New Mexico In Focus

Episode 223: Social Entrepreneurship

2008-12-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about our job is the chance we get on a regular basis to meet great New Mexicans doing great things. This week was no exception! As part of a grant from the Skoll Foundation and Frontline World, we went in search of local social entrepreneurs. The goal: to tell their story and help to build onto the ever growing network of social entrepreneurs around the globe. These folks are innovators of the highest kind, out to impact the social fabric and not just the bottom line. Independent filmmaker Lillian Kelly found three great examples of that for this week's show, which you can watch again. Just click on the black bar at the bottom of the screen below and select from all three videos.

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But, we know there are lots of other examples of social entrepreneurs out there as well. And, we would love to hear about them! Leave us your ideas under the comments section, or you can always email us at infocus@knme.org.

Another element of social entrepreneurship that is so important is the idea that there are other groups out there in the community that are helping to provide resources and support to these innovative minds. Two examples of that here in Albuquerque are the South Valley Economic Development Center and WESST. We caught up to Tony Gallegos of the South Valley Economic Development Center earlier this week to chat a little about what it is they do behind the scenes.

For those of you interested in learning more about social entrepreneurship, here are a few other great resources:

Ashoka

Social Edge

Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship

Schwab Foundation

More infomation about the organizations profiled can be found here: Tierra Wools, Southwest Creations Collaborative, and Rio Grande Valley Farmer's Guild, A Cooperative.

And, be sure to check out the Frontline World website on social entrepreneurship. It's a true "can't miss"!

The Public Affairs Team

Episode 222: Now that you've had your dose of turkey....

2008-11-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

or maybe several doses of turkey, like I know I have! Hopefully your Thanksgiving holiday has been an enjoyable one, spent with family and friends! We thought this week was the perfect opportunity to put two local authors in the spotlight on the show.

We start with Santa Fe author Lucas Conley. His first book is titled "Obsessive Branding Disorder" and it is a very timely book for everyone in the midst of the holiday shopping hysteria. His book is an in depth and provocative look at how companies go about branding and marketing their products to an often suscpetible audience (you and me!).

And, our second author just finished writing her 14th published book, titled "The Evolution of God". Chris Griscom also established the Light Foundation in Galisteo back in 1985. She is one of the leading thinkers on the topic of spirituality and reincarnation.

If you missed this week's episode, not to worry. You can watch it below. And, remember to let us know what you think about this week's show, or any of our past shows. Just leave us a comment, or email us personally at infocus@knme.org.

As always, thanks for watching!

THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM

Episode 221: The Budget Crunch

2008-11-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you who missed this week's episode, not to worry! Here's the show, in its entirety!

And for those of you who watched last week, here's an update from Margaret Montoya:

I misspoke during last week's episode of The Line when we were talking about voter registrations in the national election. I said that only one out of four eligible voters is registered when I meant to say that one out of four is NOT registered. Actually upon closer examination the correct ratio is one out of five, the numbers look like this: 169 million are registered out of 213 million who are eligible (or about 79%).

During the taping I also commented that Republicans don't want a lot of people to vote. I was challenged by Whitney Cheshire and relied that I would explain on line. There is a rationale to the Republican's strategy and it was spelled out by Paul Weyrich.

Weyrich, a principal architect of today's GOP and co-founder with Jerry Falwell of the Moral Majority, infamously said, "Many of our Christians have what I call the 'goo-goo' syndrome - good government. They want everybody to vote. I don't want everybody to vote... As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down."

The nonpartisan Brennan Center at NYU has done a recent comprehensive study of voting suppression. Readers can learn for themselves about the role of the political parties in facilitating voting or in preventing voting.

When I say that Republicans don't want a lot of people to vote, I am recalling what Republicans have opposed policies that extend the franchise (such as their opposition to the 2006 extention of the Voting Rights Act).

Republicans have supported policies that create significant barriers for voters (such as Indiana Voter ID Act, both and other [bipartisan] legislation passed here in N.M. that limits voter registration drives.)

Republicans have failed to enforce laws that protect voters' rights.

From 2001 to 2006, no voting discrimination cases were brought on behalf of African American or Native American voters. U.S. attorneys were told instead to give priority to voter fraud cases, which, when coupled with the strong support for voter ID laws, indicated an intent to depress voter turnout in minority and poor communities.

Republicans have used practices that encumber the right to vote and unnecessarily involve the federal courts in protecting voters.

THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM

State of the City Address

2008-11-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

For those of you who missed Mayor Chavez's State of the City Address last night, here it is:

And, David Alire Garcia had the chance to ask a few questions of the Mayor in the minutes after the speech. Watch for yourself:

The Public Affairs Team

Episode 220 - Honoring our Veterans

2008-11-14T12:51:00.001-08:00

Veterans Day is a chance to honor the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. And this year is especially significant, when you consider this Tuesday marks 80 yaers since the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities between Germany and the Allied Nations at the end of World War I.

We wanted to make sure we took time on this week's show to honor our Veterans in some small way. The main message came through loud and clear from our conversation; we must all pitch in to make sure our Veterans get the care they need when they return from battle. You can find out much more about how you can help out, by checking the state's Department of Veteran Services website. For a national perspective, try the Armed Forces Veterans Homes Foundation.

One thing you can definitely do to help out is to pay a visit to the Veteran's Art show, on display this month out at EXPO New Mexico. We showed you some of the pieces in this week's episode, but there are so many other great works on display as well. And, the art show is the group's only fundraiser of the year. There are several works up for silent auction, so make sure you get out there and see all that hard work on display while you can! And, while you're at it, be sure to follow the efforts of the new UNM Veterans Association. They are doing a lot of great work for the growing number of college students that also happen to be military vets.

And, of course, Veterans Day is also a poignant reminder of the men and women still serving this country at home and abroad as we speak. I have to imagine the holidays are an especially hard time of year on those military members and their families. If you want to find out more about what you can do to help those families, check out the Rio Grande Valley Chapter of the Blue Star Moms.

Also on this week's show, we focused in on renewed efforts to curb the city and state's growing gang problem. The numbers are staggering: more than 13,000 known gang members statewide, nearly half of which live here in the Albuquerque Metro area. A recent UNM study also found that more than 74-percent of Law Enforcement officials believe the gang problem is getting worse, not better.

The state does have a gang task force that is constantly working to track the problem, and offer solutions. And now the West Side Coalition of Neighborhoods is getting in on the act. You can track their progress online over the coming months, as they work to create a legislative package ahead of next year's session.

If you missed any or all of this week's episode, not to worry! You can watch it by clicking play on the player below!

Let us know what you think about any of the topics we discussed this week! It's as easy as leaving a comment, or shooting us an email at infocus@knme.org.

As always, thanks for watching!

The KNME Public Affairs Team

More election reflections

2008-11-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

LINE panelist Margaret Montoya wanted us to pass this along to all of our viewers. Enjoy!

During the last week’s episode of “The Line” I was asked to comment on the Obama victory. Here’s an expanded version of what I said together with some short vignettes from the law students in the Jurisprudence seminar I am teaching this semester at the UNM Law School.

On May 1, 2006, over a million Latinas and Latinos joined others in demonstrations in large and small cities around the nation. They were protesting both the draconian immigration policies being contemplated by the Bush administration and the nativist rhetoric being deployed by the Republican leadership aided by Lou Dobbs, Rush Limbaugh, and others in the media. The signs read, “Nuestro voto es nuestra voz” and “Hoy marchamos, mañana votamos,” promising that the marchers would continue their protests into the voting booth. However, in past elections Latino voter turnout has been relatively low (in 2004, it was about 20 percentage points lower than for whites).

Moreover, it was openly being suggested that Latinos would refuse to back Obama because of his race. During the Democratic primary campaign Hilary Clinton’s pollster Sergio Bendixen was quoted in The New Yorker as saying that, “the Hispanic voter -- and I want to say this very carefully -- has not shown a lot of willingness or affinity to support black candidates." Whether Latinos would support the candidacy of Barack Obama became one of the memes in the reporting. Of course, this supposed reticence on the part of Latinos became even more notorious when Fernando C de Baca, the chair of the N.M. Republican Party, explained to the BBC that Hispanics wouldn’t vote for Obama because “Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. ... Hispanics consider themselves above blacks.”

As all of this nonsense circulated in the press, I was aware of an impassioned mobilization by young Latinos/as around me—my two daughters, Diana, 26 and Alejandra, 20, many law students and those on UNM’s main campus were contributing their time and, even, their scarce dollars over many months to the Obama campaign.

Election night found me at the KUNM studios doing the radio commentary on the election. As the returns came in, I held my breath. The crucial states began to fall into his column, for me, from my vantage point, the most crucial were the states with large Latino populations. LULAC would later report that Latino turnout increased by an astonishing 44% over 2004 levels. Latinos provided unprecedented support in Indiana, Virginia, Florida, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada.

Barack Obama’s inspirational chant “yes, we can” was borrowed from the struggles of the United Farm Workers; “sí, se puede” was Dolores Huerta’s brainstorm during the 1972 fast by Cesar Chavez, one of the lowest moments in the farmworkers’ fight for unionization.

Linking the activism of the Latino community with that of African Americans, Jesse Jackson once said that “sí, se puede” translates as “we shall overcome.” My favorite line in that Black anthem is” Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe that we shall overcome.” Those words, “deep in my heart,” contain the core of what I felt the evening of November 4, 2008. Many in my generation—people of many different backgrounds--hid our hopes about racial justice deep in our hearts. A racially egalitarian society seemed so elusive and illusory that, even though I worked for that eventuality, I hid away in the repository of my heart the idea that change might be imminent. On November 4th, Barach Obama’s victory vindicated old hopes and planted the seeds of new possibilities.

Hear some young voices reflect on election day:

Angela Chavez:
Election Day 2008

I didn't have to go outside of the library of Harrison Middle School to know that it was a cold Fall day in the South Valley. Yellow and orange leaves blew through the door announcing each voter.

Some of the voters were viejitas with carefully applied lipstick. Before voting, they unwrapped their scarves to reveal that their hair was still perfectly curled despite the wind that you could hear through the windows. The viejitos came too. One man with brittle silver hair carried a thermos in his calloused hand and wore a black and blue flannel jacket. I imagined that the thermos was full of coffee and that he was on his way to work, or maybe to rake up the leaves that were piling up in his yard. The familiar smell of Vicks mentholato followed him out the door.

Many of the voters were young moms. They carried babies wrapped in soft blankets. Tiny red noses peaked out of the blankets, reminding me of the cold. The older kids wore puffy jackets and resembled waddling marshmallows with arms and tiny gloved hands.

An older mother came in with her teenaged daughter. Her daughter was wearing a polo shirt from a local restaurant. Her smile revealed sparkly braces and dimples framed by rosy cheeks. The young girl was so excited to vote that she didn't seem to care about the stain on her uniform. The mother was proud to announce "It's my daughter's first time."

My eyes felt warm and I had chills because I was trying to hold back tears. My tears were prompted by pride and hope. I was proud to see that the cold did not keep people from voting. The continuous stream of female members of my own generation gave me a strong sense of solidarity. I felt like a member of strong brigade armed with the power to vote. Each vote cast by my sisters in arms was a vote for our future, a future that we would all share regardless of which political party prevailed. I felt like my generation recognized and accepted our responsibility to look forward and act now. My hope came from the realization that our collective voice was growing and that in this election, the voice calling for change and better tomorrow was going to be too loud to be ignored any longer. This was going to be the election that defined our generation. By voting, we chose to define ourselves rather than allowing ourselves to be defined.

Laura Vega
Election memories
I was driving to Autozone with my Mom passing the early voting location on the Westside, off of 98th Street, when we decided to vote. My Mom said “vamos a votar, mija?” I replied “vamos, ma.” The voting location was in an empty shopping center store, the walls remained unpainted and the floor was simply grey concrete. Most of the voters were over 55 years, mostly “gente” from the neighborhood who, for many was the first time they even imagined that a Black man would be on the ballot. We waited patiently in the makeshift waiting area until our names were called. One woman, shouted to another how nice she looked, she replied that she was dressed in her Sunday best. Although, the nicely dressed older woman did not make it explicit, in my mind she was dressed in her Sunday best because the mere ballot deserved it, we all needed to present our best to win the election.
My Mom wasn’t wearing her glasses and couldn’t see the ballot, so she asked for my help like when I was a child behind the black cloth standing on my toes so that I could see. When Mom did not know whom to vote for she would ask for my help. Using my young great wisdom we often voted for the candidate who had a Latino last name; if that failed, we voted for the Democrats. This election I helped Mom fill out the bubbles and explained why I thought one candidate was better than the other, but the one bubble that she did not struggle filling in was the one for president and vice-president. She happily managed to fill that bubble out perfectly. After we finished, we scanned our ballots and we proudly wore our “I voted” sticker.
I want to share another story about a football game where I saw the fear my mom had when I told a group of white men who were supporting McCain whom I was voting for. The Saturday before the election I took Mom to her first football game ever! We saw the Lobos courtesy of Robles, Rael and Anaya, and the seats were close to the field and the weather was perfect. When we entered a woman gave us Obama stickers, we wore them proudly. Unfortunately, our seats were surrounded by a folks from a company outing, most of whom had consumed too much of the Crown cocoa and were McCain supporters. As we were leaving, one of the men who saw our stickers said “Obama huh?” I replied, “You know it, he’s our next president!” As soon as we passed the bleachers my mom asked why I told them Obama is going to be our president. She sounded worried and almost frightened. I said because it’s true and my constitutional right to do so! She was not convinced and warned that I had to be careful because “uno nunca sabe quienes son.”
How could she be worried about our safety in such a public place? How could she be silenced? I saw the silence that she has been forced to sustain. My heart broke because I finally understood what this election meant to people of color like my family. We no longer had to be silent or fearful. WE is the operative word. We are powerful because of the sacrifices of generations past, we stand on their shoulders to have the power we do today. I will stand for those who are fearful, silent and perhaps even ashamed of what they believe. The days for silence have long passed. Our power is illustrated by President-elect Barack Obama, but we must continue the fight as long as silence and fear remain.

Javier Martinez:
I witnessed several stories on election day. Perhaps one of the most striking stories, however, came towards the end of the day. We were out canvassing at about 6:40, or about 20 minutes before the polls closed.
We were on an emergency canvass, because according to campaign numbers, the Republican turnout had been higher than expected. We were given a walklist of the people whose homes had been visited earlier in the day but who had not answered the door, probably because they were not at home.
By that point, we had been canvassing for over 9 hours, and I was physically tired and my mind was very hazy. The area where we were canvassing (along Old Coors and Central) was dark (there was a lack of street lights) and the temperature was turning cold.
As I walked towards one of the houses on my list (I had to use the light from my cell phone in order to read the house numbers - the streets were dark!!), I was thinking about what I was going to tell the voter. "Have you voted yet? Did you support Barack Obama? Can I answer any questions?" - The usual presentation...However, upon knocking on the door, and upon reciting the script, I was met with an eye of suspicion by a man in a "wifebeater” t-shirt and shorts, who patiently awaited for me to finish my speech. In the background I heard small children laughing, and what appeared to be a baby crying. From the house came the smell of "frijoles de la olla," and something that smelled very, very spicy (I sneezed a couple of times).
Finally the man, after a short and rather ackward silence, pointed towards the large Obama button I was wearing, and gave me a thumbs up. Recognizing that my tired and hazy state of mind had led me to assume that my campaign presentation in English would suffice, I quickly recovered and delivered my presentation again, this time in Spanish. The man, this time with a smile on his face, interrupted me halfway through and said "Ya votamos! Votamos por El Obama! Oye, y tu hablas espanol? Por ahi hubieras empezado!"
I replied to the man that indeed I spoke Spanish, and that although I had lived here for most of my life, my language is something that I cherish dearly. He again smiled, patted me on the back and said: "Que bien! Y que bueno que estes haciendo este trabajo. Necesitamos que gane Obama.” I thanked the man for his time, and as I made my way back towards his front gate, he peeked his head out the door and screamed: "Vamos a ganar! No te preocupes! “
This story, which came at the end of the election, was a testament to the absurdity that Latinos would not vote for an African American candidate. It was also a testament to the power of a new silent majority - those people who immigrated to this country not so long ago, and who are now making their voices heard.
On November 4th, many of those voices were heard - and those voices, by an overwhelming majority, called for CHANGE.
Al Hutchinson

Election day has finally arrived. I can’t believe it! After listening to Barack’s opponents rebuke him for over a year, he has made it to the finale. Think about it. They called him every name in the book, even if they didn’t show it on TV. They questioned his patriotism, ideology and even his race. Once they attacked his religion and the actions of his church, I knew White America was still so far out of touch with African Americans.
All that’s behind us for now, we’ve made it to the morning of election day! November 4th has arrived! It’s time for me to go pick up my assigned partner for Election Protection. She has come all the way from Oregon to help protect voting rights. How cool. Maybe she is from here and is doing it so she can spend some time with her family. Who cares? After the last two elections and the flagrant tampering that occurred, let’s go make sure it does not happen this time. That is the only way Obama could lose, so I’m sure they will be out there again.
Nicole Bernhard-Lee, my partner, is a very nice middle-aged white woman who flew in last night. She treated me to dinner and explained how she is a law school graduate working as a clerk. She is originally from Idaho but is now living in Oregon. Come to find out, she has no family in town. During the ’04 election, she worked with Election Protection out of Philadelphia and felt she had made a difference so decided to do it again this go round.
Since we have four polling locations to rotate through throughout the day, we setup a nice rotation schedule and decide to check them all quickly in the morning to be sure they are all open. They are! Each location has three to four districts and a judge for each district. Although the Democratic Party has a challenger for each district, the Republicans could only muster one challenger per polling location. The Democratic Party also has poll watchers outside each location. One location has a middle-aged white man from Los Angeles. Imagine my surprise when I found out the three other locations have varying aged white men from Texas. All lawyers too. Wow!
To our surprise, none of the locations have lines at 7am. Nicole and I begin our rotation amongst our four locations spending about an hour at each one. Election Protection provided us with a surplus of snacks so we could give some to others working the polls. Everything is running so smoothly. Too smoothly. The only “incident” we have all day is the Republican challenger at one location requires the outdoor Democratic poll watcher to stay 100ft away instead of 50ft, even though he is not promoting his party. Not a single line forms throughout the day as approximately 60% of voters at all our locations voted early. Way to go, Barack!
One location had a young woman doing exit polls. I had never met an exit poller before. Riti Sachdeva is a Graduate Student at the UNM Department for Theatre and Dance. She gets as many people as possible to fill out the form. I just want to know who comes up with those crazy questions? No wonder they are so out of touch. Riti has to check in every three hours and report her results.
While outside at another location, a young couple pulled up in a car asking for locations that have long lines. To our surprise, Barack had organized ‘street teams’ to entertain the masses as they stood in line waiting to vote. Their back seat was full of juggling devices and what looked like magic tricks. Nicole called our district lead to find out where the long lines were and he reported there were none. The couple decided to roam the streets to find a location with someone to entertain.
Nicole and I were able to check a TV for results over lunch around 2pm but nothing. We did hear about long lines and rain on the East Coast. There were also problems with machines in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Up to their old tricks again, huh? It might work but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. “Please don’t let them steal another one!”
Sometime after 4pm my sister Etanah in NJ started calling with results. NH for Obama. SC for McCain. NJ for Obama. KY for McCain. Back and forth it went with every victory for Obama resulting in yelling and screaming from Nicole and me. Just before 7pm, Brandon Cummings met us at our last location before the polls closed. He had spent some time canvassing with Javier Martinez earlier in the day. The polls close and Obama has racked up a slew of nice victories; PA, MA, VT, DC. We agree that we can’t trust those results because they are only projections and something could still go wrong. Nicole is beat so we take her to the hotel, and Brandon and I go downtown to the Convention Center to finish watching the results.
There are hundreds of people all over the place as we approach and enter the Center. They are all smiling, screaming and excited that it could be true. Barack could really win this thing. In one of the large convention rooms on the second floor, they set up free hors d'oeuvres, four cash bars and four humongous big-screen TVs. Everyone is fired up! More results keep coming in and each win by Obama yields a glorious roar from the ever-increasing crowd.
The next roar is a crescendo that ends with the walls shaking. Everyone is on their feet screaming at the top of our lungs. The election is called for Barack! HE WON! The room was silent during his speech except for the occasional cheer. What power he has. Power to speak. Power to organize. Power to unite.
Although a very emotional person, I absorbed this day intellectually. It is more than great that an African American has been elected President of the United States. This is the land of opportunity, right? What I think is amazing is that he figured out how to do it in spite of the system. He was able to reach the goodness inside each of us. The goodness that allows us to see through color. The goodness that forces us to support one another for a common cause. The goodness that all people aspire to show their fellow man, at all times. What a day I have witnessed this election day.
Please don’t let it end.

Recovering from an Election Night Hangover

2008-11-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

I think our entire station has been in full-on recovery mode since last Tuesday. The weight of all those month of election preps just got to be too much to bear! Not that it wasn't plenty exciting, because it was that and more. Still, I think there are a lot of leftover questions this state and nation face, one week after Barack Obama's historic win. Here are just a few that come to my mind:

*What will President Elect Obama's immediate agenda be, and will that agenda include any prominent New Mexico politicians?

*If Governor Richardson leaves for a post in an Obama cabinet, will that be good or bad for the state overall?

*What will the Republican party do to regroup and reorganize after this huge trouncing?

*How will that Dem. trouncing affect the Roundhouse come next year's session?

*Is it time to put an end to straight party ballot voting?

*Do Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce regret both entering the U.S. Senate race, thereby putting their relatively safe House seats in jeopardy (both of which went to Dems)?

*Is single party domination really a good thing for New Mexico's congressional delegation?

Just a few issues I know we will all be watching and talking about for months to come! Let us know what you think are some other lingering questions after the election. Either leave us a comment here, or email us at infocus@knme.org.

For those of you who missed last week's show, not to worry, it's available with just the click of a mouse!

The Public Affairs Team

Election Day - Update

2008-11-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

Everything seems to be going well still, at least for the most part. I just got off the phone for the 2nd of two conference calls with Common Cause New Mexico, which is tracking election issues today. They say for the most part things are still going smoothly, with 2 exceptions:

1) There have been at least 5 reports in Roswell of people getting calls at home telling them election day has been moved to November 8th because of the overwhelming interest in this election. An investigation is underway, but as of right now they don't know who is behind the calls.

2) There were problems with absentee ballots in Dona Ana County. Apparently some of them went out late, which means people won't be able to get them returned in time. If you fall into that category, the advice is to head to a polling place right now before they close at 7pm, and someone should be able to help you out there.

Be sure to watch newmexicoinfocus.org starting at 7pm for live local analysis and coverage of the election!

Election Day - So far, so good!

2008-11-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

I just got done with a conference call hosted in part by Common Cause New Mexico, which is tracking election problems today. And at least so far, the news is good.

The group's election day deployment is big... they have people in 8 different counties, watching the polls. That includes the big population centers like Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces, as well as counties with a history of election problems such as Cibloa County and Rio Arriba County. Team members are wearing black shirts or green vests and offering help and information wherever they can. Some of the volunteers are actually inside the polling places, and others are right outside handling out pamphlets like the voters bill of rights.

There have been some minor reports of problems today, with the biggest potential problem coming out of Grants Middle School. Common Cause is verifying claims there that poll workers were requiring all voters to show ID. That's against state law here in New Mexico. Only first time voters have to show ID here in the Land of Enchantment. The only other problems have been a few reports of optical scanners breaking, but crews are working on them and returning them to service rather quickly.

A reminder if you have any election concerns to call 1-866-OUR-VOTE immediately!

Also, I just got some exciting news. New Mexican Christine Begay is covering the election tonight as part of MTV's Choose or Lose campaign. You can keep track of her coverage tonight on the Choose or Lose Twitter. She also has a blog that she will be updating throughout the night. And don't forget, our citizen journalists will also be blogging throughout the night, and you can follow their observations and analysis here.

And, while I have your attention: for those of you who may have missed last week's show, by the way, here's the full episode.

Episode 218: Election Smorgasbord!!!!

2008-10-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

There's not much time left in this election, and that means we were left to cram a lot into this week's show, including our special tribute to beloved mystery writer, and New Mexico treasure Tony Hillerman.

Up first, though, our one-on-one interview with the democratic candidates for the 1st Congressional District, Martin Heinrich:

Three of our Citizen Journalists also got the chance to sit down with Heinrich to talk about his plans and stances on the issues. Here's that exchange:

We also tried to get an interview with Heinrich's republican opponent, Darren White. Unfortunately, we were told he was too busy. We'll keep trying, though, and if he makes time between now and next Tuesday, we'll post the interview here.

Now, to our tribute to Tony Hillerman, who dies last week of pulmonary failure. The Acclaimed author wrote more than 30 books, many of them focused right in and around the Land of Echantment. His influece on the written word is well established, but I think you will agree his full impact can only be felt in the words and reflections of his friends and colleagues:

KNME has been fortunate enough to work on two special documentaries about Tony Hillerman and his legacy. If you haven't had the chance to see Tony Hillerman's New Mexico, it's definitely worth the watch:

And, here's a link to The Art of Mystery:

As hard as we tried, we just couldn't fit everything in this week's show. But not to worry, we put our panelists On the Clock in an online only extra:

Remember to get out and vote, if you haven't already!

THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM

1st Congressional District Debate - Watch it Here!

2008-10-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, here is video of last week's 1st Congressional District Debate between Democrat Martin Heinrich and Republican Darren White. The video also includes our post-debate analysis with regulars from THE LINE.

Bernalillo CO. District Atty. & the 3rd Congressional District

2008-10-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

This week we focused on a hotly contested race for the Bernalillo County District Attorney. Kari Brandenburg is the incumbent, and packs nearly eight years worth of experience in the post. But Lisa Torraco is a fiery career prosecutor armed with questions and criticisms of many of the decisions Brandenburg has made during her tenure. During the show you saw a portion of David's interview with the two candidates. Here's the full interview:

Also on our plate this week, the very interesting 3rd Congressional District debate. Interesting, because there is a viable 3rd party candidate in the race, Independent Carol Miller. Once again, we had to edit down our interviews with Miller and her opponents, Democrat Ben Ray Lujan and Republican Dan East. But, not to worry, here are the full versions:

Ben Ray Lujan

Carol Miller

Dan East

Last but not least this week, we promised you a little online extra segment of THE LINE. Here's the ever popular "On the Clock":

The Public Affairs Team

Who will join Jeff Bingaman in the U.S. Senate?

2008-10-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

It will either be Republican Steve Pearce or Democrat Tom Udall that captures the seat in just a few weeks. Last week, we caught up with Representative Steve Pearce (you can see that interview here). And now, we get to hear the other side of the campaign. David Alire Garcia sat down with Democrat Tom Udall to get his thoughts on the race, and the important issues of the campaign.

And, our two of our Citizen Journalists also got the chance to fire off a few questions at Representative Udall, at a recent endorsement event. First up was Leah Valencia, followed by Kelly Byars.

Don't forget you can read more about our Citizen Journalists, their backgrounds, thoughts on the campaign, as well as their video reports, by heading to our "By the People, for the People" page.

The Bernalillo County District Attorney's Race

2008-10-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

You may not have heard a lot about this race, with all the attention these days on the presidential campaigns, as well as all our congressional races. But this is a hotly contested race between an incumbent (Brandenburg) who has been in the District Attorney's seat now since 2001, and a take-no-prisoners challenger in Republican Lisa Torraco. it's a fascinating debate, because the two women seem to have drastically different philosophies about how a DA's office should be run. I don't know about you, but I have no idea how a DA's office should be run, so it makes it interesting for voters to decide which way to cast your ballot. We sat down on Sunday with both candidates to talk about the race. We hope the interview helps voters get a better feel for the race, and the candidates.

Another interesting part of this race is the obvious disdain and dislike these two women have for each other. If the interview itself doesn't give you a taste of that, just check out the brief exchange between the two women after we wrapped up the formal interview. For visual reference, Kari Brandenburg is seated to the right of David in this clip, and Lisa Torraco is off camera to the left. David asks the women about how they get their message out there in a year with so many other high profile races. Lisa claims Kari has the advantage because she is the incumbent, and Kari fires back with the fact that she works 15 hour days in her job, and therefore doesn't have any advantage in being able to get her message out to the public.

The Public Affairs Team

3rd Congressional District Debate

2008-10-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Just in case you missed the New Mexico Public Broadcasters and New Mexico First 3rd Congressional District debate, you can watch it right here. Republican Dan East, Democrat Ben Ray Lujan, and Independent Carol Miller address everything from health care, the economy and even renewable energy and our national labs.

Also included in the clip is New Mexico In Focus's live post-debate show, which includes analysis and insights from some of the shows regular contributors.

Power Struggles: The Desert Rock Power Plant

2008-10-17T12:22:00.001-07:00

"Woman in Gas Mask" (courtesy: small axe organization)

The debate over the Desert Rock Power Plant may seem like a Four Corners fight, but it is really a lot bigger than that. The addition of a third power plant within a 30-mile radius may have economic impacts on our state for years to come. The argument for and against the plant are pretty simple. On the one hand, the project will create hundreds of jobs and bring millions of dollars in tax revenues to the Navajo Nation each year. But, opponents say it is the Navajo people themselves that might be left to pay hefty environmental and health issues created by the additional CO2, mercury and other emissions created by the plant. There's no easy solution, and I have a feeling it will be years before the whole issue gets resolved.

Up next in the fight is the BIA's final decision on an Environmental Impact Statement. In addition, there is the appeal of the EPA's air quality ruling to deal with. Needless to say, the battle is just beginning.

You can read much more about the plan, and especially the ongoing movement to squash the project on the desert rock blog or on the San Juan Alliance website. You can also read up on a study commissioned by opponents of the plant that looks at how renewable energy projects could be incorporated on tribal land, instead of continuing with the idea of a coal-fired plant.

We want to thank filmmaker Tony Estrada for all his hard work on the documentary that we aired to help explain the scope of the project a little better. Tony also had a lot of help on the project, as you can see below.

Segment Provided By
Independent Filmmaker Tony Estrada, Wild Horse Films

From footage from his Work-in-Progress Documentary
THE LAND WHERE EAGLES FLY

Director/Producer TONY ESTRADA, WILD HORSE FILMS

Camerawork Done By ANTONIO ACOSTA
DAVID CORTEZ
TONY ESTRADA
DAVID FLOETER
SOPHIE ROUSMANIERE

Editor PATRICK WILLINK

Graphics & Titles PATRICK WILLINK

Post Production Sound BRAD STODDARD
& Editing Magician

Additional Post DAVID CORTEZ
Production Services BRANDON JOHNSON
SOPHIE ROUSMANIERE

Poster Design BRANDON JOHNSON

Still Photographs By CHRIS CANDELARIO
DAILAN LONG
LISA MEERTS

Flute Music ADRIAN WALL

Special Thanks MARNI SAMUELS

We want to know what you think about the Desert Rock project. Either leave us a comment, or email the show at infocus@knme.org. We'll try to read a few of your comments in an upcoming show. On the topic of audience participation, don't forget to vote in this week's online poll, which looks at how confident you are in our state's election system.

And, don't forget to keep track of our citizen journalists. They are hard at work bringing their own opinions and perspectives on this historic election. Just click on the By the People, For the People channel to read their blog, and watch their videos!

The Public Affairs Team

Steve Pearce: One on One

2008-10-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

We are doing our best to catch up with all our Congressional candidates between now and election day, and we will post our conversations right here once we have them. Right now it looks like the only question marks might be the 1st Congressional District, where as of right now neither Martin Heinrich or Darren White have set up a time to come in and talk with David Alire Garcia. We'll keep working them up until election day.

Right now, though, we want to share our conversation with Republic U.S. Senate hopeful Steve Pearce.

As part of our ongoing election coverage, we are also giving our Citizen Journalists a crack at the candidates. You can watch Leah, Darryl and Kelly interview Rep. Pearce, here.

Tomorrow, it's Tom Udall in the spotlight. Check back here for our interview with him, as well as our Citizen Journalist questions. Representative Udall will stop by the studio in the morning, and then in the afternoon, our Citizen Journalists will get to question him at a local endorsement rally.

The Public Affairs Team

The NewsHour in NM - Why Albuquerque?

2008-10-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

As you already know by now, KNME is thrilled to play host to the NewsHour all this week. Albuquerque is only the second city that NewsHour has picked to spotlight over the last year or so (Pittsburgh being the other). You can see reports about and from New Mexico all this week on the NewsHour, which airs here on KNME from 5:30-6:30pm weeknights. We caught up with some high profile members of the NewsHour team to find out exactly why they decided to feature the Duke City, during this landmark election season.

One of the highlights of the NewsHour's coverage will be a taped segment with local reaction to Wednesday night's third and final presidential debate. You can see that segment Thursday night on the NewsHour. Also, be sure to check out the NewsHour's New Mexico page, which talks about the crews time here in the Land of Enchantment.

Election Town Hall with the NewsHour's Ray Suarez

2008-10-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Ray Suarez kicked off the NewsHour's week spotlighting our state this afternoon, by hosting a town hall focused on our role in the elections, as well as the media's coverage of the campaigns.

The town hall is edited into three parts, based on when our tapes ran out (approximately every 30 minutes). The event runs about 90 minutes in total.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The PRC and a Congressional Debate

2008-10-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy week here at KNME, and it's only going to get busier! Next week the NewsHour is in town, we have our third and final presidential debate, and we are also working on a special episode dealing with the proposed Desert Rock Power Plant up in the Four Corners. It would be the third coal-fired plant within a 40 mile radius, but the Navajo Nation says it will bring jobs and tax revenues to the reservation. More on that to come next week.

As for this week, we spent a lot of time talking about the Public Regulation Commission races, which have no shortage of drama. One thing I cam getting really tired of as a member of the media, is candidates that are determined not to go before the cameras and answer questions. We've been trying for well over two weeks now to interivew PRC candidate Jerome Block, Jr., but in the end his people just stopped returning our calls and emails. Very frustrating. But, Block is not alone. More and more candidates seem to think their best strategy is to stay in hiding. I guess the voters will ahve the ultimate say on whether or not it is a smart tactic.

Down from my soapbox! We did get to talk to two PRC candidates this week, Democrat Jason Marks, who is running in District 1, and Rick Lass, a Green Party Candidate running in District 3. In this week's show, we gave you a taste of those interviews. Click belore to watch the full conversations.

Jason Marks

Rick Lass

Also this week, we put the 2nd Congressional District race in the spotlight. Along with the other two PBS stations (KRWG in Los Cruces, and KENW in Portales) we simulcast a debate between Republican Ed Tinsley and Democrat Harry Teague. You can watch the debate, plus our analysis and opinons (recorded immediately after the debate) by clicking below.

Next Thursday, tune in right here live at 7pm for the 3rd Congressional District debate between Democrat Ben Ray Lujan, Jr., Republican Dan East, and Independent Carol Miller. We'll ahve live reaction and opinions again from 8-8:30pm. And on October 23rd it's the 1st Congressional District between Republican Darren White and Democrat Martin Heinrich.

And, don't forget to keep up with our citizen journalists! They are hard at work blogging their thoughts on the elections, and even filing some video reports, which you can see on their blog, which we are calling "By the People, for the People".

The Public Affairs Team

The NewsHour - Bigger Than Life!!

2008-10-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've seen one of these billboards up around town, but if not, let me be the first to tell you, the NewsHour is coming to New Mexico next week! The show will be featuring our state and the Duke City in reports throughout the week. The coverage culminates with a special segment of "ordinary" New Mexicans reflecting on the 3rd and final presidential debate next Wednesday night.

We are only the second location to be picked as a spotlight by the NewsHour, so this is a very big deal for the entire Land of Enchantment. The correspondents from the NewsHour will also be reporting on the economy, health care as well as our role in the upcoming elections.

There is even an opportunity for you to get involved in the fun. This Sunday at 3pm at the UNM Department of Continuing Education, we are hosting a Town Hall with the NewsHour's Ray Suarez serving as the moderator. Topics will include what makes New Mexico a swing state, as well as reflections on the media coverage of these one of a kind elections. The Public is invited to attend, and doors open at 2:30pm. We are also taking questions. Just email your query to infocus@knme.org.

We are thrilled to be hosting the NewsHour all next week. If you see Ray Suarez, Judy Woodruff, or any of the rest of the gang, be sure to say Hi! And, don't miss all the great New Mexico coverage, every day next week at 5:30pm.

Kevin McDonald
Public Affairs Producer

McCain Rally - Watch it Here!!

2008-10-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Our camera was at UNM today for the John McCain "Straight Talk" rally in the SUB ballroom. The first clip is Senator Pete Domenici addressing the crowd about a half an hour before the official rally started. Domenici did not introduce Senator McCain. In fact, none of the dignitaries there got that honor today. Instead, a recorded voicetrack welcomed Senator McCain and his wife Cindy to the stage.

Now for the rally itself. Sorry that it cuts off abruptly at the end. I was trying to change out my tape, and of course that happened just as Senator McCain was wrapping up!

Episode 213 - San Juan River

2008-10-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Rollin' On The River

A beautiful day in late summer, and a trip down the San Juan with some passionate anglers - there are some perks to being co-host of New Mexico In Focus, as David Alire Garcia discovers.

In addition to talking with representatives of several state and national agencies, including the Game & Fish and the Bureau of Reclamation, about how to go forward on preserving the river's
renowned trout fishery, David went rollin' on the river to get a first-hand look at what makes it special to so many people.

On To Other News...

Of course, the election is never far from our minds, and The Line panelists focus on what our viewers say is the top issue facing the candidates: the economy.

Citizen Journalists

Also this week, New Mexico in Focus unveils an exciting new election project, called By the People, For the People. What we are doing is bringing six Citizen Journalists onboard over the next six weeks. They're profiled, in a shortened segment, in this week's episode. But if you want to watch the longer version and meet Rebecca, Gil, and Leah, and meet Darryl, Kelly, and David in depth, go to their Citizen Journalist blog.

3rd Congressional Seat Developments

2008-10-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

New Mexico's Third Congressional District race is unique this year, in what is one of the state's most unique election years in history. It is the only race to feature a prominent 3rd party candidate in Independent Carol Miller. Carol has thus far been shut out of many debates and candidate forums, even though she has a history of impacting elections as a green party candidate. Miller will participate in a joint forum that we are airing along with the other two PBS stations on October 16th at 7pm. But, even that came together last minute, which means that Miller's name was not included in our Ventana viewer guide, that is sent out to our members all across the state. We have to send those guides to the printers pretty early, but it is unfortunate that her name is not there so that people know that her voice will be heard in at least one debate this year. We also want to make sure that people know we plan to interview Miller for New Mexico in Focus sometime in the coming days and weeks. Details are still being worked out.

But the strangeness that is CD3 does not end there. There is also a write-in candidate vying for this seat. Dave Starr claims he has done everything required to get on the ballot, and yet his name is not on the Secretary of State's website yet. Starr's camp just sent out this press release to us today explaining his take on things.

PRESS RELEASE

October 1, 2008

Is Starr still in the race?

Dave Starr, write-in candidate for the District 3 Congressional seat, is not sure.

By the deadline in early September, Starr filed the appropriate paperwork to be a write-in candidate. On September 19 Starr was contacted by the League of Women Voters and asked if he was still a candidate. He responded “Yes”. The League representative said Starr was not listed on the Secretary of State’s web page and that the League could not reach anybody in the Secretary’s office by phone to confirm. And without confirmation the League could not put Starr’s name on their literature, which was to go out soon. It was suggested that Starr contact the Secretary of State’s office and ask.

On September 25 Starr hand carried a letter to the Secretary of States office, asking pointed questions, including whether he was still a candidate. To this date, he has not received any notice to the contrary. Nor has he received any confirmation.

On September 30 Starr went to the Secretary of State’s office asking for a response to his letter. He was told by a staff member that his letter had been sent to the State Attorney General’s office. Starr then asked why his name was not on the Secretary of State’s web page and if he was still a candidate. The answer was that they could not say but that there should be a decision by the Attorney General’s office by Friday (October 3).

Starr, who has negative feelings about politics in New Mexico, has been campaigning for the last five months. He says politics in the state are politics by the elite, not the majority. He also says he believes the last 3 to 4 critical weeks have been a setback for him, because news sources and those sponsoring debates did not know he was a candidate, since he was not on the Secretary of State’s web page.

Starr says he has no idea what is to come but he believes his fight is a fight for “Government of the people, for the people, and by the people.

We will follow up with the Secretary of State's office to see what develops here. In the meantime be sure to mark your calendar for our CD3 Debate with Carol Miller, Dan East and Ben Ray Lujan Jr. It will take place on THursday, October 16th from 7-8pm, and will be followed by live analysis and opinions frorm our regular LINE panelists.

The Public Affairs Team

Citizen Journalists - An exciting new journey!

2008-09-28T21:10:00.001-07:00

This week, NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS unveils an exciting new election project, called By the People, for the People. It's one that we hope brings new perspectives and ieas to the local political dialogue. What we are doing is bringing six Citizen Journalists onboard over the next six weeks. These brave individuals are not trained professionals, just regular "folk" dedicated to furthering the discussion and debate over one of the most important elections in our lifetime.

They come from diverse backgrounds, which reflect the rich and ecelctic nature of this great state of ours. We are asking them to do a lot for us between now and November: everything from blogging to filing their own video reports. We have even set up a special webpage for the Citizen Journalists, a central space where they can do their thing! You can expect to see some of their work in the very near future, but before we see their work, we thought it was important for you to meet them, and find out a little about what being a Citizen Journalist means to them.

David Williams
Born and raised in the south, I came to Albuquerque eighteen years ago and fell in love with New Mexico. Passionate about most forms of motorized transportation, I roll on eighteen wheels to make a living and two wheels whenever I can. Music, Literature and baseball fill whatever time is left. I am 39 years-old and have been married for ten years to my wife Susan, who recently left her arts administration career to grow tomatoes and ponder how next to make the world a better place.

I am concerned that Americans are losing the ability to have a civil discourse. We are entrenched in our positions, with little empathy, locked in an “us” or “them” mentality. I believe we work best when we work together toward our common goals. I hope that as a part of the Citizen Journalist project I can bring diverse voices to the community conversation. I would like to believe it’s still possible for us to remember we’re all Americans and that what we have in common is more important than what divides us.

Rebecca Riley
A proud descendent of Acoma, I have lived both on and on off the reservation. Currently, I and my 4-year-old son call Albuquerque home. A St. Pius X Alumni, I then went on to attend the University of New Mexico. While living on the reservation I realized the many disparities and tremendous need the people were facing, especially due to the lack of health care. So with the support of my family and with the embedded beliefs and values to always give back to my tribe, I am pursuing a degree in Community Health Education with a minor in Native American Studies. My interest in health prevention and Native issues has influenced my support for the continuance of Native people and their sovereignty today. I became involved with the Citizen Journalist Project because of a personal decision I made to take opportunities to be active in Native issues. I attended a screening one evening of a PBS documentary called the Last Conquistador where I had the opportunity to express and dialogue with a variety of New Mexicans about the production of the most recent Don Juan Onate statue. That led to a call from KNME to see if I was interested in participating in the Citizen Journalist Project. When the opportunity presented itself I was not about to let it go. The need to raise the voices of Native people is crucial to our continuance, especially in this time of election when positive change and self-sufficiency is what we strive for. So I head forward with the guidance of the people of KNME and the Citizen Journalist Project to make this happen.

Darryl DeLoach
I have called New Mexico home for most of my life. For the last 5 years I have been involved in the state’s revival of the film industry. As an actor and independent filmmaker I have enjoyed numerous performances on stage and screen. Most recently my film, The Liberation of Taos Ski Valley received the honor of being accepted to the NALIP (National Association of Latin Independent Producers) Producers Academy. Currently I am producing the play, The Exonerated, through a grant received from the McCune Foundation. I feel performance and new media are powerful tools of stimulating change and awareness. The opportunity to be a ‘Citizen Journalist’ for KNME, allows me to passionately engage real issues during these turbulent times. Democracy is supposed to be, a representation of the people and it has been corrupted by corporate influence. It is their greed that has lead to war, climate change, and both the energy and economic crisis. It is time the people take the nation back from the politicians. They are supposed to be public servants, and we want more a more equitable distribution of our nations’ wealth.

Leah Valencia
Born into beautiful New Mexico, in 22 years I have never forgotten that it truly is enchanted. I have lived in several parts of New Mexico during my life, as well as several other states. This has given me the opportunity to discover more about the world around me, and be influenced by many different people. I have a passion for exploring, observing, learning about, and understanding my surroundings.

I am thoroughly excited to be included in the citizen journalist project. I think it is important for people in Albuquerque to be able to voice what is important to them. As a Citizen Journalist, I would like to focus on the young voter, but also compare and contrast the views of the young versus older generations. I hope to define the differences in the generational gap, with the ultimate goal of finding common ground between all people. I plan on bridging this gap by finding where we agree and determining by popular opinion which candidate best represents these views. This is the time when we all need to unite on the issues. The issues I am especially interested in are; Education, and the No Child Left Behind Act’s sustainability. The possibility of oil and gas drilling in ANWR is also of interest to me. I want to know if it is a viable solution to our foreign oil dependency. Then there are the issues of Homeland Security including the Patriot Act, Guantanamo, and torture. I want to know the opinion of other New Mexicans on these specific issues; where we differ and exactly where we do agree. After all, the results of this election will impact our future for years to come.

Kelly Byars
Halito (Hello). My name is Kelly Byars and I am a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Although I grew up in Oklahoma, I moved to New Mexico in 1983 and have lived here ever since. I received an Associates Degree in Three Dimensional Sculpture from the Institute of American Indian Arts in 1985 and a BA in Media Arts from the University of New Mexico in 2004. I am currently attaining my Masters Degree in Education from the Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies. I am a sculptor, an actor and a filmmaker, most recently producing two documentaries addressing Native issues. The Last Trek (2006) and A Return Home (2008), have been made a part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of the American Indian’s Film Center. When introduced to the thought of being a citizen journalist, a flood of unaddressed problems and widely overlooked concerns rushed through my mind. There are so many Native American issues that need to be addressed, many of them pushed to the side of the growing National issues that inundate the mainstream media. This current election is one of the most important turning points of this nation’s history and I believe that now is the time to include the indigenous perspective. As the original native people of this country, we need to change the direction in which we are headed. Health issues, environmental concerns, educational crisis… these are all problems that concern Native people as well. These voices need to be heard.

Gil Saavedra
I was born in Fresno, California but spent most of life in the Bay Area. Education and strong family values have always been the corner stone of what my parents, even though they differed, emphasized upon my sister and I. With major push from my Father and the financial/emotional backing from my Mom, I moved to Albuquerque during the summer of 2005. I'm currently a junior at the University of New Mexico, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Art History. While I may have my political bias, I believe a reputable journalist ought to report both sides of the story since not everyone is a victim.

My coverage of the 2008 election will be from a students perspective; an inside view of what the current generation feels needs changing. There are many issues which tend to be overlooked because they just don't generate ratings for the major networks. The daily struggles and cost of a higher education in the contemporary period, for example. Every generation has had its moment for change. 2008 is my generations chance to make or break history, and I'm honored to be given the chance to document and live it.