On this week’s Café Con Leche, Greg was joined by Karrie Porter, executive director of the Doña Ana Arts Council, and Natalia Martinez, gallery manager at DAArts. They discussed the upcoming Las Cruces Arts Fair, happening on Saturday and Sunday, March 22nd and 23rd, and shared updates on other exciting activities at the Arts Council.
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Should business owners have a legal obligation to support employees who have just had a baby or are going through other life-changing situations?
It’s a question the New Mexico Legislature has not yet been able to answer yes to. Legislation requiring employers to provide paid family medical leave passed the House for the first time this year, but stalled in the Senate Finance Committee. By the time it arrived there, the bill had been so watered down in order to get through the House that even its supporters were no longer enthusiastic about its passage. In this program, poet and English teacher Tim Staley treats us to some perspectives on poetry, language, images, and how they shape our ideas of reality. The conversation opens with Tim reading Rumi, the Persian Sufi, mystic poet and Muslim scholar. Tim expands into how poetry can bring us into the moment, the very centers of our own lives. He guides us through an exploration of how our minds and emotions are influenced by word choices. Tim shares his thoughts about how AI may come to influence our writing, even of poetry. In addition to Rumi, he reads writings from several poets, including his own and those of Las Cruces, NM resident and internationally recognized poet Joseph Somoza.
Omar Mohammed was the previously anonymous blogger who courageously reported on the atrocities he witnessed that were perpetrated by the Islamic State, also called ISIS, when in 2014 it took over Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. Currently, he teaches Middle East History, Cultural Heritage Diplomacy, and Counter Terrorism at the Paris Institute of Political Studies and is also the head of the Antisemitism Research Initiative at George Washington University. He’ll be talking with us about ancient and often prominent Jewish communities that, until seventy years ago, had flourished in Arab and Muslim lands, despite facing long-standing discrimination and sometimes violent oppression.
 On this week’s Mesilla Valley Sports Show, Jeff Thompson, Program Director of UDA Soccer, and local player Julio Coca joined Mike to discuss the only college soccer academy in the U.S. Based in Las Cruces, UDA Soccer provides a unique pathway for student-athletes to develop their game while earning a degree.
Plus, news and kudos from this week’s games. Walt and Daisy speak with Russia expert Joe Roach about ongoing negotiations seeking to end the war in Ukraine and the reaction by European nations to America’s new foreign policy, which would seem to be both expansionist and isolationist.
Walt and Daisy speak with Dylan McDonald, moderator for the NMSU Sunshine Week panel discussion set for 3 to 4 p.m. March 20 at Branson Library, along with Las Cruces City Clerk Christine Rivera, who will be one of the panelists. They will discuss proposed changes to the state’s open record law.
Walt and Daisy speak with longtime Las Cruces resident Frances Williams, who served for 35 years at WSMR, about the lasting damage to America’s defense system being caused by the current wave of federal cuts and layoffs.
Co-hosts Walt Rubel and Daisy Maldonado discuss issues in the news plus Walt has jury duty.
On this week’s Café Con Leche, Chef Drake from the Culinary Arts program at Doña Ana Community College joined Greg to discuss the program, the art of great food, and his journey in the culinary world.
The Legislature’s Finance Committee does a thorough analysis of every bill, including their best estimate as to how much money it will cost or save the state. But some bills are hard to put a price tag on.
House Bill 9, the Immigrant Safety Act co-sponsored by Rep. Angelica Rubio, D-Las Cruces, won’t have a direct cost to the state. But the indirect costs could be enormous. We thank Keith Whelpley for an exploration of what we call illusion. Philosopher and poet David Whyte's book Consolations II presents the idea that our lives are a progression from one illusion to the next. The collapse of each illusion gives way to yet another. He proposes that human life is a progression through layer after layer of illusion, and that in the process, we learn humility, wisdom, and a sense of humor. Today we consider different ways to think about illusion. We wonder aloud about knowing, believing, truth, and reality.
Hmmm... Kinda' makes ya' wonder.  On this week’s Mesilla Valley Sports Show, Bridget Scholljegerdes joined Mike and Brian to share her journey in the world of gymnastics. A former gymnast, coach, gym owner, and certified gymnastics judge, Bridget discussed her experiences from competition to coaching and judging. Plus, news and kudos from this week’s games.
Walt and Nancy speak with Judy Long, professor emeritus at Syracuse University and the founder of the nation’s first Women’s Studies program at Cornell University. She will be the keynote speaker for the League of Women Voters’ presentation and panel discussion in honor of National Women’s History Month. They were joined by Eileen VanWie, League of Women Voter of South Mexico’s Education Committee chair.
Walt and Nancy speak with local resident and advocate Sandra BarMcQ, whose recent eviction drew attention to the lack of rights for renters in New Mexico. She will be joined by County Commissioner Shannon Reynolds who helped her find housing.
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