Journey Continues

Here's the latest on the Conexiones study abroad trip from former KNME intern Kaycie Robinson:

Another weekend, another excursion! We went to Patzcuaro, which is a
smaller city about an hour outside of Morelia. Patzcuaro, just like Morelia, is
known for amazing architecture. Patzcuaro is also known for the adjacent lake
appropriately named Lago Patzcuaro, which has the island town of Janitzio at its
center. The island itself is pretty much an enormous hill, and houses are
splattered haphazardly anywhere there is or was space. To get to Janitzio,
you have to take a ferry from Patzcuaro, and to get the best view, you have
to climb the island.

After a climb reminiscent of the first 20 minutes of our journey up
the volcano, we reached the top of the island with its incredible view and giant
statue honoring the history of the area. The very next day, we left our cabañas
at 6AM to get to the village of Jaracuaro to attend the fiesta of San
Pedro. With the sun just beginning to hint at the new day the procession of San
Pedro began. A wooden Saint Peter was being carried on the shoulders of four
men. His throne consisted of finely crafted wood adorned with fresh corn stalks.
Offerings of bananas and bread baked in the shape of rabbits draped the
throne, and the Saint himself was adorned with two woven capes with offerings of
both pesos and US dollars pinned to the back. Two marching bands and villagers
carrying candles entwined in ribbon followed the Saint on the journey
through town to the church in the center. The streets of the town were decorated
with colorful sawdust that formed a sort of red carpet for the Saint as he was
carried past.

Different forms of ephemeral art lined the streets, ranging from
carefully cut paper to glistening decorative balls. Once the Saint was carried
into the church a special mass followed.

After the mass, people attending the fiesta were invited to eat at the house of the carguero, who is the man in charge of the fiesta. We ate traditional fish soup (fruits of Lake Patzcuaro) and corundas, which are similar to tamales. It was extremely interesting to note the presence of corn on San Pedro´s throne: this was visible evidence of the blending of Catholic and Indigenous religious traditions. Also interesting to note is the fact that US dollars adorned the shawl of the Saint. In rural Michoacan, many young men leave their villages to find work in the US. The experience was one of cultural understanding and an excercise in forcing ourselves out of evaluating cultural traditions based on our own ethnocentric perceptions.

Ep. 202: Golden Apple Teacher Awards

It's great to be able to recognize teachers who are really making a difference in students' lives, and the Golden Apple Award winners do just that. We're happy to do our part this week to help get the word out about what some innovative teachers are doing in the classroom.

Seven teachers from all around New Mexico were honored this Spring by the Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico. We show the profiles of all seven, thanks to video provided by KRQE News 13. We are also fortunate to feature two of the teachers in our studio, as co-host David Alire Garcia interviews Christine Castillo and Sandy McMurray. You'll be inspired by them, and understand why they inspire their students. They're joined by the Executive Director of the Foundation, Celia Merrill.

Gene Grant and The Line Panelists are really fired up this week, too, on topics from the return of a streetcar proposal for Albuquerque to the Governor's request for citizens' input in the make-over of Expo New Mexico. And they can't resist catching up on the Presidential race.

We also feature an excerpt from one of our web-based videos; you can watch the entire video on the Bandera Ice Caves and Volcano, which we hope will entice you to explore more of our Land of Enchantment.

Enjoy!

Kathy Wimmer
Episode 202 Producer

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NM inFOCUS: Ep 202 - Teachers, Streetcars and Gas

NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS recognizes the teachers who are making a difference in our state. Seven of “the best of the best” were honored this Spring by the Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico. David Alire Garcia sits down with the Foundation’s Executive Director, and two local teachers who were this year’s Golden Apple Award Winners. Gene Grant and The Line panelists take on the Albuquerque streetcar debate, forced changes due to rising gas prices, and how YOU can help revamp the N.M. State Fairgrounds.

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NM inFOCUS: Ep 202 - Teachers, Streetcars and Gas (Intro)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 202 - Teachers, Streetcars and Gas (Golden Apple)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 202 - Teachers, Streetcars and Gas (In Focus)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 202 - Teachers, Streetcars and Gas (The Line)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 202 - Teachers, Streetcars and Gas (Bandera Intro)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 202 - Teachers, Streetcars and Gas (Bandera)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 202 - Teachers, Streetcars and Gas (Outro)

Summer Conexiones

One of the great things about my job is the fact I get to work with UNM students on a regular basis. Each semester, we work with interns from primarily the Journalism and Political Science Departments. The students are passionate, ambitious, and bring a great energy to the station. A lot of the work they end up doing for me can easily be categorized as "grunt" work, but the students never fail to impress me with their can-do attitudes. The students also help provide a link for me to many of the unknown goings-on at the university. That is definitely the case with Kaycie Robinson, who interned with us here at KNME in the fall of 2007. Kaycie is involved with an annual study abroad program in Mexico. Before she left this summer, I asked Kaycie if she would be interested in blogging for us during her trip. Below is her first installment, which includes a description of the study abroad program, known as Conexiones. Look for more updates from Kaycie in the coming weeks!

Kevin McDonald
Public Affairs Producer

Conexiones is a study abroad program sponsored by the UNM Honors Department
and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. For the past 20
years, Conexiones has sent students to Morelia, Mexico and Trujillo,
Spain. This year, we are in Morelia, Mexico, in the state of Michoacan
(about 250 miles from Mexico City). Morelia is a cosmopolitan city of
nearly 1 million people and is well known for its colonial architecture and
annual migration of Monarch butterflies. Conexiones students travel to Morelia
on their own after pre-departure classes at UNM and spend the next 4 weeks
living with a host family and taking Spanish classes taught by UNM
faculty. Every weekend, the group goes on excursions to explore different
cities and towns. At the end of the 4-week program, students are given the
option to travel independently for up to one week before returning to UNM to
give final presentations and turn in their Cuadernos, which are scrap book-style
notebooks full of guided exploration documenting their stay in Mexico.
My
name is Kaycie Robinson, and I was a student with Conexiones Mexico 2006 and
with Conexiones Spain 2007. I am now a senior at UNM and I´m back for more
as the student helper for Conexiones Mexico 2008- basically, I can´t get enough
of Conexiones!

The Conexiones group has been in Morelia for a week
now, living with host families, going to Spanish classes and enjoying the
city. This past weekend we went to the village of Angahuan to see the
volcano Paricutin. Paricutin was born in 1943 when a farmer in the village
of San Juan noticed steam rising from his fields. The town was evacuated, and
Paricutin continued to erupt for 9 years. The residents of San Juan
founded a new town, the creatively named ¨San Juan Nuevo¨, yet San Juan the
viejo remains very much present if not in the same way as before. When
Paricutin erupted it covered the whole town of San Juan in lava. However,
the lava stopped at the sanctuary of the 17th century church in the middle of
town. We were lucky enough (crazy enough?) to have the chance to complete
the 13 mile hike through the lava fields and up the volcano. We also
visited the church, which displays a replica of the Cristo that was found intact
in the sanctuary after the eruption. The church is a very spiritual place-
many people in Angahuan talk about how not even a volcano could break it
down. Next weekend, we are off to Patzcuaro and Jaracuaro to attend the
fiesta of San Pablo y Pedro!

Ep. 201: PTSD & Patriotism

Happy 4th of July, Everyone!

In honor of Independence Day, Gene Grant and The Line panelists take on
what patriotism means to them.

But before they do, David Alire Garcia has an honest and important talk with Sgt. Andrew Brandi about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. Sgt. Brandi has written a book called "The Warrior's Guide to Insanity: Traumatic Stress and Life," and he's doing his best to make the transition easier for soldiers coming home from war. What he has to tell those of us who have never been in combat is not easy to hear, but it is very important, especially as the hundreds of thousands of troops who have been in Iraq and Afganistan return home.

A couple of months ago, Gene Grant sat down with ABC News Anchor John Stossel, whose "Give Me A Break" segments on 20/20 feature a skeptical look at a variety of subjects. His comments, and his prediction about the democratic primary outcome, is very interesting indeed!

Have a safe July 4th!
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NM inFOCUS: Ep 201 - PTSD and Patriotism

NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS explores Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, with someone who's been there. Sgt. Andrew Brandi has written a book, "The Warrior's Guide to Insanity: Traumatic Stress and Life," and he's doing his best to make the transition easier for soldiers coming home from war. Then, in honor of Independence Day, The Line panelists take on what patriotism means to them. And NM IN FOCUS has a special interview with ABC News Anchor John Stossel, whose "Give Me A Break" segments on 20/20 feature a skeptical look at a variety of subjects.

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NM inFOCUS: Ep 201 - PTSD and Patriotism (Intro)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 201 - PTSD and Patriotism (In Focus)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 201 - PTSD and Patriotism (The Line)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 201 - PTSD and Patriotism (Stossel Intro)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 201 - PTSD and Patriotism (Stossel Interview)



NM inFOCUS: Ep 201 - PTSD and Patriotism (Outro)

Ep. 143: New Mexico's Census Undercount

I was trying this morning at breakfast to explain to my husband, in a few sentences, all about the Census and why it's so important for New Mexico to get its count right in 2010, since the undercount in 2000 has lost our state over $100 million.

"Watch the show," I finally said. Because Dr. Adélamar Alcántara and Laird Graeser, a senior demographer and chief economist, do it much better than I. And Gerry Bradley, with New Mexico Voices for Children, can help you understand how the lost money means lost services, especially to those who need them most.

Until next time!
Kathy Wimmer

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Ep. 143: New Mexico's Census Undercount

Cumulatively, New Mexico stands to lose an estimated total of $100 million dollars in federal funding, between 2000 and 2012, due to being undercounted in the 2000 decennial census. This week, co-host David Alire Garcia takes a look at the undercount's impact, especially on New Mexico's children, and what is being done to ensure a more accurate Census 2010. Gene Grant and The Line panelists tackle Barack Obama's decision to break from public financing, letting Elton John Richard go free, and much more.

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New Mexico inFOCUS: Ep 143 - 2000 Census Undercount (Intro)



New Mexico inFOCUS: Ep 143 - 2000 Census Undercount (In Focus)



New Mexico inFOCUS: Ep 143 - 2000 Census Undercount (Tax Rebate)



New Mexico inFOCUS: Ep 143 - 2000 Census Undercount (The Line)



New Mexico inFOCUS: Ep 143 - 2000 Census Undercount (White Sands)



New Mexico inFOCUS: Ep 143 - 2000 Census Undercount (Outro)