This week on New Mexico in Focus, senior producer Matt Grubs speaks with Secretary Bill McCamley of Workforce Solutions about the state’s expanded response for workers who have been laid off because of actions to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

Matt Grubs also follows up with Our Land correspondent Laura Paskus, who broke the news this week that the Pentagon has identified four more possible contamination sites as she continues to investigate toxic chemicals in groundwater near military bases.

Correspondent Antonia Gonzales talks with President Jonathan Nez of the Navajo Nation and National Indian Health Board CEO Stacy Bohlen about how they are dealing with scarce resources in their response to virus outbreaks on tribal lands.

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recent statewide “stay-at-home” order, what it means for people being laid off or furloughed, and what it means for the businesses that employed them. The Line also debates the best way to go about a legislative special session that is surely inevitable. For their final segment, The Line panelists look toward the possibility of holding an all-mail primary election.

Host:
Gene Grant     

In Focus Interviews:
COVID-19 Worker Response
Correspondent: Matt Grubs
Guest: Sec. Bill McCamley, Department of Workforce Solutions

PFAS Update
Correspondent: Matt Grubs
Guest: Laura Paskus, Our Land Correspondent

COVID-19 Response from Native Tribes
Correspondent: Antonia Gonzales
Guest: Jonathan Nez, Navajo Nation President
Guest: Stacy Bohlen, CEO, National Indian Health Board

The Line Opinion Panel:
Lonna Atkeson, UNM Political Science professor
Tom Garrity, The Garrity Group PR
Laura Sanchez-Rivét, attorney

This week on New Mexico in Focus, senior producer Matt Grubs speaks with two psychiatrists about how to deal with the realities of social distancing as the nation responds to the COVID-19 outbreak. For many people, staying at home can start to feel overwhelming, especially as they struggle to explain to their children what’s happening in the world beyond the front door. 

The U.S. Census quietly got underway last week. The count is vital for states like New Mexico, which have large numbers of people who are part of historically undercounted populations. Correspondent Antonia Gonzales sits down with Charlotte Little and Jamie Gloshay of the New Mexico Native American Census Coalition to talk about the challenge of avoiding an undercount and the ways in which the state’s Native community is responding. 

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel take a broad look at New Mexico’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Are state and local leaders doing enough? How have New Mexicans responded to the call for social distancing? Others believe New Mexico is overreacting. What are the immediate and long-term economic impacts on businesses and citizens, especially for low-income populations? For their final segment, The Line panelists will each choose “One More Thing” to talk about – a segment that is usually reserved for the web but which gets the broadcast treatment this week. 

Host:
Gene Grant     

Correspondent:
Antonia Gonzales 

Studio Guests: 
Dr. Caroline Bonham, psychiatrist, UNM School of Medicine
Dr. Amy Rouse, psychiatrist, UNM Health Sciences Center
Jamie Gloshay, Albuquerque Urban Indian Census Coordinator
Charlotte Little, Pueblo Census Coordinator 

Line Panelists:
Dan Foley, former state representative
Eric Griego, former NM state senator