Elaine Baumgartel

Live NPR Coverage of Presidential Speech Thu. 5/23 12p: President Obama will give a major speech today on drone airstrikes overseas and issues with detainees at Guantanamo prison in Cuba.

We'll bring you live NPR coverage of the President's speech followed by analysis from NPR's counter-terrorism reporter Dina Temple-Raston and Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving. 

State of the RE:Union Thu. 5/30 8a: In this American Graduate special, State of the Re:Union takes a closer look at school, community, and the drop out crisis in this country.

With reporting from both urban and rural schools, and interviews with education experts, State of the RE:Union goes “ back to the basics”, looking at strategies that get to the heart of what makes students want to learn. 

State of the RE:Union Thu. 5/23 8a: More than two million veterans have come home so far from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. For returning veterans, reintegrating into society can be a challenge.

How do you find your place, when you’ve changed and the people you love don’t recognize you? When that old life is gone and you have to start a new one from scratch.

State of the Re:Union explores reintegration and asks the question: how do you come back home from war?

The unemployment rate for Hispanics in New Mexico is double the rate for non-Hispanic whites, according to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute.

In the last quarter of 2012, the unemployment rate for Hispanics here was 8.2 percent, compared to 4.7 percent for whites.

  KUNM Call In Show Thu. 5/6 8a: What do you get when you combine students who have artistic vision with artists who have serious skills? We'll hear from the folks at Meow Wolf, an arts organization, and the high school students they've paired up with about the transformative experience of making multi-media installations as part of the Albuquerque Museum's Lead With The Arts after school arts program. 

KUNM Call In Show Thu. 5/2 8a: Are you feeling sad, numb, or tired in the wake of recent violent events like the Boston Marathon bombing and the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas? Are you arguing more with loved ones? Do you feel mentally drained? You could be experiencing the long-distance impacts of these events.

What can you do to help yourself and your family cope with these feelings? How can you explain these things to children?

  KUNM Call In Show Thu. 4/25 8a: Do you commute on a bicycle to work? Do you want to? Or is it just fun time on bikes for you? We'll have details on the BikeABQ Bike Swap event and take your calls about bicycles, cycling, and safety. You can email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show.

Guests: 

  The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a plan to help resolve a problem with leaky storage tanks holding nuclear waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state. Their solution- ship the waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The problem is WIPP has been prohibited from receiving Hanford tank waste for nearly a decade. Now, New Mexicans are debating whether to reverse course and accept some of the waste.

  KUNM Call In Show Thu. 4/4 8a: In 2012, New Mexicans elected the first Latina to represent the state in Congress. Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham represents Albuquerque and the 1st district. This week on the KUNM Call In Show we'll speak with Rep. Lujan Grisham for a full one-hour radio town hall.

We'd like to hear from you!  What have the first few months in Washington DC been like for her? What do you think about her performance so far? And what would you like to see her prioritize?

KUNM Call In Show Thu. 3/28 8a: Last week, Santa Fe officials announced they believed same-sex marriage is legal under current New Mexico law. The ACLU-New Mexico has filed a lawsuit on behalf of several same sex couples who were denied marriage licenses in Bernalillo County. Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court hears arguments in two same sex marriage cases this week.  

 KUNM Call In Show Thu. 3/21 8a: Governor Susana Martinez says she'll sign the budget bill passed by lawmakers in a last minute deal right before the 2013 60-day session adjourned. She vetoed then signed the "Breaking Bad" bill that increases tax incentives for TV shows to produce in New Mexico. What else went down this session? We'll take your calls and comments! Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

277-5866 (locally in Albuquerque)

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Guests: 

  The Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state has multiple tanks that are leaking toxic and radioactive material into the soil and groundwater near the Columbia River.  

Last week the Department of Energy announced a plan to ship 3 million gallons of waste from Hanford to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad.  KUNM's Elaine Baumgartel has more.

The Department of Energy announced last week a proposal to ship 3 million gallons of radioactive waste from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state to be stored at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad.

It would mean years of additional projects for WIPP, and that means jobs. Jack Volpato Jr. is the Chair of the Eddy County Commission. He says he's hopeful the Hanford waste can be ok'd for storage at WIPP. “WIPP is coming to a crossroads in it's mission,” Volpato explained, “and we need to find new missions to keep it going.”

KUNM Call In Show Thu. 3/14 8a: The Department of Energy has proposed to store nuclear waste from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.  

We'll take your calls and comments. You can also email callinshow@kunm.org or post your comments online. 

277-5866 (locally in Abq)

877-899-5866 (toll-free)

Guest: 

KUNM Call In Show Thu. 3/7 8a: The sequester is on and the country is bracing for the impact of automatic federal budget cuts. We'll discuss the impact of the cuts here in New Mexico, and we'd like to hear from you. Do you own a small business? Are you worried about staying afloat? Are you a federal employee? Do you have information about your job security? Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

The KUNM News team looks at a variety of communities bracing for automatic federal budget cuts, from early childhood education and law enforcement, to healthcare and the military, and including the state's national laboratories. 

Carrie Jung reports in the sequester's impact on the military and the state's national laboratories. 

Rita Daniels spoke with US Representative Steve Pearce (R) about the automatic federal budget cuts and their impact on border security. 

KUNM Call In Show Thu. 2/28 8a: Over the past ten years, the producers of Peace Talks Radio have been chasing the stories that explore non-violent conflict resolution and peacemaking.  We'll hear from series producers Paul Ingles, Suzanne Kryder, and Carol Boss about their work teasing out these stories of what is good in the world.  How did they find people who promote, create, and support peace in their communities? We'd also like to hear from you!  

KUNM Call In Show 2/21 8a: When and how was marijuana first used by humans? How does the herb chemically impact the human brain? And what are some of the cultural aspects of the substance's prohibition in the U.S.?  We'll speak with Martin A. Lee, author of Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana - Medical, Recreational, and Scientific.  We'd like to hear from you! Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

505-277-5866 (locally in Albuquerque)

866-899-5866 (toll-free)

President Obama has made gun control one of his administrations top priorities in the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.  Here in New Mexico, a flurry of gun control laws have been introduced by lawmakers who say they want to reduce gun violence.  Their legislative methods are quite different, though.   

Stephen Halbrook says the climate around discussions of the Second Amendment has changed drastically since the early 1980s when UNM Press first published his book, That Every Man Be Armed: The Evolution of a Constitutional Right. 

KUNM Call In Show Thu. 2/7 8a: How will gun buyer background check legislation fare in the state legislature? What does this mean for 2nd Amendment rights and public safety in New Mexico?  We'll discuss the proposal's progress and get reactions.  We'd like to hear from you.  Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

Guests:

• Julie Ann Grimm, Santa Fe New Mexican
• Debbie O'Malley, Bernalillo County Commissioner

KUNM Call In Show Thur. 1/24 8a: Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg plans to restart what some have called a controversial process of reviewing the cases of officer involved shootings by using an 'investigative grand jury.'  How would you like to see these shootings dealt with? Are these juries enough?  What other options are there for determining whether an officer was justified in using deadly force?  We'd like to hear from you.  Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

KUNM Call In Show 1/17 8a: Now that Governor Susana Martinez has agreed to expand Medicaid to cover an additional 170,000 low income adults, what does that mean for the state?  Are there enough health care providers to provide the health care?  How will the expansion be implemented?

We'd like to hear from you!  Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

Guests:

KUNM Call In Show 1/10 8a: What do you want to see covered by news media in New Mexico?  Which media outlets are doing it well?  We'll hear from reporters and editors at new online media outlets and discuss news coverage in New Mexico, what is missing, and what they plan to do about it. We'd like to hear from you.  Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

Guests:

KUNM Call In Show 12/20 8a: What was the biggest news story of 2012 in New Mexico?  We'll have results from a survey of KUNM listeners and we'll hear from news editors about what they think.  We'll also discuss the most under-reported stories of the year.  We'd like to hear from you!  Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show.  

KUNM Call In Show 12/13 8a: What foods do you prepare especially for the holidays?  What do these dishes mean to you?  Where can you find great holiday meals at restaurants in places like Albuquerque and Santa Fe?

KUNM Call In Show Thu. 12/6 8a: What is the 'fiscal cliff' and what would automatic budget cuts and tax increases mean for New Mexico?  Do you think lawmakers should hold out for the plans they want, or are you concerned about them playing brinksmanship with the state's economic recovery?  

KUNM Call In Show Thu. 11/8 8a: There are lots of changes ahead in the state legislature after the election this week!

What does this mean for Republican Governor Susanna Martinez's agenda?  And what about local impacts across the state?  

You can email callinshow@kunm.org or post your comments online here.  We'll take your comments and questions live during the show.

277-5866 (locally in Albuquerque)

877-899-5866 (toll-free)

Guests: 

Starting tonight at 6p, we'll bring you live election coverage from NPR with updates, results, and analysis of the Presidential race and Senate and House races across the country.  KUNM's Elaine Baumgartel will join with New Mexico In Depth's Trip Jennings for updates on state and local races and what's happening with the national races locally. 

During the day today, we'll have periodic updates during our regular programming.  Please let us know about your experience at the polls today! 

Secretary of State Dianna Duran is reminding voters about what they need to do at the polls this Election Day.  Duran says, in New Mexico a photo ID is required in only one rare circumstance- when that voter is a first time voter in New Mexico AND the voter registered by mail without showing a photo ID.