{"id":44307,"date":"2024-02-23T12:05:44","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T19:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=44307"},"modified":"2024-03-07T11:42:25","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T18:42:25","slug":"rust-trial-begins-new-consent-bill-abq-councilor-rogers-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/rust-trial-begins-new-consent-bill-abq-councilor-rogers-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Take a Hit of Fresh Air"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you consider yourself a fellow news junkie, you\u2019ve been on a bit of a bender.  
Santa Fe in particular hasn\u2019t had much time to breathe. 

Scores of journalists from around the country marched into the First Judicial District Courthouse Wednesday, less than a week after a jam-packed legislative session skidded to a halt half a mile away in the Roundhouse.   

The first criminal trial in the deadly Rust<\/em> movie set shooting has begun, as prosecutors argue charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering against film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. The case has created a national buzz since cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed during filming in 2021. The man holding the gun at the time, actor and producer Alec Baldwin, is preparing for a potential trial of his own, even as his legal team hints that it might have the goods to get the case thrown out \u2014 even before what promises to be an even bigger wave of reporters crowds into the courthouse. This week on the show, Executive Producer Jeff Proctor speaks with local journalist Julia Goldberg from the Santa Fe Reporter<\/em> about the national media circus that\u2019s accompanied the start of the proceedings and discusses the legal strategies at play with Albuquerque-based attorney Ahmad Assed.  

And as that buzz amplifies to a head-pounding roar, we\u2019re getting our arms around some of the legislation that passed through the Roundhouse and now awaits Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham\u2019s signature in Santa Fe.  

Our legislative focus this week is House Bill 151, which mandates affirmative consent policies at public colleges and universities across the state. The idea of affirmative consent, simply put, is the understanding that only yes means yes. Democratic state Rep. Liz Thomson of Albuquerque and an advocate who\u2019s led this conversation for years, Alexandria Taylor, join me for a conversation explaining the thought process behind the bill and how affirmative consent education could be applied in K-12 settings, as supporters originally intended.
  
Call that conversation a bit of a palate cleanser after the sometimes-cynical legislative session \u2014 and just before what is certain to be a difficult couple weeks in the courtroom with the first of the Rust trials. One of the most refreshing parts of my job here at NMPBS is meeting and speaking with people who have a genuine interest in contributing to the public good, as Taylor clearly does. 
 
Regardless of politics, I have to imagine everyone who watches the show this week will come to the same conclusion about our first guest, Nichole Rogers, the newly elected Albuquerque City Councilor for District 6. I had the pleasure of speaking with the city\u2019s representative from the Southeast Heights for nearly 20 minutes, touching on her inspiration for entering a city council race in the first place, the ongoing federal investigation into alleged corruption within the Albuquerque Police Department\u2019s DWI unit and the pressure and responsibility she feels as the first Black woman to ever hold a council seat in Albuquerque.

Councilor Rogers told me while she\u2019s honored and grateful to carry that distinction, she didn\u2019t campaign on the historic reality. She says she wanted people to choose her for her intelligence, experience and vision. This week you\u2019ll have the opportunity to witness all three. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Lou DiVizio, NMiF Senior Producer<\/p>\n\n\n\n