This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Megan Kamerick sits down with historian, author, and Santa Fe resident Hampton Sides.

His newest book, “On Desperate Ground,” tells the story of one of the most harrowing clashes in American history, the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, during the Korean War. Hampton Sides discusses the advantage of perspective when writing about history and the importance of facts in this era of “truth decay.”

Host Gene Grant talks with Connie Monahan, the state coordinator of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE), concerning new revelations about the handling of rape test kits in New Mexico.  SANE is an arm of the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, Inc. 

This month “Our Land” correspondent Laura Paskus revisits Project Feed the Hood, a food justice program in Albuquerque that connects communities with healthy food and young people with the land (and a paycheck).  Begun out of the Southwest Organizing Project, a 38-year old nonprofit focused on social justice, Project Feed the Hood operates the Ilsa and Rey Garduño Community Garden, and pilot programs at ten schools.

Grant and the Line opinion panelists look at how some economists are urging lawmakers to rein in the budget surplus. They also debate the grading system used by the Public Education Department to grade teacher prep programs at the state’s colleges, and discuss how the “blue wave” in the last midterm election owed a lot to New Mexico’s “graying,” or older, population.

Studio Guest
Connie Monahan, state coordinator, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE), New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, Inc. (NMCSAP)
Hampton Sides, author of “On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle

Correspondents
Megan Kamerick
Laura Paskus

Line Panelists
Jeffrey Candelaria, Konnection Now & host on KKOB
Tom Garrity, the Garrity Group PR
Laura Sanchez-Rivét, attorney at Cuddy and McCarthy, LLP
Giovanna Rossi, president, Collective Action Strategies; host, “The Well Woman Show” (KUNM)

Host
Gene Grant

New Mexico in Focus is New Mexico PBS’ prime-time news magazine show covering the events, issues and people that are shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest.

Hosted by Gene Grant, NMiF takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic health, education, and arts 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 Sarah Gustavus with associate producer Kathy Wimmer. NM PBS Public Affairs executive producer is Kevin McDonald.

Funding for New Mexico in Focus is provided by the McCune Charitable Foundation, the Neeper Natural History Programming Fund for KNME TV and viewers like you.

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