Greg Smith talks with Travis Owens, operator of TheBank, a 16,000-to-20,000-square-foot complex on West Amador, about his plans to turn it into what he describes as Las Cruces' missing community hub. Owens envisions a multi-use venue with six stages, gallery and studio space, a podcast room, a photography wall, game and movie nights, and a garage band stage located in the back garage building, all anchored by an existing dispensary and two Roku television channels he runs, including Cruces Public Access. The conversation also touches on the neighboring Amador Hotel, a potential youth program focused on film and music production, and Owens' personal story: an entrepreneur with autism who runs on a tight routine with minimal sleep and five alarms, door-dashing until 1 a.m. before heading back to the studio to code.
|
Stuart Kelter interviews Jacqueline Saper, an award-winning writer, public speaker, commentator, and translator, with columns and essays in national and international publications and interviews in mainstream media in both English and Farsi. We’ll be talking about her memoir, published in 2019, From Miniskirt to Hijab: A Girl in Revolutionary Iran, which chronicles her life from childhood to early adulthood in Iran, which spans the last 16 years of the rule of the Shah, as well as the first ten years following the Islamic Revolution. The book ends, at age 26, with her emigration to the United States with her husband and two children. The memoir provides a highly personalized account of what it was like to grow up in Iran in tumultuous times, a multifaceted story informed by multiple ethnic identities.
This episode of the Mesilla Valley Sports Show featured longtime Las Cruces Public Schools educator, coach, and physical education specialist Tanna Miller, who reflected on a career dedicated to helping students develop healthy, active lifestyles. Drawing on decades of experience as a teacher, coach, and curriculum leader, Miller discussed the evolution of physical education, the importance of teaching lifelong fitness habits, and the challenges schools face in keeping young people engaged in regular physical activity. She also shared stories from her years coaching and mentoring students, emphasizing the lasting impact that supportive teachers and coaches can have on confidence, character, and overall well-being.
John Hunter of the Doña Ana County Historical Society and Travis Brown, director of the Southern New Mexico State Fair, joined Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel to preview the county's celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, running June 30 through July 2 at the Doña Ana County Fairgrounds. Brown described a community festival open daily at 4 p.m., with a drone show nightly at 9:30 p.m. Hunter outlined the Historical Society's interactive activities, including a public reading of the Declaration of Independence and a living history performances drawing on Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine. The conversation also touched on the history of the Declaration, the origins of adobe construction, and the ongoing struggle to preserve historic buildings in Las Cruces. The fairgrounds are about 12 miles west of Las Cruces off the airport exit.
Peter Goodman and Walt Rubel opened their news discussion with breaking news of a federal lawsuit filed against Doña Ana County, which they suspected to be immigration-related. The conversation then segued into Doña Ana County's ongoing governance problems surrounding Project Jupiter, highlighting the Foundation for Open Government's open records complaint and questioning whether the county commission is receiving or following sound legal advice. After touching on Maggie Toulouse Oliver's campaign withdrawal and the end of Ken Miyagashima's independent gubernatorial bid, the co-hosts turned to national affairs. They critiqued the current administration's handling of Iran and discussed the Senate's passage of a largely symbolic war powers resolution. The segment closed with a preview of KTAL's upcoming ninth anniversary celebration on July 26th at the Destination Sports and Arts Complex.
Greg Smith talks with Garland Courts, Deputy Director of Quality of Life for the City of Las Cruces, about the four city museums he oversees and the history behind each one. Courts traces the system from its origins at the Brannigan Cultural Center, a 1935 former library building he calls "the mothership," through the Museum of Art, the Museum of Nature and Science (which moved from a spot next to J.C. Penney's at the mall to its current home in a former bank downtown in 2012), and the Railroad Museum in a 1910 depot that BNSF sold to the city for a dollar. The conversation ranges from the recent passing of Zilla, a 70-pound snapping turtle who had been with the museum since the mall days, to upcoming programming including a Mexican mask traveling exhibit opening July 17, Bug Fest on August 15, and Moonlight, an adults-only evening series for those who prefer their museums without the crowd noise.
This episode of the Mesilla Valley Sports Show featured a conversation with Vic Villalobos, President of the Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue Team and co-owner of a local K9 events facility, who shared insight into the demanding and often unpredictable work of backcountry rescue operations . Villalobos described the training, coordination, and commitment required of volunteer team members, along with the types of situations they respond to in southern New Mexico. The discussion also explored his lifelong connection with dogs, including their role in both recreational activities like dock diving and their broader importance in his life. Throughout the conversation, Villalobos emphasized the importance of preparation, teamwork, and community support in carrying out successful rescue missions and promoting outdoor safety.
Doña Ana County NAACP President Dr. Bobbie Green joined Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker to preview a packed week of Juneteenth events in Las Cruces, culminating in the Juneteenth 2026 Freedom Banquet on Saturday, June 21 at the Las Cruces Convention Center. The keynote speaker is Gene Grant, a playwright, former 20-year PBS host, and executive director of the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs, the only state-funded office of its kind in the nation. Dr. Green reflected on the meaning of Juneteenth as a celebration of true freedom finally extended to all, and on the responsibility that comes with it — including the duty to vote, the power of the Black dollar, and the NAACP's ongoing legal battles against gerrymandering and the DEI ban. Tickets for the banquet are available at the Doña Ana County NAACP website.
Jody Young, manager of the Doña Ana County International Jetport in Santa Teresa, joined Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker to preview an upcoming public open house on the airport's updated master plan, to be held Tuesday, June 23 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the War Eagles Air Museum. Young described the jetport's mix of tenants and and discussed the airport's goals of breaking into the cargo market. He noted that the jetport has been self-funded from operations for over a decade and stressed the importance of developing the next generation of aviation workers and pilots.
Speak Up Las Cruces: Dr. Shirlee Cohen on the Black Nurses Association & the Opioid Crisis6/17/2026
Dr. Shirlee Cohen, interim president of the Black Nurses Association of New Mexico and El Paso, joined Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker to discuss the organization's community work and the worsening opioid crisis. After a period of progress driven by wider Narcan availability, the crisis has intensified as drug manufacturers have introduced fentanyl variants resistant to the reversal drug. In response, the BNA secured a state grant through Doña Ana County to launch self-sustaining hands-on community training programs. Cohen also raised concerns about the federal government's decision to strip nursing of its professional designation, which threatens graduate loan funding in a state already facing severe nursing shortages.
Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker opened the show with an analysis of a surreal, pay-per-view UFC cage-fighting spectacle hosted on the White House South Lawn to mark Donald Trump's 80th birthday.. The conversation then turned to the Iran negotiations, with both hosts arguing that what the U.S. has effectively negotiated is a capitulation. The segment closed with a critique of global wealth inequality, citing economist Paul Krugman’s recent characterization of Elon Musk as a "human Ponzi scheme" after Musk was declared the world's first trillionaire.
I wish I could celebrate this. We’re on the bottom of so many national rankings that coming in 11th should be cause for hearty congratulations and vigorous backslapping all around,
But the recent ranking by the finance app WalletHub of Las Cruces as the 11th best-run city in the nation has me scratching my head in bewilderment. Greg Smith talks with Irene Brink, artistic director of Singing Out Las Cruces, about the city's LGBTQ+ and ally community choir as it marks its 15th anniversary year. Brink, who joined as a singer before taking over as artistic director in 2016, describes a 40-plus member mixed-voice ensemble she believes is the only one of its kind in New Mexico. The conversation covers their upcoming Greatest Hits concert at the Rio Grande Theatre on June 27th and 28th and Brink's parallel life teaching choir and drama to middle schoolers in Las Cruces Public Schools. Tickets at singingoutlascruces.org.
Today, Anna Dykeman shares her thoughtful views about the perspectives of Connie Anderson. Anderson's insights and observations can be seen and heard on "Tending The In-Between". Today's exploration centers on what's happening below the surface - behind the curtain of chaos and noise - that so often shapes so much of our lives and our society today. Both women express their ideas about the often traumatizing and unrecognized internal impacts that many humans are currently experiencing.
Hosts Mike O'Larey and Brian Cox sit down with fellow KTAL volunteer Julie Lowe Sanchez for a conversation about a lifetime of athletic curiosity that never really stopped. Julie grew up in a family that stayed active together, and she carried that into an eclectic sports history — soccer goalkeeper in high school, downhill mountain biking at speeds approaching 60 mph, skateboarding since 1974, and a stint in the Scottish Highland Games throwing hammer and discus. After years away from recreation due to serious back and spine issues, retirement brought her back, starting with a Walmart cruiser bike and quickly leading to the Senior Olympics, where she now competes in javelin, discus, shot put, and throwing events ahead of next week's New Mexico Senior Olympic Summer Games in Las Cruces. She also talks about her decade-long involvement at KTAL, where she hosts the Prog Rock Hour on the second Thursday of each month
|
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
October 2026
|
RSS Feed