Stuart Kelter interviews Benjamin Robert Siegel, a history professor at Boston University and former writer for Time Magazine. His writing has appeared in both mainstream media and academic journals, focusing on economic issues that affect everyday life, including food production and drug supplies. His first book, Hungry Nation: Food, Famine, and the Making of Modern India, published in 2018, explores the struggle of newly independent India to overcome famine and malnutrition. His second book, Markets of Pain: Opium, Capitalism, and the Global History of Painkillers, published two months ago, tells the story of opium, its cultivation and trade, both legal and illegal, and its role in the building of empires and the fomenting of international conflicts. Siegel’s next book will be about the the price of protein, i.e., its political and environmental costs. This interview will focus primary on his most recent book, Markets of Pain.
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Local Vibes Live hosted Stillbefriends, a San Antonio indie rock band whose visit coincided with the show's one-year anniversary. Natalie, Jeremiah, Cole, Noah, and Josh - several of them bandmates going back to a 2017 project called Ponder - regrouped in October 2023 after years apart, and the name Stillbefriends became both a mission statement and a mantra. In conversation with hosts Alex Brinkley and Casey Chacón, the band talked about their sound (dreamy guitar lines, synth-driven textures, drumming rooted in rock and gospel), their growing San Antonio fanbase, and a set that mixed three already-released singles with three newer songs still in progress. Their stop at KTAL was part of a short road trip that included a show the following night at Mona Bar in El Paso.
 This episode of the Mesilla Valley Sports Show featured a conversation with Grace Holguin, her mother Andrea, and Velo Cruces President George Pearson, focusing on the origins and growth of the Adaptive Cycle Parade, Every Body Rides with Grace . The guests shared Grace’s journey navigating physical challenges and her determination to participate in cycling activities alongside other children, which helped inspire the creation of the event. The discussion highlighted the collaborative efforts behind organizing the parade, the importance of adaptive equipment, and the role of community support in making inclusive events possible. It also explored broader advocacy work in Las Cruces aimed at improving access and equity for individuals with disabilities, emphasizing how initiatives like this can open doors for greater participation and connection across the community.
County Clerk Amanda Lopez Askin, County Commission District 1 Democratic primary winner Daisy Maldonado, and conservative commentator Juan Garcia joined Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel for a post-primary roundtable covering election results, voter turnout, and the county audit. Lopez Askin, who won the Democratic primary for New Mexico Secretary of State, spoke about building relationships over eight years of advocacy for voting rights across the state. Maldonado reflected on her grassroots door-knocking campaign and the role Project Jupiter played as a decisive issue for many voters in her district. The conversation ranged from low primary turnout and voter apathy to a lively exchange over voter ID requirements and the SAVE Act. Garcia closed by urging candidates to represent all constituents regardless of party, while Maldonado and Lopez Askin both offered thanks to their supporters.
Father Tom Smith joined Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel for a farewell conversation ahead of his return to Indiana. Father Tom described the retreat center's mission of providing quiet, restorative space for groups and individuals seeking spiritual renewal. Father Tom also spoke about the newly elected Chicago-born Pope, the role of faith during politically divisive times, and what drew him to the Franciscan order at age 14. He will be succeeded as director by Brother Joseph Bach. The Holy Cross Retreat Center is holding a farewell mass for Father Tom on Sunday, June 7 at 1 p.m., followed by a reception.
Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel opened the show with a rundown of Tuesday's primary results. The conversation also touched on the recent Doña Ana County audit, with Peter and Walt offering notably different readings of its findings regarding Sheriff Kim Stewart's tenure. The segment closed with a shoutout to the LC Rocks Fest, which raised over $2,000 for KTAL.
 Lisa Lucca talks with author Eileen Bellew about her memoir After John Jumped: The True Story of a Family's Rise From the Ashes, which centers on her firefighter husband John's line-of-duty death and her resilient journey through grief while raising her four young children and finding a second chance at love.
Greg Smith talks with Monica Le Baron, Las Cruces artist, certified yoga therapist, and author of Sleep Simplified, about a life that has woven creativity and wellness together across four countries and four languages. Le Baron describes coming to painting relatively recently, working on wood panels with acrylics, and finding that her art and her sleep coaching draw from the same well: both are about helping people regulate their nervous system, find calm, and give themselves permission to be a beginner. The conversation also covers her involvement with the Artists of Picacho Hills, which she jumped into just months after moving to the area. Her book is available at monicalebaron.com.
Unable to resolve their long-standing differences, leaders of the County Sheriff’s Department and County Commission both called for a full audit last year, certain it would find that the other side was in the wrong. It did.
There were no winners in the report released last week by the State Auditor’s Office. It took the office 14 months to complete the report and 355 pages to compile it all, because there was a lot on both sides in need of correction. In today's multi-faceted conversation, we explore the ideas of happiness and contentment.
Are they the same? Do they arise through different processes from within and without? The definitions of these ideas seem a little bit fuzzy - a little squishy - not simple - not black or white. We look at how our values and motivations sometimes change as we get older. A consistent theme of the conversation is how to find ease in what was and what is, and how being at ease within ourselves shapes our lives. |
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