Greg Smith talks with Sonya Fe, a painter and Las Cruces resident about the hard-won lessons of a career spent making art with a message. Fe traces her practice from East LA roots and an Art Center College of Design degree through decades of gallery relationships gone wrong and offers pointed advice for artists navigating a business that often sees them as easy marks: don't work for exposure, get buyers' names, demand down payments on commissions, and do your research before signing with anyone. The conversation also turns to Fe's practice as using "beauty as a lure" to engage viewers with difficult social truths, particularly regarding the vulnerability and treatment of women and children.
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Teddy Roosevelt once advised that we should “speak softly and carry a big stick.”
Donald Trump, like all modern presidents, carries the biggest stick in the world. And it has performed marvelously, including the daring rescue of a downed airman inside Iran last weekend. The skill and bravery of both the airman, who hid for days in a mountain crevice until his rescuers arrived, and those who risked their lives to save him, should serve as an inspiration for all of us and a reason to celebrate.  Lisa Lucca talks with author and screenwriter Amy Ferris, who returns to the show to share her new book, Amy in Retrograde: Desperately Seeking Rewiring.
Jon Hunner, retired NMSU history professor and author of "Inventing Los Alamos" and "J.Robert Oppenheimer, the Cold War, and the Atomic West" shares some thoughts and observations about his experience as a historian, history in general, US history, and a particular focus on the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He tells some thought provoking stories about himself and his father (US Air Force) as related to the atomic history of New Mexico.
The conversation includes a delightful exploration of what we call history, how we think about it, and how we understand it today. Jon Hunner cites and recommends an exercise he's employing - making a personal Declaration of Independence: "I declare my independence from ....." that we can tailor to our own individual lives. He brings a host of interesting thoughts. Local Vibes Live hosted Pikuris, a Las Cruces alternative grunge trio formed in October 2025 by guitarist/vocalist Louis Renteria, bassist/vocalist Tate Bradfute, and drummer Diego Renteria. Brothers Louis and Diego had played in separate bands for years before finally joining forces, then connected with Tate after Louis met him through an impromptu jam session across a wall of amplifiers at a local music store. In conversation with hosts Alex Brinkley and Casey Chacón, Pikuris talked about their grunge and shoegaze influences (Nirvana, Alice in Chains), their debut single "Sundown," and the experience of fast-tracking original material as a band less than a year old. Their debut EP is expected out in summer 2026.
On this episode of the Mesilla Valley Sports Show, Mike and Brian sat down with NMSU Golf Course Director Jason White for an in-depth look at the operations, history, and community impact of one of the region’s premier golf facilities . White shared his path from a high school golfer in the Pacific Northwest to New Mexico State’s PGA Golf Management program, and ultimately to leading the course. He described the scope of his role overseeing a complex operation that includes course maintenance, golf programming, dining, events, and a large student workforce. The conversation also explored the course’s deep community ties, from youth and veteran programs to hosting charity tournaments, illustrating how the facility serves not just golfers, but the broader Las Cruces community.
Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker used the final segment to preview the upcoming New Mexico primary elections, with a focus on Doña Ana County races. The most crowded contest is the sheriff's race, with seven Democrats and four Republicans vying for the seat being vacated by Kim Stewart after two terms. The conversation also covered several competitive state house primaries in the area, the gubernatorial race on both sides, and a significant change to New Mexico election law allowing independent voters to participate in primary elections for the first time.
NMSU film students Angie Ornelas, John Hernandez, and Barrow joined Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker to preview the Las Cruces International Film Festival, running April 8 through 12. The students, all volunteers helping produce what is believed to be the largest student-run film festival in the country, described a packed schedule of 158 films from around the world, workshops on stunt choreography and horror filmmaking, and a screenwriting panel featuring director and screenwriter Shane Black. Notable guests include actor Michael Rooker, known for Guardians of the Galaxy, whose film will be screened during the festival, and actor-director Steve Zahn, whose psychological horror film She Dances will have its world premiere as the opening night feature. The conversation also touched on the growing film industry in southern New Mexico and the students' own aspirations to build careers without leaving the region.
NMSU astronomy professor Dr. Chris Churchill joined Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker to discuss his upcoming Academy for Learning in Retirement presentation and the state of modern astronomy. Churchill explained how quasars, supermassive black holes at the centers of distant galaxies, act as cosmic lighthouses whose ancient light beams encode billions of years of the universe's history in a single spectrum. He traced how dramatically the field has changed since he entered it in the 1990s, from the discovery of dark energy to the James Webb Space Telescope pushing observations back to when the universe was only a few hundred million years old. The conversation also touched on the Artemis 2 lunar mission, scheduled to launch that same afternoon, and broader questions about human spaceflight, Mars colonization, and the mixed promise of commercial space ventures.
Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker discussed recent news items, including the nationwide No Kings rallies, the Supreme Court's oral arguments on birthright citizenship and the constitutional questions surrounding Trump's executive order, the ongoing government shutdown and congressional dysfunction, and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez's $375 million verdict against Meta for exposing minors to sexual content online.
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