The Line: Top Stories of 2018 (Numbers 3 & 2)

December 21, 2018 – Host Gene Grant and our all-journalist Line panel are closing in on the top story of 2018. In this segment, they discuss the 3rd and 2nd biggest stories of the past year. Up first was the education lawsuit that will have long-lasting impacts on the state for years to come. A state judge ruled back in July that the state was violating its constitutional obligation to provide an adequate education to all New Mexicans. Outgoing Governor Susana Martinez and the Department of Education were reportedly preparing to appeal that court decision, but Governor-Elect Michelle Lujan Grisham has said she will not fight the ruling. And now, officials are on the clock with an April deadline to come up with a plan to fix the deficiencies. At number 2 on this year’s countdown is the upturn in the economy, starting with the news that streaming giant Netflix will buy Albuquerque Studios and turn it into the company’s first production hub. Unemployment numbers also dipped in 2018, and the state coffers are bulging thanks to a new boom in the oil and gas industry. The panelists also discuss what leaders and lawmakers can do to keep the momentum going in 2019.

 

Line Panelists:
Inez Russell Gomez, editorial page editor, Santa Fe New Mexican
Mary Hudetz, reporter, Associated Press
Andy Lyman, reporter, New Mexico Political Report
Jeff Proctor, reporter, Santa Fe Reporter and New Mexico in Depth