This week on New Mexico in Focus, Gene and the Line Opinion Panel react to the news that Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto has been removed from one of his committee assignments in the wake of several sexual harassment accusations. 

Then the panelists take a close look at the Secretary of State’s race where one candidate admits she made a mistake when offering a chance to win a firearm in exchange for campaign donations. 

Finally, the panel addresses an update in state compliance with the Yazzie Martinez Lawsuit.  

Senior Producer Lou DiVizio sits down with three people entrenched in education in our state. The leader of an influential early childhood advocacy group, a teacher, and the lead plaintiff in the Yazzie Martinez Lawsuit all give their thoughts on Constitutional Amendment 1.  

Gene Grant speaks with several leaders at the Black Voters Collaborative about their efforts to boost turnout in communities of color. Those leaders explain exactly how influential the African American vote can be here in New Mexico.  

New Mexico in Focus airs on NMPBS 5.1 (KNME HD) Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 2 at 7 a.m., and streaming on the PBS video app. 

NMiF Segments 
Constitutional Amendment 1: Educators’ Perspectives
 
Correspondent
Lou DiVizio 

Guests
Amber Wallin, New Mexico Voices for Children 
Wilhelmina Yazzie, plaintiff, Yazzie Martinez Lawsuit 
Oriandi Mellas, teacher, UNM Children’s Campus 

Black Voters Collaborative Pushes Turnout 
Correspondent

Gene Grant 

Guests
Dr. Harold Bailey, NAACP Albuquerque Branch 
Mason Graham, New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative 
Rodney Bowe, New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative 
Rev. Dr. Charles Becknell Sr., Southern Christian Leadership Conference 

The Line opinion panel 
Algernon D’Ammassa, investigative & enterprise reporter, Las Cruces Sun-News 
Sophie Martin, attorney 
Justin Fox-Young, fmr. NM State Representative 

Host 
Gene Grant 

New Mexico in Focus is the New Mexico PBS prime-time news magazine show covering the events, issues, and people that are shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. NMiF takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic health, education, and art issues, and explores them in-depth with a critical eye to give them context beyond the "news of the moment." 

New Mexico in Focus Senior Producer for Public Affairs is Lou DiVizio. "Our Land" Senior Producer is Laura Paskus. Co-producer of New Mexico in Focus is Kathy Wimmer. Funding for New Mexico in Focus is provided by the McCune Charitable Foundation and Viewers Like You.

Funding for the Your New Mexico Government Project comes from the Thornburg Foundation and New Mexico Local News Fund.

Funding for Our Land: New Mexico’s Environmental Past, Present & Future, is provided in part by the Neeper Natural History Programming Fund for KNME-TV. 

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