This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Megan Kamerick talks with officials from the City of Albuquerque and nonprofits helping those without housing. They discuss efforts to help curtail COVID-19 spread among people experiencing homelessness and how the response to this pandemic may shape public health and housing in the future. 

“Our Land” correspondent Laura Paskus sits down with Santa Fe National Forest fire fighter Terrance Gallegos, who went to Australia to help combat the country’s recent unprecedented bushfires, which burned more than 72,000 square miles and destroyed some 6,000 buildings. Based on that experience, he looks ahead to New Mexico’s fire season. 

Correspondent Megan Kamerick talks with members of the Catholic and Jewish communities about how they are trying to adapt faith traditions during a pandemic. Both the Christian and Jewish faiths will adjust major celebrations for Holy Week, which leads up to Easter, and Passover, a commemoration of the story of Exodus.

Correspondent Laura Paskus begins a series of interviews with journalists around the state as they cover COVID-19 in their communities. Noel Smith reports on the Navajo Nation for the Farmington Daily Times. She’s also a tribal member and has seen her home devastated by a COVID-19 outbreak. 

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s new actions to deal with COVID-19, including tighter restrictions on businesses, extending those restrictions through April, and ordering the early release of low-risk prison inmates. The Line also looks at the effects of the pandemic on faith communities.

New Mexico in Focus is involved, informed, in-depth media airing weekly on New Mexico PBS. The program debuts Friday nights at 7 p.m. on NMPBS 5.1(KNME-HD) and appears online shortly thereafter. The show rebroadcasts on NMPBS 5.1 (KNME-HD) Sundays at 7 a.m. and on NMPBS 9.1 (WORLD) on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.    

Host    
Gene Grant       

NMiF Interviews

Managing COVID-19 Among Those Experiencing Homelessness
Correspondent
Megan Kamerick

Guests
Dennis Plummer, CEO, Albuquerque Heading Home 

Jenny Metzler, executive director, Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless 

Lisa Huval, deputy director of housing and homelessness for City of Albuquerque

Our Land: New Mexico’s Upcoming Fire Season
Correspondent
Laura Paskus

Guest
Terrance Gallegos, deputy fire staff officer, Santa Fe National Forest

Practicing Faith During a Pandemic
Correspondent

Megan Kamerick

Guests
Sarah Leiter, community outreach coordinator, UNM’s Hillel House

Victoria Trujillo, Roman Catholic Church member and frequent pilgrim to 
El Santuario de Chimayo 

Navajo Nation Outbreak
Correspondent

Laura Paskus

Guest
Noel Smith, Navajo Nation reporter, Farmington Daily Times

The Line Opinion Panel
Dede Feldman, former state senator 

Dan Foley, former state representative

Inez Russell Gomez, editorial page editor, Santa Fe New Mexican

 

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.”

The producer of New Mexico in Focus is Matt Grubs, with Kathy Wimmer, associate producer. The NM PBS Public Affairs executive producer is Kevin McDonald.

Funding for New Mexico in Focus is provided by the McCune Charitable Foundation and viewers like you.

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