New New Mexico State men's basketball beat writer Stephen Wagner breaks down what NMSU's move to Conference USA will mean for the men's basketball team, and Jabari Rice previews the Aggies' 2021-22 season and the season opener against UC Irvine. Jabari also shocks Stephen with his favorite restaurants list.

The Aggie Wagon S1E1: Jabari Rice

Stephen recaps Teddy Allen's historic 41-point performance, previews this week's upcoming games against Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin, and Johnny McCants joins the show to talk about the Aggies season.

The Aggie Wagon Podcast S1 E10: Johnny McCants

You could say basketball runs in the Allen family. Teddy and his younger brother, Timmy, now a star at Texas, both have "Buckets" attached to them as a nickname. Playing each other in the NCAA Tournament would be a dream come true.

The Aggie Wagon Podcast S1 E14: Teddy and Timmy Allen's basketball relationship

This is The Reporter’s Notebook from the Las Cruces Sun-News, a podcast in which we attempt to pull back the curtain on our reporting process while diving deeper into some of the biggest stories and topics of the week.

In this episode, we’re joined by Michael McDevitt, who covers city and county government for the Sun-News, to look at the city’s recent revocation of the business license for Speak Easy — the cannabis-themed merch shop which first became embroiled in controversy last summer.

Speak Easy's license was pulled by the city after Jason Estrada was charged with a cannabis-related felony. He allegedly sold cannabis to undercover narcotics agents at the store, though the case has since been dismissed without prejudice and Estrada has asserted he did nothing wrong. While Estrada appealed the license revocation, the Las Cruces City Council denied it, allowing the revocation to go forward Feb. 8.

Estrada also was planning to run for Las Cruces mayor in 2023, but dropped those ambitions following the license revocation.

The now-closed shop, located at El Paseo and Idaho, will become a new cannabis business after Speak Easy's business registration license was yanked by the City of Las Cruces last week.

At the heart of the arrest and closure is a practice known as “gifting.” There’s a lot going on here, and I’m glad we’ve got Michael to help sort it all out.

The Reporter's Notebook from The Las Cruces Sun-News

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 8 — The Speak Easy Affair

This is The Reporter’s Notebook from the Las Cruces Sun-News, a podcast in which we attempt to pull back the curtain on our reporting process while diving deeper into some of the biggest stories and topics of the week.

Audiences have seen actor William H. Macy appear on screen in hits like “Fargo,” “Room,” “Magnolia” and “Shameless,” and now Las Crucens will have the chance to see him in person at the Las Cruces International Film Festival where he will be presented with the 2022 award for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment.

The seventh annual film festival will take place in-person March 2-6 at Cineport 10. On the second day, “Fargo” will be on the big screen followed by a question-and-answer session with Macy.

This week, we talk to Las Cruces Sun-News trending reporter Leah Romero about her interview with Macy — and we hear from Macy himself.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 3 — William H. Macy

This is The Reporter’s Notebook from the Las Cruces Sun-News, a podcast in which we attempt to pull back the curtain on our reporting process while diving deeper into some of the biggest stories and topics of the week.

It’s been more than a year since a scathing report was released to the public detailing $1.7 million in mishandled public money within Visit Las Cruces, the city's convention and visitors bureau.

A year later, the city pointed to a number of organizational changes inspired by the report, but admitted it was not following all of the investigators' recommendations.

We're joined by Las Cruces Sun-News reporters Algernon D'Ammassa and Michel McDevitt for a closer look.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 2 — The McHard Report details city mismanagement

This is The Reporter’s Notebook from the Las Cruces Sun-News, a podcast in which we attempt to pull back the curtain on our reporting process while diving deeper into some of the biggest stories and topics of the week.

Garrey Carruthers was selected by the staff of the Las Cruces Sun-News as our Distinguished Resident of 2021. The former governor of New Mexico and New Mexico State University chancellor and president has long considered Las Cruces home, since moving here in 1957.

We hope this helps explain why Carruthers was chosen as our Distinguished Resident.

Las Cruces Sun-News Audio

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 1 — Garrey Carruthers

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about education.

We talk to Miranda Cyr, who has covered education for the Sun-News for the past couple of years. Miranda is a Report for America fellow; Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. An initiative of the nonprofit media organization, The GroundTruth Project, it is structured to harness the skills and idealism of an emerging group of journalists plus the creative spirit of local news organizations.

Last week was Miranda’s final week with us. She’ll be leaving Las Cruces to join the staff of the Register-Guard in Eugene, Oregon — where she’ll also cover education. We wanted to talk to her about some of the biggest stories she’s covered during her time here, some of the throughlines in her reporting, and what we should be looking for as we move forward.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 19: Miranda Cyr on Education

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about recent conversations about homelessness and crime in Las Cruces. Business leaders recently organized a forum to address a gap they say the city council created by ignoring the issue of homelessness and property crime citywide.

On June 2, the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, the Las Cruces Association of Realtors and the Las Cruces Home Builders Association hosted a forum for business owners to discuss concerns about theft, vandalism, substance abuse and homelessness in Las Cruces. The forum was held at the Home Builders Association event hall.

On Monday, June 6th, many showed up to speak during the public comment portion of the Las Cruces City Council meeting to address the same issues.

This week, we talk to Las Cruces Sun-News reporters Justin Garcia and Michael McDevitt — and photojournalist Meg Potter. Michael covers city and county government for the paper; Justin writes about public safety, cops and courts. We’ll talk about the issues expressed by the business community, the stats behind crime, locally — based on a recent Sun-News analysis — and what stories we’ll be following in the coming weeks.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 20: Crime and Homelessness

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about an annual event that has returned to our area after a two-year, COVID-inspired hiatus. That’s the Spaceport America Cup — which was recently described by someone in our newsroom as March Madness for aspiring rocket scientists.

We talk to Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Algernon D’Ammassa — who regularly covers the Spaceport, its anchor tenant Virgin Galactic, and related topics — and to photojournalist Meg Potter, who is relatively new to New Mexico, about their experiences covering the first day of the event.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 22: Spaceport America Cup

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about a new law impacting all New Mexico workers. As of July 1, private employers in New Mexico must allow their employees to earn paid sick leave if they don't already do so.

Workers covered by the Healthy Workplaces Act of 2021 may use the time off to recover from an illness or injury, assist an ailing family member or address covered legal or domestic situations. They will be able to accrue 64 hours annually in most cases — and will also be able to accumulate unused time year to year, although the employer does not have to allow them to take more than 64 hours off.

It’s a little complicated, but it’s also a game-changer for many New Mexico workers. We’ll dive into what it means, why it matters, and the difference it may make for people working around the state.

We’ll talk to Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Algernon D’Ammassa — who recently wrote about this for the newspaper — and to Stephanie Welch, the Workers' Rights Director for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. We’ll also be joined by Melissa Martinez from OLÉ — Organizers in the Land of Enchantment.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 23: Paid Sick Leave

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about Latinos in the outdoors. This series, written by Mónica Ortiz Uribe at the El Paso Times, profiles several champions of the cause — and also features some ways southern New Mexico and El Paso residents can get out and enjoy our public spaces.

We’ll talk about how this series of stories came about, and then dive deeper into the individual stories of those profiled — like Nicole Roque, Eddie Misquez, Jerome Ford and Gabe Vasquez.

We’ll also talk about easily-accessible places that you can explore — pretty much “on the cheap” — if you’re in El Paso or southern New Mexico.

We’re joined by Mónica Ortiz Uribe, who talks about her reporting on this series.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 26: Latinos in the Outdoors

In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Justin Garcia, who covers public safety for the Las Cruces Sun-News. Justin recently traveled to Albuquerque in the wake of the killings of several Muslim men — which set the entire community on edge. Muslims in Albuquerque were fearful of an Islamophobic serial killer after four people were murdered over the span of several months.

But the reality of what happened was much more complicated and much harder to comprehend. On Aug. 9, police arrested 51-year-old Muhammed Syed, a Muslim and known community member. Syed was charged in two of the killings, and authorities say they are continuing to gather evidence to charge him in the other two.

Theories abound about the alleged killer’s motivations; none have yet been confirmed. The married father of six has denied involvement in the killings.

Albuquerque police say "an interpersonal conflict may have led to the shootings" and said the suspect appeared to know several of the victims.  Authorities were examining whether he may have been motivated by religious zeal —  such as the political and religious divides between Sunni and Shiite Muslims that underlie modern conflict in the Middle East, but those in the community have rejected such divides and refuse to be defined by them. 

Now, the community is working to move forward, both with grieving over the deaths and processing how a member of their community could have done this. 

Justin was kind enough to join us this week to discuss what he learned during his time in Albuquerque.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 30: Albuquerque's Muslim community heals

In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Algernon D’Ammassa, who generally covers statewide issues for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He recently spoke with Darcy Morrison, an inmate at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants. It’s a life she describes as “a quiet one.”

For much of the day, she works in the prison’s library, where she tutors other inmates. She told Algernon she completed her bachelor’s degree last year, and that she finds joy in teaching other inmates. After the daily 4 p.m. head count, she typically reads or watches “Jeopardy!” In her unit, inmates room together in pods of four. She said her companions are quiet and all get along well.

The New Mexico Corrections Department still lists her under her former married name, Darcy Smith. As a teenager, she was briefly wedded to Eric Smith, whom she described as violent and controlling in a relationship marked by substance abuse as well as physical and psychological violence. What led to Morrison’s arrest — and ultimately being sentenced to life in prison — dates back to a night in November 1992. It’s complicated, and at the end of the night, 17-year-old Adam Price was dead.

 This week, we’re talking to Darcy, who was kind enough to join us to discuss her ongoing fight to have her sentence reconsidered. We’re also joined by attorneys Denali Wilson and Lalita Moskowitz from the American Civil Liberties Union — the ACLU — who are representing Darcy going forward.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 33: Darcy Morrison and Youthful Offenders

In this week’s episode, we’re speaking to Justin Garcia, who covers public safety for the Sun-News. We’re returning to a familiar topic — talking about the number of police shootings in Doña Ana County this year.

We’ll speak in depth about the most recent shooting. It happened on the afternoon of Aug. 2, after Las Cruces police responded to a shoplifting call at a gas station. Over the next hour, the situation escalated and ended abruptly with 36-year-old Presley Eze killed by a police officer.

It was at least the fifth police shooting within Doña Ana County this year. Does this point to a trend? And, if so, what does it mean?

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 34: Police Shootings

This week, we’re speaking to Algernon D’Ammassa. Algernon is an investigative and enterprise reporter for the Sun-News. We’re talking about the recent Yacone family tragedy — in which local restaurateur Bob Yacone is accused of killing his wife, Kimberly, before engaging deputies from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office in a shootout that left him injured.

As is often the case in situations like this, official information trickled out at a relatively slow pace. Meanwhile, in the newsroom, we were beginning to put the pieces together much more quickly.

Apart from the tragedy itself, the situation raised a number of ethical questions and prompted many conversations in our newsroom. It was important that our reporting be thoughtful, and that decisions be deliberate. This week, we’ll talk to Algernon about how he approached his coverage of this story — and his coverage of Bob Yacone through the years.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 36: Yacone Family Tragedy

This week, we’re talking to former Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Bethany Raja — who was Bethany Freudenthal when she worked as a public safety reporter at the Sun-News. She now works as a city hall reporter for @WYPR in Baltimore.

We’re talking about Adnan Syed, whose case first rose to prominence because of the first season of the Serial podcast. First, a little history.

Eight years after the shaky case against Adnan Syed became the center of the hit podcast "Serial," prosecutors said Tuesday that DNA evidence suggests Syed is innocent and murder charges against him have been dropped.

Syed was previously convicted in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee and served about two decades in jail before the state's attorney's office in Baltimore asked a judge to vacate the conviction in September. At the time, the office said Syed could still be retried for Lee's death.

But the state has now dropped its case against Syed entirely.

"Today, justice is done," Marilyn Mosby, the state's attorney for the city of Baltimore, said at a Tuesday news conference.

This week, we’re honored to be joined by Bethany, who will talk about her reporting, why this case matters to her personally, and how she has covered it as a reporter.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 38: Adnan Syed

Greg Heiar joins the podcast to preview the upcoming season and his first game as a Division I head coach.

Aggie Wagon Podcast S2 E2: Greg Heiar

This week, we’re doing something a little bit different. I’ll be talking to Walt Rubel, a longtime reporter and editor in southern New Mexico who has covered New Mexico politics for many years — and many of THOSE at the Las Cruces Sun-News.

We’re talking about the 2022 midterm elections, redistricting, and some of the state’s biggest offices up for grabs.

We should note, this podcast was recorded Saturday, Nov. 5.

This week, we’re grateful to be joined by Walt.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 41: Election Day

This week, we’re talking to Las Cruces Sun-News News Director Lucas Peerman, and Mario Moccia, the director of athletics at New Mexico State University. We’re talking about NMSU football’s Cinderella season — how a team that started NM State started the season 0-4 and they lost a home game to Florida International where the Aggies were actually 14.5-point favorites to drop to 1-5. 

Then came the rally. NMSU tore back to finish the season 6-6 — including a clobbering of Valparaiso on Dec. 3 — the team’s 12th game, after its homecoming game against San Diego State was canceled due to the tragic automobile death of 18-year-old Spartans’ freshman Camdan McWright, who was killed in a traffic crash near the San Jose State campus. The Spartans never made the trip to Las Cruces.

Of course, that’s certainly not the only news surrounding NMSU athletics. We’ll also talk a little about the recent shooting on the campus of UNM in the early morning hours of Nov. 19 involving NMSU’s starting power forward, Mike Peake, in the hours ahead of the Aggie/Lobo rivalry — and all that has happened since, including his suspension from the team. 

This week, I’m truly grateful to have Lucas and Mario joining us.

The Reporter’s Notebook, Ep. 46: Going Bowling: NMSU AD Mario Moccia

On this week's episode of The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, we’re talking to Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Ralph Ramos. We’ll be talking about the school district’s priorities during this year’s 60-day session of the New Mexico Legislature. We’ll take a look at the impact proposed legislation might impact LCPS.

As New Mexico’s state legislature began work Tuesday, Jan. 17, to allocate an historically large budget — totaling $9.4 billion in recurring spending, an 11.9% increase from the last fiscal year — school districts around the state will be asking for a piece of that pie.

Some have suggested things like fully funding and implementing the Hispanic, Indian, Black, and Bilingual Multicultural Education Acts, significantly increasing school employee salaries, increasing instructional hours, and continuing to increase targeted funding through the “at-risk” index.

Teachers are asking for more planning time, reduced class size, adequate staffing, an expansion of community schools and a greater voice in the allocation of federal COVID relief funds.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll ask Superintendent Ramos if those things align with the district’s goals and, if so, how?

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to mention that I was once the district’s Director of Communications, though it was under a previous superintendent.

This week, we're glad to have Superintendent Ramos joining us.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 52: LCPS Legislative Priorities

This week, we’re talking to Melanie Majors, the executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. FOG was created because citizens have a fundamental right to know what their government is doing, and that includes the right to inspect public records and the right to attend public meetings.

FOG works to make sure these rights are strong and available to everyone. Sometimes, this means assisting individual citizens who are denied information by local or state government. It also means strengthening and broadening freedom-of-information laws through legislation and litigation. And it means educating the public and public officials about the letter and spirit of sunshine laws.

With New Mexico’s 60-day legislative session having just wrapped up, several bills of interest were winding their way through the legislature — bills that would have a tremendous impact on transparency and the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act.

For instance, Senate Bill 63 — sponsored by Sen. Bill Tallman, an Albuquerque Democrat, would shield the names of applicants of high-level government jobs, including city managers, school superintendents and police chiefs. Tallman contended the bill’s passage would attract a better pool of candidates. We’ll talk to Melanie about FOG’s opposition to that bill and what became of it.

Another proposed bill, House Bill 232, would revise New Mexico’s public records law to exempt from release certain cybersecurity records and law enforcement video of death notifications, nudity or certain other images. It would also require people requesting law enforcement video to include either a police report number, computer dispatch number or a date range. A request using a date range would need to include the officer’s name, time or location of what the requester is seeking. While FOG was involved in discussions surrounding the bill, the organization did not formally oppose the changes.

The Reporter's Notebook, Ep. 61: Melanie Majors, NMFOG and 2023 Legislature

In this week's episode, we’re talking to Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima, who recently delivered his 16th and final State of the City address. Miyagishima was first elected mayor of Las Cruces in 2007 and is currently in his fourth, four-year term. In November, he announced that he would not seek a fifth term.

While this is certainly not an exit interview — as he will still lead the city for months to come — we thought we should touch base on what he feels he has accomplished, as reflected in this year’s State of the City address. There have been ups and downs, for sure — moments of turmoil. But the mayor largely focused on how his vision for Las Cruces has been carried out, so far, during his 16 years in the office.

Before running for mayor, Miyagishima served as a Doña Ana County Commissioner. He also served as a city councilor. In August 2013, Miyagishima unsuccessfully applied to become Doña Ana County Manager.

This week, we're grateful to have the mayor joining us.

The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, Ep. 62: Mayor Ken Miyagishima

On this week's episode of The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, we’re talking to Patrick Allen, cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health. At the end of 2022, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Allen as the leader of the state’s health department following the resignation of Dr. David Scrase. Allen began his work in the department on Jan. 3.

Before coming to New Mexico, Allen worked as the director of the Oregon Health Authority. In Oregon, he led the agency’s response to COVID-19 and guided Oregon’s statewide Medicaid plan and behavioral health system.

We’ll talk about his plans and priorities for the department as the COVID-19 public health orders expire. New Mexico’s COVID-19 public health order expired Friday, March 31. Meanwhile, the federal government plans to end the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on May 11, 2023.

The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, Ep. 63: NMDOH Secretary Patrick Allen

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Molly Malloy, an associate professor, retired reference librarian and American specialist at NMSU and a member of this year’s J. Paul Taylor Social Justice Symposium’s organizing committee. We’ll also be joined by Spencer Herrera, an associate professor of Spanish at NMSU, who chaired this year’s organizing committee.

“Justice for Journalists” was the theme of this year’s symposium, which took place Wednesday and Thursday, April 12th and 13th on the university’s campus. The symposium offered a special tribute to the late J. Paul Taylor, a revered New Mexico legislator and longtime educator who founded the symposium.

Taylor passed away Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, after celebrating his 102nd birthday last August. NMSU’s College of Arts and Sciences established the symposium in 2005 when Taylor suggested bringing resources of the university and community together to address areas of concern for underserved populations in the region.

We’ll talk about this year’s theme, panel discussions, keynote speaker and why “Justice for Journalists” is a particularly timely and poignant conversation to have in 2023.

The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, Ep. 64: Justice for Journalists

On this week's episode, we’re joined by Patrick Nolan, executive director of Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks. We’ll also be joined by Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-Las Cruces), as well as Kyla Navarro, policy and community coordinator for Friends of the OMDP.

The New Mexico Legislative Session recently wrapped up and Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks celebrated the legislature’s decision to fund a feasibility study, which is a step towards establishing a new state park in Southern New Mexico. The Broad Canyon Ranch property was acquired by the New Mexico State Parks Division in 2008 to be a destination for outdoor education. It also holds potential as a foraging and nesting habitat for various avian species. Due to budget cuts during the previous administration, the property was never opened to the public.

Friends of the OMDP hopes to establish Broad Canyon Ranch as a state park for the safe public access to Slot Canyon, north of Las Cruces, and the Rio Grande corridor. This destination has increased in popularity the past few years but sits on the edge of state-owned land and national monument land.  Due to this reason, accessing this destination became contentious for trespassing concerns, treading on state land to access federal lands. With funding provided through the “Junior Bill,” Sen. Steinborn and Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces) were able to allocate money to fund the study.

We’ll talk about the challenges this could help overcome, how it’s a necessary first step to create a state park, what the current situation looks like and how we got here, and what exactly the “Junior Bill” is.

The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, Ep. 65: Broad Canyon Ranch

This week’s podcast discusses sexual assault. If you or someone you know experiences sexual violence, you can find local support via La Piñon's 24-Hour Crisis Hotline at 575-526-3437 or go to www.lapinon.org.

This week, we’re joined by Abrianna Morales. When she was 15, Abrianna was sexually assaulted by someone she knew and trusted. That experience — navigating the legal system, the feeling of isolation, and lack of resources and support — prompted her to create the Sexual Assault Youth Survivors’ Network, a community of survivors, supporters, and advocates “dedicated to building a world without sexual violence where justice is restorative and healing is possible.”

As of early 2022, more than 300,000 people from around the world had visited the organization’s website.

After high school, she went on to attend the University of New Mexico. She is currently a senior majoring in Psychology and Criminology with a minor in Math and will graduate in two weeks. In 2022, she was selected to be a Truman Scholar, one of 58 college students throughout the country who aspire to be leaders in public service.

After graduation, she plans to take a gap year to work on developing the SAYSN and some collaborative projects with the National Organization for Victim Assistance, including a U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women grant to provide training and technical assistance to college campuses invested in preventing sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking.

Last week, during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Abrianna was featured in a video on the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ website.

We’ll talk to Abrianna about SAYSN, her experience as an advocate, how COVID-19 impacted her life in surprising ways, her future plans and more.

The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, Ep. 66: Abrianna Morales & SAYSN

This week, we’re joined by Las Cruces native Michael Patrick Kaczmarek, one of the producers of The Pope’s Exorcist, which was released April 14 in the U.S. and is in theaters now. To date, the film has grossed more than $60 million internationally.

The film stars Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe. Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, The Pope’s Exorcist follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.

Known by some as the Dean of Exorcists, to others as the Vatican’s Exorcist, Father Amorth was to thousands of people a light in the darkness. A real man who conducted thousands of exorcisms for the Church, Father Amorth was a frontline crusader in the battle against evil who chronicled his exploits in two memoirs that go far beyond the spooky anecdotes to explore the threats to humanity from demons.

Amorth was appointed chief exorcist of the Diocese of Rome in 1986 and remained there until 2016, when he died at age 91. In those three decades, Amorth claimed to have conducted over 60,000 exorcisms.

Now, the exploits of Father Amorth come to the screen for the first time in The Pope’s Exorcist.

Michael attended Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School and Oñate High School, where he played football for four years and graduated in 1999. He went on to attend the University of New Mexico and Cal State, Los Angeles, where he earned a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Film, Radio and Television in 2003.

We’ll talk to Michael about how he became involved in the project, how he got started, how he got to where he is and who helped him along the way. We’ll also talk about what may be next for the young producer.

The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, Ep. 67: Michael Patrick Kaczmarek

On this week's episode of The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, we’re joined by Las Cruces native Aaron Paz, who works for NASA. Aaron is a NASA senior engineer and Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration project manager at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

As NASA works toward sending astronauts to the Moon again through Artemis missions, one of the space agency’s primary goals is to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface. Resources like oxygen are crucial building blocks for making that vision a reality. In addition to using oxygen for breathing, it can also be used as a propellant for transportation, helping lunar visitors stay longer and venture farther.

During a recent test, scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston successfully extracted oxygen from simulated lunar soil. Lunar soil refers to the fine-grained material covering the Moon’s surface. This was the first time that this extraction has been done in a vacuum environment, paving the way for astronauts to one day extract and use resources in a lunar environment, called in-situ resource utilization.

And, I’m not going to lie, I don’t fully understand all of this — the ramifications, what it could mean for future space travel and living someplace that is not the earth — maybe even in our lifetimes.

But that’s why I’m grateful to have Aaron joining us this week.

The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, Ep. 68: Aaron Paz & NASA

On this week's episode, we’re joined by Rep. Nathan Small, a Democrat from Las Cruces who serves as chair of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. He also serves as vice chair for the Legislative Finance Committee.

David Abbey, the director of the budget and accountability office for the New Mexico Legislature, announced in March he would be retiring from the agency he led for 25 years — through a historic recession, a collapse in the oil economy, the COVID-19 pandemic and a new and unprecedented financial windfall.

Abbey will leave the agency known as the Legislative Finance Committee this summer. He guided the office through the tenure of four governors, earning recognition for ensuring state government solvency in the aftermath of the 2007-2009 Great Recession and many more challenges.

New Mexico is one of about five states where the Legislature prepares its own budget plan, independent of the executive branch.

Now, the search for Abbey’s replacement begins. We talk to Rep. Small about what that will look like, what the LFC will look for in its new leader and why the role is so important.

The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, Ep. 69: Replacing Legislative Finance Committee Director

This week, we’re joined by Las Cruces native Jamila Gilbert, who joined Virgin Galactic in 2019 where she has been an integral part of the company, leading internal communications. On Thursday, May 25, she was aboard the Unity 25 suborbital space flight. 

Jamila a­ttended New Mexico State University, studying linguistics, museum conservation, anthropology, and studio art. As a Latina woman of Purépechan-Mexican roots, a visual artist, and a communications professional who speaks four languages, Jamila doesn’t come from a technical or engineering background.

Now, the 34-year-old is the third Virgin Galactic woman to fly to space, joining the first 100 women astronauts in history. She is also among only 16 Hispanic astronauts. 

Later, we’re joined by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to talk about what the successful Virgin Galactic launch and the apparently imminent commercial space flights could mean for the state’s future.

The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, Ep. 70: The astronaut and the governor

Justin Martinez recaps the New Mexico game, talks with senior Ivan Aurrecoechea and previews the Cayman Islands Classic in the latest episode of Straight Shooter.

Straight Shooter S1E4: Where the Aggies go from here

Justin Martinez recaps last week's games, talks with Shawn Williams and previews Thursday's game against Utah Valley in the latest episode of Straight Shooter.

Straight Shooter S1E11: On the road again for NMSU

Justin Martinez recaps last week's games, interviews redshirt sophomore Jabari Rice and previews Saturday's game against UTRGV in the latest episode of Straight Shooter.

Straight Shooter S1E12: Who's next? NMSU still perfect in WAC

Justin Martinez recaps last week's games, interviews Albert "Slab" Jones and previews Thursday's road game against Chicago State.

Straight Shooter S1E14: Stars emerging for NMSU

Audio from a 911 call made by then-12-year-old Melissia Repass after seven people were shot at a Las Cruces, New Mexico, bowling alley on Feb 10, 1990.

Las Cruces Bowl Massacre 911 call - Full audio

Justin Martinez gives his bold predictions for this season, previews New Mexico State's upcoming game against Arizona Christian and talks with senior point guard Evan Gilyard II in the Season 2 premiere of Straight Shooter.

Straight Shooter S2E1: Bold season predictions

Justin Martinez recaps New Mexico State's series against Utah Valley, gives his Week 8 WAC predictions and previews the upcoming Tarleton State series in the latest episode of Straight Shooter.

Straight Shooter S2E14: Making strides

Find the Las Cruces Sun-News online at lcsun-news.com.

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