Greg Smith talks with Marisa Sage, outgoing director of the NMSU University Art Museum, and Jasmine Herrera, who steps in as interim director, about a decade-long transformation at one of Las Cruces' most significant cultural institutions. Sage reflects on the years-long campaign to move the UAM from a converted gymnasium into its custom-built home in Devasthali Hall, a facility now housing over 4,200 works including the largest collection of Mexican retablos in the United States. Herrera, a native New Mexican who has worked alongside Sage for eleven years, discusses what comes next for the museum, including upcoming exhibitions and her commitment to building pipelines that connect NMSU students to careers in the arts across the state.
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Carroll Leavell was a Republican who served in the New Mexico Senate from 1997 to 2018. Which meant he was on the losing end of a lot of votes in a chamber where Democrats have always been firmly in control.
But there was one issue where Leavell had sway: insurance regulation. That’s because he owned an insurance agency. Stuart Kelter interviews Michael Boylan, a philosophy professor at Marymount University and a prolific writer who focuses on a wide range of ethical domains, including public health, the environment, medical advances, business practices, technological innovation, foundational philosophical texts from Ancient Greece, and the practice of teaching. He is also a poet and a fiction writer, exploring philosophical issues through his own writing of poetry, short stories, and novels. This interview will explore the major approaches to ethics, both in general terms and as applied to hypothetical, fictional, and real situations.
Local Vibes Live hosted Papayas Con Chile, a Las Cruces trio blending cumbia, punk, folk, and borderlands sounds into something entirely their own. Founding members Celina Corral and Kayla Martinez, joined by Israel Chavez since 2024, draw from roots spanning Ciudad Juárez, Northern New Mexico, and the Mesilla Valley — and from nine years of playing together, collaborating, and living in each other's orbit. Their live set included original songs exploring heartbreak and resilience, a father-daughter story set to a driving march tempo, a cumbia, and a closing canción protesta called "Mariposa." In conversation with hosts Alex Brinkley and Casey Chacón, the band described their music as sonidos de la frontera — street sounds shaped by cumbia, polka, waltz, ranchera, and whatever else the border carries with it.
 Host Mike O'Larey and Brian Cox welcomes NMSU Athletics Director Joe Fields for one of his most in-depth interviews since taking the job. Fields traces his path from Houston to Syracuse - where he played quarterback before moving to the defensive side of the ball - and explains how he stumbled into sports administration after a mentor opened an unexpected door. He discusses his first four months at NMSU, his approach to building a staff and culture, and his vision for the athletics department going forward. The conversation also covers the sweeping changes reshaping college athletics and what they mean for a program like NMSU.
State Representative Angelica Rubio joined Speak Up Las Cruces to discuss one of the most consequential outcomes of the recent 30-day legislative session: a constitutional amendment that would allow New Mexico legislators to receive a salary, subject to voter approval in November. Rubio reflected on her decade-long effort to modernize the unpaid, part-time legislature and argued that compensation would broaden access to public service and strengthen democratic accountability.
UNM research professor Dr. David Lightfoot and Ph.D. candidate Simon Doneski joined Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel to discuss the alarming decline of insect populations in New Mexico and across North America. They explained how climate-driven warming and drying is hitting the Southwest particularly hard, noting that the region has lost an estimated 54% of butterfly abundance over the past 20 years. The conversation also touched on Senate Bill 5, which for the first time allows the newly renamed Department of Wildlife to recognize insects as wildlife rather than pests, and on practical steps residents can take, including planting native species like milkweed and chamisa to support pollinators.
Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel opened the show with a longer-than-usual discussion of national and international news, focusing on the U.S. military strike on Iran and the debate over congressional war powers, and a pair of closely watched Texas primary races.
 Lisa Lucca talks to entrepreneur Rob Ross about Middle America - living in the middle, being middle-aged, and how those of us who are not extremely far right or far left need to come together and raise our voices in this country.
Greg Smith welcomes Tauna Cole-Dorn and Margaret Bernstein of the Ten O'Clock Artists - known as the "Teners" for their tradition of meeting on the 10th of each month at 10 a.m. and committing to at least 10 minutes of daily art-making - to talk about the group's annual Artists' Workshop Week, running March 16–29 in Las Cruces. The two artists share their own paths into art and discuss the philosophy behind the workshops: that creativity thrives when people are given a low-pressure space to explore new disciplines, whether that's gourd art, glass fusing, photogravure, poetry, or movement-based practices like dance and yoga. With 22 workshops offered this year by local artists teaching in their own studios and spaces across the city, there's something for beginners and seasoned artists alike. Full details and registration at workshopslc.art.
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