Stuart Kelter interviews Richard Bessel, a professor emeritus of twentieth century history at the University of York and a former member of the editorial boards of German History and History Today. He is a specialist in the social and political history of modern Germany, the aftermath of the two world wars, and the history of policing. He is the author of several books, published between 1984 and 2004, about the Nazi and post-Nazi eras of German history. His book, Violence: A Modern Obsession, published in 2015, explores how Western perceptions of violence have evolved over the last 150 years. This interview will focus on his recently published, Postwar Europe: A Very Short Introduction, part of The Oxford Very Short Introduction series.
 Hosts Mike O'Larey and Brian Cox sat down with two of Las Cruces' top gymnasts - Mila Noopila and Rylie Barrios - and their coach, Bridgette Scholljergedes, owner of Elevate Gymnastics and Athletics, ahead of the New Mexico State Championships. Both seniors have accomplished something rare for Southern New Mexico athletes: college gymnastics commitments, with Noopila heading to UW-Eau Claire and Barrios to SUNY Brockport in New York. The conversation covered how each found the sport, the mental and physical demands of competing at level 10, the grueling 18-20 hour weekly training schedule, and what it takes to navigate the recruiting process in a sport with fewer than 2,000 college roster spots nationwide.
Nina Quintana, New Mexico state manager for the Save the Children Action Network, joined Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker to discuss the landmark legislation making New Mexico the first state in the nation to offer universal child care for all residents. Quintana explained that the bill codifies and expands the state's existing child care assistance program, funded through the Early Childhood Trust Fund — a $320 million investment made in 2019 by Governor Lujan Grisham that has grown to $11 billion. The conversation touched on how families can access the program, the challenge of expanding capacity in a state with a shortage of licensed providers, and efforts to raise wages for child care workers through a new career ladder program. Quintana noted that New Mexico is already fielding interest from other states and sees the legislation as both a milestone and the beginning of a broader national shift toward treating child care as a public good.
Author Rudy Apodaca joined Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker to discuss his latest historical novel, A Life Uninvited, which follows a young New Mexico National Guardsman taken prisoner by Japanese forces in the Philippines during World War II. Apodaca, a former court of appeals judge on his fifth novel, explained that while the book is fiction, it is grounded in research and interviews he conducted with actual POW survivors in 2001 and 2002. The conversation touched on the Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range - which serves as the novel's prologue setting - and on the book's broader themes of fear, memory, and resilience. Apodaca was scheduled to appear at the Remember Bataan Foundation booth at White Sands on Friday and sign books at COAS Books on North Main in Las Cruces on Saturday, March 21st from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lance Robert, president of Celebration of Our Mountains, joined Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker to discuss the El Paso-based outdoor education organization that leads geology-focused hikes, rockhounding trips, night desert explorations, and other outdoor events — primarily on New Mexico's abundant public lands. Robert, a retired geologist who first found the group while working in Las Cruces in 2000, described how the organization aims to go beyond simple hiking by bringing knowledgeable leaders who educate participants about the science behind what they're seeing. The conversation touched on the remarkable geological diversity of the region, from ancient seabeds to volcanoes within a half-hour's drive, and on upcoming spring events open to all ages and fitness levels
NMSU economics professor emeritus Jim Peach joined Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker to discuss the impact of the Iran war on global oil markets. Peach explained that while oil prices have risen significantly - from around $65 to around $100 per barrel - the disruption, though serious, is not unprecedented compared to the 1973 OPEC embargo or the 2008 price spike. He pushed back on the claim that the U.S. is energy independent, clarifying that despite producing 13.6 million barrels a day, the country still imports more crude than it exports. The conversation also touched on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, production cuts by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, and what higher energy prices mean for consumers and for New Mexico's state revenue.
Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker opened the show with an extended discussion of the U.S. military involvement in Iran, focusing on the War Powers Act, its failure to meaningfully constrain presidential war-making since Vietnam, and what they described as an unprecedented bypassing of congressional notification and public justification. The conversation also touched on the SAVE Act and on New Mexico's upcoming primary filing season.
Greg Smith welcomes Chad Getz of Getz Funeral Home for a conversation that moves from the realities of funeral service to the uncertain future of one of the city's most beloved traditions. Getz, whose father founded the business in 1971, talks about growing up in the trade, the training and licensing demands of the profession, the importance of collective mourning for community healing, and the recent expansion into pet cremation through their Forever Friends facility. The conversation turns to the fate of the Renaissance ArtsFaire following the closure of the Doña Ana Arts Council, with Getz sharing what he's learned about efforts to keep the event alive: a daunting startup cost and ongoing talks with potential partners, including a possible new home at the county fairgrounds.
On July 16, 1945 the United States government detonated the world’s first atomic bomb at a ranch in the Tularosa Basin without warning or informing nearby residents.
While it is recorded by history as a success, things didn’t go flawlessly. Of the 13 pounds of weapons-grade plutonium, only about three pounds actually ignited. The rest rained down like cancer falling from the sky, embedding itself in the land, water, animals and people who will be dealing with the impacts for generations to come. Today's thought-provoking exploration with local artist Daphne Wirthlin addresses what's happening within us individually and collectively as society seems to be unraveling around us everyday. She cites her own processes for finding ease and remaining centered. She talks about experiencing joy in birding, in connecting to the natural world, and getting outdoors first thing in the morning. As a painter, she talks about the rewards of her disciplined approach to creativity. Daphne encourages us to first acknowledge the exhausting, difficult and sometimes disturbing feelings, both conscious and unconscious, that our times seem to evoke. She recommends that we accurately view what's happening internally and externally, and accept what is beyond our control, from while taking actions of kindness and gratitude, however small, where we actually can make a difference.
|
Shows
All
Music ShowsYou can find a two-week archive of all of our music shows and nearly every other one of our shows by going to our Schedule page.
Archives
April 2026
|
RSS Feed