New Mexico News Insiders

New Mexico's Gila Wilderness Is 100 Years Old

It's a gem of the southwestern United States and southwest New Mexico. One hundred years later, the Gila Wilderness is celebrating its formal dedication as the very first federally designated wilderness area in the U.S. Early conservation leader Aldo Leopold proposed the idea, realizing the need to preserve the land's natural state. This week on the podcast, Chris and Gabby discuss the origin story of the Gila, and the efforts to protect it today with Luke Koenig, a Gila Grassroots Organizer for New Mexico Wild.

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on X (Twitter), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts. Also, check out our YouTube channel. 

New Mexico's History Of UFO Sightings

Was it aliens? Or something else? From the famous Roswell incident, or flying saucers reported in Farmington, to an inexplicable case about a boy in Hobbs reportedly burned by a UFO in 1964. This week Chris and Gabby discuss the popular and lesser-known reported UFO events in New Mexico with a man who's made it his mission to curate the largest collection of UFO materials ever assembled. David Marler, Executive Director of the National UFO Historical Records Center doesn't aim to make people believers, but rather, preserve facts that include sifting through recently declassified military records. 

Read the KRQE article referenced in the podcast here. 

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on X (Twitter), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts. Also, check out our YouTube channel. 

UNMH Promises Medical Upgrades With 'Critical Care Tower'

New Mexico’s largest hospital, and the only hospital in the state with a level-one trauma center has been under construction for more than a year. Chris and Gabby discuss the changes the new ‘Critical Care Tower’ promises to bring to UNMH, and how upgrades are aimed to transform medical care for thousands of patients. How will the new space serve patients and staff? When will the Critical Care Tower be up and running? 

This week’s podcast guests: 

• Doctor Steve McLaughlin, UNMH Chief Medical Officer 
• Makenzie McNeill, Communications Manager of Campus Development for UNMH

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on X (Twitter), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts. Also, check out our YouTube channel. 

It's Primary Election Day In New Mexico

The first chapter of the 2024 election is here with New Mexicans taking part in the primary election on Tuesday, June 4. This time around, while Republicans are looking a few intraparty contests, there are far more contested races inside the Democratic party. This week on the New Mexico News Podcast, UNM Political Science Professor and KRQE’s Political Analyst, Gabe Sanchez, joins Chris and Gabby to discuss the implications of this year’s primaries, and how they could reshape the dynamics of the state legislature. The state’s top two District Attorneys are also facing Democratic-party challengers in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. What does it mean for state politics if more 'progressive' Democrats win the primaries? And what will it take for Republicans to gain more ground in the legislature? 

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

Sheriff's Office Bringing New Tech To Bernalillo County

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is investing in a big new technology package, hoping to help deputies with crime-fighting around the county. Alongside newer TASERs, body cameras, license plate reading cameras and gunshot detectors, the county is also investing in a new cloud-based service called ‘FUSUS.' The company behind it describes the tech as a “real-time intelligence ecosystem,” allowing business owners and citizens to give BCSO access to their surveillance cameras.

This week on the New Mexico News Podcast, Major Hollie Anderson joins Chris & Gabby to explain how she believes this will streamline criminal investigations and ultimately, help catch criminals quicker. Anderson explains how BCSO will have the ability to watch deputies' lapel cameras live when needed, and capture surveillance footage from a crime scene using the new system. 

How can businesses opt-in? Is this an over-reach of privacy? Those questions and more are addressed in the full discussion above.

Let us know what you think. Email us at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. You can also find us on social media at ChrisMcKeeTV or gburkNM.

Albuquerque Police Chief Talks Next Steps With DOJ Reform

It's been almost 12 years since the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would start investigating Albuquerque Police. Today, the APD says it has "met all requirements in the Court-Approved Settlement Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice," and the reform process will come to an end. APD Chief Harold Medina joins Chris & Gabby to discuss the key changes APD has adopted over the last decade. Are their new policies sustainable? How will APD police itself going forward? 

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

 

Behind The Story: Albuquerque Grandma Shoots Home Intruder

An Albuquerque grandmother was dancing in her living room to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie when she came face-to-face with a home intruder. KRQE Anchor-Reporter Jessica Garate first reported the story and obtained the emotional 911 call the woman made as she was trying to coax the man back outside. Jessica joins Chris & Gabby in a behind-the-scenes conversation about what led to the woman shooting the man when he broke into her home a second time. How would you handle a situation like that? 

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

 

Why Border Patrol Checkpoints Are Seizing New Mexico Cannabis

Two years into recreational cannabis becoming legal in New Mexico, local cannabis distributors are finding themselves in a legal conundrum. Border Patrol Agents have seized more than $300,000 worth of local cannabis products at checkpoints, according to the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. Matt Chadwick, owner of Top Crop Cannabis, says the checkpoint seizures seemingly started out of the blue in February. He joins Chris & Gabby to discuss how the unavoidable stops are impacting New Mexico businesses, and what he'd like to see from the federal government. How is the governor responding to this issue? What happens to local cannabis if Border Agents double down? 

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

What Supreme Court Case On Homelessness Could Mean Locally

The U.S. Supreme Court is taking up a case that could impact how states and local agencies deal with homeless encampments. UNM School of Law Professor Joshua Kastenberg joins Gabby to discuss Albuquerque's current policies on encampments, and the local implications of the case known as Grants Pass v. Johnson. Are there similarities between this case and New Mexico's homeless issues? What immediate impacts can states expect after this Supreme Court decision, if any? 

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

The Struggle Continues For New Mexico Wildfire Victims

Victims are still struggling two years later to recover from the state’s largest, most destructive wildfire in New Mexico’s history. The government-sparked Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Wildfire burned through more than 341,000 acres, destroyed hundreds of homes, and displaced families across northern New Mexico. Pam Abreu shares her story with Gabby about challenges she’s faced since losing the family home her father built. Antonia Roybal-Mack, an attorney representing wildfire victims, also explains why dozens of New Mexicans are now suing FEMA. Are victims being repaid quickly enough? Where are families living now? How are generational homes being valued? 

Those questions and more are discussed in this week's episode. 

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.