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Gov. Signs State Budget; COVID Five Years Later

This week on New Mexico in Focus, we examine the state budget and some of the bills Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed.  

Most of this week’s show revisits four stories that remain important today. It has been five years since the COVID pandemic hit our state. In this interview that first aired last year, Executive Producer Jeff Proctor sits down with Santa Fe-based public defender Jennifer Burrill and Michael Bird, former president of the American Public Health Association, to talk about the long-term physical and mental toll that Long COVID has taken on the state. 

In a conversation that first ran last summer, City Councilor Nichole Rogers speaks with Senior Producer Lou DiVizio about the International District being labeled a “pharmacy desert” — and how she plans to address residents’ pharmaceutical needs. 

Recorded in February, Lou speaks with a UNM researcher about a study that found high levels of microplastics in the human brain. 

“The Legacy Project” is an ongoing archival endeavor from the National Hispanic Cultural Center to preserve a dying Spanish dialect spoken in Northern New Mexico. In this segment that first ran in 2023, Lou speaks to center Director Zack Quintero about the project. 

Host: Jeff Proctor 

Segments: 
Gov. Lujan Grisham Signs State Budget, Vetoes Several Bills 
Correspondent: Jeff Proctor 

Long COVID in NM and the Pandemic’s Lasting Effects 
Correspondent: Jeff Proctor 
Guests: Jennifer Burrill, attorney, New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender 
Michael Bird, former president, American Public Health Association 

Providing Medical Access in a Pharmacy Desert 
Correspondent: Lou DiVizio 
Guest: Nichole Rogers, Albuquerque City Councilor, District 6 

New Report Examines Microplastics in the Human Brain 
Correspondent: Lou DiVizio 
Guest: Dr. Marcus Garcia, University of New Mexico Health Sciences 

Saving a Dying Spanish Dialect in Northern New Mexico 
Correspondent: Lou DiVizio 
Guest: Zack Quintero, director, National Hispanic Cultural Center