NMiF discusses failed climate bill, Indigenously Positive returns

This week on New Mexico in Focus, Capital and Main reporter Jerry Redfern returns to the studio to wrap up his series on oil and gas legislation from this year's session. Redfern sits down with Democratic state Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart after her signature climate bill failed yet again at the Roundhouse.

Dr. Tameka Gillum co-wrote a study published last year by the American Journal of Public Health, that declared the high rate of Black women murdered in America a "public health crisis." That study examined more than 30,000 homicides between 1999 and 2020, and found a massive disparity in homicide rates between Black and white women. This week, Gillum sits down with contributor Russell Contreras to discuss her findings and consider how structural racism has made life more dangerous for Black women.

Last year, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sent about 70 troops with the New Mexico National Guard to Albuquerque's International District. According to the governor, the guard worked alongside the Albuquerque Police Department to address "immediate quality of life concerns" of people living in the area, while "working towards long-term solutions to the city's most pressing public safety concerns." City Councilor Nichole Rogers represents District 6, where most of the troops were deployed, and recently stopped by the NMIF studio to talk about what the National Guard did and didn't get done during their six months in the city.

Indigenously Positive, NMIF's collaboration with nonprofit newsroom New Mexico in Depth, kicks off its second season in a school classroom where Native practices and traditions are being used to teach students science in a way that resonates.

NMiF airs on NMPBS 5.1 (KNME HD) on Friday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 1 at 7 a.m. and streaming on the PBS video app. Involved, informed, in-depth media: watch New Mexico in Focus again online shortly thereafter.

Host
Nash Jones

Segments
Post-Mortem on Signature Climate Bill's Failure
Correspondent
Jerry Redfern

Guest
Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque

Study: Black Women in U.S. Killed at Horrifying Rate
Correspondent
Russell Contreras

Guest
Dr. Tameka Gillum, associate professor, University of New Mexico

Councilor Rogers on National Guard's Six Months in Albuquerque
Correspondent
Lou DiVizio

Guest
Nichole Rogers, Albuquerque City Councilor, District 6

How Science is Taught with Native Cultures
Host/Producer
Bella Davis (Yurok)

Director/Producer
Benjamin C Yazza (Diné)

Guests
Jonathan Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo), Kha'p'o Community School student
Paul LeFrancois, LANL Foundation project manager
Diane Katzenmeyer-Delgado: NACA Inspired Schools Network project manager
Natalie Martinez (Laguna Pueblo), Community liaison and NMSU professor
Diane Chavarria, KCS teacher and curriculum designer
Madeline Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo), Potter and grandmother of KCS student

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

NMPBS Executive Producer, Public Affairs is Jeff Proctor. New Mexico in Focus's senior producer for public affairs is Lou DiVizio. Host and producer of New Mexico in Focus is Nash Jones. Producer is Antonio Sanchez. Multimedia journalist is Cailley Chella.

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.