This week on New Mexico in Focus, host Gene Grant and the Line Opinion Panel discuss the Governor's possible decision, as she considers a list of nominees for the Public Regulation Commission.
The panel also debates the state’s announcement requiring thousands of government workers to return to the office in January.
Gene and the panelists react to a proposal from the Albuquerque city council that would make it a crime to avoid paying a bus fare unless the rider has a valid photo ID.
"Our Land" producer Laura Paskus explores a new task force created to investigate and prosecute environmental crimes. She talks with NMED Secretary James Kenney and the EPA’s special agent in charge of the criminal investigation unit, Kim Bahney, about how the task force will work to crack down on crimes -- from dumping hazardous waste to falsifying records.
Gene Grant catches up with Mario Jimenez from Common Cause New Mexico, to talk about a new poll showing broad public support for modernizing the state legislature. That includes changes such as lengthening sessions, expanding legislative staff and paying lawmakers.
New Mexico in Focus airs on NMPBS 5.1 (KNME HD) Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 11 at 7 a.m., and streaming on the PBS video app.
NMiF Segments
New Task Force Targets Environmental Crimes
Correspondent
Laura Paskus
Guests
James Kenney, cabinet secretary, New Mexico Environment Department
Kim Bahney, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Investigation Division, US EPA
Modernizing the State Legislature
Correspondent
Gene Grant
Guest
Mario Jimenez, executive director, Common Cause New Mexico
The Line opinion panel
Inez Russell Gomez, editorial page editor, Santa Fe New Mexican
Algernon D’Ammassa, editor, Deming Headlight
Tom Garrity, founder and president, The Garrity Group Public Relations
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.