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A prospective city council candidate in a Southwestern Arizona border town whose English proficiency was questioned finally spoke to the public Monday evening. Michelle Faust reports from the Fronteras Changing America Desk that the candidate says she’s appealing a court decision that removed her from the ballot.

Is it worth 300-thousand dollars to make your SUV battle-ready? To many professionals living and working along the Mexico border, the answer is yes. As Fronteras Changing America Desk correspondent Hernán Rozemberg reports, a Texas company has a growing list of high-profile clients who are spending big bucks armoring themselves against the violence of Mexico’s bloody drug war.

In Las Vegas Nevada the heart of the Latino community is Rancho High School.  The school has become a campaign touchstone for politicians courting Hispanic voters. In fact, during the last presidential election, candidate Barack Obama visited Rancho not once, but twice. Yet nearly half of the Latino students who enroll at the school, never finish. 

New Mexico’s largest electric utility is moving forward on the installation of new pollution controls at one of its coal-fired power plants…even while continuing to fight the requirement in court.  KUNM’s Sidsel Overgaard reports.

more conservation stories @ earth air waves

A poll released today shows bi-partisan support for conservation throughout the West.  KUNM’s Conservation Beat reporter Sidsel Overgaard has more.

find more conservation stories at earth air waves

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu visited Albuquerque today to talk about the future of energy in the US.  KUNM's Conservation Beat reporter Sidsel Overgaard has more.

For more conservation news check out our blog: earth air waves

An environmental coalition is detailing its position in a case challenging the state’s rollback of energy efficient building codes.

A group of ranchers and Rio Arriba County are suing the U.S. Forest Service over its decision to limit grazing on historic land grant areas in northern New Mexico.  KUNM’S Sidsel Overgaard has more.

For more conservation stories, check out our blog: earth air waves

In a new report, the Wilderness Society describes US public lands as “under siege” by Congress.  A slew of bills would open millions of acres to new roads and development, while curtailing the President’s ability to establish new national monuments.

This week on the KUNM Call-In Show, we’ll have a discussion about how the use of low-quality water - including treated sewage - could help New Mexico meet its water needs.  But residential conservation will also play a huge role in securing our water future.

When the New Mexico State Legislature convenes today, the reform of the state's Public Regulation Commission, or PRC, will probably be a topic of debate. As KUNM's Deborah Martinez reports, three constitutional amendments will be introduced to clean up the troubled agency.

Tuesday was the first day of New Mexico's legislative session, the day the governor gives the annual State of the State address. KUNM's Gwyneth Doland was at the capitol.

During her State of the State address, Governor Susana Martinez devoted about a minute to environmental issues, saying she believes the state can support the growth of business AND protect the environment.

A new report by the National Research Council says the US could save 12 billion gallons of water a year by recycling its wastewater.  KUNM’s Conservation Beat reporter Sidsel Overgaard reports on some efforts already underway in New Mexico.

More conservation stories on our blog: earth air waves

State parks across the southwest are reeling from budget cuts. California officials plan to close 70 parks by next summer. In Arizona parks closed and reopened with the help of community partners. The TexasWildlife and Park Foundation is asking for more than 4 million dollars in donations to keep its parks open. From Flagstaff, Laurel Morales reports for the Fronteras Changing America Desk.

Federal immigration officials have been criticized for deporting people who were American citizens, or who were victims of crimes. As Ruxandra Guidi reports from the Fronteras Changing America Desk, one agency is now trying to avoid making any new mistakes.

More than half of U.S. Latinos say they disapprove of the way the Obama administration has handled deportations. From the Fronteras Changing America Desk, Ruxandra Guidi has more on the latest survey of Hispanic public opinion.

California has the country's largest Hispanic student population and ranks at the bottom for reading and math achievement among Latino children. As Ruxandra Guidi reports from the Fronteras Changing America Desk, experts are beginning to call for an overhaul of the school system.

The National Park Service is beginning to map out hundreds of old smuggler roads along the Arizona border. The agency plans to return scarred land to natural desert.  Michel Marizco reports for the Fronteras Changing America Desk.

Federal auditors discovered that US customs inspectors are not fully trained and lack some fundamentals to do their job at ports of entry. From the Fronteras Changing America Desk, Michel Marizco reports.

A former Border Patrol agent is now serving more than two years in prison for beating up an undocumented immigrant who was smuggling drugs. As Hernán Rozemberg reports from the Fronteras Changing America Desk, the agent’s supporters say it’s the latest case of federal prosecutors in South Texas going after the Border Patrol for doing its job.

The Interior Secretary is expected to finalize Monday a 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims on land surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. Laurel Morales reports for the Fronteras Changing America Desk.

Once the legislative session starts next week, hundreds of students will descend on the Roundhouse in support of a measure known as the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights.

The New Mexico legislative session begins next week and KUNM’s Conservation Beat reporter, Sidsel Overgaard, has been tracking some of the environment-related measures on the table. 

A new report by the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, finds that the number of youth in juvenile hall in San Diego County is on the rise, and made up primarily of Hispanics.  From the Fronteras Changing America Desk, Ruxandra Guidi has the story.

Police in Page, Arizona, are worried about people freezing to death after a detox center on the border of the Navajo Nation closed. From Flagstaff, Laurel Morales reports for the Fronteras Changing America Desk.

Cities and towns in the Southwest have long relied on development fees to fund their growth. Now a new law in Arizona restricts how much development money cities can collect, and what they can use that money for.  Devin Browne reports for the Fronteras Changing America Desk.