Episode Archive

New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller

Air Dates: February 27-29, 2016
New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller This week's guest on "Report from Santa Fe" Is New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller discussing the state's financial situation and the possible use of existing unspent funds to stimulate our economy. More

Senators Mary Kay Papen & Jerry Ortiz y Pino

Air Dates: February 20-22, 2016
Senators Mary Kay Papen & Jerry Ortiz y Pino This week's guests on REPORT FROM SANTA FE are Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen and Senate Public Affairs Committee Chair Jerry Ortiz y Pino discussing the ongoing Behavioral Health Crisis in New Mexico. Senator Ortiz y Pino (D-Bernalillo) serves as Chair of the Senate Public Affairs Committee and also chairs the Interim Legislative Health and Human Services Committee. He is a retired social worker. Senator Mary Kay Papen (D-Dona Ana) is the President Pro Tempore of the N.M. Senate, and has received many awards statewide and nationally for her work with mental health issues. The Senators address last week's report by the Attorney General's office exonerating 10 more health agencies of any wrong-doing in the controversial 2013 behavioral health care shake-up. At that time Governor Martinez suspended funding to 15 behavioral health care providers whom her administration accused of overbilling Medicaid by $36 million. Last week's AG report clearing 10 more providers brought to 13 the number of providers cleared of criminal wrongdoing. Investigations into two of them are still ongoing. Health care professionals describe the shutting down of these providers as very disruptive to the delivery of behavioral health care services to New Mexico citizens. More

Representatives Lucky Varela (D) and Larry Larranaga (R)

Air Dates: February 13-15, 2016
Representatives Lucky Varela (D) and Larry Larranaga (R) This week's guests on REPORT FROM SANTA FE are Representatives Lucky Varela (D-District 48) and Larry Larranaga (R-District 27), discussing New Mexico's budget crisis caused by the drop in oil prices and other issues concerning our state finances. These two lawmakers are known for their financial acumen, and together have served in the Legislature for 50 years. This program is the last of our popular “Larry and Lucky” shows, a 10-year series of financial analyses of legislative budget and finance interviews with the two leading budget experts of the House. This is the final time, as Representative Lucky “Luciano” Varela is going to be retiring after 29 years in the legislature. We will miss his knowledge, expertise, and public service. This interview offers an in-depth evaluation of New Mexico's financial situation in regards to the state budget and the funding of state government in the upcoming fiscal year. The lawmakers describe the process of “sweeps,” in which they sweep unused monies from existing programs and funds in order to balance the state budget. They were able to combine modest cuts in programs with enhancements from various funds, to provide an acceptable budget without too much pain in these difficult economic times. QUOTES: · “If you are going to keep milking the cow, you have to feed it at some point.” -- Rep. Varela on the importance of balancing disbursements & enhancements in the state budget · “We always survive in New Mexico...We have never been a very wealthy state, but that is New Mexico. We live very well with the salaries that we have and I am optimistic that we will turn this around and there will be better days ahead.” -- Rep Larranaga More

Bill McKibben, Environmentalist, Author, and Activist. Founder of “350.org”

Air Dates: February 9-10, 2016
Bill McKibben, Environmentalist, Author, and Activist. Founder of “350.org” McKibben is a best-selling author, who in 1989 wrote "The End of Nature," the first book about climate change for a general audience.In 2007 he wrote "Fight Global Warming Now," followed by his new book published in 2010 called "Eaarth – Making a Life on a Tough New Planet." The Boston Globe in 2010 called him “The Nation's Leading Environmentalist” TIME Magazine described him as “The World's BEST Green Journalist” In 2009, he led the organization of 350.org, which organized what Foreign Policy magazine called "the largest ever global coordinated rally of any kind," with 5,200 simultaneous demonstrations in 181 countries. The magazine named him to its inaugural list of the 100 most important global thinkers, and MSN named him one of the dozen most influential men of 2009. More

House Speaker Don Tripp (R) and Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez (D)

Air Dates: February 6-8, 2016
House Speaker Don Tripp (R) and Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez (D) This week's guests on "Report from Santa Fe" are Speaker of the NM House of Representatives Don Tripp (R-Socorro) and Senate Majority Floor Leader Michael Sanchez (D-Belen) discussing critical issues from the Legislative Session. More

Senators John Arthur Smith (D-Deming) and Stuart Ingle (R-Portales)

Air Dates: January 30-February 1, 2016
Senators John Arthur Smith (D-Deming) and Stuart Ingle (R-Portales) This week's guests on REPORT FROM SANTA FE are distinguished Senators John Arthur Smith (D-Deming) and Stuart Ingle (R-Portales). Smith chairs the Senate Finance Committee and Ingle is the Minority Floor Leader of the N.M. Senate. Together they have served in the New Mexico Senate for 58 years. Smith and Ingle reveal the latest in developments affecting state finances and explain how the crash in the price of oil per barrel affects our state budget. The Senators also discuss the Real-ID crisis and the issue of driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. They revisit their two-tiered license bill that presented a solution last Session and which failed in the NM House. More

Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham

Air Dates: January 23-25, 2016
Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham This week's guest on "Report from Santa Fe" is Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (Congressional District One - New Mexico) discussing the Real ID controversy, healthcare in New Mexico, and important issues with the Social Security office in Albuquerque. More

Ethics Reform, with Viki Harrison and Dr. Michael Rocca

Air Dates: January 16-18, 2016
Ethics Reform, with Viki Harrison and Dr. Michael Rocca This week's guests on "Report from Santa Fe" are Viki Harrison, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico, and Michael Rocca, Ph.D., professor of political science at UNM, discussing ETHICS and ETHICS REFORM in New Mexico. More

Dr. Robin Williams and Dr. Kristin Bundesen, Internat'l Shakespeare Center

Air Dates: January 9-11, 2016
Dr. Robin Williams and Dr. Kristin Bundesen, Internat'l Shakespeare Center This week's guests on "Report from Santa Fe" are Dr. Robin WILLIAMS and Dr. Kristin BUNDESEN with the International Shakespeare Center of Santa Fe discussing the exhibit of Shakespeare's First Folio at the New Mexico Museum of Art in February, 2016. The First Folio is one of the most valuable books in the world, and this will be the only time and place in New Mexico where it can be seen. More

Lesley Poling-Kempes, author "Ladies of the Canyons"

Air Dates: January 3-4, 2016
Lesley Poling-Kempes, author This week's guest on REPORT FROM SANTA FE, is Lesley Poling-Kempes, author of "Ladies of the Canyons: A League of Extraordinary Women and Their Adventures in the American Southwest" and "The Harvey Girls." Her new book "Ladies of the Canyons…” is the true story of remarkable women who left the security and comforts of genteel Victorian society and journeyed into the rugged outback of the American Southwest in search of a wider view of themselves and their world. This program will air on Sunday January 3 on KNME-TV for Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Northern New Mexico. An encore presentation of Janet Napolitano will air on KRWG and KENW. Starting next week all 3 stations will air the same program. More