Jim Williams

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM – In a country once torn by ethnic strife and genocide, the Rwandan government is now holding up as a success story a collaboration of former rival tribal factions. The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market is helping fuel the partnership.

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM –

The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market returns this weekend to Museum Hill. The event has become a strong Santa Fe tradition in just eight years. As KUNM's Jim Williams has found over the years, one of the reasons for that is the incredible power of the artists' stories.

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM – The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market last year drew over 22-thousand people, the largest crowd in the history of the annual event on Museum Hill. It did so based on the work of 132 artists from 50 countries.

This year, 180 artists will showcase their craft. Market organizers have literally been traveling the globe over the past year to find new work to present.

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, New Mexico – The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market last year drew over 22-thousand people, the largest crowd in the history of the annual event on Museum Hill. It did so based on the work of 132 artists from 50 countries. This year, 180 artists will showcase their craft. As KUNM's Jim Williams reports, the Market's organizers have literally been traveling the globe over the past year to find new work to present.
 

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM – Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson continues his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Since announcing his candidacy on April 21st, Johnson has spent much of his time back east in New Hampshire. He took part in the first Republican debate of the campaign season last Thursday in South Carolina, on the Fox News Channel.

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – The celebrity softball game (to benefit Youth Development Incorporated) begins Sunday at noon at Isotopes Park (followed by the Isotopes game itself). Gates open at 11:30.

See "Breaking Bad"'s Bryan Cranston talk about baseball and Sunday's game:

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM – As much as a quarter of New Mexico's main operating budget each year comes from taxes it collects from oil and gas production in the state: the so-called "severance tax". And with the price of fossil fuels rising rapidly, a now-former state revenue official says it's time to raise taxes on the extraction industries.

By Jim Williams

Washington, DC – New Mexico U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today called the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden "very welcome news", and said he looks forward to hearing more details about the operation in coming days. He said the search for bin Laden "has been underway for a very long time." The Democrat Bingaman said the U-S military, intelligence community, and President Obama deserve significant credit because of the high risk involved in the effort.

By Jim Williams

Washington, D.C. – New Mexico U-S Senator Jeff Bingaman says he supports forcing natural gas extraction companies to disclose the chemicals they use in their drilling processes. The Senate is considering proposals to require full public disclosure from all such companies.

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM – A key federal agency that manages water supplies around the US has come out with a report that paints a dark picture of the impacts of climate change in the West. The predictions were presented in a field hearing for the Senate Energy Committee in Santa Fe on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. The hearing was arranged by New Mexico Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman, who chairs the committee.

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – But while the drop is certainly good news for New Mexico, other data may tell a different story. The Labor Department report indicates the number of employed in the state rose by 2-thousand, it also indicates the number of unemployed fell by 5-thousand.

By Jim Williams

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – New Mexico US Senator Tom Udall says cuts in the federal budget compromise reached late last week are, in his words, "pretty drastic". But the Democrat says the need to balance the budget is clear, with annual deficits now running at nearly 1 point 3 trillion dollars.

He notes that the compromise cuts 78 billion dollars from the president's current-year budget, the largest domestic spending cut in nearly 30 years. But Udall says he'll be taking a closer look at the cuts to determine their impact on New Mexico.

By Jim Williams

By Jim Williams

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – New Mexico US Senator Tom Udall is calling on his chamber's party leaders to oppose a House Republican effort to end federal support for women's health and family planning programs.

House and Senate leaders have until Friday night to come up with a compromise budget to fund the government through September 30th or face a shutdown.

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – The deadline is approaching for Governor Susana Martinez to make decisions on the 314 bills the state legislature passed earlier this month. Many of those decisions are eagerly awaited by advocates, businesses, and other organizations around the state.
One such organization is the New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce. KUNM's Jim Williams spoke with its CEO, Allan Oliver.

By Jim Williams

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – Representative Pearce currently supports legislature concerning logging in southwest forests, and de-funding of public broadcasting in the federal budget. After winning his 2nd Congressional District seat back last November, New Mexico Representative Steve Pearce has been busy working on a number of initiatives he's hoping to get approved by the House. He's also trying to shave the federal budget further than some of his colleagues.

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – Former Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish sat down with KUNM's Jim Williams on Tuesday to weigh in on the recent state legislative session, Governor Susana Martinez's priorities, and the state of media in New Mexico, among many other things. This interview runs 34 minutes.

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – The Senate Energy Committee on Tuesday will take a look at whether US nuclear power plants are prepared to withstand the kind of disaster that struck Japan.

But the panel won't yet be examining the safety of other nuclear facilities, some of which are located in New Mexico. KUNM's Jim Williams reports.

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM – The state House of Representatives has voted to concur with Senate changes to two key elements of the 2012 state budget, but has defeated a third. The House, just before midnight Wednesday night, voted narrowly (36 to 32) to approve the Senate version of the overall budget that cuts spending by 2.7 percent. The budget cuts education by $61 million, about 2.5% percent, and government agency programs by another $90 million.

By Jim Williams

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM – The state Senate has passed a measure that will require school districts to develop policies around when they call police over the actions of their students. Advocates for the developmentally disabled say some districts are bringing in law enforcement at inappropriate times. There've been lawsuits filed by parents as a result.

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – State lawmakers this session have spent many hours locked in debate over banning driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants and cutting film industry incentives. But some legislators are increasingly asking why tax increases on wealthy New Mexicans and out-of-state corporations aren't even allowed at the budget table. From our capitol newsroom, KUNM's Jim Williams reports.

By Jim Williams

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – KUNM's Jim Williams sat down to talk with R.J. Mitte, who plays Walter White Jr. on "Breaking Bad". The 18-year-old Mitte (and his character) have cerebral palsy, and many of the show's fans are expressing their gratitude for his work.

This interview is the unedited 30-minute conversation with Mitte that took place on Wednesday, March 9th at the KUNM studios.

By Jim Williams and Colleen Keane

Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe's Lensic Performing Arts Center announced Tuesday that it has finalized the purchased of its downtown home. The non-profit spent $2 million to buy the historic 821-seat building on West San Francisco Street. This came after a relatively quiet fund-raising effort that began in 2009.

The Lensic building had been owned by Greer Enterprises, and was being leased to the Performing Arts Center. Now that the non-profit owns the property, it will be exempt from property taxes.

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM – Deregulation can be a dirty word, depending on who you're talking to. On Thursday, Albuquerque Republican Senator John Ryan got a bill passed that will allow large telecommunications corporations like Qwest to set their own rates for businesses in rural areas. Las Cruces Democratic Senator Steve Fischmann opposed it.

By Jim Williams

Santa Fe, NM – Governor Susana Martinez says she isn't concerned about a call for an investigation of her expenditure of campaign dollars. Martinez spent left-over campaign money on political ads that aired on radio earlier this week.