This week on NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS

This week the state Republican Party will hold an Appreciation Dinner in honor of outgoing U.S. Senator Pete Domenici. That got us to thinking about Domenici's legacy, something I am sure will be talked about a great deal leading up to his retirement next January.

KNME has followed Senator Domenici's career from the beginning, and he was gracious enough to grant us one of the first television interviews dealing with his upcoming retirement. We were able to talk to him for roughly 25 minutes about everything from what he wants to accomplish in the months he has left in Washington, to how he hopes he will be remembered by the people of New Mexico. It's a candid and informative interview that you won't want to miss!

The opportunity to interview the Senator also provides a great chance to share with our audience a documentary that KNME did a few years back about the Senator's upbringing and his desire to serve the people of this state.

All this, plus THE LINE panelists tackle the topic of Senator Domenici's legacy, this Friday night at 7pm, and again Sunday morning at 6:30am.

And don't forget to look for streaming video of the episode, and our exclusive interview with Pete Domenici, on our NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS website.

Be an Online HISTORY DETECTIVE

My contacts at HISTORY DETECTIVES sent a heads-up my way, so I thought I’d pass it on. If you think you’re a pretty good sleuth, HISTORY DETECTIVES has an online challenge for YOU.

This year, the HISTORY DETECTIVES website, www.pbs.org/historydetectives, launches something new - Web Investigations, an online version of the series where viewers can help solve a historical mystery. Responding to weekly assignments, you can contribute your knowledge and/or research ability to the investigation. So if you’ve got an itch to solve a mystery, join in and show off your mad sleuthing skills. And let me know how it goes!

Regarding the show itself, I’m hearing that the Detectives have been tracking viewers’ unique discoveries, including a mysterious coin that may have been shot by Wild West icon Annie Oakley. I’m also hearing that this season they undertake a quest to return a WWII pilot’s personal diary to his surviving family members.

The season premieres on Monday, June 30 at 9:00 pm.

Coming up this week on NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS

Election season is officially in full gear, and that is definitely true in New Mexico's First Congressional District.

Heather Wilson is not running for re-election, instead opting to enter the race to replace Pete Domenici in the U.S. Senate. That means the race for CD1 is wide open, and the candidates are lining up for the chance to serve in the House of Representatives.

The next step in the race is the upcoming primary election in June. There are a total of six candidates running, four democrats and two republicans. This week on NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS, meet all six of the would-be representatives and find out how they would serve you in Washington. It's an Elect New Mexico special that you won't want to miss. Plus, don't forget to check our show website for more information on the candidates, as well as video of this week's web-only "On the Clock" segment with Gene Grant and THE LINE panelists.

Six Months on an Aircraft CARRIER. How would YOU do?

Okay, I don’t know about you, but I’m not crazy about sharing my personal space with a lot of other folks. It’s not that I don’t like people, it’s just that I want some territory to call my own. Wiggle room. Crowd the human race, and the rats-in-a-cage syndrome starts to kick in… which is why, when I started learning that 5,000 Navy personnel and 85 military aircraft are all crowded together onto a nuclear aircraft carrier, in this case the USS Nimitz, I started getting that skin-crawly feeling. I give great respect to those who do it, but it’s obviously not a job for me. Especially if you’re sleeping UNDER a runway, and on TOP of a nuclear reactor!

Then again, honestly, I had never thought much about the ins and outs of aircraft carriers before. To me they had gone out, done their job, and come home. Looking back, what I knew about carriers was pretty much informed by TOP GUN. Sad and scary, I know. But CARRIER is better. FAR better. It airs five nights-in-a-row, Sunday, April 27 - Thursday, May 1 at 9:00 p.m.

Real people. Edge-of-your-seat, nonfiction drama, and a total immersion in the high-stakes world of a nuclear aircraft carrier. My kind of stories! Getting to know people up and down the chain of command. Those 5 nights provide a raw and personal look at life inside the Navy. CARRIER was shot May to Nov. 2005, during a full six-month deployment.

Six MONTHS at sea…in confined spaces. Definitely not my cup of tea. But it makes for great TV.

This week on NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS

How would you describe race relations here in New Mexico? We have a diverse history here in our state that includes strong ties to both Mexico and Spain. And, we cannot forget the influece of our Native American communities on the overall cultrual melting pot that is the Land of Enchantment. In fact, many people would say that our diversty makes us a much more integrated state. But does that mean there are no racial tensions here?

On the week's NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS, we begin a candid conversation on racial issues in New Mexico, including how those issue play into the upcoming presidential election. Barack Obama encouraged us all to open up new dialogues in race, during his landmark "A More Perfect Union Speech". We hope to help facilitate that conversation through this episode, which features opinions and insight from "everyday" New Mexicans. We would love to hear what you think about the issue. Tune in Friday night at 7pm, then drop us a line on our website.

Hope to see you then!

This week on NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS

Kermit was always fond of saying "It's not easy being green", but that may be changing here in New Mexico, at least when it comes to green building.

New research finds that nearly two-thirds of homebuyers are now aware of green building practices. And, nearly 40% of all home renovations now involve some sort of green product or green building technique, whether it be better insulation, using more recycled products, or installing more efficient windows.

In honor of Earth Day, NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS will look at the green building movement here in the Land of Enchantment. We'll talk to local experts who are leading a national movement toward more environmentally friendly construction practices. We'll also introduce you to a local business that is cashing in on the green building industry. And, we'll tour two Rio Rancho schools that are currently under construction and will set new standards for green building here in our state.

It's a jam-packed show that you won't want to miss, Friday night at 7pm, here on KNME.

Harry Potter Comes To KNME - Daniel Radcliffe stars as Rudyard Kipling’s son in a new MASTERPIECE CLASSIC “My Boy Jack”- Sunday 4/20 at 8:00 pm

It’s odd to see Daniel Radcliffe in roles other than Harry Potter. Sure he’s an actor, and it’s expected, but it’s a little like watching your kid brother grow up. Interesting, if vaguely unsettling. (A bit like watching “Equus,” no doubt, for which he received great reviews last year on the London stage.) It’s even odder when the English-born (who knew?) Kim Cattrall, the quintessential sultry New Yorker from “Sex and the City,” plays his brunette Mom, in an understated role clearly showing her range. This is not sexy Samantha, but a mother who lives in fear for her son. And that’s what makes MASTERPIECE so great! One gets to watch good actors, with good material, really doing their thing!

Radcliffe plays John “Jack” Kipling, the only son of Rudyard Kipling (“The Jungle Book”/”Just So Stories”), as a young man obsessed with serving his country and escaping from the shadow of his famous father, in “My Boy Jack.” Underage and hopelessly nearsighted at the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Jack desperately wants to join the fight, but Kipling Sr. has to pull strings to get his son into the army. Jack is in a frontline unit, goes missing, and is presumed injured. It is only over the years, through the recollections of shell-shocked survivors, that the story of his fate emerges. David Haig ("Four Weddings and a Funeral"), who plays Kipling also wrote the screenplay. Carey Mulligan (“Bleak House,”“Jane Austen-Northanger Abbey”) plays Jack’s protective older sister, Elsie.

Rudyard Kipling was the most beloved English author of the day. “It is impossible to overemphasize [Kipling’s] status in 1914,” Haig wrote recently. “He was the voice of the empire, he had the ear of the king and the prime minister, and was as globally popular (and, incidentally, as wealthy) as J. K. Rowling is today.”

MASTERPIECE CLASSIC “My Boy Jack” - Sunday 4/20 at 8:00 – 10:00 pm on KNME, Channel 5

Evy Todd, KNME New Media