This week on New Mexico in Focus, State Senator John Arthur Smith and Allen Sanchez of St. Joseph Community Health square off over funding for early childhood education. Sanchez has long championed a proposal to draw more money from New Mexico\u2019s Land Grant Permanent Fund and target it to early childhood education programs. Once again, the measure stalled in the Senate Finance Committee chaired by Senator Smith. The pair discuss the need for early childhood education and the best way to fund it.<\/p>\n
The Line opinion panel convenes to discuss Rick May\u2019s tenure in the administration of Governor Susana Martinez. May, who once occupied the top budget post in the Martinez administration, was fired from his job as CEO of the New Mexico Finance Authority last year after a fraudulent audit surfaced. Now, May is pushing back against what he feels was a plan to gut the agency in favor of commercial lenders.<\/p>\n
The group also looks at the allegations of self-censorship by an East Coast PBS affiliate in its treatment of a documentary critical of conservative billionaire and former WNET board member David Koch. The Line explores the implications of Santa Fe\u2019s attempt to limit high-capacity ammunition magazines for guns in the city. And the group goes on the clock with some of the week\u2019s other notable headlines.<\/p>\n
Host: Gene Grant<\/p>\n
Correspondent: Megan Kamerick<\/p>\n
Guests:
\nState Senator John Arthur Smith, D-Deming
\nAllen Sanchez, President & CEO, St. Joseph Community Health<\/p>\n
The Producer of NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS is Matt Grubs.\u00a0Associate Producer is Kathy Wimmer. Funding for this\u00a0program was provided in part by the McCune Foundation.\u00a0Subscribe to the\u00a0New Mexico in Focus Podcast on iTunes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Episode 648 for air May 31, 2013<\/p>\n