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Mesilla Valley Sports Show: David Oakeley on Marketing the Aggies

10/1/2026

David Oakeley, the first marketing director for NMSU Athletics and a longtime Aggie fan, looks back on building that job from scratch in the early 1990s. Hired first to get Aggie games back on the radio, he later ran marketing with no advertising budget, trading Aggie Sports Association memberships for ad space and adding in-game promotions like a pizza giveaway. He recalls the football program's long losing streak and why he believes Jim Hess saved it. The conversation also covers the challenges NMSU faces compared with UNM, from geography to legislative funding, his take on athletic director Joe Fields and the Pan American Center naming-rights deal, and his work moderating two Aggie fan sites. Oakeley ends with his view that the Aggies can succeed at their own level rather than at the top tier.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Doña Ana County Sheriff Candidates Vanessa Ordoñez and Todd Garrison

9/30/2026

Democrat Vanessa Ordoñez, a Navy reservist and former Anthony police chief, and Republican Todd Garrison, who served as sheriff from 2005 to 2014, answered questions in the sheriff's forum. Garrison said he isn't currently state-certified and would need to take a certification-by-waiver course. Both said local law enforcement shouldn't enforce immigration law, but they split on federal Stonegarden funding, which Garrison defended and Ordoñez said she would not accept. Both backed an elected sheriff and better communication with the county commission, and each outlined plans to improve public communication: a public information officer and rural town halls (Ordoñez) and a social media presence (Garrison).

Speak Up Las Cruces: District 3 County Commission Candidates Susie Kimble and Julia Brown

9/30/2026

Susie Kimble, the appointed District 3 commissioner now running as an independent, and Julia Brown, a qualified write-in candidate and former Doña Ana County manager and Sunland Park city manager, took part in the forum. Both criticized how the county handled Project Jupiter's approval and said they would push for renewable power to the extent legally possible. Brown urged the county's new citizens committee to monitor air quality and compliance. On the audit, Kimble described hiring a consultant to assist the three acting assistant county managers, and Brown stressed compliance and outreach in the next manager hire. Both named roads, flood control, and water infrastructure as priorities, and each picked County Clerk Amanda López Askin as a favorite political figure. (Democratic nominee Willie Madrid did not participate.)

Speak Up Las Cruces: District 1 County Commission Candidates Daisy Maldonado and Samantha Barncastle Salopek

9/30/2026

Democrat Daisy Maldonado and Republican Samantha Barncastle Salopek took questions in a District 1 forum. On Project Jupiter, Maldonado said the data center was pushed through with few specifics, while Salopek, a water and natural resources attorney, said she has met with the company and state officials about solutions and that compliance has been met so far. Caller Lynn Moorer asked about the companies' legal compliance, and Maldonado cited late job reports for the project's LIDA application. The candidates also discussed the state audit of county management and disagreed over the role of agriculture and pecans in the county's water future.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Peter & Jamie Talk About the News (September 30, 2026)

9/30/2026

Peter Goodman and Jamie Bronstein opened with the previous day's storm, which brought evacuations in Hatch, Garfield, Rincon, and Placitas when the McLeod Dam in Garfield appeared close to failing. The hosts said a clogged pipe was cleared and the dam held. They went through Sen. Eric Schmitt's questioning of former special counsel Jack Smith at a Senate hearing, where Schmitt mistook the college game Smith attended to see Caitlin Clark for an Atlanta Hawks game, and discussed taxpayer-funded public service announcements built from a 2024 Trump campaign video. They also covered Project Jupiter's force majeure notice to contractors, the state land commissioner's denial of a pipeline crossing, and the county's citizens committee on the project, which hasn't yet met.

Cafe con Leche: Adrián Aguirre on Art, Immigration, and the 2026 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts

9/29/2026

Greg Smith talks with Adrián Aguirre, Las Cruces-based painter and recipient of the 2026 New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, about the work that earned him that recognition — portraiture that puts a human face on refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants at a moment when the political conversation around immigration has grown increasingly harsh. Aguirre, who was born in Juárez and grew up crossing the border daily to attend school in El Paso, describes his goal as restoring the humanity that years of political scapegoating have worked to strip away, with large-scale portraits drawn from direct encounters with people in refugee camps and shelters. The conversation ranges from his NMSU training in graphic design and fine art to his current projects: a 2,500-square-foot mural chronicling the history of immigration for Annunciation House in El Paso, a solo show at Houston Christian University in October, and a group exhibition on democracy opening November 6th at the Las Cruces Museum of Art. The official Governor's Award ceremony takes place October 15th in Santa Fe.

Walt Rubel: Paid lawmakers should be held to a higher standard

9/29/2026

The battle earlier this year to successfully wrangle a bill capping awards on malpractice lawsuits through a Senate Judiciary Committee led by a malpractice attorney highlighted the state Legislature's many conflicts of interest.

An advisory opinion by the State Ethics Commission tells us there is nothing in the Government Conduct Act to prevent votes taken by legislators who clearly have a personal financial stake in the outcome.

DELVING IN: Awais Aftab on the Conceptual Difficulties in Psychiatric Diagnosis and Practice

9/27/2026

Stuart Kelter interviews Awais Aftab, a psychiatrist in Cleveland, OH and a professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University. He is a member of the executive council of Association for the Advancement of Philosophy and Psychiatry and has been actively involved in initiatives to educate psychiatrists and trainees on the intersection of philosophy and psychiatry. His is the author of Conversations in Critical Psychiatry, an edited volume of interviews published in 2024 and the Psychiatry at the Margins Substack newsletter, which explores critical, philosophical, and scientific debates in psychology and in psychiatric practice.

Mesilla Valley Sports Show: Las Cruces Boxer Ariana Carrasco’s Road to the Pros

9/24/2026

Las Cruces boxer Ariana Carrasco discusses her path from entering a boxing gym at age 12 to beginning a professional career. She recalls learning the sport alongside her father, who became her coach, and how an early loss to a nationally ranked opponent strengthened her resolve. Carrasco reflects on national titles, time with Team USA, and training while serving in the Army’s World Class Athlete Program. After nearly a decade of amateur tournaments, she says turning professional renewed her excitement for boxing. She also recounts an unusual first scheduled pro bout: her opponent left the ring before the fight began. Carrasco shares what her subsequent fights have taught her about adapting her style and recovering without headgear.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Sylvia Ulloa on Constitutional Amendment 4

9/23/2026

NM CAFe Executive Director Sylvia Ulloa discusses the group's support for Constitutional Amendment 4 and argues that New Mexico's unpaid Legislature limits who can afford to serve. Ulloa says paying lawmakers could open the Legislature to more working people and community advocates, reduce the influence of lobbyists and be a first step toward modernizing the state's legislative process. She also talks about NM CAFe's work assisting immigrant families with legal and other resources and the organization's efforts to engage infrequent voters ahead of the November election.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Secretary of State Candidates Amanda López Askin & Ramona Goolsby

9/23/2026

Secretary of State candidates Amanda López Askin, the Democratic Doña Ana County Clerk, and Republican nominee Ramona Goolsby discuss their priorities for the office ahead of the November election. The candidates address election funding, voter-roll maintenance and public confidence in elections, with Goolsby emphasizing greater transparency and López Askin defending the state's existing voter-roll procedures. They also offer differing views on voter ID requirements and discuss ways to improve voter education and turnout, along with the Secretary of State's responsibilities beyond administering elections.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Natashia Billy & Aaron Sussman on the Transportation Safety Action Plan

9/23/2026

City senior engineer Natashia Billy, project manager for the Transportation Safety Action Plan, and consultant Aaron Sussman of Toole Design Group previewed the city's federally funded push to identify and fix its most dangerous streets. Sussman said Las Cruces logs close to 2,800 crashes a year outside its interstates, including roughly 40 fatalities and 125 serious injury crashes from 2020 to 2024, with corridors like Lohman, Amador, and Main Street among the recurring problem spots. Billy explains how residents can report unsafe locations through an interactive map and survey, while the conversation also explores traffic calming, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and how street design can reduce crashes. The project's final public outreach event is planned for National Night Out on October 6.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Senator Ben Ray Luján on Iran, Health Care & ICE Reform

9/23/2026

In a taped interview recorded September 16, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján discusses the war in Iran and calls for greater congressional oversight of the Pentagon, citing a Congressional Budget Office estimate that at least $38 billion has been spent on the conflict. He also talks about rising health care costs in New Mexico and proposals to expand Medicare coverage, broadband access and support for family caregivers. Luján calls for faster congressional action on artificial intelligence and discusses his re-election campaign before closing with his concerns about ICE enforcement and the need for reforms.

Speak Up Las Cruces: Walt & Nancy Talk About the News (September 23, 2026)

9/23/2026

Walt Rubel and Nancy Baker, both former journalists, discuss the Trump administration's escalating conflict with the press, including its decision to bar CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House press pool and the response from other major networks. They also look at the administration's Trump TV streaming service and reviewed a string of lawsuits the president has filed against news organizations, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the BBC. Rubel and Baker consider whether pressure from the courts and news organizations could ultimately force a change in the administration's approach.

Cafe con Leche: Eva Nevarez St. John on the Southern NM Book Festival

9/22/2026

Greg Smith talks with Eva Nevarez St. John, one of the organizers behind the Southern New Mexico Book Festival, now in its second year, about the October 3rd event at Doña Ana Community College's East Mesa Campus on Sonoma Ranch (10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). After a successful inaugural festival last year, the event has nearly doubled its footprint — spreading from the commons area into classrooms, a conference room, the courtyard, and the campus library — with author panels, booksellers specializing in indie titles, and activities for a range of readers and aspiring writers. The conversation also touches on how self-publishing has reshaped the industry, the value of the festival as a marketing venue for indie authors, and a call for volunteers to help the event grow. Full details and schedule at snmbookfestival.org.

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Mesilla Valley Sports Show: David Oakeley on Marketing the Aggies

Speak Up Las Cruces: Doña Ana County Sheriff Candidates Vanessa Ordoñez and Todd Garrison

Speak Up Las Cruces: District 3 County Commission Candidates Susie Kimble and Julia Brown

Speak Up Las Cruces: District 1 County Commission Candidates Daisy Maldonado and Samantha Barncastle Salopek

Speak Up Las Cruces: Peter & Jamie Talk About the News (September 30, 2026)

Cafe con Leche: Adrián Aguirre on Art, Immigration, and the 2026 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts

Walt Rubel: Paid lawmakers should be held to a higher standard

DELVING IN: Awais Aftab on the Conceptual Difficulties in Psychiatric Diagnosis and Practice

Mesilla Valley Sports Show: Las Cruces Boxer Ariana Carrasco’s Road to the Pros

Speak Up Las Cruces: Sylvia Ulloa on Constitutional Amendment 4

Speak Up Las Cruces: Secretary of State Candidates Amanda López Askin & Ramona Goolsby

Speak Up Las Cruces: Natashia Billy & Aaron Sussman on the Transportation Safety Action Plan

Speak Up Las Cruces: Senator Ben Ray Luján on Iran, Health Care & ICE Reform

Speak Up Las Cruces: Walt & Nancy Talk About the News (September 23, 2026)

Cafe con Leche: Eva Nevarez St. John on the Southern NM Book Festival

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