In this special edition of the Mesilla Valley Sports Show, Mike and Brian look back on their first 30 episodes since the show launched in December - celebrating local stories, standout guests, and the growing sports community they've helped spotlight
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Diana O’Brien and Megan Chaavarria from the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico joined the show to discuss their work. They spoke about the foundation taking over the long-running Interagency Council to continue its mission of connecting local organizations. The conversation also covered the foundation's broader role in serving 12 counties through grants, scholarships, and nonprofit support. They highlighted the "Greatest Needs Impact Fund" for responding to regional emergencies like the recent Vado floods and previewed their upcoming "Pickle Jam" fundraiser - a concert and pickleball tournament - to support those efforts.
Doña Ana County Commissioner Shannon Reynolds joined Walt and Daisy to discuss local flood relief efforts in Vado and the county’s rapid emergency response. He detailed how aid amounts were increased, roads restored, and public-private partnerships mobilized to support residents. Reynolds also addressed his decision to end public prayers at commission meetings, explaining concerns about religious representation and fairness. In closing, he proposed a state-level “insurance fund” to shield New Mexicans from federal funding cuts and called on legislators to act proactively in response to national policy shifts.
Las Cruces Bulletin editor Susan Moree joined the show to discuss several recent stories. She provided an update on the legal battle over a federal budget bill provision that targets Planned Parenthood's Medicaid funding, the declaration of a state of emergency following severe flooding in Vado, and the successes and struggles of the local women's semi-pro football team, the New Mexico Banitas. The conversation also touched on the controversy in Mesilla over a proposal to close the town's municipal court and shift cases to the county.
Co-hosts Walt Rubel and Daisy Maldonado opened the show with a quick look back at KTAL’s 8th anniversary celebration and a wide-ranging discussion of current events. Topics covered included the rollback of EPA climate protections, the politicization of the Jeffrey Epstein case, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and how political narratives dominate media coverage at the expense of deeper issues.
Greg Smith is joined by Elaine McKinney, President of the Las Cruces Sister Cities organization; Tim Chappell, Chair of the Lerdo Committee; and Allison Smith, Chair of the Nienburg Committee, for a thoughtful conversation about Las Cruces’s international connections.
They share stories from recent visits to Nienburg, Germany, including the city’s 1,000-year celebration, and discuss efforts to rekindle ties with Lerdo, Mexico, despite political changes. Along the way, they explore how the Sister Cities program fosters peace through the power of personal connection, from student and arts exchanges to fire department visits and tree-planting. CNN is now airing a special series about Live Aid, the global concert held in 1985 to combat mass starvation in Ethiopia.
The series features interviews with a healthy young woman and her proud father today. She was a withered baby starving to death and her father was desperate for help when the two were first filmed by news crews during the famine. The series isn’t over yet, so I’ll reserve final judgment. But thus far it seems to suggest the greatest rock stars in the world all came together on one day and combined their massive popularity and talent to forever end world hunger.  photo by Cindy Smith Left to Right: John Mylius - Ken Posey - Randy Harris Today we revisit John Cullen. Mr. Cullen is the creator of the international organization "It's Just Parkinson's" (IJP). Cullen is also the author of "Unbreakable: Surviving Adversity", and creator of a feature length "IJP Documentary". John tells us about his recent experience with "Deep Brain Stimulation" - a procedure that's made profound, life changing improvements for him in his struggle with Parkinson's Disease. We're joined by local guests, John Mylius and Ken Posey - key figures in the Parkinson's Support Group of Southern New Mexico.
Stuart Kelter interviews Aziz Huq, a professor of comparative and constitutional law at the University of Chicago, focusing recently on democratic backsliding and the regulation of Artificial Intelligence. He has written articles for Politico, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and other mainstream publications, in addition to many scholarly articles, and award-winning books, including Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror with coauthor, Frederick Schwarz, published in 2007; How to Save a Constitutional Democracy with coauthor Tom Ginsberg, published in 2018; The Collapse of Constitutional Remedies, published in 2021; and, most recently, The Rule of Law: A Very Short Introduction, a contribution to the Oxford “Very Short Introduction” series, published in 2024. He has an active pro bono practice and is on the boards of the American Constitution Society, the Seminary Co-op, the New Press, and the ACLU of Illinois. Prior to becoming a law professor, he litigated cases in both the US Courts of Appeals and the Supreme Court, and was a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
 New Mexico State University Head Football Coach Tony Sanchez joined hosts Mike O’Larey and Brian Cox to talk about his journey and the upcoming season. Sanchez shared stories from his youth in California, his playing days as an Aggie in the mid-90s, and his extensive coaching career, from local high schools to Bishop Gorman and UNLV. He reflected on the recent turnaround at NMSU, the impact of the transfer portal and NIL, and his excitement about the team's new facilities and why he still believes Las Cruces can be a college football powerhouse.
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