This week on Fronteras:
· We’re looking at the impact of the environmental accident along the Animas River. EPA cleanup workers accidentally released three million gallons of mining pollution into the river, which flows through Colorado and New Mexico. Its– threatening drinking water, fishing and the environment. Reporters talk with the Navajo people and residents with homes along the river. We hear from water managers who are testing ditch irrigation systems for possible contamination.
· Dallas County recently adopted a policy that may violate the civil rights of children born in the U.S. but whose parents are in the country without valid visas. The lack of documents is making it difficult for the children to enroll in school.
· After a 15-year hiatus due to drug violence, a race between El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico- Run Internacional- has reconnected the two cities.
· For the first time, Motown the Musical is translated in Spanish during a live performance at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas.
Massive Mine Spill Pollutes Three State River System
For a week, orange toxic waste has been flowing from a shuttered gold mine in Colorado, pouring heaving metals into 90-miles of a river system that begins with the Animas River.
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency contracted clean-up workers who accidentally released three million gallons of sludge contained by a dam at the closed Gold King Mine. Heavy-metal pollutants, including lead, arsenic and cadmium, surged down the Animas, making their way toward the San Juan and Colorado Rivers and majestic Lake Powell.
The governors of Colorado and New Mexico have declared disaster emergencies which triggers funding for cleanup. The EPA is scrambling to figure out what this means for the environment as it warns the effects may linger for at least two years.
The Animas River runs right through the Navajo Nation. KUNM’sFronteras reporter Marissa Demarco reports on how the Navajo’s tribal council is responding to the spill.
Residents Worry Spill Could Harm Private Wells and Animals
Farmington is where the Animas and San Juan rivers meet. Residents in communities along those rivers are taking precautions as they wait for the results of water testing.
Irrigation Systems Near The Animas Spill Tested For Contamination
Water managers in Northwestern New Mexico are trying to determine how much contamination has seeped into ditch irrigation systems. Rita Daniels of KUNM reports from Farmington, New Mexico.
Texas Rejects Matricula Consular For School Registrations
In Dallas County, Texas, there’s a debate over birth certificates for children of immigrants. The State of Texas doesn’t recognize a document some Mexican immigrants have called the Matricula Consular. It’s issued in as a form of identification in their native country. KERA’s Stella Chavez reports, immigrant advocates are worried how Dallas County’s refusal to accept the card will affect children who need a birth certificate to enroll in school.
California Bans The Word “Alien” From Labor Code
In California, it will soon be illegal to use the term "alien" to describe workers who were born outside of the United States. Governor Jerry Brown recently signed legislation that removes "alien" from the labor code. Many immigrants and citizens consider "Alien" as a derogatory designation with negative connotations. California started using the word in 1937 for people not born or naturalized as citizens in America. The new law takes effect next year.
Run Internacional Reconnects El Paso And Juarez
Each year nine million vehicles cross the border between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. Last weekend, however, it was 1,000 men and women in running shoes crossing over. They were part of a 10-kilometer, bi-national race that may signal progress for a sometimes troubled part of the border. From Marfa Public Radio, Tom Michael reports.
Motown the Musical Translated In Spanish
A Dallas theater company is conducting a simultaneous, Spanish-language translation of the live performance of Motown the Musical. KERA’s Jerome Weeks reports, pulling it off was a lot more complicated than it sounds.