New Mexico
Student podcast focuses on gun violence in Albuquerque
We’ve seen school threats cause lockdowns at campuses surrounded by police, and a handful of students are facing charges. That includes three metro teens accused of bringing guns on campus.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – We’ve seen school threats cause lockdowns at campuses surrounded by police, and a handful of students are facing charges. That includes three metro teens accused of bringing guns on campus.
Now, a group of teens is more than ready to have very grown-up conversations.
“It’s a really amazing way to help us spread awareness on how many youths and how many of us have been killed throughout our state and everywhere around the world,” said Briana Salazar, a college freshman.
Kaery Camacho and Salazar are just two of about 20 New Mexico students launching a new podcast series called “Aimed At Us.”
“Having experienced it, you always now have in mind in the back of your head, what if it will happen again?” said Salazar.
Before Salazar started college, she had already experienced a school shooting.
“There was two male students, and they had a confrontation with each other, and one of the male students pulled out his gun and unfortunately killed the other student, and it was right in front of our school,” Salazar said.
Camacho argues even if students haven’t gone through a shooting, many of them live with that potential fear.
“You’re not even safe at your school anymore,” Camacho said.
They both believe this podcast will give them and other students the chance to finally share their thoughts, worries, and ideas on what has become a continuous problem in New Mexico.
“They don’t want to listen to us, you know, like we’re the ones who are getting affected the most. We should be able to speak our truths,” said Camacho.
They plan on tackling all angles of the teen gun violence epidemic, speaking to people connected to both sides of the trigger.
“We are interviewing people who have been affected with gun violence, or people who have done gun violence, and see how that changed their lives and affected it, and how they’re doing better in their lives,” Camacho said.
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence is backing the effort and paying the students on the podcast.
“They’re deciding who they want to interview. So it’s not us. We’re just kind of helping in the background,” said Miranda Viscoli, co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence.
Viscoli says she hopes the podcast provides an outlet for New Mexico students who are on the frontlines of this state and national debate.
“Hear what these youth are going through, what these youth want to see changed, because they have real ideas. They have good ideas. and they’re extremely intelligent,” said Viscoli.
The podcast is supposed to launch in November. if you are a student who would like to be part of it, or know of one, just fill out the contact form on the New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence website.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Republican candidate for governor Duke Rodriguez is suing Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham over her executive order that started universal free child care before a new law takes effect.
The governor enacted the program through executive order in November.
Lawmakers passed a universal child care law during the past session, but that law does not take effect until May 20.
Rodriguez says he objects to some of the rules and to how the governor started the program. The suit asks the Second Judicial District Court to prohibit further enforcement of any regulations tied to the program.
“You could understand an outgoing governor trying to do it for political capital, for expediency just to say, I’m first in the nation.” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez says he is confident he will win and that the rules he is challenging will be struck down.
“We also now have what we call pre emptive eligibility, which means you don’t even have to prove you’re eligible and you’re covered the moment you walk in,” Rodriguez said. “All of those things individually and collectively that have been proposed and changed probably invite fraud, waste and abuse and you know it.”
The governor’s office responds
The governor’s office sent a statement saying the program was properly implemented and that the governor is confident the lawsuit will be rejected.
A spokesperson for the governor sent KOB 4 the following statement:
“This lawsuit makes clear that Mr. Rodriguez has a fundamental misunderstanding how state government works. He states that ECECD did not have the authority to undergo rulemaking regarding universal childcare. They do. He states that ECECD did not have the funding to implement the program when they did their rulemaking. They did. That is why the program was operational in December – before the 2026 Legislative session started. Perhaps more importantly, the lawsuit ignores that the legislature passed SB 241, which codified the program and its future funding into law. The governor is confident that the courts will reject his meritless claims.“
Woody is up for adoption with the City of Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare Department. Meet him here!
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In this Love 4 Pets, we have Woody, Zwei and Kanai, who are all up for adoption at the City of Albuquerque’s shelters.
Woody is looking for a loving home after going through the ringer. He came to Albuquerque Animal Welfare about a month ago after he was hit by a car. He’s healing from some pelvic fractures and is moving slowly so he can hang out in the backyard and go for short walks.
Woody is very smart and can sleep all night. They believe he is about nine years old and is believed to be a Lab mix. He’s very sweet and is house-trained.
Woody is set to be 100% ready soon. You can meet him in the video above or at the Eastside Animal Shelter (details).
We also have Zwei and Kenai.
Zwei:
An Australian Shepherd mix, Zwei is a little tripod who is a great companion, has wonderful manners and loves to lean into you for hugs. She walks beautifully on a leash and doesn’t miss a beat, even with only three legs.
Zwei is currently in foster care. If you are interested in adopting her, contact Albuquerque Animal Welfare to set up a time to visit her.
Kenai:
Kenai is a Labrador retriever mix. He is a friendly, affectionate boy who enjoys being around people and has good manners. He walks well on a leash and is very excited about exploring the world.
Kenai loves attention, toys (especially stuffed animals) and car rides. So, if you’re looking for an adventure buddy, you can meet him at the Westside Animal Shelter (details).
Grant’s Monday Night Forecast
A few evaporating rain showers are possible again Tuesday with warmer temperatures. Windier weather later this week will bring a high fire danger back to New Mexico.
It’s been a warm day with a few isolated showers and thunderstorms across central and northern New Mexico. Some of that rain has made it to the ground, while other showers have evaporated before reaching the surface. Temperatures have climbed into the 70s and 80s for most of the state. Showers will fade after sunset, with mostly clear skies overnight and mild temperatures.
Even warmer weather is on the way Tuesday with lighter winds. More areas will reach the 80s by the afternoon. A few spotty showers will develop again, especially near the mountains, with some of that rain evaporating before reaching the ground.
Winds pick up Wednesday afternoon, with gusts between 25 and 45 mph. This will begin another stretch of high fire danger across the state. The strongest winds arrive Thursday, with westerly gusts of 35 to 55 mph. That will expand the fire danger statewide. A dry cold front will move through Thursday as well, but temperatures will only drop slightly, ending up closer to average.
Breezy conditions continue Friday through the weekend as the jet stream pulls more moisture into New Mexico. That will bring increasing chances for rain and thunderstorms this weekend, with a few lingering into early next week.
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