New Mexico News Podcast KRQE News 13

The U.S. Supreme Court is taking up a case that could impact how states and local agencies deal with homeless encampments. UNM School of Law Professor Joshua Kastenberg joins Gabby to discuss Albuquerque's current policies on encampments, and the local implications of the case known as Grants Pass v. Johnson. Are there similarities between this case and New Mexico's homeless issues? What immediate impacts can states expect after this Supreme Court decision, if any? 
We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

Victims are still struggling two years later to recover from the state’s largest, most destructive wildfire in New Mexico’s history. The government-sparked Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Wildfire burned through more than 341,000 acres, destroyed hundreds of homes, and displaced families across northern New Mexico. Pam Abreu shares her story with Gabby about challenges she’s faced since losing the family home her father built. Antonia Roybal-Mack, an attorney representing wildfire victims, also explains why dozens of New Mexicans are now suing FEMA. Are victims being repaid quickly enough? Where are families living now? How are generational homes being valued? 
Those questions and more are discussed in this week's episode. 
We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

Hundreds of New Mexicans are waiting for a life-saving organ donation from someone they may never meet. According to Donor Services, Kidneys are the most needed organ in New Mexico due to the increased risk of diabetes and kidney failure. This week, Victoria Yocum shares her journey as a young woman with a rare liver disease, the obstacles she navigated in the local healthcare system, and how she’s paying her gift forward today. Celina Espinoza, External Affairs Director with Donate Life New Mexico and New Mexico Donor Services explains some of the challenges locals face regarding organ donation. 
We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

More than 200 pending criminal cases - mostly DWIs - were dropped in Bernalillo County due to Albuquerque Police officers’ credibility being compromised. The now-former DWI officers are targets of a federal investigation that involves accusations officers were accepting money to get DWI cases dismissed. Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman joins Chris & Gabby for an in-depth discussion about why he had to drop so many cases, and how his office is addressing public trust issues in the criminal justice system. 
We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

Families in an Albuquerque neighborhood learned their plans to build a playground were quashed with the help of a former politician who lives near the park. KRQE News 13's Jessica Garate exposed the 'playground politics' where former Lt. Governor Diane Denish (2003-Jan. 1, 2011) is accused of using her political connections to get Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to line-item veto capital outlay funding that would have been used in Denish's neighborhood for the playground. The story addresses questions about equal access to city and state government. Jessica joins Chris & Gabby for an extended discussion about how this story unfolded, and the feedback she's received since it aired. 
Watch Jessica's story about Netherwood Park 
We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.

Fear of retaliation is one of the main reasons people hesitate to report knowledge of a crime. But in Albuquerque and across the country, tipsters can remain completely anonymous to Crime Stoppers, and receive reward money in return for helping law enforcement solve a crime. The origin story of Crime Stoppers starts in Albuquerque in 1976 with the murder of a gas station attendant and a detective putting up his own cash to try and generate leads from the public. It worked. Today, the program has evolved with technology and grown nationwide. How often do investigators rely on anonymous tips these days? How much reward money is getting paid out? Chris & Gabby host Alicia Hernandez of Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers to discuss those questions and more. 
We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.