Podcast roundup: Listen to 'The Reporter's Notebook'
LAS CRUCES - The Las Cruces Sun-News has launched a new podcast called "The Reporter's Notebook." Through this podcast, we hope to pull back the curtain on our reporting process while diving deeper into some of the biggest stories of the week.
We also have recently started a newsletter, also called "The Reporter's Notebook," which you can subscribe to HERE.
Episode 1: Garrey Carruthers
Our first episode profiled Garrey Carruthers, our 2021 Distinguished Resident. Carruthers is a former governor of New Mexico and a former chancellor and president of New Mexico State University. Listen to that podcast HERE.
Episode 2: McHard report details City mismanagement
Our second podcast looked at the McHard firm's independent audit of the City of Las Cruces — and Visit Las Cruces, the city's convention and visitor's bureau. The scathing report was released to the public detailing $1.7 million in mishandled public money. After one year, we look at what has — and hasn't — been done to address the issues raised. We talked to Sun-News reporters Algernon D'Ammassa and Michael McDevitt for some of the backstory and where things currently stand. Listen to it HERE.
Episode 3: Actor William H. Macy
In episode three, we talked to Sun-News reporter Leah Romero about her conversation with actor William H. Macy — best known for his roles in "Fargo" and "Shameless." We hear from the actor, and Leah — on her experience talking to him. Macy is set to be presented with the 2022 award for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment at this year's Las Cruces International Film Festival. Listen HERE.
Episode 4: A deep dive into DASO
Episode four takes a deep dive into the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, and the ongoing tensions between Sheriff Kim Stewart and County Manager Fernando Macias. We also look at how that tension has affected promotions within the department, and how this is a statewide issue — not just a local one. Finally, we take a look at the current candidates for this year's upcoming sheriff's race. Sun-News reporters Algernon D'Ammassa and Michael McDevitt join us to discuss their reporting on the topic. You can hear that HERE.
Episode 5: Las Cruces Public Schools, COVID-19 and more
In episode five, we talk to Miranda Cyr, the Sun-News' education reporter, to talk about issues facing Las Cruces Public Schools. The main one, naturally, is COVID-19. But we also talk about the ongoing substitute shortage, future plans for Columbia Elementary — which will meet with the wrecking ball soon — and the one-year anniversary of Superintendent Karen Trujillo's untimely death. You can hear it HERE.
Episode 6: Las Cruces crime anniversary
Warning: The following episode of “The Reporter’s Notebook” contains graphic accounts of child abuse, sexual assault and murder. Listener discretion is advised.
In this episode, we’re joined by Sun-News public safety reporter Justin Garcia, as well as former Sun-News reporter Bethany Brunelle-Raja to look at three of Doña Ana County’s biggest crimes of the past several decades all of which mark anniversaries in the first half of February. First, it’s been one year since the death of New Mexico State Police Officer Darian Jarrott, who was shot and killed by a motorist on Feb. 4, 2021, after conducting a traffic stop east of Deming while assisting Homeland Security Investigations. Then, we talk about the abuse and murder of 5-month-old Brianna Lopez — Baby Brianna — who would have turned 20 years old on Valentine's Day this year. Finally, we speak to Anthony Teran as we mark the 32-year anniversary of the Las Cruces bowling alley massacre. Anthony's brother, Steven Teran, and his two young nieces — Paula and Valerie — died in the attack. It remains unsolved to this day — one of the largest unsolved mass shootings in the nation.
Episode 7: New Mexico Legislature adjourns. What passed?
In episode seven, we’re joined by Algernon D’Ammassa, who covers statewide issues for the Sun-News, as well as Adrian Hedden, the energy and environment reporter for the Carlsbad Current-Argus, to look at the just-adjourned session of the New Mexico Legislature.
Several major bills made it to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk. Many others died in committee or on the floor. We’ll attempt to capture what you need to know — and the big takeaways from the 30-day session.
Immediately following the adjournment, Gov. Lujan Grisham lifted the statewide mask mandate, which we also discuss.
A special thanks to KOB-TV in Albuquerque for many of the audio clips used in this episode.
Episode 8: The Speak Easy Affair
In episode eight, Sun-News reporter Michael McDevitt walks us through the city's recent business license revocation of Speak Easy — a Las Cruces cannabis-themed retail outlet which first became embroiled in controversy last summer.
It's a story full of twists and turns, allegations, suspicions and accusations.
At the heart of the arrest and closure is a practice known as “gifting.” There’s a lot going on here, and I’m glad we’ve got Michael to help sort it all out. You'll also hear from Jason Estrada — audio from an exclusive interview he did with the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Episode 9: Remembering Josh Dunne
This story contains discussions of suicide and PTSD experienced by veterans. Help is available at National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
In this episode, we’re joined by Sun-News public safety reporter Justin Garcia, to look at the life, death and legacy of Joshua Dunne — a 36-year-old Marine veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Dunne also suffered from a traumatic brain injury after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dunne was shot and killed by Las Cruces police officers Dec. 2, 2016, following an hours-long standoff at the Sleep Inn on Triviz Drive.
Dunne was a father of two and was a graduate student studying social work at New Mexico State University at the time of his death.
The hours leading up to the shooting clearly paint a picture of a man in the throes of a mental health crisis. To help explain how that day unfolded, we’ll also be joined by Josh’s widow, Melanie.
The incident left Dunne's family stunned and heartbroken, and it left the community asking how this could happen.
The two officers who killed Dunne were long-ago cleared of wrongdoing, yet the City of Las Cruces reached a settlement with Melanie Dunne in January of this year over her wrongful death claim.
I knew Josh, both personally and professionally.
To get a sense of how Dec. 2, 2016, unfolded, we start by talking with Melanie.
Episode 10: Pain at the Pump
In this episode, we’re joined by Adrian Hedden, who covers energy, oil and gas for the Carlsbad Current-Argus. While the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused Americans to feel a pinch at the gas pump, the oil shortage could lead to a shot in the arm for New Mexico’s oil and gas industry — particularly in the Permian Basin, where Adrian lives and covers these issues every day.Of course, the U.S. only gets a small percentage of its oil from Russia — so the tensions in Eastern Europe, the war and subsequent sanctions are only part of the equation.
That’s why we’re happy to have Adrian join us this week to help explain how all of this works.
Episode 11: From City to Farm
In this week's episode, we’re joined by Mónica Ortiz Uribe, the Regional Diversity Reporter for the El Paso Times. Mónica recently shared the fantastic story of Shahid Mustafa, who grew up in Chicago’s southside — and now is carrying on a little-known legacy of Black farmers in southern New Mexico.
Shahid moved to Las Cruces to manage Mountain View Market Co+Op, which closed its doors in December of 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, he works as a full-time independent farmer, leasing a one-acre plot in La Union. He has also farmed in Socorro, Texas, and in Las Cruces. The path that brought him here is full of twists and turns, and we’re so happy to be joined by Shahid this week, as well, to share his story — what drew him to Southern New Mexico ... and what kept him here.
We’ll talk to Mónica about how she approached this story and what she wanted to capture, and dig into the long, long legacy of Black farmers sowing the land in southern Doña Ana County.
Episode 12: Collaborative journalism
In this week’s episode, we’re talking collaborative, solutions-based journalism. We’ll be joined by Diana Alba Soular — a former reporter for the Sun-News — and my former co-worker — who is now Project Manager of the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative, and Reyes Mata III, a reporter for the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative and a freelance reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. For the past year or so, he has written the Border Report, which you’ll often find in Sunday’s edition of the newspaper and online at www.lcsun-news.com.
At the Sun-News, we’ve been involved with the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative from the ground up; in 2021, loyal readers may recall Walt Rubel’s coverage of a very unusual Legislative session — due, in large part, to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And that brings us to the Collaborative’s next steps — a deep dive into solutions-based journalism, looking at how COVID-19 has impacted southern New Mexicans and the steps forward — toward recovery, rebuilding and resilience. Reyes will be tasked with covering that effort for news outlets across Southern New Mexico through his new role at the Collaborative.But what is solutions journalism? And what will this mean for readers of the Sun-News? We try to explain that.
Episode 13: Cannabis comes to town
In this week’s episode, we’re talking all about cannabis. On Friday, April 1st, sales of recreational — or adult-use — cannabis became legal in New Mexico. And Las Cruces was the first city in the state to conduct a legal sale. We’ll get into how that happened…
Doña Ana County, which borders Texas, also enjoyed the benefit of its share of cannabis tourism — border dispensaries in the south county were flooded with Texans, happy that legal weed was now within their reach.
In Las Cruces, it seemed that well-established medical dispensaries that had expanded to recreational sales drew the largest crowds; mom-and-pop upstarts drew a steady stream of customers as well, but usually not the long lines seen elsewhere.
This week, we’re joined by Sun-News reporter Miranda Cyr — who volunteered to cover the midnight opening at R. Greenleaf, a dispensary on Mall Drive in Las Cruces. It was the first to announce that they’d be opening at midnight Friday, and sales would begin at 12:01. The atmosphere, as Miranda describes it, was like a movie premiere or a concert.
Later, we’ll be joined by Sun-News reporters Michael McDevitt and Algernon D’Ammassa, both of whom covered the first day of cannabis sales in Doña Ana County and talk about what they observed.
Episode 14: Ruidoso wildfires destroy homes, lives
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about the recent wildfires that have plagued the residents in and around Ruidoso, in the Lincoln National Forest. The McBride Fire, which ignited on a windy Tuesday afternoon near Ruidoso's middle school, has since destroyed more than 200 homes — most notably in Gavilan Canyon — and claimed the lives of two people. And, as of Friday morning, the fire remained 0% contained — despite favorable weather conditions Thursday. That had improved to 56% by Sunday morning.
We're joined by Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Justin Garcia, who covers breaking news and public safety for the newspaper, as well as Alexander Meditz, a Ruidoso resident who was forced to evacuate and later returned to the fire-zone to help other residents.Alexander's home was spared. Some of his neighbors weren't nearly as fortunate.
Episode 15: Changes in public safety coverage
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about our newspaper’s new reporting standards surrounding cops, courts and crime — public safety reporting, as we’re calling it now. Why, for example, are you seeing fewer mugshots of alleged criminals in news stories? Why are we adding editors notes about sexual assault resources, or suicide prevention resources or domestic violence support resources at the top of our stories, now?
Also: Some stories are free. Some count against the number of stories you can see for free without a subscription. And some are “PREMIUM,” which means you can’t read them without being a subscriber. Why is that? And how do we make those decisions in the newsroom?
Things are changing in the way we’re bringing you the news. But things are also changing in the way that our government agencies are providing us with information. I’m thinking, most notably, about the police shooting of 75-year-old Amelia Baca — an elderly woman, suffering from dementia, who was shot and killed by the Las Cruces Police Department on Saturday, April 16.
We're joined by Sun-News reporter Justin Garcia, who covers breaking news and public safety for the newspaper, as well as Sun-News News Director Lucas Peerman.
Episode 16: The local economy
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about the local economy as a number of interesting factors collide. On one hand, the nation’s economy is shrinking as inflation and other factors drive up gas prices — creating a pinch at the pump and at the supermarket. Las Cruces certainly isn’t immune to these large-scale factors — but, according to one economist we spoke to, we may be a little better insulated.
We’ll talk to Sun-News reporter Algernon D’Ammassa, who has followed several facets of this story quite closely. We’ll talk about the state’s recent legalization of the sale of recreational cannabis, the nationwide nursing shortage and other factors.
And, finally, we’ll talk to Meg Potter — the newest addition to our newsroom. Meg is a photojournalist — or, a visual journalist — who just started last week. We’ll talk about her experience, her motivation, and settling into life in a new city in the desert southwest.
Episode 17: Interesting people
In this week’s episode of The Reporter's Notebook, we’re talking about interesting figures in Las Cruces. Anita Rockett, for instance, is 69 years old. Nearly 50 years ago, she almost lost a leg in a boating accident. Since then, she has run countless marathons, and in June, she hopes to complete her first Ironman Half Triathalon.
We’ll talk to Sun-News reporter Leah Romero, who has reported these stories for the newspaper. Florence Hamilton, who just turned 100 years old, is a great storyteller. She uses her talent to share Black history. Newly-established Las Crucen Lyn Barrett explores her personal battle with Dissociative Identity Disorder in her new book, "Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory.”
Barrett, 74, arrived in Las Cruces in early March from her longtime home in Upstate New York — a move made for closer proximity to children, grandchildren and warm weather. Jenny Matsler of Las Cruces has collected dozens of medals during her years involved with Special Olympics New Mexico. This summer, she will get her first opportunity to compete during the national games in Orlando on the state’s bocce team. David Hill, a Las Crucen, recently summited Mount Kilimanjaro on his second attempt, three years after suffering a debilitating injury. They all have interesting stories to share.
Episode 18: Amelia Baca
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about the shooting of 75-year-old Amelia Baca by an officer from the Las Cruces Police Department. Family members say she suffered from signs of dementia — which was undiagnosed.
When police arrived, they say they found the elderly woman holding a large kitchen knife in each hand. Videos obtained by the Sun-News show that Baca was shot as she took a step toward the responding officer.
Our efforts in reporting this story have been rife with transparency issues, stemming from the City of Las Cruces and the Las Cruces Police Department. Days passed before the department acknowledged the fatal shooting. Eventually, they named the victim. And our subsequent records requests shined a little more light on what happened that Saturday before Easter.
There are a lot of issues to dissect in this — both in our reporting and in the facts of the case. Why did Amelia Baca have to die? Why weren’t less-lethal measures used? Unfortunately, we don’t have the answers to THOSE questions. Someday, we might. The incident is still under investigation by the Doña Ana County Officer-Involved Task Force.
We’ll talk to Justin Garcia, who covers public safety for the Sun-News, about this story — and the challenges of covering it.
Episode 19: Miranda Cyr on education
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about education.
We’ll talk to Miranda Cyr, who has covered education for the Sun-News for the past couple of years. Miranda is a Report for America fellow; Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. An initiative of the nonprofit media organization, The GroundTruth Project, it is structured to harness the skills and idealism of an emerging group of journalists plus the creative spirit of local news organizations.
Last week was Miranda’s final week with us. She’ll be leaving Las Cruces to join the staff of the Register-Guard in Eugene, Oregon — where she’ll also cover education. We wanted to talk to her about some of the biggest stories she’s covered during her time here, some of the throughlines in her reporting, and what we should be looking for as we move forward.
Episode 20: Homelessness and crime
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about recent conversations about homelessness and crime in Las Cruces. Business leaders recently organized a forum to address a gap they say the city council created by ignoring the issue of homelessness and property crime citywide.
On June 2, the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, the Las Cruces Association of Realtors and the Las Cruces Home Builders Association hosted a forum for business owners to discuss concerns about theft, vandalism, substance abuse and homelessness in Las Cruces. The forum was held at the Home Builders Association event hall.
On Monday, June 6th, many showed up to speak during the public comment portion of the Las Cruces City Council meeting to address the same issues.
This week, we talk to Las Cruces Sun-News reporters Justin Garcia and Michael McDevitt — and photojournalist Meg Potter. Michael covers city and county government for the paper; Justin writes about public safety, cops and courts. We’ll talk about the issues expressed by the business community, the stats behind crime, locally — based on a recent Sun-News analysis — and what stories we’ll be following in the coming weeks.
Episode 21: LGBTQ Pride Month
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about Pride month — celebrated every June — the time of year when we celebrate the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals have had on history. Celebrated in various countries around the world, Pride celebrations take a variety of forms, from parades and parties to proms and protests. Since the beginning of the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement in the 1970s, hundreds of independent Pride events have sprung up in cities worldwide, each distinctly local and generally tied in some way to the foundational Stonewall Riots in June.
After 50 years of Pride celebrations, these events have become so varied that you can usually find a way to celebrate that feels best to you, whether it’s the raucous jubilation of the NYC Pride parade, or the massive crowds that attend World Pride — held in a different city every two years.
The Stonewall riots started with a police raid on a hot summer night in Greenwich Village. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police stormed the Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay bar, arresting patrons and forcing them into waiting police vehicles. But a nearby crowd grew restless and angry, and eventually someone started spurring onlookers into fighting back. They pelted the police, forcing homophobic cops to retreat, and aggressive street confrontations continued over the next few nights.
The Stonewall riots are generally viewed as the beginning of the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
We’ll talk to Las Cruces residents Kat Sanchez, J.T. Perez, and Casey Combs about why — more than 50 years after Stonewall — it’s important to continue observing Pride month.
Episode 22: Spaceport America Cup
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about an annual event that has returned to our area after a two-year, COVID-inspired hiatus. That’s the Spaceport America Cup — which was recently described by someone in our newsroom as March Madness for aspiring rocket scientists.
We talk to Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Algernon D’Ammassa — who regularly covers the Spaceport, its anchor tenant Virgin Galactic, and related topics — and to photojournalist Meg Potter, who is relatively new to New Mexico, about their experiences covering the first day of the event.
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about a new law impacting all New Mexico workers. As of July 1, private employers in New Mexico must allow their employees to earn paid sick leave if they don't already do so.
Workers covered by the Healthy Workplaces Act of 2021 may use the time off to recover from an illness or injury, assist an ailing family member or address covered legal or domestic situations. They will be able to accrue 64 hours annually in most cases — and will also be able to accumulate unused time year to year, although the employer does not have to allow them to take more than 64 hours off.
It’s a little complicated, but it’s also a game-changer for many New Mexico workers. We’ll dive into what it means, why it matters, and the difference it may make for people working around the state.
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about a new law impacting all New Mexico workers. As of July 1, private employers in New Mexico must allow their employees to earn paid sick leave if they don't already do so.
Workers covered by the Healthy Workplaces Act of 2021 may use the time off to recover from an illness or injury, assist an ailing family member or address covered legal or domestic situations. They will be able to accrue 64 hours annually in most cases — and will also be able to accumulate unused time year to year, although the employer does not have to allow them to take more than 64 hours off.
It’s a little complicated, but it’s also a game-changer for many New Mexico workers. We’ll dive into what it means, why it matters, and the difference it may make for people working around the state.
We’ll talk to Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Algernon D’Ammassa — who recently wrote about this for the newspaper — and to Stephanie Welch, the Workers' Rights Director for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. We’ll also be joined by Melissa Martinez from OLÉ — Organizers in the Land of Enchantment.
Episode 23: Paid Sick Leave
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about a new law impacting all New Mexico workers. As of July 1, private employers in New Mexico must allow their employees to earn paid sick leave if they don't already do so.
Workers covered by the Healthy Workplaces Act of 2021 may use the time off to recover from an illness or injury, assist an ailing family member or address covered legal or domestic situations. They will be able to accrue 64 hours annually in most cases — and will also be able to accumulate unused time year to year, although the employer does not have to allow them to take more than 64 hours off.
It’s a little complicated, but it’s also a game-changer for many New Mexico workers. We’ll dive into what it means, why it matters, and the difference it may make for people working around the state.
We’ll talk to Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Algernon D’Ammassa — who recently wrote about this for the newspaper — and to Stephanie Welch, the Workers' Rights Director for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. We’ll also be joined by Melissa Martinez from OLÉ — Organizers in the Land of Enchantment.
Episode 24: Nuclear Waste
This week, we’re talking about nuclear waste. In recent weeks, there has been a lot of news on this front, most of which is coming out of southeast New Mexico. The region has a long history with nuclear waste — dating back to the mid-1970s, when the area was first selected to be the site of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. There were bumps in the road along the way — lots of them, in fact. And it wasn’t until 1999 that WIPP received its first actual shipment of nuclear waste.
Now, new talks are underway about a second storage facility in the area — the consolidated interim storage facility. The proposed storage facility in New Mexico would ultimately have a capacity to hold up to 100,000 metric tons of spent nuclear at the surface in southeast New Mexico. One New Jersey-based company intends to transport its waste about 1,400 miles to the facility.
Additionally, New Mexico State University recently received millions of dollars in federal Department of Energy grants to explore the possibility of recycling nuclear waste.
We talk to reporter Adrian Hedden, the energy reporter from the Carlsbad Current-Argus — who frequently writes about nuclear waste — about big changes afoot for southeast New Mexico, which appears poised to become the nuclear storage capital of the world.
Episode 25: Christopher Smelser
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about the second-degree murder case against former Las Cruces Police Department officer Christopher Smelser. The case against Smelser, who stood accused of killing Antonio Valenzuela on Feb. 29, 2020, by placing him in what’s known as a vascular neck restraint, came to an abrupt end Thursday morning — the fourth day of the trial. That’s when 3rd Judicial District Judge Douglas Driggers granted the defense team’s motion for a “directed verdict,” essentially finding that the state had not met its burden of proof — and that a reasonable jury could not see it any other way.
The ruling came the morning after the state rested its case, having put 17 witnesses on the stand. And, with that, the charge was dismissed and Smelser walked out of the courthouse a free man.
The directed verdict is something defense attorneys ask for in nearly every jury trial; however, they’re almost never granted — at least in recent local memory.
We’ll talk to reporter Justin Garcia, who covers public safety, cops and courts for the Las Cruces Sun-News about the directed verdict heard around the state.
Episode 26: Latinos in the Outdoors
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about Latinos in the outdoors. This series, written by Mónica Ortiz Uribe at the El Paso Times, profiles several champions of the cause — and also features some ways southern New Mexico and El Paso residents can get out and enjoy our public spaces.
We’ll talk about how this series of stories came about, and then dive deeper into the individual stories of those profiled — like Nicole Roque, Eddie Misquez, Jerome Ford and Gabe Vasquez.
We’ll also talk about easily-accessible places that you can explore — pretty much “on the cheap” — if you’re in El Paso or southern New Mexico.
We’re joined by Mónica Ortiz Uribe, who talks about her reporting on this series.
Episode 27: Blind Drunk
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about alcohol — specifically, New Mexico’s crisis of alcohol-related deaths. In a massive eight-part series, New Mexico In Depth recently took a look at many of the reasons drinking kills New Mexicans at a far higher rate than anywhere else in the nation. And it’s getting worse, not better. In the thoroughly-reported series, reporter Ted Alcorn discovered a long history of failures by state leaders to address the escalating problem.
We’re joined by New Mexico In Depth Managing Editor Marjorie Childress and by Ted, who talks about his reporting on this series.
Episode 28: Cassie McClure
In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Cassie McClure, who has written the column “My So-Called Millennial Life” for the Las Cruces Sun-News for many years. Since then, it has been picked up and nationally syndicated by Creators — a media and syndication company that has represented more than 250 of the most talented writers and artists in the world. Its talent has won several Pulitzer Prizes, Reuben awards and Peabody awards.
In recent years, Cassie has also been a prolific freelance writer. She has worked for a number of publications around the city, and has also done freelance writing for some of the biggest employers in Doña Ana County. We wanted to talk to her about what is often called the “gig economy.” Cassie has also worked in a more traditional public relations job, so she has a unique perspective to share.
Thanks for listening this week, and remember you can subscribe to The Reporter's Notebook from the Las Cruces Sun-News on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart, TuneIn, Stitcher — and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
And, on behalf of all of us at the Sun-News, thank you for the privilege of your time.
Episode 29: A mass shooting in Canada
In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Lauren Villagran, who generally covers border issues for the El Paso Times. But she recently crossed a different border — the U.S./Canadian border — to take on an issue that is near and dear to the hearts of El Pasoans and fronterizos. Lauren traveled to Portapique, Nova Scotia, where, one night in April 2020, “in the time it took for the Bay of Fundy’s high tide to drain into the Atlantic and swell back up again to the wooded coast,” as Lauren wrote, “a deranged man gunned down 22 people in their homes and on the street, in Portapique and the idyllic communities that line the west shore.”
As Lauren notes, there were echoes of El Paso's Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting tragedy nine months earlier: the same number of initial victims, a shooter with easy access in the U.S. to "assault-style" firearms, a hashtag ending in "strong." But Canada’s response differed greatly from those in Texas and the United States.
Lauren was kind enough to join us this week to discuss her trip and her reporting.
Episode 30: Albuquerque's Muslim community heals
In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Justin Garcia, who covers public safety for the Las Cruces Sun-News. Justin recently traveled to Albuquerque in the wake of the killings of several Muslim men — which set the entire community on edge. Muslims in Albuquerque were fearful of an Islamophobic serial killer after four people were murdered over the span of several months.
But the reality of what happened was much more complicated and much harder to comprehend. On Aug. 9, police arrested 51-year-old Muhammed Syed, a Muslim and known community member. Syed was charged in two of the killings, and authorities say they are continuing to gather evidence to charge him in the other two.
Now, the community is working to move forward, both with grieving over the deaths and processing how a member of their community could have done this.
Justin was kind enough to join us this week to discuss what he learned during his time in Albuquerque.
Episode 31: Hatch Chile Fest turns 50
In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Leah Romero, who covers trending stories for the Las Cruces Sun-News — and NOTHING is more “trending” this time of year than Hatch Green Chile. We’re also joined by Adrian Hedden of the Carlsbad Current-Argus, who recently wrote about the chile crop — and the commencement of roasting — around the state.
This year, the annual Hatch Chile Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary. Leah has been working to track down residents who were there for the iconic festival’s beginnings. Adrian has been covering the upspring of chile roasters around Southeast New Mexico. Sometimes, the chile being roasted is from Hatch; other times, it’s from the Pecos Valley — which also grows some respectable green chile.
Leah and Adrian were kind enough to join us this week to discuss their coverage of these events.
Episode 32: Abe Romero
In this episode, we’re talking to Stephen Wagner, who is a sports reporter for the Sun-News. We’re talking about Abe Romero, a middle linebacker for Organ Mountain High School who was tragically injured after sustaining a hit Friday, Aug. 26, during his football team's 28-7 victory over Deming.
Romero sustained a hit in the second quarter that appeared minor; he got up and played a couple more downs before collapsing on the field. He was immediately taken by ambulance to Mimbres Memorial Hospital in Deming, where a medevac helicopter transferred him to a trauma center in El Paso.
The entire team took a knee on the field as the helicopter passed over the field. Since then, it’s been touch-and-go for Romero. He’s undergone multiple surgeries, and as of Friday, Sept. 2, he was still in the ICU. His prognosis remains unclear.
Stephen was kind enough to join us this week to discuss his coverage of Abe’s story — and how the Las Cruces football community has come together to support Abe’s family.
Episode 33: Darcy Morrison and youthful offenders
In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Algernon D’Ammassa, who generally covers statewide issues for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He recently spoke with Darcy Morrison, an inmate at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants. It’s a life she describes as “a quiet one.”
For much of the day, she works in the prison’s library, where she tutors other inmates. She told Algernon she completed her bachelor’s degree last year, and that she finds joy in teaching other inmates. After the daily 4 p.m. head count, she typically reads or watches “Jeopardy!” In her unit, inmates room together in pods of four. She said her companions are quiet and all get along well.
The New Mexico Corrections Department still lists her under her former married name, Darcy Smith. As a teenager, she was briefly wedded to Eric Smith, whom she described as violent and controlling in a relationship marked by substance abuse as well as physical and psychological violence. What led to Morrison’s arrest — and ultimately being sentenced to life in prison — dates back to a night in November 1992. It’s complicated, and at the end of the night, 17-year-old Adam Price was dead.
This week, we’re talking to Darcy, who was kind enough to join us to discuss her ongoing fight to have her sentence reconsidered. We’re also joined by attorneys Denali Wilson and Lalita Moskowitz from the American Civil Liberties Union — the ACLU — who are representing Darcy going forward.
Episode 34: Police shootings
In this week’s episode, we’re speaking to Justin Garcia, who covers public safety for the Sun-News. We’re returning to a familiar topic — talking about the number of police shootings in Doña Ana County this year.
We’ll speak in depth about the most recent shooting. It happened on the afternoon of Aug. 2, after Las Cruces police responded to a shoplifting call at a gas station. Over the next hour, the situation escalated and ended abruptly with 36-year-old Presley Eze killed by a police officer.
It was at least the fifth police shooting within Doña Ana County this year. Does this point to a trend? And, if so, what does it mean?
Episode 35: Michael McDevitt
This week, we’re speaking to Michael McDevitt, who has covered city and county government for the Sun-News for the past three years, since 2019. Michael will be moving on to a new opportunity in Chicago, where he attended college.
During his three years covering Las Cruces and Doña Ana County, Mike has seen a lot — and has shared his reporting with our community. There was the search for a new city manager, municipal elections, a historic city council election, the city’s first instance of ranked-choice voting, multiple initiatives, a few scandals and so much more.
Michael has been a relentless watchdog reporter and a true asset to the Sun-News newsroom. We’ll miss his keen reporting and his attention to detail when writing stories for Doña Ana County readers.
Episode 36: Yacone Family Tragedy
This week, we’re speaking to Algernon D’Ammassa. Algernon is an investigative and enterprise reporter for the Sun-News. We’re talking about the recent Yacone family tragedy — in which local restaurateur Bob Yacone is accused of killing his wife, Kimberly, before engaging deputies from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office in a shootout that left him injured.
As is often the case in situations like this, official information trickled out at a relatively slow pace. Meanwhile, in the newsroom, we were beginning to put the pieces together much more quickly.
Apart from the tragedy itself, the situation raised a number of ethical questions and prompted many conversations in our newsroom. It was important that our reporting be thoughtful, and that decisions be deliberate. This week, we’ll talk to Algernon about how he approached his coverage of this story — and his coverage of Bob Yacone through the years.
Episode 37: New Mexico Poet Laureates
In this week’s episode, we’re doing something a little different. We’re talking poetry. Specifically, we’re talking about the role of New Mexico’s Poet Laureate. But first, a little history.
In 2014, companion memorials in the New Mexico House and Senate requested that the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs develop a "New Mexico Poet Laureate position and program to foster a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry and to highlight the importance of poetry in the everyday life of ordinary and extraordinary people to the creation of the New Mexico Poet Laureate position."
Lack of funding, however, prevented the recommendation from being implemented.
Ultimately, SB 536 of the 2019 Regular Session of the New Mexico Legislature — signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on April 5, 2019 — allocated $107,000 to the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs for the creation of a state poet laureate program. On January 30, 2020, Albuquerque poet Levi Romero was appointed New Mexico's inaugural Poet Laureate.
Read more: A Poetry of Remembrance: Read New Mexico's inaugural Poet Laureate Levi Romero's poem
This made New Mexico the 46th state to offer an official state poet or state writer position.
Romero served as New Mexico Poet Laureate until Sept. 1 of this year, when Lauren Camp was named as the state’s second poet laureate. This week, we’re honored to be joined by both Levi and Lauren, who will talk about the role, the importance of poetry in everyday life, and the reward that comes from promoting literacy in the state.
Damien Willis is a Lead Reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at 575-541-5443, dwillis@lcsun-news.com or @DamienWillis on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Podcast roundup: Listen to 'The Reporter's Notebook'
