Elaine Baumgartel

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Members of Congress fiercely debated funding for public radio and television in recent months. Leaders in public broadcasting stepped up to defend continued federal funding.

KUNM's Elaine Baumgartel recently sat down with Paula Kerger, the President of CEO of PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service.

Kerger told KUNM that the idea of creating a commercial version of PBS is not new, and past efforts have failed to re-create the core values of PBS.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Local freelance journalist Laura Paskus has an article on the West Mesa murders in the Spring issue of MS. Magazine.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Jimmy Santiago Baca is back home in New Mexico briefly this month. In addition to catching up on his green chile consumption, the award winning poet stopped by the KUNM studios to chat with Elaine Baumgartel.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Tune in Thursday morning at 8 for the KUNM Call In Show. KUNM's Elaine Baumgartel will host a conversation with New Mexico teachers. How are students doing? What challenges are they facing? How are teachers addressing students' needs? We'll be taking your calls and hearing stories from New Mexico classrooms- Thursday morning at 8 on the KUNM Call In Show.

Join the conversation- 505-277-5866, toll free 877-899-5866, or online by emailing callinshow@kunm.org.
 

Thurs. 4/14 at 8am: How are students doing? What challenges are they facing? How are teachers addressing students' needs? We'll be taking your calls and hearing stories from New Mexico classrooms.

Call in your comments and questions at 277-KUNM or toll-free 1-877-899-5866.

Guests:

Barbara Peterson - 29 years at Valle Vista Elementary school, teaches reading intervention to small groups of students

Barney Fuller - math teacher, Eisenhower Middle School

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano discusses border security and business with KUNM's Elaine Baumgartel.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Does the increase in gas prices have you eyeing that old bike in the shed thinking it might be a more attractive transportation option? Tis the season to replace tubes and lube gears.

But one Duke City couple have been using their bikes as their main mode of transportation since August of last year. KUNM's Elaine Baumgartel met up with them recently to see why it's going so well.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – The President of the University of New Mexico made his case Monday to UNM Regents arguing an 8% tuition hike is necessary to help fill a $12 million budget shortfall.

At the end of the UNM budget summit meeting, which went on for about 8 hours, The Albuquerque Journal reports Regents told UNM administrators to keep the tuition increase to 5%. That would require an additional $3.5 million in cuts.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – As the situation with Japan's troubled nuclear power plants continues to evolve today after the devastating earthquake there and the violent tsunami that followed, New Mexico US Senator Jeff Bingaman says he's not yet ready to pause plans for new nuclear power plants in the US. The Democrat says it's still unclear what mistakes or failures caused the explosions and release of radioactive materials into the air above Northern Japan.

By Elaine Baumgartel/Gwyneth Doland

Albuquerque, NM – Former Republican Congresswoman Heather Wilson announced Monday, March 7, 2011, she's running for New Mexico's open Senate seat.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Lonna Atkeson is a Political Science professor and the Director of the Center for Democracy at UNM. She's one of the principle authors of a new report that sheds light on the state's elections system.

NM Elections Report 2010

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Six Democratic US Senators from places like Ohio and West Virginia have co-sponsored a bill that would delay the Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse gas regulations by two years.

By Elaine Baumgartel

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Two thirds of voters surveyed in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah said current environmental laws are either not strong enough or should be better enforced.

David Metz is one of the pollsters. "It's a real ratification that the level of environmental protection that is present in the region is one that voters are comfortable with and want to see continue," he says. Eleven percent of voters surveyed said they want to see environmental regulations rolled back or eliminated.

By Elaine Baumgartel

By Elaine Baumgartel and Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – The 112th Congress convenes Wednesday, January 5, 2011, and Republican members of the House already have plans to repeal the nation's new health care law.

A full repeal is expected to pass with support from the new Republican House majority but the effort is largely a symbolic one. The measure has little chance in the Democratic controlled Senate and it would surely be vetoed by President Obama.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Photos of unidentified women released recently by Albuquerque police may have been disturbing to some. Officials say the women might have information about the West Mesa murders investigation. Police say they want to make sure the women are safe, but media critics say the images dehumanize women.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – The upcoming legislative session in January promises to be contentious as lawmakers deal with a $400 million budget shortfall. We take a look at tax expenditures and the prospect of using tax policy to increase state revenues.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, nM – First District US Representative Martin Heinrich voted for the House Amendment. He says Republicans in the US Senate are holding middle class Americans hostage in order to ensure the extension of the Bush era tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.

"I don't understand why we can't ask some of the richest Americans to go back to a tax structure that was very successful in the late 90s at balancing our budget and growing our economy." Says Heinrich.

By Elaine Baumgartel and Eric Mack

Albuquerque, NM – Over 200-thousand New Mexicans will be eligible for tax credits in 2014 according to a new analysis of the health care overhaul by the advocacy group Families USA.

The report is called Lower Taxes, Lower Premiums and it looks at how much money low and middle income New Mexicans will save when the new health insurance tax credit goes into effect.

By Elaine Baumgartel and Eric Mack

Art Gardenswartz

Albuquerque, NM – On a date that only comes once a century, events around New Mexico and the nation will draw attention to what many consider the problem of the century. 10-10-10 events are set for this Sunday, October 10th to focus on fighting climate change.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – No politician's legacy is set in stone or even immediately obvious at the end of a term. We wanted to reflect on some of the issues that could impact Governor Bill Richardson's legacy. He has served as New Mexico's top elected official for the past eight years.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Jean-Luc Cartron

Albuquerque, NM – If you've spent any time driving in New Mexico, you've probably seen the silhouette of a hawk or an eagle perched atop a utility pole or gliding against a blue sky. There are a wide range of eagles, hawks, kestrels, owls and falcons that live in or migrate through New Mexico.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Personal incomes have gone up in New Mexico, despite the economic downturn, but it's not because wages have increased.

According to USA Today analysis of national economic data, people made less money in many states during the recession as personal incomes declined. In New Mexico, government programs led to a growth in personal incomes even through the worst of the recession.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – A program that serves women who get out of jail and have no where to go serves people who share life experiences with the West Mesa murder victims.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – Media coverage of the West Mesa victims raises questions about representation and journalism ethics.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque – Albuquerque police say the investigation into who killed 11 women and buried their remains on the West Mesa is still ongoing a year and a half later. Families of the victims are coping in different ways.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – This week, KUNM's Elaine Baumgartel talked with Senior Reporter Megan Kamerick about business news from around the state.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Santa Fe, NM – According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, Alvord, Kaune and Larragoite schools would be consolidated into the old Alameda middle school. The plan is expected to save $1 million for the district. However, the controversial closing of Acequia Madre Elementary school would be postponed to allow time for planning.

In addition, the Board plans to increase class sizes, reduce staff, cut some sports, fine arts, special education programs and eliminate some double dippers who earn salaries in addition to their pensions.

By Elaine Baumgartel

Albuquerque, NM – The Albuquerque Journal reports workers filled meeting chambers and overflow rooms on Thursday night. Workers expressed concern that pay cuts combined with increases in health care costs would be greater than Berry administration officials suggested.

With tax revenue down around 8 percent this fiscal year, city officials told councilors the city should cut salaries in order to avoid raising taxes or cutting basic services. Berry's administration pointed out that city workers had received raises in recent years.