Blog Archives

Walt Rubel Commentary: County out of its league with Project Jupiter

4/21/2026

We got snookered.

The Dona Ana County Commission gave the green light to Project Jupiter, a massive $165 billion data center being built in the south county, based on its belief that the project would use an average of 20,000 gallons of water a day, capped at 60,000 gallons.

Think Again: Fr. Gabriel Rochelle & Adjunct Professor Sam Johnson on Language and Linguistics

4/20/2026

Fr. Gabriel Rochelle and Adjunct Professor Sam Johnson bring us a thought-provoking dialogue about some of the fascinating aspects of language. The conversation leads us to look at how multi-lingual people may very well think differently from mono-lingual speakers. We explore distortions of language that can be used in reframing narratives about what's real in politics, religion, culture, economics, and in our everyday lives. We touch on languages from ancient Greek and Hebrew - through the present. We take a peek at how language forms, changes, morphs, and evolves - and much more. These are but a few of the topics that arise in this conversation. Listen in for a fast paced journey through some of the great many facets of language and how it shapes our perceptions of reality. It's an exploration that certainly merits further attention.

Mesilla Valley Sports Show: Safe Routes to School Coordinator Ashleigh Curry

4/16/2026

Host Mike O'Larey sits down with Ashleigh Curry, who has spent nearly two decades building the Las Cruces Safe Routes to School program from a single volunteer role at Mesilla Elementary into a district-wide operation with a full staff team and 100% participation across all 25 LCPS elementary schools. Curry explains how the program works and the wide coalition of city, county, health, and law enforcement partners that supports it. The conversation also covers the upcoming Family Bike Fiesta at Lynn Middle School, the launch of a first-ever girls mountain biking camp this summer, recently passed state legislation adding bike and pedestrian awareness to driver's ed, and the "Idaho stop" law that changed how cyclists can legally treat stop signs and red lights.

Speak Up Las Cruces: State Climatologist Dave DuBois & Heath Haussamen

4/15/2026

New Mexico State Climatologist Dave DuBois joined Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel to preview the Earth Day Celebration at Young Park on April 18 and discuss the state of the climate, drought, and shifting public attitudes toward climate change. Investigative journalist Heath Haussamen joined by phone to report on new revelations about Project Jupiter's water use — that the data center may consume far more water than the county was told when it approved the project last fall — prompting the County Commission to pass a resolution directing staff to investigate whether the project is in compliance with its legal agreements. DuBois added that Project Jupiter's gas turbines could produce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to roughly three million automobiles, directly undermining the state's clean energy goals.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Terry Davis & Sean Miller on NM High School Theater

4/15/2026

Theater educator Terry Davis and NMSU theater student Sean Miller joined Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel to discuss New Mexico high school musical theater and the upcoming Enchantment Awards, which adjudicate high school musical productions across the state. Davis, who helped build the program from its founding in 2016, explained how the awards connect New Mexico students to the Jimmy Awards, the Broadway League's national high school musical theater competition in New York. Miller, an Organ Mountain High graduate and Enchantment Award winner, spoke about his path to studying theater at NMSU and his professional aspirations. Tickets for the 2026 Enchantment Awards, to be held May 3rd at Popejoy Hall on the UNM campus, are available at enchantmentawards.org.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Peter & Walt Talk About the News (April 15, 2026)

4/15/2026

Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel opened the show with a discussion of local and national issues. Locally, the conversation focused on El Paso Electric's request for a rate hike that would add roughly $40 a month to average consumer bills, the flawed cost-of-service model underlying New Mexico utility regulation, and new reporting that Project Jupiter's water consumption will far exceed what was disclosed to the county when the deal was rushed through. On the national front, the hosts discussed Trump's escalating conflicts with the Federal Reserve chair over office remodeling costs and his efforts to pressure Supreme Court Justices Alito and Thomas to resign before the midterm elections to ensure his ability to appoint their successors.

Café con Leche: Donna Popky & Tamara Michelina St. Jean on Art in the Garden

4/14/2026

Greg Smith talks with Donna Popky and Tamara Michelina St. Jean about the Artists of Picacho Hills' annual Art in the Garden, taking place Saturday, May 9th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Now in its eighteenth year, the free self-guided tour opens six private Picacho Hills homes and gardens to the public, with 19 artists this year showing work across painting, jewelry, beadwork, ceramics, fused glass, fiber, printmaking, photography, and more. The conversation covers the event's logistics and welcoming philosophy, the two guests' own artistic paths, and a shared enthusiasm for what Las Cruces offers as an arts community that often goes underappreciated.

Walt Rubel Commentary: Electric rate hike in hands of Gabriel, Greg and Patrick

4/14/2026

One of the state’s most powerful but least understood boards will soon decide if we will all be paying an additional $40 a month for electricity.

The Public Regulation Commission has received a request by El Paso Electric to increase rates. The proposed increase would come in two phases, EPE’s Jennifer Borden told Fox14. The first will be about $15 a month for the average customer, and the second will be about $25 a month.

Think Again: Keith Whelpley

4/14/2026

Our guest today, Keith Whelpley is a long-time friend and often radio co-host.

The conversation spans considerations of AI - Generational Differences - Politics - Education, and more.

Keith is always a delightful guest and thinking partner.

DELVING IN: Ross Greene on a Humane and Effective Method for Helping Disruptive Students

4/12/2026

Stuart Kelter interviews psychologist Ross Greene, the originator of the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions model and the non-profit Lives in the Balance.org. He is the author of several books about how teachers and administrators can help children with challenging behavior. The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children, first published in 1998 and now in its sixth edition, introduced parents to an alternative to disciplining their child with rewards and punishments. Parents learn instead to engage their child in together solving the problems that lead to frustration and melt-downs. Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them, published in 2008, extended the model for the school setting. Ross’s most recent book, The Kids Who Aren’t Okay: The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in School, published just last month, provides a persuasive case for school personnel to transition to the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions model in their own school. Ross was on the faculty of Harvard Medical School for 20 years and is currently an adjunct professor at Virginia Teach and also in Sydney, Australia.

Mesilla Valley Sports Show: Bridle Up Hope's Kelly Koerper

4/9/2026

Mike and Brian welcome Kelly Koerper, local director of Bridle Up Hope, to discuss how the equine-based program is helping girls and women build confidence, resilience, and self-awareness through hands-on experiences with horses. Koerper explains how the curriculum blends horsemanship with principles from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, creating powerful opportunities for personal growth. She shares how horses mirror human emotions, helping participants manage anxiety, process grief, and develop stronger communication and life skills. Through inspiring stories from the Las Cruces program, the conversation highlights the unique bond between humans and horses - and how that connection can lead to meaningful, lasting change.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Ashley Echavarria on the Boys & Girls Club Groundbreaking

4/8/2026

Ashley Echavarria, CEO of the Las Cruces Boys & Girls Club, joined Walt Rubel and Jamie Bronstein to discuss the upcoming groundbreaking for the organization's new facility at the former Video Twin movie theater at 1005 El Paseo Road. The club, which has operated out of a building dating to the early 1900s and can currently serve only about 115 children a day, will move into a 30,000-square-foot space that includes a gymnasium, a teen wing, a performing arts center, a culinary arts kitchen, a STEM lab, and outdoor play space. Echavarria noted that Project Jupiter contributed $1.5 million toward the project, which is now estimated at $10 to $12 million with about $8.3 million raised to date. She also discussed plans to eventually license the new facility for universal child care so families can attend at no cost, and previewed the organization's annual Lou and Mary Henson Community Breakfast on May 14th, featuring NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens as keynote speaker.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Liz Bennett on the Shutdown Drone Warfare Week of Action

4/8/2026

Liz Bennett of Las Cruces for Palestine joined by phone to discuss Shutdown Drone Warfare Week of Action, a coalition effort bringing together groups including Veterans for Peace to protest the military's drone programs at Holloman. Bennett described the ethical concerns around drone warfare, including its role in the conflict in Gaza, the growing integration of AI into weapons systems, and the effort to encourage service members to consult their conscience when given unlawful orders. The conversation also touched on the week's upcoming events in Alamogordo, including a community gathering, a march, and a screening of a documentary by journalist Abby Martin on the environmental impact of the military industrial complex. More information is available at shutdowndronewarfare.org.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Valeria Holloway & MJ Lord on Universal Child Care in NM

4/8/2026

Early childhood education professionals Valeria Holloway and MJ Lord joined Walt Rubel and Jamie Bronstein to discuss New Mexico's new universal child care legislation and what it means in practice for providers and families. Holloway, who has run a home daycare for 24 years, and Lord, a teaching assistant at a preschool in Albuquerque, explained that the program covers children from birth to age 12 at licensed home daycares and centers, with new funding tied to a minimum wage floor of $18 per hour for child care workers. Both guests emphasized that workforce shortages and waitlists remain a significant challenge, particularly in rural communities, and that the funding flowing in July will take time to translate into new capacity. The conversation also touched on the developmental benefits of early group care, the state's star rating system for providers, and the particular rewards of working with children who have special needs or developmental delays.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Walt & Jamie Talk About the News (April 8, 2026)

4/8/2026

Walt Rubel and Jamie Bronstein opened the show with several local and national topics. On the local front, they discussed new reporting revealing that Project Jupiter's water usage projections have grown dramatically, from roughly 80,000 gallons annually to 325 million gallons per year for cooling its gas generators, along with concerns about 14 million tons of annual air emissions from planned smokestacks. Walt noted that El Paso Electric is seeking a 73% rate increase, with a public meeting scheduled that afternoon at Branigan Library. Mary Martinez White called in to highlighted a new exhibit at the Albuquerque National Hispanic Cultural Center on New Mexico's nuclear history, connecting it to ongoing concerns about the state becoming a destination for environmentally risky projects. The segment closed with discussion of the announced ceasefire in Iran, which both hosts viewed as a costly and humiliating end to an unnecessary conflict, with significant uncertainty about whether it would hold.

<<Previous

Forward>>

Walt Rubel Commentary: County out of its league with Project Jupiter

Think Again: Fr. Gabriel Rochelle & Adjunct Professor Sam Johnson on Language and Linguistics

Mesilla Valley Sports Show: Safe Routes to School Coordinator Ashleigh Curry

Speak Up Las Cruces: State Climatologist Dave DuBois & Heath Haussamen

Speak Up Las Cruces: Terry Davis & Sean Miller on NM High School Theater

Speak Up Las Cruces: Peter & Walt Talk About the News (April 15, 2026)

Café con Leche: Donna Popky & Tamara Michelina St. Jean on Art in the Garden

Walt Rubel Commentary: Electric rate hike in hands of Gabriel, Greg and Patrick

Think Again: Keith Whelpley

DELVING IN: Ross Greene on a Humane and Effective Method for Helping Disruptive Students

Mesilla Valley Sports Show: Bridle Up Hope's Kelly Koerper

Speak Up Las Cruces: Ashley Echavarria on the Boys & Girls Club Groundbreaking

Speak Up Las Cruces: Liz Bennett on the Shutdown Drone Warfare Week of Action

Speak Up Las Cruces: Valeria Holloway & MJ Lord on Universal Child Care in NM

Speak Up Las Cruces: Walt & Jamie Talk About the News (April 8, 2026)

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