Election Map Controversy; NM Rivers Still Drying

This week on New Mexico in Focus, national headlines on the redrawing of congressional maps have hit our state. Host Nash Jones spoke with Democratic state Sen. Harold Pope, one of two lawmakers who stepped down from the New Mexico Redistricting Task Force. Pope tells Nash why Republican gerrymandering in other states led him to quit the nonpartisan group that’s focused on crafting fair districts. Later, Nash hears from three remaining members of that task force, who respond to those resignations and discuss the work ahead. 

Correspondent Elizabeth Miller takes us to the Rio Grande and the Elephant Butte Reservoir, where the state’s water woes can be felt the hardest. Miller speaks with two experts to learn about the water management realities that brought us to this point, and how the bosque is trying to hang on through the dry spell. 

Before serving more than a decade in the state senate and spending the last six-plus as lieutenant governor, Howie Morales was a teacher and school administrator in Grant County. This week, Executive Producer Jeff Proctor joins Morales in the studio to discuss a broad range of education-related issues — from state programs he’s proud of to ongoing challenges to federal funding cut threats from the Trump administration. 

Host: Lou DiVizio 

Segments:
Water Debts and Climate Change Are Drying NM Rivers, Reservoirs 
Correspondent: Elizabeth Miller 
Editor: Lou DiVizio 
Photographers: R.J. Torres, Manuel Valdez and Joey Dunn 
Guests: 
Anne Marken, River Ops-Telemetry Manager, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District 
Dr. Daniel Cadol, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology 

NM State Senator on Leaving Fair Election Maps Task Force 
Correspondent: Nash Jones 
Guest: NM State Sen. Harold Pope, D-Albuquerque 

Fair Election Maps Task Force Responds to Resignations, Looks Ahead 
Correspondent: Nash Jones 
Guests:  
NM State Rep. Rebecca Dow, R-Truth or Consequences 
NM State Sen. Natalie Figueroa, D-Albuquerque 
Roderick Kennedy, Retired Judge and Chair, New Mexico Redistricting Task Force 

Lieutenant Governor on Education in New Mexico 
Correspondent: Jeff Proctor 
Guest: Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, (D), New Mexico