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What really happens after someone is arrested for a serious crime? Chris and Gabby sit down with Bernalillo County District Court Judge Cindy Leos for a rare, behind-the-bench look at what goes on inside Albuquerque courtrooms. Judge Leos breaks down how the justice system works, what accountability and rehabilitation can look like in practice, and challenges the idea that harsh punishment is stopping youth crime. She also explains how diversion programs like Young Adult Court can be life-changing for some. Who qualifies for the extra help? What's actually working to change criminal behavior? Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/insiders and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

Albuquerque's bus system is undergoing its biggest overhaul in decades. This week on the New Mexico News Insiders Podcast, ABQ RIDE leaders break down what they're calling a 'once-in-a-generation plan to improve transit' in New Mexico's biggest city. The system-wide redesign is designed to enhance access, efficiency, and the overall ridership experience. Two leaders from ABQ RIDE, Deputy Director Bobby Sisneros and Principal Planner Andrew de Garmo, join Chris and Gabby to break down what's changing, which routes are being discontinued, and how the rollout will happen. How has the city responded to long-standing safety concerns? Did you know the buses are free?  Read about the plans here Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/insiders and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico.

Reporting sexual assault is challenging, and holding offenders accountable can take years. This week, Chris and Gabby sit down with Haley Murphy, a Deputy District Attorney in Santa Fe's Violent Crimes/Special Victims Unit, to discuss the realities of prosecuting sex crimes in New Mexico. From breakthroughs in forensic DNA technology that help solve cold cases, to crime lab staffing shortages and backlogs that create new obstacles, we cover the full scope of challenges. What happens when someone reports a sex crime? How are cases involving children handled?  Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/insiders and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

The University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) is reshaping healthcare across the state in a massive expansion effort underway. UNMH is establishing new clinics, a Critical Care Tower, and requesting state assistance to fund a brand-new, $600 million School of Medicine. UNM Health System CEO Dr. Michael Richards sits down with Chris and Gabby to discuss the new healthcare facilities in the works, the statewide impact, and the major investments being made to help reverse the state's provider shortage. How did the COVID-19 pandemic expose gaps in care for New Mexicans? How much money is being invested in rebuilding a local healthcare workforce? And will this improve access to care across the state? Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/podcast and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

AI-generated images, videos, and misinformation are everywhere. Whether you know how to spot it or not, fake images and videos are woven into social media feeds and even political campaigns. Chris and Gabby sit down with two University of New Mexico professors to unpack how artificial intelligence is reshaping education, the workforce, and society. UNM professors Melanie Moses and Sonia Gipson-Rankin bring their expertise in computer science and the law to the conversation, exploring how AI is being used in classrooms, courtrooms, and political messaging. How can people spot what's real in an increasingly synthetic online world? How are New Mexico politicians using AI? And what does this mean for the future of learning, jobs, and democracy? Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/insiders and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

After nearly 30 years in uniform, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina sits down with Chris and Gabby for an unfiltered exit interview. He reflects on his decision to step aside for the next mayoral administration, the long road under the Department of Justice consent decree, and navigating one of APD's biggest scandals: a widespread DWI corruption scandal. Medina opens up about the moments he says helped shape him, the regrets that still linger, and the victories he's most proud of in a candid, emotional conversation. How did he decide it was time to step back? What advice would he give the next leader of the city's biggest police department? Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/podcast and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

As 2025 comes to a close, we're unwrapping some of the stories that brought joy to New Mexico and the reporters who helped tell them. KRQE anchor-reporters Annalisa Pardo and Madison Conner take us behind the scenes of their favorite 'good news' stories of the year, the people who inspired them, and why these feel-good reports stuck with them long after the camera stopped rolling. What advice does a 66-year-old piccoloist impart to her young bandmates? And what can others learn from a homeless man who was given a second chance? Watch Annalisa's inspiring story from March Madness here. Watch Madison's uplifting report about a Duke City Ambassador here. Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to your hosts at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/insiders and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico.

Chances are at this point, you've probably heard about the Governor's idea to "reimagine" the New Mexico State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque's International District. Now one year since that project kicked off, Chris and Gabby are sitting down with former Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez, who's serving as the "state-appointed advisor" on the project. Chavez is tasked with leading the charge on the effort that could overhaul EXPO New Mexico site. He shares why he believes the current statue quo isn't working, both financially and as a major tourist draw. He also lays out current plans, the millions of dollars in funding needed for the project, and addresses the controversial idea of moving the iconic New Mexico State Fair out of EXPO. Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/insiders and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

New Mexico's Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) was created to protect the state's most vulnerable kids. Instead, too many children have slipped through the cracks. In this episode of New Mexico News Insiders, our KRQE colleagues Ann Pierret and Jessica Garate take us inside their hour-long news special about the agency's origins, its intended mission, and why it keeps failing families generation after generation. For decades, both Democratic and Republican leadership have made promises, but there's a continued theme of the children getting hurt or dying under CYFD's radar. Should the state's Governor continue picking a CYFD Secretary? Is staff turnover to blame for failures in the system?  Watch CYFD: A Generational Problem on the KRQE Now streaming app on your smart TV. Later available on the KRQE YouTube channel & KRQE.com Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/podcast and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico.

In one of their final appearances before Albuquerque's mayoral runoff Election Day, Chris and Gabby host incumbent Mayor Tim Keller and former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White. The two candidates answer questions about crime, their strategies for handling homeless encampments and city policing, and their sharply personal critiques of each other's records. Each candidate is given 20 minutes to discuss their plans, policy clashes, and what's at stake for the city on December 9th. Do voters believe the city is on the right track? Or will new leadership change the metro's trajectory?  Early voting in Albuquerque is December 1st-6th. Runoff Election Day is Tuesday, December 9th.  Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/podcast and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

A funding crisis is going on behind the scenes in federal courtrooms across the country. It's one that was intensified by the recent federal shutdown, and especially felt in New Mexico, where tribal clients make up a significant portion of indigent defendants in federal court. More than 50 attorneys who went without paychecks for months, announced in November that they can no longer take new cases, leaving violent crime prosecutions and immigration cases at risk of grinding to a halt. This week on the New Mexico News Insiders Podcast, Chris and Gabby host CJA Counsel Representative Ryan Villa to break down what the CJA panel is, how the funding dried up, and what this means for the local justice system, criminal cases, and federal immigration priorities going forward. Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/podcast and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

Despite the federal government reopening, New Mexico will still feel the sting of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Federal dollars and government jobs keep much of the state running, so when Washington shuts down, the effects are often immediate and far-reaching. UNM finance professor Reilly White joins Chris and Gabby to walk through the trickle-down economics in New Mexico, whether the state stepping in to cover SNAP benefits avoided a crisis, and what the last 43 days reveal about the state's dependence on the federal government.   Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/podcast and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico.

When it comes to New Mexico weather, there's no such thing as ‘normal.’ While communities are still reeling from wildfire devastation, this year saw powerful monsoon storms that devastated the Village of Ruidoso, a record amount of dust storm warnings and tornadoes, as well as stretches where the Rio Grande ran dry. Chief Meteorologist Grant Tosterud joins Chris and Gabby to break down the biggest weather moments of 2025, what they mean for the state's climate future, and what we can expect heading into winter. Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/podcast and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

Can small-town newspapers make a comeback? In Albuquerque, hyper-local outlets like Downtown Albuquerque News and Nob Hill News are proving there's still an appetite for neighborhood reporting. As traditional news media adapt to changing habits of how people get their information, independent journalists are filling in some of the gaps in local "news deserts." Nob Hill News publisher Lindsay Wood joins Chris and Gabby to talk about the process behind the small-town theory of journalism, and why she believes reader-funded newsletters are key to community engagement.  Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/podcast and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico. 

Could you be exposed to toxic pollution, and does it trace back to the U.S. military? The New Mexico Environment Department is trying to find out. Newly released data shows nearly everyone tested who lives or works near Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, has elevated levels of toxic PFAS "forever chemicals" in their blood. New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney and Dr. Eric Chapman join Chris and Gabby to break down what this means for people living near the polluted area, and what the state is doing to help. Is the federal government doing enough to clean up the toxic mess? What health risks are people facing? PFAS exposure at Holloman Lake survey Thanks for listening. If you’ve got an idea, send it to us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Give us a follow on social media at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. Watch or listen to our prior podcasts online at KRQE.com/podcast and our KRQE YouTube channel, or on broadcast TV every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. MST on Fox New Mexico.