New Mexico in Focus; 1427; Laura Ingalls Wilder's Biographer, Top Stories of 2020, American Masters on PBS

>>FUNDING FOR NEW MEXICO IN MCCUNE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, >>GENE: THIS WEEK ON NEW MEXICO AIRS ITS AMERICAN MASTERS WILDER, WE TALK WITH HER >>FRASER: I WANTED TO LOOK AT LIFE AND SHOW HOW HER LIFE WAS ALL THESE MAJOR MOVEMENTS. >>GENE: AND OUR YEAR-END LOOK AT 2020'S TOP STORIES CONTINUES WITH THE BIGGEST STORIES OF THE YEAR THAT WAS. NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS STARTS NOW. >>GENE: THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS WEEK. I'M YOUR HOST, GENE GRANT. LAURA INGALLS WILDER WAS ONE OF THE 20TH CENTURY'S MOST CELEBRATED WRITERS. HER "LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE" SERIES WAS PART MEMOIR, PART FICTION. IT FUELED THE FRONTIER MYTH... BUT AS THE CENTURY TURNED, SO TOO, DID PUBLIC ATTENTION ON HER LIFE AND HER PORTRAYAL OF MINORITIES. WE'LL LOOK BACK AT OUR 2018 INTERVIEW WITH CAROLINE FRASER, WHO WON

A PULITIZER PRIZE FOR HER BIOGRAPHY. AND AS IS OUR CUSTOM, WE'LL FINISH OUR LOOK AT THE YEAR'S TOP STORIES. THERE WAS NO SHORTAGE OF COVID-19-RELATED TOPICS IN THE FIRST HALF OF OUR LIST - INCLUDING THE DISEASE'S IMPACT ON VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, WORK AND FAMILY LIFE, THE MASK CONTROVERSY, AND OF COURSE, EDUCATION. WHILE NOTHING HAS TRULY BEEN LEFT UNTOUCHED BY THE PANDEMIC, THIS WEEK, WE BRANCH OUT INTO SOME OF THE 2020'S OTHER BIG NEWS STORIES IN NEW MEXICO. HERE'S OUR PANEL OF JOURNALISTS. >> Gene: WE'VE ARRIVED AT OUR TOP FIVE. NOW, BEFORE WE JUMP IN, A REMINDER, THIS LIST IS NONSCIENTIFIC AND ONLY REPRESENTS THE THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS OF THE NEW MEXICO InFOCUS TEAM, WITH SOME HELP AND INPUT FROM A FEW OTHERS, AS WELL. WE'D LOVE FOR YOU TO CHIME IN WITH YOUR THOUGHTS ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE. I'D LOVE TO READ THOSE OVER THE HOLIDAY. NOW, BACK TO FINISH OFF THE LIST THIS WEEK IS OUR WORKING JOURNALISTS, THE LINE PANEL FROM AROUND THE STATE. NEWS DIRECTOR AT THE CARLSBAD CURRENT-ARGUS. ALSO WITH US IS JULIE ANN

GRIMM, SHE'S THE EDITOR AND PUBLISHER OF THE SANTA FE REPORTER. ANDY LYMAN IS BACK, HE'S A REPORTER AT THE NEW MEXICO POLITICAL REPORT. AND CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF FOR THE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL, DAN BOYD IS WITH US, AS WELL. ALL RIGHT, GUYS, OUR 5th STORY OF THE YEAR IS CLIMATE CHANGE AND ALL THAT IT ENTAILS. THIS IS ONE THAT MADE EVERYONE'S LIST AS WE VOTED IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER. AND JESSICA, I THINK YOU HAD IT CLOSE TO THE TOP OF YOUR LIST, IF I RECALL. WHAT DID YOU SEE IN YOUR COVERAGE THAT HAD THIS IN THE FRONT OF YOUR MIND? >> Jessica: OUR PORTION OF THE STATE IS HUGE OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT, SO CLIMATE CHANGE IS ONE OF THOSE PRIMARY TOPICS THAT WE TALK ABOUT ALL THE TIME. WE RUN INTO THE ISSUE OF POLLUTION, AIR POLLUTION, OZONE POLLUTION. WE RUN INTO THE ISSUE OF POLLUTING OF OUR NATURAL AND PUBLIC LANDS HERE, AND OF OUR WATER SOURCES, AS WELL. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT GENERAL IMPACT FROM AN INDUSTRY POINT OF VIEW. BUT ALSO, WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF ACTIVITY FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

IN THE STATE I FEEL, IN MY OPINION, RECENTLY REALLY ADDRESSING THE ISSUE. >> Gene: DAN BOYD, NOT COVID DEPENDENT, THOUGH, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKED EARLY ON FOR SOME INDUSTRIES TO POLICE THEMSELVES. ANY IMPACT YOU SAW FROM THIS? >> Dan: YEAH. I MEAN, I THINK MAYBE ARGUE EITHER WAY THAT THAT MAYBE OPENED UP SOME NEW FEDERAL LANDS IN NEW MEXICO TO OIL AND GAS ACTIVITIES, WHICH ON THE ONE HAND BENEFITS STATE REVENUES, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND I THINK THERE IS CONCERN, LIKE JESSICA MENTIONED, ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THAT. AND I THINK LOOKING AHEAD NOW WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN, THERE'S BEEN TALK ABOUT MAYBE BANNING NEW OIL LEASES ON FEDERAL LAND AND WHAT THAT COULD MEAN FOR NEW SO I THINK WE ARE KIND OF SEEMINGLY AT A CROSSROADS HERE ON SOME OF THOSE ISSUES AND NOT QUITE SURE YET WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE GOING BUT OBVIOUSLY NEW MEXICO IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THAT GIVEN SOME OF THE OIL AND

GAS DEVELOPMENT IN THE PERMIAN AND THE ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY, BUT ALSO THE REAL CONCERN ABOUT THE WAY SOME THINGS ARE TRENDING AND PROTECTING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES FOR THE FUTURE. >> Gene: ANDY, YOU MENTIONED THE RIO GRANDE DRYING IN ONE OF THE BULLETS ON YOUR LIST, SOMETHING WE MIGHT SEE, BUT THE IMPACT OF IT, WHAT IT MEANS FOR WATER USERS DOWNSTREAM OR OUR BATTLE WITH TEXAS, WHAT'S THE UPSHOT YOU MIGHT BE SEEING FOR 2021 HERE? >> Andy: I DON'T THINK THAT THIS YEAR WAS A TON DIFFERENT THAN OTHER YEARS, AND PROBABLY NEXT YEAR WOULD BE, I WOULD SAY, THE SAME. IT'S KIND OF THIS ONGOING THING. AND AGAIN, THE THEME OF ALL OF THIS PANDEMIC IS SORT OF HIGHLIGHTING STUFF THAT WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK OVER BEFORE. YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY DOWN IN JESSICA'S AREA, RIGHT, THE RIVER DRIES UP EVERY YEAR TO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. BUT THEN WHEN YOU START TO PUT ALL OF THESE OTHER THINGS TOGETHER, THAT OUR STATE IS ACTUALLY IN ANOTHER CRISIS, IT SORT OF PUTS IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR FACE, I >> Gene: JULIE ANN, YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR LIST

ANOTHER WATER WAY, THE GILA, AND THE CHOICE TO FOREGO BUILDING A DAM OR LARGE INTERESTING POINT THERE. WHERE DOES THAT SIT ON YOUR LIST >> Julie Ann: THE STORY THAT THE SANTA FE REPORTER PUBLISHED EARLIER IN THE YEAR THAT WAS WRITTEN BY LAURA PASKUS HAD THE HEADLINE, "DEAD IN THE WATER," AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO BRING FOLKS UP TO SPEED ON THIS ISSUE. THIS PROJECT IS OVER, FOR NOW. THIS IS MAYBE THE THIRD TIME IN RECENT CONTEMPORARY HISTORY THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS TRIED TO ENCOURAGE A DIVERSION STRUCTURE ON THE GILA RIVER IN SOUTHWESTERN NEW MEXICO. THIS IS AN AREA WHERE THERE'S A HUGE WILDERNESS THERE, THE ALDO LEOPOLD WILDERNESS AREA, AND THIS IS A BELOVED NATURAL RESOURCE AND I THINK IT WAS A PROJECT THAT NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE SAW THE BENEFIT OF. THE STATE DID GO AHEAD AND SPEND $17 MILLION OF FEDERAL

FUNDING ON PLANNING FOR THIS PROJECT THAT HAD AN ESTIMATED PRICE TAG, SHOULD IT HAVE BEEN BUILT, OF A BILLION THAT'S WITH A "B". BUT YOU SAW IN 2019 THAT LUJAN-GRISHAM VETOED THE STATE FUNDING THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN REQUIRED TO KIND OF KEEP GOING IN THIS PLANNING AND THEN THIS YEAR, IN 2020, THE INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION VOTED TO END ITS ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES FUNDING. SO THOSE TWO THINGS WERE REALLY WERE THE PROVERBIAL NAIL ON THE COFFIN FOR THAT SOMEONE I KNOW WHO HAS LIVED DOWN IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS OR SO SAID THAT HE REALLY THOUGHT SHOULD THIS PROJECT GET TO THE STAGE OF GROUNDBREAKING, THAT PEOPLE ARE SO PASSIONATE THAT THEY WOULD BE LAYING DOWN IN FRONT OF BULLDOZERS. THAT WAS HIS WAY OF SAYING, THIS IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. SO FROM WHAT WE CAN TELL NOW, THE GILA DIVERSION

PROJECT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. THAT STILL MEANS THERE'S A CONFLICT WITH NEW MEXICO'S COMPLICATED WATER RIGHTS AND SHARING WATER WITH ARIZONA, AND PROVIDING WATER FOR AGRICULTURE AND FOR COMMUNITIES IN THAT PART OF THE STATE, AND THAT HASN'T BEEN >> Gene: BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT SUBJECT, WE SHOULD NOTE, AS WELL, THE FOREST FIRES THAT PLAGUED US CERTAINLY THE SMOKE THAT THE FOLKS IN SANTA FE HAD TO DEAL WITH, AND ALBUQUERQUE, AS IT'S ON TO OUR 4th BIGGEST STORY OF THE YEAR, AND WE SHOULD LET YOU KNOW THAT THE 2-3-4 DISTINCTION WAS, FOR US, THEY WERE ALL SO IMPORTANT. THEY WERE ALL OF THEM VERY BUT COVID'S IMPACT ON NEW MEXICO'S ECONOMY WAS UNDENIABLY IMPORTANT. AND DAN BOYD, LET ME START WITH YOU ON THIS ONE, BECAUSE GOVERNMENTS REALLY HAD TO SCRAMBLE TO ADJUST THEIR BUDGETS AS THE PANDEMIC SETTLED IN. TAKE US THROUGH WHAT YOU SAW AND COVERED AT THE STATE LEVEL. >> Dan: YEAH, I THINK IT HAS FUNDAMENTALLY ALTERED THE STATE'S ECONOMY. THE LEGISLATURE HAS HAD A COUPLE OF SPECIAL SESSIONS,

MOST RECENTLY HERE IN NOVEMBER A SINGLE DAY SPECIAL SESSION, INCLUDING PASSING EXPANDED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR WORKERS, BUSINESS GRANTS FOR BUSINESSES WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC. BUT I THINK THE COMBINATION OF JUST PEOPLE'S SHOPPING HABITS CHANGING AND THEN THE BUSINESS RESTRICTIONS, CERTAINLY, IMPOSED BY THE STATE HAVE REALLY HAD A BIG IMPACT ON BUSINESSES AND I THINK IT WAS STRIKING RECENTLY IN A REPORT ABOUT THE STATE'S REVENUE OUTLOOK, THAT ACTUALLY RETAIL SALES ARE UP, PEOPLE ARE STILL BUYING, BUT THEY'RE BUYING SMALL BUSINESS RETAIL IS DOWN SO I THINK IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER THAT'S THE NEW NORMAL GOING FORWARD. BUT CERTAINLY WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF BUSINESSES, A LOT OF RESTAURANTS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS, AND THEY PROBABLY WON'T BE BACK, AND I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY GOING TO BE KIND OF THE NEW LANDSCAPE GOING FORWARD. AND MAYBE SOME NEW BUSINESSES WILL EMERGE POST-PANDEMIC TO KIND OF FILL THOSE VACANCIES, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S A GIVEN. >> Gene: THAT'S A GOOD POINT

JESSICA, I'VE GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU, AND I'D LIKE JULIE ANN TO FOLLOW-UP WITH HER OWN TAKE ON THIS, AS WELL. BUT JESSICA, CITIES OR AREAS LIKE YOURS, CERTAINLY, RELY ON TOURIST INCOME, AND THAT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE A KILLER. IN FACT, FOR SOME BUSINESSES IT WAS A KILLER, AS DAN JUST BUT HOW IS THE SOUTHEASTERN PART OF THE STATE WEATHERING THE AND THEN I'LL CUT TO SANTA FE IN >> Jessica: WE HAD A ONE-TWO PUNCH WITH THE DECLINE IN OIL AND GAS. WE LOST A LOT OF THE BUSINESS THAT WAS BEING GENERATED BY WORKERS WHO WERE COMING IN FOR THAT INDUSTRY, AND THEN THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY COVID. YOU KNOW, AS DAN SAID, THE CLOSURE OF NONESSENTIAL BUSINESSES TO THE PUBLIC. ALSO, THE LOSS OF TOURISM, IT WAS JUST KIND OF THE LARGEST WE HAVE TONS OF HOTELS THAT ARE STANDING EMPTY. WE HAVE RESTAURANTS THAT CATER TO THAT SPECIFIC CLIENTELE THAT ARE JUST SHUTTERED FOR GOOD, AS FAR AS WE WE KNOW THAT THE NUMBER OF VISITATIONS TO STATE AND

NATIONAL PARKS AND PUBLIC LANDS AND RECREATIONAL AREAS IN ALL OF SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO HAVE GONE DOWN BY MORE THAN HALF, AND THEY'RE BOUNCING BACK, YES, BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO RECOVER? THAT'S STILL THE QUESTION. >> Gene: JESSICA, I'VE GOT TO ASK YOU ONE MORE THING, YOU HAD A LOT OF RESTAURANTS IN YOUR AREA THAT DEFIED THE ORDER TO CLOSE. HOW IMPACTFUL WAS THAT ON WAS THAT INFECTIOUS? DID OTHER PEOPLE CATCH ONTO THAT AND DEFY, AS WELL? WHAT HAPPENED THERE? >> Jessica: I THINK THE RISING SENTIMENT WAS, WE ARE BEHIND THEM 100% PERCENT, WE UNDERSTAND THEIR CONCERNS, WE KNOW THEY ARE ESSENTIAL TO OUR COMMUNITIES. WE'RE VERY RURAL, SO WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THEM, AND THE ONES THAT WE DO HAVE PROVIDE A SERVICE THAT IS WHEN A NUMBER OF THESE RESTAURANTS GOT TOGETHER WITH THE NEW MEXICO ASSOCIATION TO BASICALLY SAY, THIS IS GOING TO KILL US, THIS IS GOING TO COMPLETELY STRAND US, THE THOUGHT WAS THAT THEY PROBABLY WON'T GET FAR. WE KNEW THE STATE WAS PRETTY SERIOUS WHEN IT CAME TO

ENFORCEMENT OF THE CLOSURE AND THEN THE FINES HIT, AND IT GOT REALLY SERIOUS REALLY THE OVERALL THOUGHT IS THAT THEY HAD TO TAKE UP THE FIGHT. THERE WAS NO QUESTION THAT THEY HAD TO START QUESTIONING WHETHER OR NOT MANDATES MADE SENSE FOR US DOWN >> Gene: JULIE ANN, AGAIN, TO SANTA FE, I'M INTERESTED IN YOUR TAKE ON RESTAURANTS, I MEAN, HERE WE ARE, THE NEW YEAR IS LIKE RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, AND THERE WAS REPORTING A MONTH AGO THAT UPWARDS OF THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF RESTAURANTS WERE GOING TO CLOSE BY THE END OF THE YEAR UNLESS SOMETHING DRASTIC HAPPENED. BUT SANTA FE, HOW HAS IT BEEN FOR SANTA FE HANGING IN THERE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE >> Julie Ann: WE ARE VASTLY DEPENDENT ON THE RESTAURANT AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY. I THINK IT PROVIDES A LOT OF JOBS IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT PROVIDES GROSS RECEIPTS TAX REVENUE THAT'S USED BY ALL THE LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE SERVICES. IT'S REALLY A BIG PART OF THE SANTA FE ECONOMY.

AND SO, YEAH, WE HAD, MORE MOST OF THE SUMMER, THE LARGEST HOTELS IN THE CITY WERE NOT OPEN FOR MOST OF THE EVEN AS THINGS BEGAN TO RETURN, THEY WERE RETURNING AT AN EXTREMELY LIMITED CAPACITY, AND PEOPLE ARE BEING DISCOURAGED TO TRAVEL BOTH WITHIN THE STATE AND BETWEEN STATES. THAT'S HAD A BIG EFFECT. YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW HOTELS IN THE RED COUNTIES, WHICH IS 32 OF THE 33 COUNTIES IN THE STATE, THERE ARE HOTELS THAT ARE LIMITED TO 25% OR 40% CAPACITY DEPENDING ON WHETHER THEY HAVE A STATE CERTIFICATION, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY BOOKING AT THAT SO FOR EXAMPLE, I KNOW SOME FOLKS WHO SPENT THE NIGHT IN TAOS A WEEK OR SO AGO, AND THEY STAYED AT A HOTEL THAT HAD A CAPACITY OF MORE THAN 70 ROOMS, AND THERE WERE 7 ROOMS BOOKED THAT NIGHT. SO IF A HOTEL IS OPERATING AT 10% CAPACITY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO MUCH MATH TO KNOW THAT'S NOT >> Gene: THAT'S RIGHT.

THAT'S NOT THE BUSINESS MODEL FOR SUCCESS, FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS, CERTAINLY. ANDY LYMAN, ALBUQUERQUE WAS THE ONLY CITY IN THE STATE THAT ATOMICALLY GOT A DISBURSEMENT FROM THE CARES ACT BECAUSE OF OUR SIZE. HOW HAS THE CITY RESPONDED IN WAYS THAT YOU'VE NOTICED? >> Andy: I THINK THAT THEY'VE BEEN PUSHING MONEY TO WHEREVER THEY CAN. I KEEP GETTING PRESS RELEASES TO SAY -- I THINK I JUST GOT ONE THE OTHER DAY ANNOUNCING SOME MORE CARES ACT MONEY -- NOT MORE CARES ACT MONEY, BUT MORE STARTING OUT, THE BIG THING, AND I GUESS FOR EVERY CITY, BUT ESPECIALLY ALBUQUERQUE, WAS TO USE THAT MONEY FOR THE MISSING GROSS RECEIPTS TAX REVENUE, BECAUSE WE WERE NOT NECESSARILY AS DEPENDENT ON TOURISM AS OTHER PLACES IN BUT, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT GOING TO STORES OR RESTAURANTS, THAT REVENUE GOES DOWN. SO I THINK THAT'S THEIR BIG PUSH, IS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SORT OF SUPPLEMENT THAT MONEY. >> Gene: OKAY, WE'LL HAVE TO LEAVE THAT THERE.

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK AND WE'LL BE BACK IN JUST A MOMENT. >>GENE: NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS IS ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. JUST LOOK FOR THE HANDLE NM IN FOCUS >> Gene: AS IF 2020 DIDN'T BRING ENOUGH ANGST WITH CLIMATE CHANGE IN OUR FACES AND A PANDEMIC KEEPING OUR FACES COVERED, HOPEFULLY, WITH MASKS, WE ALSO HAD AN INCREDIBLY CONTENTIOUS ELECTION. ALL RIGHT, THE BIG NEWS, JOE BIDEN DEFEATED DONALD TRUMP, WHETHER THE PRESIDENT ADMITS IT LOCALLY, REPUBLICANS PUT THE SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT BACK IN THEIR COLUMN. BEN RAY LUJAN HELD OFF A BETTER THAN EXPECTED RUN BY TV WEATHERMAN MARK RONCHETTI. DEMOCRATS SOLIDIFIED THEIR HOLD ON THE STATE LEGISLATURE. AND JULIE ANN, WE SAW HUGE INTEREST IN VOTING THIS TIME WHAT GRABBED YOU MOST WHEN ALL THE BALLOTS WERE TALLIED? >> Julie Ann: WELL, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE WE ONLY SAW ABOUT 15% OF VOTERS CAST A BALLOT IN NEW MEXICO ON ELECTION DAY,

WHICH IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE FROM YEARS BEFORE, BUT I'D LIKE TO NOTE THAT TURNOUT WAS IN THE HIGH SIXTIES, AND IN MOST CLASSROOMS A TEST GRADE IN THE HIGH SIXTIES IS SO WE'RE NOT -- YOU KNOW, WE CAN BE PROUD OF OURSELVES FOR HAVING GOOD TURNOUT AND FOR PEOPLE CARING ABOUT THIS ELECTION, BUT I DON'T THINK A "D" IS A GREAT GRADE FOR I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT'S INTERESTING IS THAT WE HAD THE SUPREME COURT WEIGH YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY CLERKS WANTED TO SEND ALL OF THE BALLOTS, SEND EVERY REGISTERED VOTER A BALLOT AUTOMATICALLY BY MAIL, AND OF COURSE THE STATE SUPREME COURT SAID, NO, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT. I THINK THAT KIND OF THE NEXT WAVE WE'RE GOING TO SEE ON ELECTION LAW IS, SHOULD THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO PASS SOME LAWS TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN RATHER THAN TRYING TO PRESSURE THE COURTS INTO CHANGING THE RULES AT THE LAST >> Gene: ANDY, WOMEN. HUGE THIS PART OF THE ELECTION NARRATIVE, CERTAINLY.

NEW MEXICO'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, AS YOU KNOW, IS ENTIRELY FEMALE AND ENTIRELY EITHER HISPANIC OR NATIVE THIS IS NEWS, BUT IT ALSO IS STARTING TO NORMALIZE. AM I OFF HERE? OR THE FACT THAT SO MANY WOMEN ARE WINNING OFFICES NOW FEELS LIKE IT'S NOT JUST A THING, IT'S NOT A BLIP, THIS IS REALITY, THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN FROM THIS POINT FORWARD. >> Andy: YEAH, IT SEEMS THAT WAY TO ME, AS WELL. I THINK ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT IT GOES ACROSS PARTY LINES, RIGHT. YOU MENTIONED NEW MEXICO, IT'S AN ALL FEMALE DELEGATION, BUT ONE OF THEM IS A SO I THINK THAT THERE IS SOME NORMALIZATION GOING THERE, AND I THINK MAYBE BOTH PARTIES, ESPECIALLY REPUBLICANS NOW, ARE SAYING -- AND LOOK AT THE CRYSTAL DIAMOND OVER FOR JOHN IT'S A PRETTY KEY SPOT THERE. AND I THINK WE'RE STARTING TO SEE WOMEN FROM BOTH PARTIES SORT OF GET THEIR CHANCE >> Gene: DAN, INTERESTINGLY POWER POSITIONS AT THE STATE

LEGISLATURE, TOUCH ON THAT IF YOU WOULD, NOW BEING IN >> Dan: YEAH, I THINK THAT WILL BE -- SENATOR MIMI STEWART HAS BEEN NOMINATED TO BE THE NEW SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEM. SHE STILL HAS TO WIN THE FULL SENATE VOTE, SO WE'LL SEE I THINK ONE STRIKING THING TO ME IS JUST KIND OF THIS DEEPENING OF THE URBAN VS. RURAL DIVIDE IN NEW MEXICO. ALBUQUERQUE IS INCREASINGLY BECOMING MORE OF A DEMOCRATIC STRONGHOLD, AS IS LAS CRUCES AND SANTA FE. THERE'S CURRENTLY, AS OF THIS YEAR, ONLY GOING TO BE TWO REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS IN ALL OF ALBUQUERQUE, OUT OF ABOUT 30 SEATS, WHICH IS A BIG CHANGE FROM EVEN FOUR OR SIX YEARS AGO. MEANWHILE, THE REST OF THE STATE IS GETTING MORE CONSERVATIVE, YOU KNOW. THE ONLY HOUSE DEMOCRAT WHO LOST WAS DOWN IN THE SILVER CITY AREA, AND I THINK SOME OF THOSE RURAL DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN DEFEATED. SO I THINK WE'VE ALSO SEEN THAT NATIONALLY, BUT I THINK THAT'S A TREND, GETTING MORE POLARIZED BETWEEN THE CITIES AND THE RURAL AREAS. AND CERTAINLY I THINK THAT SHOWS UP AT THE LEGISLATURE

IN DEBATES OVER GUN ISSUES, CANNABIS, THINGS LIKE THAT. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING TO WATCH GOING FORWARD. >> Gene: JESSICA, PICK UP ON A NATURAL JUMPING OFF POINT FOR WHAT'S THE SENSE IN THE RURAL PARTS OF OUR STATE WHEN IT COMES TO FEMALE POSITIONS OF POWER AND JUST, FRANKLY, REPRESENTATION? >> Jessica: A LOT OF OUR LOCAL TICKETS THIS YEAR WERE GOP ORIENTED AND A LOT OF THEM WERE WOMEN, AND I THINK THAT THAT IS JUST A NATURAL REFLECTION OF SOME OF THE SHIFTS IN OUR LOCAL LEVEL HERE AT THE COUNTY, AS WELL. WE HAD THE REALLY BIG ONE, THE SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, IT WAS ALREADY HELD BY A WOMAN, A DEMOCRAT, AND THE GOP, I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THEY'RE EXTREMELY HAPPY THEY MANAGED TO FLIP THAT BACK OVER TO YVETTE THE -- TONGUE-TIED; SORRY. >> Gene: THAT'S FINE. >> Jessica: THE POLARIZATION THAT DAN WAS TALKING ABOUT BETWEEN OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES AND HOW THEY REACT OFF OF WHAT'S

HAPPENING IN OUR URBAN AREAS I THINK IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN, BUT MAYBE THE EXPECTATION, AND I KNOW THE CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD RECENTLY ARE ABOUT BRINGING SOME MODERATE CONVERSATIONS TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE TO ACHIEVE SOME BETTER BALANCE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE STATE, WHETHER YOU'RE IN A RURAL COUNTY OR YOU'RE IN ONE OF OUR LARGER METRO >> Gene: JULIE ANN, DO YOU THINK, CAN REPUBLICANS WIN IN BIGGER CITIES HERE, AND CAN DEMOCRATS WIN IN SMALLER OR THIS IS JUST IT RIGHT NOW, THAT'S THE DIVIDE, AS DAN BOYD WAS MENTIONING? >> Julie Ann: IT SEEMS PRETTY MOMENT IN THE WAY THE VOTER PARTICIPATION FLOWS, IN THE WAY THAT THE MAJOR PARTIES HAVE CONTROL AND THE TYPES OF CANDIDATES THAT THEY PUT UP. YOU KNOW, IT'S DISCOURAGING. IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO, EVEN IF YOU WANT TO HAVE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE BIG ISSUES BETWEEN A DEMOCRAT AND A REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR A LOCAL OFFICE, IT JUST

BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT. THE REPORTER I THINK HAS A REPUTATION FOR BEING RATHER LEFT-LEANING AND BEING NOT TOO SYMPATHETIC TO THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSES, WHICH MEANS THAT IN THIS DAY AND AGE THE REPUBLICANS DON'T EVEN WANT TO TALK, AND THAT DOESN'T REALLY, I DON'T THINK, FURTHER ANYONE'S UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OTHER'S PERSPECTIVES. AND I THINK THAT FOR A LOT OF VOTERS IN SANTA FE WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO KIND OF CONSIDER THE OTHER SIDE JUST SORT OF GET WRITTEN OFF. LIKE, OH, YOU'RE A PROGRESSIVE, YOU LIVE IN THE BLUE DOT, WE'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO TRY TO TALK TO YOU. I THINK THAT THAT ATTITUDE IS I MEAN, MARK RONCHETTI WOULD NOT GIVE AN ENDORSEMENT INTERVIEW TO THE SANTA FE REPORTER, SO IT'S NOT A SURPRISE TO ME AT ALL THAT HE LOST THAT RACE, BECAUSE I THINK THAT INDICATES AN UNWILLINGNESS -- WHATEVER YOUR CAMPAIGN PLATFORM IS, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, IF YOU'RE UNWILLING TO TALK TO PEOPLE THAT YOU PERCEIVE AS YOUR ENEMY, THEN YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET VERY FAR.

>> Gene: YOU GOT TO HAVE SOME FOLKS FROM OUTSIDE YOUR PARTY COME IN IF YOU'RE GOING TO WIN ANY ELECTION, THAT'S A GOOD POINT THERE. ALL RIGHT, NOW THE SECOND BIGGEST STORY OF THE YEAR, THE NEWS THAT DOMINATED THE THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD AT THE HANDS OF MINNEAPOLIS POLICE, AND BREONNA TAYLOR'S KILLING IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, GAVE RISE YET AGAIN TO AMERICA'S RACE PROBLEM. OTHER POLICE KILLINGS LED TO BOTH VIOLENT AND NONVIOLENT THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT FOUND FIRM FOOTING, AND HERE IN NEW MEXICO NATIVE AMERICANS RAISED THEIR VOICES AGAINST STATUES, MONUMENTS AND BUILDINGS THAT HONOR CONTROVERSIAL CONQUISTADORS LIKE JUAN DE OÑATE AND DIEGO DE ANDY, IN ALBUQUERQUE, AN OÑATE STATUE PROTEST TURNED LOOKING BACK ON IT, WHAT SEEMS MOST IMPORTANT ABOUT THE UNREST WE SAW THIS YEAR? >> Andy: I THINK A LOT OF IT POINTS TO -- IT SHOWS HOW TRICKY THIS KIND OF STUFF IS AND HOW INFURIATING IT CAN BE TO SOME PEOPLE GIVEN THE LEADERS RESPONSE TO THESE IN THAT OÑATE PROTEST, THERE'S PROBABLY MORE

QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT THE PLAN WAS. A LITTLE QUICK BACKGROUND WAS THAT I THINK A WEEK BEFORE, THERE WAS SORT OF AN OVERREACTION BY POLICE. THERE WAS A LOT OF RUBBER BULLETS AND SWAT GEAR. AND THEN THE WEEK LATER, IT WAS LIKE THEY PARED IT BACK, BUT THEN THERE WAS NO ONE ON SITE, AND THAT'S THE QUESTION. WHERE WERE THEY? WHEN DID THEY PLAN TO STEP IN? THERE WAS CLEARLY A LOT OF SHOVING AND PUSHING AND YELLING AMONGST THOSE GROUPS, BUT NOT A UNIFORMED OFFICER IN SIGHT. AND THEN WE ALSO FOUND OUT LATER THAT THERE WAS AN UNDERCOVER OFFICER THERE. SO AGAIN, MORE QUESTIONS OF, WHAT WAS THE PLAN THERE? WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO DO BEFORE SOMEBODY GOT SHOT? >> Gene: RIGHT. AND IT MIGHT BE REASONABLY ARGUED THAT THAT SITUATION, IN PART COST THE CHIEF OF POLICE HIS JOB, AS A MATTER OF FACT, IN ALBUQUERQUE. JULIE ANN, A CONVERSATION IS EXACTLY WHAT SANTA FE MAYOR ALAN WEBBER PROMISED, BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED, AND THEN ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY, AS WE ALL RECALL, ACTIVISTS PULLED DOWN THE CIVIL WAR

ERA SOLDIERS MONUMENT IN THE HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY IT WAS HANDLED VERSUS THE REWORKED ENTRADA DURING THE THAT CONVERSATION, WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO GET THAT >> Julie Ann: YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF SENTIMENT IN SANTA FE THAT, LIKE, THE TIME FOR TALKING CAME AND WENT, YOU KNOW, THAT THIS IDEA THAT WE'RE NOW GOING TO HAVE THIS TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE, WHICH STILL HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE GOVERNING BODY AND THE MEMBERS STILL HAVEN'T BEEN APPOINTED, THE IDEA THAT THEY'RE SOMEHOW GOING TO REALLY HEAL THIS GREAT DIVISION THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY I THINK IS JUST FAIRLY FARFETCHED. YOU KNOW, AS YOU POINTED OUT, IMMEDIATELY UPON THE HEELS OF THAT SHOOTING HAPPENING IN ALBUQUERQUE AT THE OÑATE STATUE, THERE WERE PROTESTS PLANNED IN NORTHERN NEW THERE WAS ONE PLANNED IN ALCALDE, AND THE OFFICIALS THERE IN RIO ARRIBA COUNTY DECIDED TO PULL DOWN THE STATUE OF OÑATE IN ADVANCE OF THAT PROTEST HAPPENING,

SO THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. JUST A DAY OR TWO LATER, IT WAS JUNETEENTH AND THERE WAS A PROTEST PLANNED IN SANTA FE, AND SO INSTEAD OF LETTING THAT ACTION HAPPEN, THE CITY DECIDED TO, REALLY, IT SEEMS CLEAR NOW, ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE OBELISK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. THERE'S DEBATE, THERE ARE PEOPLE SAYING THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING, BUT THERE WAS A WORK CREW WITH EQUIPMENT ON THE PLAZA. THEY DID NOT REMOVE THE OBELISK. THEY DID REMOVE ANOTHER STATUE IN FRONT OF THE CATHEDRAL IN SANTA FE. THAT HAPPENED IN JUNE. AND THEN I THINK THE MAYOR SAID, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE DOWN THESE CONTROVERSIAL THINGS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE LANGUAGE AND THE CONTINUED HURT THAT'S BEING PERPETRATED ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND WHEN THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, I THINK PEOPLE GOT FRUSTRATED. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN JUST GOOGLE "PLAZA OBELISK" TO SEE >> Gene: THERE YOU GO. DAN BOYD, OUT OF THIS WHOLE THING CAME THE PHRASE DEFUND THE EVERYONE'S HEARD IT. NO ONE'S

AND WHILE THE IDEA OF WHAT THAT MEANS OR SHOULD LOOK LIKE VARIED, CERTAINLY, IT REALLY BECAME A RALLYING CRY FOR BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE WHO THOUGHT THREE WORDS WOULD BE DANGEROUS TERRITORY? HOW COME THIS BECAME SO >> Dan: YEAH, I THINK SOME OF THESE CATCHPHRASES CATCH HOLD IN THE POPULAR OPINION. I THINK THIS ONE, AT LEAST MOST PEOPLE WEREN'T ACTUALLY CALLING FOR POLICE DEPARTMENTS TO BE TOTALLY DEFUNDED OR DISBANDED, BUT FOR KIND OF RESHAPING AND FOR BETTER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE, ESPECIALLY COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. I THINK BOTH ANDY AND JULIE ANN HAVE KIND OF MENTIONED THAT PUBLIC OFFICIALS HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN LEADING THE CHARGE ON THIS. THEY'VE BEEN KIND OF TRYING TO RESPOND TO THESE PUBLIC I THINK AT THE STATE LEVEL GOVERNOR LUJAN-GRISHAM CREATED A RACIAL JUSTICE COUNCIL, THERE WAS A CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION THAT MET. SO THERE'S BEEN SOME MOVEMENT. BUT AS OF THIS DATE, STILL NO REAL CHANGES IN STATE LEVEL

SO I THINK THESE CONVERSATIONS STILL NEED TO BE HAD, BUT I THINK THEY DO NEED TO BE HELD QUICKLY. AND AS WE FOUND OUT LAST YEAR, IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, THEN PEOPLE TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS. AND I THINK ELECTED OFFICIALS MAYBE NEED TO BE A LITTLE MORE AGILE ON THESE >> Gene: JESSICA, HOW DID THESE ALL PLAY OUT IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE STATE, IN THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF NEW WHAT HAPPENED THERE DURING ALL OF THESE PROTESTS? >> Jessica: THE ISSUE WAS AT A BOIL IN SOME COMMUNITIES, BUT I THINK DOWN HERE IT WAS MORE OF A SIMMER FOR US, THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH AND SEE WHAT THE DEBATE WAS HAPPENING IN SANTA FE AND BUT IT WAS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE SOME OF OUR REALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, MINORITIES, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK UP. SO WE WERE BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO HELP COVER SOME OF THESE LOCAL PANELS ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES

BETWEEN INEQUALITY AND AND ALSO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SAW THAT WAS PROBABLY THE MOST INTERESTING COME OUT OF ALL OF THIS IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO WAS THE RISE OF THE YOUNGER VOICES IN THESE COMMUNITIES, RIGHT. WE SAW SOME REALLY YOUNG LEADERS STEP FORWARD AND SAY, OKAY, HERE'S WHERE WE STAND ON THIS, WE COMMIT TO BEING LEADERS ON THIS ISSUE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. SO THAT WAS >>Gene: BUSY SUMMER, NO DOUBT. WE ONLY HAVE ONE ISSUE LEFT FOLKS. WE'LL BE BACK IN A FEW MINUTES. >>GENE: MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE READ THE LITTLE HOUSE BOOKS BY LAURA INGALLS WILDER, WHICH CHRONICLED HER FAMILY'S PIONEER LIFE IN THE MIDWEST AND GREAT PLAINS. WILDER BROUGHT GREAT DETAIL TO HER DESCRIPTIONS, BUT SHE ALSO LEFT MUCH OUT. THIS WEEK, AMERICAN MASTERS PREMIERED A NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT HER LIFE, WHICH YOU CAN STILL WATCH ON NMPBS DOT ORG. BUT IT REMINDED US OF AN INTERVIEW WE DID A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK WITH SANTA FE AUTHOR AND PULITZER PRIZE WINNER,

CAROLINE FRASER. "PRAIRIE FIRES: THE AMERICAN DREAMS OF LAURA INGALLS WILDER," SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON THE LIFE OF THIS AMERICAN ICON. HERE'S NMIF CORRESPONDENT MEGAN KAMERICK WITH THAT INTERVIEW FROM 2018. >> I AM JOINED BY CAROLINE FRASER, THE AUTHOR OF PRAIRIE FIRES, THE AMERICAN DREAMS OF LAURA INGALLS WILDER. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> I HAVE TO ASK WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WIN THE PULITZER >> IT WAS VERY SURPRISING, I HAVE TO SAY. IT ALL SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO OTHER PEOPLE, NOT ME. SO, I WAS QUITE SURPRISED BUT DELIGHTED. I MEAN, IT IS A WONDERFUL HONOR AND HUMBLING TO HAVE THAT KIND OF RECOGNITION. >> HOW DID YOU FIND OUT? >> MY HUSBAND WAS ACTUALLY WATCHING THE LIVE STREAM IN HIS OFFICE UNBEKNOWNST TO ME. AND HE CAME OVER TO MY OFFICE AND HAD KIND OF AN ODD

LOOK ON HIS FACE AND HE SAID, YOU JUST WON THE PULITZER PRIZE. THAT IS HOW I FOUND OUT. >> WOW. >> YEAH, IT WAS EXTRAORDINARY. >> WHY DID YOU FIND LAURA INGALLS WILDER TO BE SUCH A FASCINATING SUBJECT? >> I HAD WRITTEN ABOUT HER A FEW TIMES IN THE PAST BUT I GUESS I STARTED WHERE EVERYBODY DID WHICH WAS AS A FAN OF HER WORK AS A GIFT. YOU KNOW, I READ ALL THE LITTLE I LOVED THEM, I READ THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND I THINK I ALWAYS HAD A SENSE THAT THERE WAS SOME PERSONAL CONNECTION TO MY FAMILY BECAUSE I AM FROM, YOU KNOW, AN IMMIGRANT FARMING FAMILY FROM THE MIDWEST. SO, I HAD HEARD THEM TELL ABOUT THE FARM AND HOW TOUGH THAT LIFE WAS. SO, I THINK THAT ALWAYS KIND OF DRAWN TO LITTLE

HOUSE BOOKS BECAUSE THEY THAT PART OF MY FAMILY'S PAST. >> LIKE, MANY OTHERS AND YOU, I UP READING AND REREADING ALL THE LITTLE HOUSE BOOKS. WHY DO YOU THINK THEY ARE SO POPULAR? >> I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS. FOR ONE THING, THEY ARE GREAT BOOKS. THEY ARE GREAT CHILDREN'S LITERATURE. THEY TELL STORIES THAT ARE INCREDIBLY ENGAGING. THERE IS SOMETHING REALLY SOOTHING AND COMFORTING, EVEN, ABOUT A LOT OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THINGS ARE DESCRIBED, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE A LOT OF HAZARDS THROUGHOUT THE BOOKS, NATURAL DISASTERS AND SO FORTH, THERE ARE THESE WONDERFUL DESCRIPTIONS OF HOW PA BUILDS THE LOG CABIN AND HOW HE MAKES THE DOOR AND HOW HE MAKES BULLETS FOR HIS GUN AND MA MAKES CHEESE AND THERE ARE JUST THESE SORT OF WONDERFUL THINGS THAT YOU CAN LOSE YOURSELF IN AS A KID. AND, SO, I THINK THAT IS A

POWERFUL PART OF THEIR APPEAL. BUT, THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN THAT. I THINK THAT THEY REMAIN REALLY POPULAR BECAUSE THEY DO CAPTURE SOMETHING REALLY EXPERIENCE, ABOUT THE THEY PROVIDE A KIND OF STORY FOR >> HOW DID THEY BUILD UPON AND EXPANSION AND PIONEER LIFE? >> THEY REALLY, ESPECIALLY WHICH IS LITTLE HOUSE ON THE A KIND OF CHILD'S VIEW OF WHAT THE WHOLE PROJECT OF MOVING WAS LIKE AND HOW IT WAS, INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE OF GOING

HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY BEEN. IN HER CASE IT WAS KANSAS. BUT THEY ALSO GAVE THIS AMERICA'S DESTINY, THIS IDEA RIGHT TO SPREAD OUT AND TAKE BELONG TO THEM. >> YOU BEGIN THE BOOK ACTUALLY WHICH ENDED IN 1862. WHY WAS THIS EVENT SO PIVOTAL PIONEERS LIKE INGALLS AND THE >> THE MORE I FOUND OUT ABOUT IN LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE MOMENTS, THE MORE I WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE

FAMILY LIFE AND EXPERIENCE BECAUSE IT REALLY WAS THE REALLY CAME UP AGAINST THE FACTS I MEAN THEY WERE TAKING LAND. THERE HAD BEEN A NUMBER OF THAT WERE AND IN 1862, THE DAKOTA ATTACKED WHITE SETTLERS IN WHICH REALLY CHANGED THE WHOLE IT WAS REALLY THE BEGINNING OF WOULD THEN TAKE PLACE OVER THE IT REALLY SET THE STAGE FOR

THOUGH IT HAPPENED A FEW >> WHAT WAS HER RELATIONSHIP BOOK AND IN HER LIFE? >> IN THE BOOKS YOU SEE THEM PRAIRIE BECAUSE THAT IS WHEN ACTUALLY ENCOUNTERED OSAGE FATHER, WHO WAS A SQUATTER, LAND THAT BELONGED TO THE SPECIFICALLY MARKED AS NOT SO, SHE, THEN, BECAME A PART MOVEMENT IN KANSAS. AND, THE FUNNY THING IS, I HAD MUCH UNDERSTANDING OF THAT SHE WAS WRITING ABOUT OR

FAMILY HAD DONE BUT SHE SPECIFIC DRAMATIC MEMORIES OF SHE JUST WROTE ABOUT THOSE. SHE LAID THAT OUT AND IT BECAME, EMBLEMATIC TREATMENT OF WHITES THAT TIME. >> THERE WERE A LOT OF BRUTAL WHAT DID YOU WANT TO ILLUMINATE BOOK THAT WE WOULDN'T KNOW WATCHING THE HUGELY POPULAR TV >> I WAS REALLY INTERESTED REALITIES BEHIND THEIR LIVES GETS LOST IN THE TELLING OF SHE REALLY SHIED AWAY FROM

FAMILY IN A LESS THAN POSITIVE SHE REALLY WANTED TO LITTLE HOUSE BOOKS. SHE SAID THIS OVER AND OVER ALL THE STUFF ABOUT THEIR TO REALLY BRING CROPS TO FARMER AND SO -- >> EVEN THE DEATH OF HER YOUNGER >> THAT IS RIGHT. YOU KNOW, SCHOLARS HAVE IN THE LITTLE HOUSE BOOKS. SHE LEFT OUT THE BIRTH AND FREDDIE, WHICH CAME ABOUT OF THE REALLY TERRIBLE ECONOMIC FAMILY AFTER THE LOCUST PLAGUE SO, BY TRYING TO SORT OF EXPLAIN NATURE OF THESE FINANCIAL

ONCE EVERY FEW YEARS REALLY KIND OF SHOW PEOPLE HOW IT WAS MAKE A LIVING THEN, FOR ANY BE SUCCESSFUL OR SUSTAINABLE ENCOUNTER THAT. >> GIVEN THAT SHE CURATED HISTORY, HOW >> WELL, A LOT OF THESE THINGS FOR A LONG TIME. HER MANUSCRIPT, SOME OF THEM, THAT WAS LEFT AT HER DEATH CALLED THE FIRST FOUR YEARS. AND THAT REALLY EXPLAINED WHAT MARRIAGE WHICH WAS JUST A >> WHICH WE NEVER KNEW ABOUT.

>> WHICH, YOU KNOW, EARLIER SO, I THINK A LOT OF THAT I WANTED TO LOOK AT THE SHOW HOW HER LIFE WAS JUST SO MOVEMENTS THAT HAD TO DO PLAINS INDIAN WARS, AND EVEN DEPRESSION BECAUSE SHE WROTE THE 1930'S AND YOU CAN REALLY THAT IN CERTAIN PASSAGES IN THE >> YOU MENTIONED THE LOCUST, MEMORABLE STORIES I RECALL, DESTROY THE WHEAT CROP. YOU EXPLAINED THIS IS A HUGE ONE OF THE WORST IN OUR HISTORY REAL DANGER OF STARVATION AND

CITIES IN THE MIDWEST WERE PLIGHT. WHAT DOES THAT STORY SHOW US VIEWED PIONEERS LIKE THE INGALLS >> IT IS A MAJOR NATIONAL CRISIS EVERYBODY WHO WAS CAUGHT UP THAT THERE WAS A REAL LIMITED KNOW, FEDERAL AUTHORITIES, AND I MEAN WE SEE A LOT OF REALLY NEWSPAPERS FROM THE EAST. >> PRETTY SHOCKING. >> IT IS EXTRAORDINARY THE AND YET, IF YOU LOOK AT CURRENTLY SEE IN POLITICAL OF SIMILARITIES THERE BETWEEN ASKING FOR MORE MONEY, WE ARE

CERTAIN LACK OF SYMPATHY FOR YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE HASN'T POLITICAL DISCOURSE AS YOU MIGHT >> IT IS INSTRUCTIVE, BECAUSE TIMES FROM HER BOOKS BUT EVEN WERE BETTER BACK THEN. WELL, MAYBE NOT SO MUCH. PEOPLE DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF EACH HOW DOES HER LIFE OFFER A POINTS IN THE EVOLUTION OF >> WELL, IT IS INTERESTING FAMILY AND HOW THEY CAME TO THIS I MEAN HER ANCESTORS ARRIVED PURITANS AND SO SHE OFFERS YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE SORT OF

HISTORY THROUGHOUT THE I TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT INGALLS WHO ACTUALLY APPEARS NOT BY NAME, BUT HE'S CHARLES TELLS THIS WONDERFUL STORY ABOUT GRANDFATHER LANSFORD, WHEN HE SLEDDING -- CREEPING OFF ON BROTHERS, TO SLED DOWN THIS DOWN, THIS IS COMPLETELY YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO AND AS THEY GO DOWN ON THE WOODS AND IS PICKED UP ON THEIR SQUEALING ITS HEAD OFF AND HAS FALLEN INTO A STUPOR AFTER CHURCH.

SO IT IS A WONDERFUL STORY THAT PURITAN PAST WAS, YOU EVEN UP UNTIL CHARLES INGALLS' VARIOUS GENERATIONS HAVE SORT THOSE THINGS, AND YET THEY BELIEF IN SELF RELIANCE, THAT ANYBODY ELSE UNLESS, OF COURSE, THAT WAS OKAY. IN THEIR VIEW. BUT, THEY REALLY JUST HAD THIS THAT YOU HAD TO PROVIDE FOR WAY TO EXPLAINING WILDERS OWN THE 1930'S. >> WHICH WAS DURING THE DUST

FACT THAT ONE OF THE OTHER THAT THE SETTLERS LIKE THEM ALTERED THE PLAINS IRREVOCABLY. >> YES, THEY CERTAINLY DID >> WHICH LED TO THE DUST BOWL. >> IN THE 1890'S YOU SEE A DUST BOWL, WHICH IS PART OF HUSBAND OUT OF THAT REGION LIVING IN THE MISSOURI OZARKS, AND THAT MOVE REALLY SPURRED THEM BECAUSE SHE HAD BEEN FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE. >> I THINK YOU FIRST CAME DAUGHTER, ROSE WILDER LANE, YEARS AGO ABOUT HER BEING HOUSE BOOKS. ROSE HAD TENUOUS CONNECTIONS SHE BECAME A WRITER DURING

WHAT WAS HER ACTUAL ROLE IN >> IT IS COMPLICATED. I MEAN, SHE, I THINK, IS BOOKS IN LARGE PART BECAUSE HAD CONNECTIONS TO AGENTS, TO SHE WAS ONCE MUCH MORE FAMOUS AND SHE, I THINK, VERY EARLY ON POTENTIAL IN HER MOTHER'S SHE HAD BEEN HEARING THESE WAS A LITTLE GIRL AND SHE KNEW TAILS ABOUT BLIZZARDS AND POTENTIALLY HAD -- COULD BE SOLD PUBLISHERS, SO, SHE BEGAN, I EARLY ON TO DO SOMETHING WITH

MOTHER HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO DO YOU KNOW. THERE ARE INDICATIONS QUITE TO WRITE A VERSION OF HER >> HAVE YOU UNCOVERED SOME OF WILDER'S LIFE AND PIONEER LIFE? DID YOU EVER FEEL SAD THAT THE WEREN'T QUITE THE REALITY SHE >> I DIDN'T FEEL SAD BECAUSE AS INTERESTING, IF NOT MORE THEMSELVES. I THINK THE STORIES ARE OF READING THEM REMAINS REALLY I STILL FIND THEM VERY MOVING ALSO JUST ANOTHER LAYER OF STORIES THAT YOU LOVE, SO,

TAKES ANYTHING AWAY FROM THEM. BUT, CERTAINLY, PEOPLE MAY FEEL >> HOW DID THIS PROCESS ARTICLES THAT YOU HAVE DONE? >> WELL, I HAD THE LUXURY SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE YEARS, PIECE THAT I WROTE FOR THE ROSE AND ABOUT HER ROLE IN AND THEN EDITED THE LIBRARY THAT CAME OUT IN A TWO VOLUME SO, THAT GAVE ME AN INCREDIBLE SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND SO YOU BACKGROUND IN A SUBJECT SO I PROJECT TO HAVE PREVIOUSLY

MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITING THE NOTES ABOUT THE TEXT AND ALL WHAT I WAS DOING IN THE >> WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A ROBUST MEXICO AND ALSO PEOPLE WHAT IS THAT COMMUNITY LIKE FOR IS IT A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY? >> IT IS WONDERFUL. I MEAN, I HAVE MET PEOPLE IN IN FOUNDING THE BIOGRAPHERS JAMES MCGRATH MORRIS IS A GOOD FOUNDING THAT GROUP WHICH WAS OF CONFERENCES AND LEARNING CERTAIN PROBLEMS AND ISSUES >> WHAT HAS THE PROJECT DONE

BOOKS OR WRITING PROJECTS FOR >> I THINK I WOULD LOVE TO, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER A BOOK OR LOVE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE. I THINK IT IS REALLY A UP A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE KIND OF SHAPE OUR STORIES THAT WE HAVE HEARD AS SO I WOULD LOVE TO DO MORE WORK >> CAROLINE FRASER, THANK YOU WITH US. >> THANK YOU. IT HAS BEEN GREAT. >> Gene: THIS YEAR'S TOP STORY IS NO SURPRISE. COVID-19 AND THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC CHANGED ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ABOUT LIFE. IT'S GOING TO COST 2000 NEW MEXICANS THEIR LIVES, A

STUNNING AND TRAGIC NUMBER THAT'S SURE TO RISE AS WE BEGIN 2021. CASE COUNTS SHOT ABOVE 100,000 AND ARE SKYROCKETING UPWARDS EVEN AFTER A NOVEMBER STAY-AT-HOME ORDER BY THE GOVERNOR. FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH STANDPOINT, THIS HAS BEEN A DISASTER AND A SORT OF SLOW MOTION CRASH THAT HAS GAINED MOMENTUM AS WE ALL HEAD INDOORS DURING THIS HOLIDAY FROM THE OUTSET, THE GOVERNOR AND THE STATE LEADERS TRIED TO PAINT THIS AS A "WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER" KIND OF A THING, BUT I'M NOT CERTAIN THAT IDEA EVER REALLY TRULY GRABBED DAN, ANY SENSE OF WHY NEW MEXICANS NEVER SEEMED TO BE PUSHING IN THE SAME DIRECTION? >> Dan: I DON'T THINK NEW MEXICANS ARE UNIQUE IN THAT REGARD FROM OTHER STATES. I DO THINK GIVEN OUR STATE'S NATURE, THE HIGH POVERTY RATES, LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOME PLACES, THAT WE WERE AT MAYBE MORE RISK FOR THIS VIRUS THAN OTHER PLACES. I THINK FOR A WHILE IT SEEMED PROMISING, AND I THINK IT'S HUMAN NATURE AFTER MONTHS THAT PEOPLE GOT TIRED OF STAYING AT HOME AND THE ISOLATION AND MAYBE LET

THEIR GUARD DOWN A LITTLE BIT. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE ALL THOUGHT MAYBE IT WOULD BE A MONTH OR TWO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, AND NOW HERE WE ARE NINE MONTHS, GOING INTO ONE YEAR LATER ALMOST. SO I THINK IT CERTAINLY HAS EXPOSED SOME OF THE SHORTCOMINGS IN OUR HEALTH CARE THAT'S BEEN A REAL CONCERN, OF JUST BEING OVERWHELMED. AND I DO THINK MAYBE LOOKING AT WAYS TO BETTER SERVE RURAL PARTS OF THE STATE WITH HEALTH CARE, AND EVEN GIVEN HOW SPRAWLING NEW MEXICO IS AND HOW TO TRANSPORT PATIENTS FROM ONE PART TO ANOTHER CERTAINLY IN VERY GRIM WAYS HAS EXPOSED SOME OF THOSE SHORTCOMINGS. >> Gene: JESS, I'M CURIOUS, THE PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER HAD AN IMMEDIATE PUSHBACK FROM YOUR PART THE STATE. A LOT OF FOLKS JUST WEREN'T HAVING IT, REPUBLICANS WHAT WAS THE ALTERNATIVE OR PREFERRED COURSE OF ACTION DOWN DID YOU EVER HEAR OF ONE FROM THOSE FOLKS WHO HAD ISSUES WITH HOW THIS WAS GOING TO GO? >> Julie Ann: EARLY ON, I THINK WE TOOK OUR CUE FROM THE NATIONAL RHETORIC AT THE TIME, WHICH WAS THAT THIS IS

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DEMOCRATS TO REALLY STICK IT TO THE POLITICAL MINORITY IN THE STATE, ESPECIALLY THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES. WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT ALTERNATIVES TO WHAT WAS BEING ASKED OF US TO, YOU KNOW, ENSURE EVERYBODY'S HEALTH AND SAFETY, WE TALKED ABOUT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, RIGHT, LEAVING IT UP TO EACH INDIVIDUAL TO DECIDE WHETHER THEY WERE AT RISK, OR IF THEY HAVE FAMILY OR PEOPLE THEY SHARE SPACES WITH WHO ARE AT RISK, AND REALLY LEAVING IT UP TO THEM TO DO THINGS LIKE WEAR A FACE MASK AND KEEP SOCIAL DISTANCING. THE BIGGEST PUSHBACK CAME AS SOON AS THE ORDERS TO CLOSE THE NONESSENTIAL BUSINESSES CAME I THINK WE ALL REALIZED EARLY ON WHAT KIND OF IMPACT THAT WOULD HAVE ON THE LOCAL ECONOMY, AND AS SOON AS THAT FLAG WENT UP, I THINK THERE WAS REALLY A HARD WALL THAT WE JUST WEREN'T GOING TO BE ABLE >> Gene: ANDY, INTERESTINGLY, WHO YOU TALK TO, RETAILERS SEEM TO HAVE GOTTEN THE SHORT END OF THE STICK FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW.

NOT MINE, BUT FROM THEIRS. WAS THERE SOMETHING MAYBE PERHAPS THE GOVERNOR COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY BALANCING THE NEEDS OF PUBLIC HEALTH VS. BALANCING THE NEEDS OF KEEPING BUSINESSES GOING? >> Andy: I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, IF THERE IS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY. I THINK IN THESE SITUATIONS, THERE'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, TO PUT IT BLUNTLY, I GUESS, WINNERS AND LOSERS. I KNOW WE HEAR THAT A LOT, THAT THE STATE PICKS WINNERS AND LOSERS, BUT I JUST THINK THAT THERE'S SOME PEOPLE, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THEIR BUSINESS DOESN'T TRANSLATE TO A WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING IS SHUT DOWN. NOW, THERE'S SOME -- AND AGAIN, THIS IS THE SORT OF THING THAT'S BEEN ONGOING. THERE'S A LOT OF LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE SAID, HEY, WE CAN'T COMPETE WITH ONLINE SHOPPING, EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, AND NOW IT'S KIND OF LIKE THEY'RE ALMOST FORCED INTO THIS NEW WAY OF WHETHER IT'S ONLINE SHIPPING OR ONLINE ORDERING AND YOU COME PICK IT UP, IT'S DEFINITELY, I GUESS, SORT OF A CHANGE IN HOW THEY DO PROBABLY GOING FORWARD, AS WELL. >> Gene: JULIE ANN, THE GOVERNOR'S MESSAGING ON

COVID-19, BY ANY MEASURE, HAS BEEN MEASURED. I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE ON BUT INDIVIDUALLY, SHE'S BEEN ASKING MORE THAN ENFORCING, BUT SHE'S CRACKED THE WHIP AT A FEW BUSINESSES OUT THERE, A HIGH-PROFILE WHIP. I'M THINKING OF THE MAYOR OF GRANTS WAY EARLY ON WHO HAD A BIG PROBLEM WITH THIS. THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF ISSUES HOW DID THAT STRATEGY WORK FOR HER LOOKING BACK ON 2020? >> Julie Ann: IT FEELS LIKE THE ENFORCEMENT WAS REALLY HIT AND I KNOW CERTAINLY EVEN THOUGH SANTA FE IS A PLACE THAT'S PERCEIVED TO BE FAIRLY RECEPTIVE TO THIS MASK ORDINANCE, YOU KNOW, RECEPTIVE TO THE, LIKE, WE NEED TO CLOSE THIS IN ORDER TO SAVE THE PUBLIC HEALTH, AT THE SAME TIME YOU'VE GOT A HARDWARE STORE ON THE SOUTH SIDE THAT GOT A FIVE FIGURE FINE BECAUSE THE INSPECTORS FOUND A COUPLE OF ITS EMPLOYEES NOT WEARING MASKS. AT THE SAME TIME, WE GET REPORTS FROM PLACES LIKE, YOU KNOW, CORPORATE -- I

WON'T NAME ANY OF THEM. BUT CORPORATIONS HAVE TOLD THEIR EMPLOYEES TO ESSENTIALLY STAND DOWN. SOMEONE COMES INTO THE BUSINESS WITHOUT A MASK, THE EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN TOLD NOT TO TRY TO ENFORCE THAT. AND I THINK WHEN YOU'RE A SMALL BUSINESS AND YOU'VE BEEN TOLD, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO FINE YOU AND WE'RE GOING TO SHUT YOU DOWN AND WE'RE GOING TO SHAME YOU, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT A CORPORATION THAT'S JUST SORT OF ALLOWED TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, IT SEEMS, I THINK THAT'S REALLY HARD FOR SMALL BUSINESSES ALL OVER THE STATE, AND SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN A BIG CHALLENGE AS THE RULES DO SEEM TO CREATE MORE LENIENCY FOR A BIG BOX STORE. YOU KNOW, WAL-MART HAS IT A WHOLE LOT EASIER THAN, YOU KNOW, THE GIFT STORE ON MARCY AND THERE ARE WAYS TO ADDRESS LIKE ANDY, THOUGH, I'M NOT SURE THAT I WANT TO BE THE ONE TO OUTLINE THEM, OR THAT I'M EVEN REALLY SURE THAT WOULD HAVE WORKED BETTER. >> Gene: THAT'S A GOOD POINT. IT'S HARD TO LOOK BACK AND SAY, WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE. EVERYBODY WAS SORT OF ON THE FLY IT'S A TOUGH ONE.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2021, WE'VE GOT JUST ABOUT A MINUTE OR SO, LET ME START WITH DAN BOYD, WE'VE GOT A VACCINE COMING ONLINE, CERTAINLY, WE'RE ALL EXCITED TO KIND OF GET THAT GOING, BUT ANY PREDICTIONS FOR 2021? WHAT'S IN YOUR GUT AS YOU LOOK AHEAD FOR NEW MEXICO? >> Dan: I THINK ONE REALLY INTERESTING DEBATE WILL BE ABOUT THE STATE'S EMERGENCY A LOT OF THE LAWS THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS INVOKED WERE PASSED ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO AFTER 9/11, AND THIS HAS BEEN THEIR FIRST TEST, AND I THINK THERE'S PUSHBACK ON BOTH REPUBLICANS WOULD LIKE TO SEE THOSE POWERS CURTAILED A AND THEN MAYBE, RECOGNIZING RIGHT NOW NEW MEXICO DOESN'T ALLOW ALCOHOL CURBSIDE TAKE-OUT OR DELIVERY, SO MAYBE EXPANDING THEM IN THOSE I THINK THIS HAS REALLY BEEN A STRESS TEST FOR THOSE LAWS THAT WERE KIND OF LONG DORMANT AND NOW MIGHT NEED TO BE REVISITED. >> Gene: WE HAVE TO LEAVE THAT AS THE LAST WORD. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR NOT JUST SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE YEAR'S BIG STORIES, BUT FOR ALL THE BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS YOU BRING TO YOUR PROFESSION. THERE'S A LOT OF IT.

AND NOT AN EASY ONE, BUT AS THE CONSTITUTION POINTS OUT, IT'S VITAL TO A HEALTHY FOR YOU AT HOME, WE THANK YOU FOR STARTING THE NEW YEAR WITH US. IN MANY WAYS, IT'S NICE TO SAY GOODBYE TO 2020. AND HOW THIS NEXT YEAR TURNS OUT IS ON EACH ONE OF US. STAY HEALTHY, BE KIND, AND AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR STAYING INFORMED AND ENGAGED. WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT WEEK, InFOCUS. >>FUNDING FOR NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS PROVIDED BY THE MCCUNE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, AND VIEWERS LIKE