Fred Martino

Paul Gessing, President of the Rio Grande Foundation, says New Mexico needs to works on reforms during the 2020 Legislative session.  Gessing says making improvements to the Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) should be the top priority; he is not alone in stating that the GRT discourages investment in the state.  Gessing also says he supports a proposal to end the state income tax on Social Security; New Mexico is one of only 13 states to tax Social Security, a fact not lost on many publications that fail to put the state on lists as a good place to retire.  Gessing also says the state should reform its capital outlay process.

Fred Martino talks with Bill McCamley, Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions.  They discuss the state's recent "rapid hire" event, the increase in the minimum wage, growing the hemp industry, the potential for recreational cannabis should it be approved, and more.

The fate of nearly 700,000 DACA recipients is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Brought to the U.S. as children, they are in the U.S. legally thanks to DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program started by President Obama.

The court must now decide if President Trump had the right to end the program.  

Tom Hanks is starring in the new film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” inspired by a real-life friendship between public television icon Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod.  Some thoughts from our own Fred Martino.

Poet Terry Lucas graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy in 1974. The Poet Laureate of Marin County, California was in Las Cruces for campus visit.  While he was here, Lucas talked with Fred Martino.

KRWG Public Media participated in a live webcast on Thursday that marked the 75th anniversary of the Smokey Bear wildfire prevention campaign.    

The webcast featured a wide variety of professionals, including Eric Solomon from the U.S. Forest Service.

On Thursday, November 7, you can participate in a live webcast celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Smokey Bear wildfire prevention campaign. 

The live, interactive program starts Thursday morning at 11 at smokeybearlive.org, where you can also register for the event.

The webcast is originating from the Lincoln National Forest near Capitan, New Mexico and you may ask questions during the program, which will be answered by experts.

The ten candidates for Las Cruces Mayor recently met for a televised forum at KRWG Public Media.

They addressed the contention by some in the community that the city needs to be more business-friendly.

  Fred Martino speaks with Doña Ana County clerk  Amanda López Askin about ranked choice voting, the new voting procedure being used in the Las Cruces Municipal Election. 

Fred Martino anchors a very special Voice of The Public - Moving Forward After the El Paso Shooting. Guests include: Miranda Viscoli, Co-President of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. A special report features comments from Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM 2).

Silver City, NM – The Western New Mexico University Museum 45th Anniversary Black-on-White Gala will be Saturday, July 13, at 6 p.m.  Here is a statement from WNMU:

“With the gala, we at the WNMU Museum celebrate 45 years of advancing the understanding of the diverse cultural and artistic heritages of southwest New Mexico. The gala also marks the completion of Fleming Hall’s stunning transformation into an open, light, secure, and climate-controlled environment that highlights the historic fabric of the building while enhancing the visitor experience,” WNMU Museum Director Dr. Cynthia Bettison said.  

  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján — the No. 4 ranked Democrat in Congress — announced his campaign Monday for the state's open U.S. Senate seat in 2020.

Democrats hope to maintain their hold on to the seat held by Sen. Tom Udall, who announced last week that he won't seek a third term.

Luján hails from a prominent New Mexico political family and helped his party retake the U.S. House majority in 2018 midterm elections as former chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Education will be a major topic during the 2019 New Mexico Legislative Session.  The state is under a court order to provide more resources to ensure than all students receive constitutionally-mandated educational services.

Fred Martino discussed various priorities for educators represented by the the National Education Association-New Mexico with the organization's Government and Media Relations Director, Charles Goodmacher.

Support the region's in-depth journalism.  Become a member, renew, or make an additional gift now.  Thank you.

In a 4-3 vote, the Las Cruces city council has lent its support to a bill designed to boost economic development efforts in New Mexico. 

Las Cruces area state Senator Bill Soules is proposing a special liquor license.  The number of licenses is limited in New Mexico, driving prices for the licenses sky high…hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Critics say it limits small businesses and reduces the number of restaurant choices. 

Soules’ bill would allow communities to offer a special liquor license.  Restaurants with a license to sell wine and beer could sell New Mexico-produced liquor.  But only in an economic development zone.  And only if the community where that zone exists gave the green light.  To be clear: the special license would not allow the sale of liquor produced outside of New Mexico.

The 14th Annual Diabetes Expo is coming to Las Cruces on November 3.  The event takes place at Alma D'Arte High School  from 8am to 2:30pm.  The $12 admission includes lunch. 

Fred Martino discussed the event with Ruben Marquez, Assistant Executive Director of Southern New Mexico Diabetes Outreach.

Former two-term New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson announced he's running for U.S. Senate in New Mexico as a Libertarian.  Johnson also ran for President as a Libertarian twice.  He's seeking the seat held by Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich.  Businessman Mick Rich is the Republican in the race.

Johnson discusses his political philosophy with Fred Martino, along with his opposition to Trump Administration policies on immigration, trade, and deficit spending.  

The Otero Mesa.  At over 1.2 million acres, it’s a vast treasure southeast of Alamogordo and west of Carlsbad.  Most of it is public land.  And about a half a million acres are desert grassland, a rare and disappearing habitat for some 1,000 native species. 

The Southern New Mexico Festival of Quilts was held in Alamogordo Sunday and Monday.  Background provided by the festival: 

Since 2010 quilters from around the United States have been coming to Alamogordo, New Mexico to take part in a community event to benefit the children of Otero County.  The Southern New Mexico Festival of Quilts began as a cooperative effort between Rainee Mackewich of First National Bank and  Pam Holland, International textile artist, quilt teacher and photographer from Australia and has resulted in a week long flurry of quilting activities throughout the area every summer since. 

NTI provides job services to Americans with disabilities who want to get back into the workplace.  Over the past 25 years, NTI has helped over 175,000 individuals across the United States and over 1,200 here in the Las Cruces area through their NTI@Home and LandAjob programs.

Fred Martino recently talked with Rio Grande Foundation President Paul Gessing about a number of economic issues facing New Mexico.

How could changes to NAFTA affect the state?

Will an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision have an impact on public sector unions?

And how should New Mexico use its windfall from increasing oil prices and production?

Las Cruces High School has a unique distinction.  For the last two years, its broadcasting program has included students chosen for a prestigious public media fellowship.  

It’s an amazing honor.  Just 20 students in the nation are chosen for an all-expenses paid week in Washington D.C. as part of the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs. 

And for the last two years, Las Cruces High School students have made the cut. 

On Wednesday, April 18, Aggies Winning Choices (AWC) will host the Responsible Alcohol Consumption Summit (RACS). The event will be held at the NMSU Domenici Building, Room 109 (Yates Auditorium), from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. The Summit will include individual presentations and expert panel discussions focusing on alcohol research, prevention and interventions, and policies that impact our communities.

Fred Martino interviews Mick Rich, the New Mexico Republican seeking a U.S. Senate seat in 2018.  The seat is currently held by Senator Martin Heinrich. 

This interview includes Rich's comments on federal spending, the GOP tax law, immigration, government regulations, and President Trump's proposals on trade policy.

Vision/Revision: New Mexico Poets on the Page, opening Friday, March 23, 2018, at the Branigan Cultural Center, celebrates National Poetry month in April.  The exhibit runs through May 19.

A collaboration with the New Mexico State University Archives and the Creative Writing Program at NMSU, this exhibit presents a glimpse into the works of New Mexico poets Lorenzo Torrez, Margaret Page Hood, Eugene Manlove Rhodes, and Keith Wilson. These four poets wrote about southern New Mexico’s people, ranching life, cultural identities, and our Chihuahuan desert environment. The working notes, drafts, and final manuscripts they left behind, held in the NMSU Archives, provide insight into the poet’s mind at work, as words are shaped into meaning.

Rebecca Dow is a on a mission.  She says it’s long past time for New Mexico to move forward.  “Right now, I think we need hope.  I think we need hope for a better future,” she said.  Dow was elected to the New Mexico State Legislature in 2016.  The Republican represents District 38 in the state House, which includes parts of Grant, Hidalgo, and Sierra counties.