NMiF wraps up final week at the Roundhouse

This week, New Mexico in Focus heads to Santa Fe as the regular 30-day legislative session comes to a close.

For the 7th year in a row, the state budget has grown. Senior Producer Lou DiVizio sits down with a panel of experts to discuss the $11.1 billion spending plan. Then, DiVizio asks the table to consider which high-profile bills passed, what didn't pass and what that means for the legacy of the termed-out Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Politics correspondent Gwyneth Doland stops by the Roundhouse to talk to Democratic and Republican House leaders about the state of partisan politics in New Mexico.

NMIF reporter Cailley Chella documents a day in the life of a young mother of two from Ohkay Owingeh, highlighting what the state's newly funded universal childcare program could mean for her and parents like her.

NMiF airs on NMPBS 5.1 (KNME HD) on Friday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 15 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
State Budget Includes Funds for Child Care, Health Care
Correspondent
Lou DiVizio

Guests
Dede Feldman, former democratic state senator
Eric Griego, former democratic state senator, UNM adjunct professor
Michael Bird, former president, American Public Health Association

How Universal Child Care Could Help Mother of Two
Correspondent
Cailley Chella

Guest
Veronica Ramirez, parent

NM House Leaders on Partisan Politics in 2026 Session
Correspondent
Gwyneth Doland

Guests
Rep. Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, House Speaker
Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena; House Minority Floor Leader

Lawmakers Pass Medical Malpractice Reform, Epstein Truth Commission
Correspondent
Lou DiVizio

Guests
Dede Feldman, former democratic state senator
Eric Griego, former democratic state senator, UNM adjunct professor
Michael Bird, former president, American Public Health Association

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.