Impact of BLM Protests, Our Land Reveals Rio Grande Drying & Healthy Living in a Pandemic

This week on New Mexico in Focus, as lawmakers and the governor ready for a June 18 special session, The Line opinion panel welcomes Albuquerque Journal Capitol Bureau Chief Dan Boyd. He and other journalists are busy tracking revenue estimates and budget recommendations as the state looks to fill a nearly $2 billion hole in next year’s spending package. The panel includes Line regulars Dede Feldman and Diane Snyder, both of whom served in the New Mexico Senate. The group will also discuss local responses to the Black Lives Matter movement with host Gene Grant.    Correspondent Laura Paskus continues her series of talks with journalists covering COVID-19 by welcoming back New Mexico in Focus alumnus David Alire Garcia. Now a Mexico City-based correspondent for Reuters, Alire Garcia speaks about how Mexico has handled the pandemic. The pair also explores the economic impact of the novel coronavirus.    Native American pueblos and reservations continue to battle back from COVID-19. This week, correspondent Antonia Gonzales talks with three Native wellness activists about the health issues facing their communities, and about ways they’ve found to motivate themselves to get up and move during what can be a frightening time of lockdowns and quarantine.    Our Land returns for June, as correspondent Laura Paskus visits the dry bed of the Rio Grande south of Socorro and speaks with biologist Thomas Archdeacon about why the drying occurs, how it affects endangered fish, and why this year’s recovery of rare silvery minnows was complicated by COVID-19.