State Auditor Tim Keller today said his office has conducted an initial investigation into alleged wrongdoing by senior-level officials of the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department. That investigation was sparked by tips from anonymous callers. KSFR's Zelie Pollon talked to the State Auditor to find out more. 

Given yesterday’s weather, it wasn’t a sure thing that the unofficial launch of the International Folk Art market would take place.

But the skies cleared and hundreds of folk artists joined the procession up at the St John’s field. We spoke with several of the artists, some of whom were glad to be away from a home country at war. KSFR's Zelie Pollon has the story. 

The biggest farmworkers' strike in recent American history ended about a month ago, but the outcome is still not clear.  By one measure fruit and vegetable pickers who had been making $8 a day, may now be paid 10, 11 or 12 dollars a day, although some of that money may come not just from the growers but from Mexican taxpayers.  Josh Rushing, correspondent of Al Jazeera America's newsmagazine Fault Lines described for KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE the work done for those paltry wages.

Officers stationed at the Santa Teresa port of entry have seized more than 3,400 pounds of marijuana from inside a flatbed trailer. Port Director Ray Provencio says the drugs were found July 1 when a commercial tractor hauling the empty trailer entered the port from Mexico. An officer at the primary inspection station selected the rig for an X-ray scan, which revealed a dense area in the floor of the trailer. A drug-sniffing dog also alerted to the trailer's floor. Officers drilled into the floor and discovered a green substance that tested positive for marijuana. Officers removed 687 bundles from the trailer bed. The estimated value topped $2.7 million. The driver, who was from Ciudad Juarez, was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

A man who allegedly fired shots at Albuquerque police before taking a hostage and holding up in an apartment for hours has been arrested. Police say 21-year-old Justin Brouillette was taken into custodyWednesday afternoon. They say no officers were hit in the shooting and police didn't fire their weapons. The hostage was able to escape before police arrested Brouillette. A SWAT team was called to negotiate with Brouillette, who police say was wanted on four felony warrants including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police say the man was stopped earlier Wednesday for not having license plates or tags on his vehicle. He got out of the car and shot at officers, then carjacked another vehicle and fired more shots before breaking into a home and taking a hostage.

Santa Fe City Councilors have asked the Transportation Department to slow down the finalization of remodel plans for the municipal airport. According to the Santa Fe Reporter, those who have spoken out against the design protested the lack of forums for public comment on the plan, and said they felt architects could do better in reconfiguring the interior space use at the one-terminal airport. City Councilor Signe Lindell said she wants to make sure Santa Fe doesn’t end up paying twice to get a workable remodel. City Councilor Patti Bushee pointed out that vendors at the airport, such as rental car companies, have been consulted in the process, but community members who use the airport have not. Transportation Director Jon Bulthuis has agreed to arrange a public notice and meeting on the renovation plans before moving forward.

A Rio Rancho man indicted on charges that he falsified EMT records is being asked to appear before a judge later this month for arraignment. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports 47-year-old David Phillips hasn't been arrested but is suspected of altering a certificate to pass himself off as an emergency medical technician from September 2013 to February 2014. No phone listing could be found for Phillips in the Rio Rancho area and it couldn't immediately be determined Wednesday whether he has an attorney who could comment on the allegations. Health Department spokesman Kenny Vigil said in an email that the Emergency Medical Services Bureau confirmed Phillips was not and had never been licensed to provide emergency medical care. The bureau encourages agencies statewide to verify EMT licenses.

A former New Mexico Supreme Court judge is dead at age 89. Harry Stowers died Wednesday morning. His widow says Stowers was in a car crash in June 2014 and doctors who treated him discovered he had cancer. Joyce Stowers says her husband ultimately died of complications from the disease. Harry Stowers was a native New Mexican who served on the state Supreme Court from 1982 to 1989. He previously worked as a prosecutor and city attorney in Albuquerque, as a judge in the 2nd Judicial District and an attorney in private practice. After leaving the Supreme Court, Stowers was elected mayor of the Village of Los Ranchos for one term. Besides his wife, he's survived by two daughters, one son and a sister.

Yesterday brought heavy rain, two rounds of hail, and flash-flooding to Santa Fe. And according to the Albuquerque Journal, yesterday was the light day in a week of intense precipitation— Deirdre Kann of the National Weather Service in Albuquerque says there’s plenty more to come today and tomorrow.

State game officials say heavy rain has washed away any tracks of a bear sought after it bit a teenage girl who was inside a tent near Raton. The Game and Fish Department the teenage girl was treated at a hospital for minor injuries to her arm and ear after the bear bit her through the tent's wall early Monday. The incident occurred during a family gathering at a home and the homeowner fired warning shots to scare at the bear, which was described as young. By the time officers were called to the scene later Monday morning, a heavy rainstorm had washed away any tracks and scent that might have helped officers find the bear. The department says officers set a trap in case the bear returns.

In National news…

Native American youth from across the nation are gathering in Washington, D.C., for a special summit called by the White House. More than 875 teens representing 230 tribes will meet Thursday with First Lady Michelle Obama and cabinet members to discuss economic opportunity, education, cultural issues and other topics. It's part of Generation Indigenous, or Gen-I, a White House initiative that kicked off earlier this year with a brainstorming session in Albuquerque. The initiative stems from a visit last year by the Obamas to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, which straddles the border between the Dakotas. Meetings followed, cabinet members conducted listening tours, and tribal youth were chosen as ambassadors. Officials say the goal is to remove barriers blocking tribal youth from reaching their potential.

The long-expected moment when Latinos surpass whites as California's largest racial or ethnic group has come and gone. According to U.S. Census Bureau figures released in late June, Hispanic Californians began to narrowly outnumber white Californians sometime in the first half of 2014. As of July 1, 2014, the state had about 15 million Latinos to about 14.9 million non-Hispanic whites. Demographers had expected the shift for decades as the state's Hispanic population boomed due to immigration and birth rates. Many thought it would happen sooner than it did, but a slight decline in population pushed it to last year. California joins New Mexico as the second state with a Latino plurality. Hawaii, with its large Asian population, is the third state where whites are not the largest ethnic group.

This past weekend KSFR in partnership with Rotary Santa Fe and their annual Pancakes on the plaza fundraising event, broadcast live from the Plaza. Our Times with Craig Barnes had a surprise visit from not only Mayor Javier Gonzales but also New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio who was vacationing in the city different. Barnes spoke with both mayors about income equality and a subject on the agenda at this evening’s city council meeting, Public banking. Barnes interviews DeBlasio first.

This year will be the 10^th year that Afghan artist Rangina Hamidi and the cooperative she represents called Khandahar treasure will be at the International Folk Art Market which begins on Friday. Initially supported by Santa Fe business owners Ira and Sylvia Seret, the response to their textiles was so overwhelming they were invited back every year. Rangina begins by describing her textile work.

In partnership with the New Mexico Attorney General's office, KSFR has launched a series of reports on consumer protection issues.  Today's story on mortgage foreclosure is the first in that series. 

New Mexico is embarking on the final phase of an effort to modernize the state's election management and voter registration system, but officials say some changes won't be fully implemented until after the 2016 general election. The secretary of state's office briefed lawmakers on its progress during a meeting this week in Albuquerque. The agency already has updated the candidate filing system and streamlined the reporting of election results, but work has yet to start on revamping voter registration. The agency's technology chief, Kari Fresquez, says one of the goals is to make it easier for voters to access and update their information online, look up election dates, find polling places and read sample ballots. The Legislature has approved $1.4 million for the agency to finish the project.

An Albuquerque man who pleaded guilty to providing state driver's licenses to immigrants who were in the country illegally has been sentenced to three years of probation. 34-year-old Eduardo Chavez pleaded guilty to forgery and possession of an altered, forged or fictitious license and was sentenced Tuesday. Court documents state that Chavez was indicted on six charges in January. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested him in November 2014 on suspicion of selling false residency documents to immigrants, which were then used to obtain licenses. Since 2003, New Mexico has allowed foreign nationals to get driver's licenses in the state, regardless of immigration status, upon passing driving tests and proving residency. Chavez said Tuesday that people coming here illegally are doing so because they have to.

"Better Call Saul" is coming back for a second season. New Mexico Film Office Director Nick Maniatis announced Tuesday that AMC has renewed the "Breaking Bad" spinoff starring Bob Odenkirk and it again will be filmed in Albuquerque. Officials say "Better Call Saul," produced by Sony Pictures Television, will employ at least 75 New Mexico crewmembers. "Better Call Saul" follows Jimmy McGill, played by Odenkirk, who later changes his name to Saul Goodman and becomes an attorney for drug lords in "Breaking Bad." Odenkirk played the lawyer of Bryan Cranston's character, methamphetamine lord Walter White, in "Breaking Bad." That AMC series was also filmed in Albuquerque.

US Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico wants federal data centers to become more energy-efficient. Heinrich teamed up with Jim Risch of Idaho, a Republican colleague from the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in introducing a measure Tuesday that aims to save taxpayer dollars and shrink the federal government’s carbon footprint. The Energy Efficient Government Technology Act would require the federal government to come up with strategies to reduce energy consumption at data centers. According to a release from Heinrich’s office, these data centers consume more than six billion kilowatt-hours of energy every year. That’s about what it would take to power 530,000 households, and costs taxpayers over 600 million dollars annually.

Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales will host his first Twitter Town Hall tomorrow, July 8th, between 2:30 and 3:30 PM. Use the hashtag #TwitterTownHall to tweet your questions, and he’ll reply to as many as time allows using the same hashtag. Mayor Gonzales looks forward to questions about his goals for Santa Fe, and how things work at City Hall, as well as suggestions for how he and his staff can better serve Santa Feans.

Community groups will hold a Town Hall meeting in Albuquerque to organize opposition to Governor Susana Martinez’s plan to reduce food assistance to certain demographics. The meeting will take place tomorrow, Wednesday July 8th, from 6-8 PM at the South Broadway Cultural Center. On May 29th, the Governor’s office released a proposed regulation to require work activities as a condition for parents, teenagers, and adults over 50 to receive SNAP benefits. These changes would create the most austere regulations allowed by law. The “Fight the Hunger, Not the Hungry” Town Hall Meeting is planned as an opportunity for those who cannot attend a Human Services Department hearing on July 17th to share their concerns. Comments will be collected at the town hall and then submitted to the Human Services Department.

In National News…

A Navajo Nation utility has been fined $25,000 for discharging more pollutants into a waterway than its permit allowed. The fine was announced Tuesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its counterpart on the Navajo Nation. Under settlements with the agencies, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority must bring its Window Rock treatment plant into full compliance by the end of the year. The utility also agreed to build new infrastructure for the treatment plant. The EPA says an inspection revealed that the tribal utility had been sending too many pollutants into the Black Creek, a tributary of the Puerco River, since at least 2011. The tribe's Water Quality program brought an enforcement action. The treatment plant serves more than 13,000 people in Apache County on the reservation.

House Republicans are proposing that some wildfires be treated like federal disasters, an attempt to win broader support for legislation that targets overgrown national forest lands. The bill set to be considered by the House on Thursday would speed up timbering projects to improve the health of forests. The disaster language would allow federal agencies to tap into a disaster fund if they run out of money allocated for fighting fires. The Obama administration has also proposed tapping disaster money for certain wildfires. Currently, agencies have to divert funds from other programs if the firefighting money is exhausted. But that practice delays the very efforts designed to prevent fires, such as thinning dead trees. The administration calls the House bill a step forward, but says it doesn't go far enough.

And the weather in Santa Fe: Today, Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Tonight and tomorrow, the chance of thunderstorms at 50%, with an overnight low of 55.

Taking a look at the rest of the week: the chance of thunderstorms remains high through Friday evening, dropping to 30% on Saturday and tapering over the weekend. Expect daytime highs in the high 70s to low 80s.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

Americans have used fireworks to commemorate Independence Day since July 4^th, 1777, the first anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Every city worth its salt has a fireworks display. But here in Northern New Mexico, the threat of wildfires makes it impossible to take the using fireworks for granted. KSFR’s Kate Powell has the information you need to stay safe if you plan to light your own fireworks this weekend. 

If you decide to head up to Taos and cooler temperatures for your 4th of July weekend, there’s plenty of celebrations going on. Melody Romancito has the story.

Some people in Santa Fe will be celebrating the 4th of July in a different way this year, by reading the famous Frederick Douglass speech delivered before a white audience in 1852. Reading organizer Sunshine Muse says the speech by the African American abolitionist and former slave called “What to the Slave is the 4th of July” is as relevant today as it ever was.

In this Independence Day edition of Equal Time, host Martha Burk reflects on Abigail Adams' entreaty to her Founding Father husband, John Adams: All men may be created equal, but don't forget the ladies! 

Friday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon.

According to our state’s economic development department, this year’s Special legislative session brought an unprecedented opportunity to bring new businesses to New Mexico. I spoke with Juan Torres with the State Economic Development Department about the LEDA program and why Santa Fe is still such a difficult place to run a business.

There’s a new community project in Taos that is aimed at bridging the generation gap while teaching old and new technologies. Melody Romancito has the story.

As part of a recently-reached settlement between the State of New Mexico and the Federal Department of Energy, the State will get 73-million dollars to compensate for the mistakes at the Los Alamos National Lab and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant that produced an explosion that forced the WIPP site to close for as much as 5 years, at a cost of more than half a billion dollars.  Past of that money will go to a new plan for oversight of the Labs.  On HERE AND THERE, KSFR'S Dave Marash asked reporter Staci Matlock of The New Mexican about how that new oversight would work. 

A number of New Mexico representatives are in town this week, including US Senator Martin Heinrich. KSFR’s Zelie Pollon brings us this story.

The US Department of Justice said the Albuquerque Police Department culture fostered too much officer violence against citizens, and the APD says it is complying with orders to change that.  But Retired Albuquerque Police Sergeant Dan Klein told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE that the record shows, little has actually changed, counterproductive recourse to violence continues.

Among the businesses awarded for excellence this year by the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce was newcomer Sweet Lily Bakery, located just near the O’Keefe museum. We paid a visit to the bakery which smelled of fresh baked sweets and asked owner Melinda Gipson to tell us about her road to success.

Thursday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Wednesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Santa Fe County will hold a public hearing this evening to receive further comments on its proposed Solid Waste Management and Recycling Ordinance - this public hearing follows a round of public meetings held during May throughout the County on the proposed Ordinance. KSFR’s Marion Cox talks to Craig OHare, of Santa Fe's Public Works Department, about the controversial ordinance.

The County meeting space is directly behind the Lensic theatre on Sandoval street. If passed, any new “waste hauling” schemes will likely not take effect until late 2016.

Organizations often try to get their message across using humor. One such protest against a gathering of top energy executives will take place tomorrow, July 1 in Albuquerque. Sebastian Huerta has more.

Last week Boston Marathon Bomber Dzokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death for the 2013 attack called one of the worst terrorist attacks in American history.  3 people were killed and 268 were injured.  During his sentence the 21 year old bomber broke a long silence, apologizing for his actions saying he was quote “sorry for the lives that I've taken, for the suffering that I've caused you, for the damage that I've done. Irreparable damage.

Legal Affairs writer Denise Lavoie of the Associated Press Boston Bureau is the lead author a newly-released e- and text-book on the bombing, and she told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE about how she was caught up in covering the story.

AP Legal Affairs correspondent Denise Lavoie, who covered the Boston Marathon bombing story through the conviction and death sentence of the surviving bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Today Dr. Erica Elliott talks about Mold and their more dangerous counterparts: Microtoxins

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

This month The US Department of Agriculture has been focusing on rural communities and celebrating Farm to Table programs. New Mexico’s Farm to Table program is led by Pam Roy who also coordinates the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council. KSFR's Zelie Pollon asked her to explain what Farm to Table does throughout the state and how their work is changing our access and our children’s to fresh food.

In a 5-4 decision this morning the US Supreme Court blocked one of the Obama administration’s most ambitious environmental initiatives, meant to limit emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants. KSFR spoke with Steve Michel, Chief Counsel for Energy Programs with Western Resource Advocates on what today’s decision means.

In this edition of The Sporting Life, host Dan DeFrancesco reflects on the outcomes of his early predictions for the Women's World Cup soccer competition in Canada. Dan's second order of business is his fear that MLB's emerging stars might be putting the grandstand ahead of the grand slam. 

Monday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Local News at Noon presented by Jeremy Zelik

New Mexico non profits have to get creative in the ways they raise money. This idea may give you “paws,” but the Animal Humane Society of New Mexico may have come up with the best idea yet with a cat video festival beginning today. KSFR’s Jeremy Zelik has the story    

Pride is more than just a celebration of how far we’ve come as a community: It’s also a time to reflect on how far we still have to go. Thousands of New Mexicans are living with HIV or AIDS diagnoses, and dozens die each year as a result of HIV and AIDS. Local nonprofit Southwest CARE Center works tirelessly to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS, and to improve the lives and health outcomes of New Mexicans living with these diseases. KSFR’s Kate Powell sat down with Kelly Mytinger (MIGHT-ing-er), Outreach Program Manager at Southwest CARE Center, to talk about an important HIV testing event taking place this Saturday on the Plaza.    

Santa Fe’s most popular hangout for kids and teenagers is having a birthday bash this weekend. KSFR’s Dennis Carroll reports from Warehouse 21    

One of the last stops for the American Idol talent show auditions heading into this fall’s final season, is Santa Fe.  As of 7a.m. about 50 wannabees lined up at Santa Fe’s Railyard Park.  KSFR’s Deborah Martinez was there, as teens and their parents, and youth as old as 28 prepared for the sing-off.    

Friday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

How -- and not whether -- Santa Fe develops is the topic of much discussion, and nowhere moreso than at last night’s city council meeting. KSFR's Zelie Pollon spoke with City Councilor Patti Bushee about Wednesday's meeting and the decision to reject a new housing development along Agua Fria Street.

As the Public Regulation Commission granted PNM more time to finalize its plan for San Juan Generating Station, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced he no longer supports PNM's current proposal. The AG says PNM's intention to replace energy lost when it shuts down two units at its coal-fired power plant near Farmington with a combination of other resources, including more coal, is "not good enough." KSFR At Noon hosts Zelie Pollon and Tom Trowbridge spoke to Balderas spokesman James Hallinan and Environment New Mexico State Director Sanders Moore about the Attorney General's stance on PNM's plan, and about good alternatives to coal power in New Mexico.  

Thursday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Local News with Kate Powell

Will younger generations of Santa Fe residents be able to live closer to downtown than some of their parents who have been pushed to the southside as housing has become less affordable?  That’s the question developers of a multi-story apartment complex pledge to answer with their sustainable project planned for Agua Fria Street.  But as KSFR’s Deborah Martinez reports, the plan has not been endorsed by the city’s planning commission or by some property owners living in the area.

Democratic lawmakers felt the brunt of Gov. Susana Martinez's 42 capital outlay project vetoes, with 27 of those projects sponsored solely by Democrats. KSFR's Zelie Pollon spoke with New Mexico InDepth’s Sandra Fish who wrote about the Governor’s vetoes in this year’s Capital Outlay.

Tonight is opening night for one of Santa Fe’s most family friendly events: The Rodeo De Santa Fe. KSFR's Zelie Pollon spoke with rodeo spokesman Jess Franks about this year’s event.

Today on Dr. Erica Elliott’s Medical Insights we take a look at Vegan and vegetarianism -- when it works and when it doesn’t.

Wednesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

New Mexico’s State Police are issued reverse opiod drug, Naloxone. They are trained to respond to Heroin Overdoses. Juan Rios spoke with KSFR’s Sebastian Huerta about this new plan. It’s called Narcan.

Starting a small business is a challenge pretty much anywhere and at any time. Managing that small business in Santa Fe, by many accounts, you can multiply those challenges. So when a business lasts five ten and then 20 years, it’s worth celebrating. Take Sarcon construction, run by Peter Brill, which just marked its 20th year.

Basketball star Jamaal Wilkes has lived a life of many changes. His very successful athletic career was ended prematurely by a devastating knee injury.  And, he told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, his spiritual life, begun under the tutelage of  a father who was a Christian minister, moved through Islam and a touch of Buddhism, back to Christianity today. 

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's local news at noon

In Today's "The Sporting Life," KSFR's Dan DeFrancesco discusses parades held by newly-crowned championship teams.

The City of Santa Fe recently launched a new sample tourism advertising campaign. But, as KSFR’s Alan Dee tells us, the new effort has created a stir.

Representatives of New Mexico and Texas’ oil and gas industry, electric cooperatives and utilities recently heard from Governor Susana Martinez on energy issues.  Martinez on Friday citing as her energy accomplishments the relaxing of environmental regulations and the reduced permitting time for oil and gas exploration.  KSFR’s Deborah Martinez shares with us some of the highlights of the Governor’s remarks to the region’s energy council meeting held in Santa Fe through the weekend.

KSFR's Local News at Noon

 If several groups of plaintiffs' attorney and Federal investigators have it right, a massive fraud helped place inferior counterfeit spinal rods and screws inside hundreds of unsuspecting patients, some of whom say they are in pain, and some doctors add, may be in real danger.  Investigative reporter Karen Foshay OF AL JAZEERA AMERICA told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, as many as 15 surgeons and 17 hospitals may have been involved in a scam that allegedly bilked insurance companies of hundreds of millions of dollars. 

In Part 1 of KSFR’s story about on-line dating scams, reporter Mary Lou Cooper spoke with AARP fraud specialist Dr. Doug Shadel.  Shadel told  the story of “Amy,” a widow who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to an anonymous romance scammer.  In today’s follow-up piece, we learn more about Amy and about the love con artists who prey on vulnerable men and women.

Earlier this week the Bernalillo County Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve the first step for a Master plan for a controversial housing development called Santolina. Critics opposed to the plan say it will take more than its share of water and is unnecessary considering the lack of growth in the Albuqueque area. Douglas Meiklejohn of the Environmental Law Center spoke to us on wednesday about their pending lawsuit. Representatives of the plan also wanted their voices heard. KSFR's Zelie Pollon spoke to Tom Garritty of The Garrity group which represents the development on how they see the development helping New Mexico's growth.

Monday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Friday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Jeremy Zeilik brings you local news at noon. 

Today in The Vatican, Pope Francis’ encyclical spotlighted our consumerist culture and called on all people to receive his letter with open hearts.

The encyclical called “Laudato Si” or Praise be to you, was followed by a press conference here in the United States at the Washington Press Club in Washington DC. That’s where the President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville Kentucky, gave his response. 

John Thavis is the former Rome Bureau Chief of Catholic News Service covering the Vatican for 30 years. He is author of the book Vatican Diaries and spoke with us today about the uniqueness of today’s Encyclical “Laudato Si” by Pope Francis. 

Is it true love or is it a romance scam?  In the first of a two-part series, KSFR reporter Mary Lou Cooper takes a look at the costliest Internet-facilitated crime in the nation.

Local news with Kate Powell.  

Last night in Bernalillo County, Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve a Master plan for a controversial housing development that planners say will accommodate more than 90,000 people in the coming decades. Critics are vowing legal challenges for what they call a plan that takes too much water for too few people. KSFR’s Zelie Pollon asked Environmental Law Center Director Douglas Meiklejohn to explain the plan and why he is representing the lawsuit against the development.

Santa Fe is enjoying a relatively mild summer, but that doesn't mean it's any safer to leave children or pets unattended in parked cars. As a matter of fact, it can lull caretakers into a false sense of safety, putting vulnerable children and pets in even greater danger of hyperthermia. KSFR's Kate Powell talked to John McPhee, coordinator of the Childhood Injury Unit of the state Department of Health, about this danger, and other risks drivers may not think about when they step out of their cars in the summer. 

There has been a major breakthrough in the application of data-mining to medical research.  Scientists at the Stanford University Medical School examined medical records of some 3 million people, and found what they called "an association" between 3 widely-used heartburn drugs and fatal heart attacks.  Lenny Bernstein, the Health Blogger for the Washington Post told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, the study could be bad news for the makers and takers of Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec.

Wednesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Local News with Kate Powell

Environmentalists say the number of cougars that have been killed by hunters is already high enough. But, ranchers and trappers say they need to increase the kill. Melody Romancito has the story from Taos.

On today’s Medical Insights segment, Dr. Erica Elliott continues her discussion on the Cholesterol Controversy.

Investigative reporter Joseph Sorrentino described to KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE how pressure from the Obama White House to keep Central American migrants from getting to the US border, has convinced the Mexican government to close to once-favored route north, the freight trains collectively known as La Bestia -- The Beast.  He told Dave how the Mexicans have done this.  

Investigative reporter Joseph Sorrentino who says unchanged conditions of violence and unemployment continue to push the migrants north, if no longer by train, on buses, in vans and on foot.  Today on HERE AND THERE, Dave's guest is Washington Post Health blogger Lenny Bernstein , talking about a collation of Big Data that strongly suggests a connection between several widely used heartburn medicines and fatal heart attacks.   That's HERE AND THERE, right after the 5 o'clock news.

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Local News by Tom Trowbridge

On Mondays during ‘At Noon’ we hear from KSFR’s Dan DeFrancesco and his weekly look at news from the sorting world. 

The work of trail-blazing photo-journalist Margaret Bourke-White is on display in downtown Santa Fe. The Monroe Gallery of Photography opened in Santa Fe in 2002, re-locating from Manhattan where it stood near the targeted World Trade Center towers on September 11th, 2001. The Monroe Gallery specializes in classic black & white photography with an emphasis on humanist and photojournalist imagery. Sid Monroe co-owns the gallery with his wife, Michelle.The Bourke-White exhibit at the Monroe Gallery runs through June 28^th.

Construction on the Diverging Diamond Interchange begins in earnest this week. Be ready for some lane closures and delayed travel times. KSFR’s Zélie Pollon spoke with from one of the engineers on the project to find out what's in store.

Monday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Friday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Thursday morning's top news stories from KSFR

The New Mexico Department of Transportation is close to wrapping-up an update to its Statewide Long-Range Multimodal Transportation Plan. The draft plan has been the subject of numerous public meetings and opportunities for citizen input. KSFR's Tom Trowbridge spoke with Claude Morelli, the Project Manager for the Plan. Morelli says a new focus on asset management is a departure from previous long-range plans adopted by the NMDOT.

With summer here, the annual Music On The Hill at Saint John's College kicks off tonight at 6pm. KSFR's Kate Powell talked to Douglas Maahs, chairman of the board of advisors for Music On The Hill, about how best to enjoy this summer's schedule of free concerts, and about what's new this year.

It started in April 2012, when a dozen Secret Service agents advancing a trip by President Obama to Colombia were caught carousing with prostitutes.  It turns out the misbehavior of Secret Service agents back at least another 5 years. What started with the Columbia caper was the investigative reporting of Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post, which won her a second Pulitzer Prize in the last 2 years.  What she found, Leonnig told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, was a Secret Service culture of cover-up and denial whenever the team responsible for the President's protection did something wrong.  A more recent example was the March 2015 incident in which two very high-ranking agents, both suspected of being drunk, used their car to nudge aside a security barricade and almost ran over a suspected bomb left in front of the White House. The whole misadventure went officially un-reported until Leonnig broke the story.

After failing to pass a bill in the 60-day Legislative session to fund construction projects across New Mexico, state lawmakers made a second attempt and passed a bill in a one-day special session that will put people to work.  KSFR’s Deborah Martinez has more on that bill and two others on the agenda.

The use of militarized drones has not transformed the battlefield. That from RAND Corporation military analyst Lynn Davis, who told KSFR's Dave Marash on HERE AND THERE, that  because they can only be used against enemies, like terrorist groups, they lack modern air defense systems.  But, when Dave noted that that the impunity drones give to their launchers has made it politically easier for leaders to go to war, Davis responded.

Here and There airs Monday-through-Thursday on KSFR, right after the five o’clock news.

Women’s World Cup Soccer tournament got underway this weekend in Canada, amidst a scandal surrounding FIFA’s leadership.  The BBC’s Alex Capstick looks at the cup’s launch including the controversy regarding artificial turf.

Wednesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.

KSFR's Kate Powell brings you local news at noon.