It’s hard to believe that it has been a full year since the U.S. Surgeon General came to Albuquerque to issue his call to action on underage drinking. Actually his visit came in September of 2007. We actually got the chance to sit down with him for a few minutes to talk about that call to action, and you can watch that interview by clicking play on the video below.

And, here’s what some of the state’s top experts on underage drinking had to say just days after that visit from Dr. Moritsugu.

Based on this week’s episode, it is clear that lawmakers will be considering several very important proposals dealing with the problem of underage drinking. If you are still not convinced of the magnitude of the problem itself, be sure to read this report commissioned by the state health department. and, keep in mind this survey is based on self reports by more than 11,000 New Mexico high school students. This is based on their own accounting of their behavior, not some third party observations or extrapolations. If you are interested in finding ways you can help curb this problem, here’s a great resource for you. It is especially useful for all of the parents out there:

Preventing Underage Drinking

This is an issue that we are committed to tracking and covering here on KNME. If you know of someone or some group doing great things to battle the bottle here in New Mexico, shoot us an email at infocus@knme.org, or just leave us a note in the comments section here on this blog!

And, for those of you who missed this week’s episode, just click below to see the show in its entirety!

 THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM

A bird's eye view of the Railrunner Commuter Train in Santa Fe

We talked a lot this week about the expansion of Railrunner commuter train service north to Santa Fe. It’s been almost a year and a half now since the train first left the station here in Albuquerque. Now it stretches all the way from Belen to Santa Fe.

There are plenty of people who still think the train is a mistake, or question the funding and operation of the Railrunner. We hope we helped add to that discussion at least in some small part during this episode. But, the bottom line is, the train is here to stay, and it is imperative to the state as a whole that it succeeds.

If you want to learn more about the Railrunner, including schedules, fairs and background information, just head to the website, which is chock full of great tidbits, including the original environmental studies. That was an interesting point that Margaret Montoya brought up on THE LINE this week as well. There is very little information on the Railrunner website about how the train is helping fight global warming. It may be an oversight, or maybe something else. We’ll be sure to ask our friends at the Mid-Region Council of Governments and get back to you.

Also this week, we talked a lot about the economy, from its impact on local school districts, to the ongoing fight over what to do about the ailing automobile companies. At the time of our taping the Senate had not yet balked at the most recent bailout package, so please keep that in mind as you are watching. So, what do you think about the bailout plans? Head to our online poll and cast your vote, and be sure to leave us your comments or shoot us an email at infocus@knme.org.

And, in case you missed any of this week’s episode, just click on the player below, or rewatch your favorite segments all over again!

As always, thanks for watching!

The Public Affairs Team