On Fronteras: Stories From Descendents Along The Old Spanish Trail

This week on Fronteras:

·         Some evidence that New Mexico state workers may have falsified applications for emergency food stamps. 

·         A five-state survey shows many Americans in the Southwest feel financially squeezed by the costs of healthcare.

·         In Dallas, a program is helping low income families learn vital parenting skills.

·         A new Austin development raises concern because it’s next to an ancestral cemetery housing graves of the enslaved.

·         An artist travels along the Old Spanish Trail for a new exhibit at Albuquerque’s National Hispanic Cultural Center.

New Mexico Employees May Have Delayed Emergency Food Aid

Hungry people in New Mexico may have been denied expedited food assistance after their applications were falsified and put on hold. That’s what some state workers recently said in court. New Mexico’s Human Services Department administrators say they’re taking the allegations seriously and have launched an internal investigation. Marisa Demarco from public radio station KUNM in Albuquerque and New Mexico Public Television Station KNME have been looking into the hardships people face when applying for emergency food stamps.

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Healthcare Survey Reveals Concerns About Costs, Coverage, Choices

Residents in Texas and four other populous states have deep concerns about cost, coverage and doctor choices.  The Texas Medical Center surveyed opinions about healthcare issues in Texas, California, Florida, New York, and Ohio.  Houston Public Media’s Carrie Feibel reports some of the results may surprise conservative politicians.

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Nurturing Families Relieves Stress And Prevents Abuse

According to the Children’s Defense Fund, children living in a family that makes $15,000 a year are 22 times more likely to be abused than children in a family making just $30,000.  KERA’s Courtney Collins checked in with one effort already up and running that helps families take the stress out of raising kids.

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Saving An Ancestral Cemetery In Austin

In Austin, it’s hard to miss the massive cranes and construction crews that are building nearly everywhere.  Development invariably raises questions about new traffic and quality of life issues.   Now one development company is taking on a fight about something that’s not above ground—it’s below.  KUT’s Vanessa Rancaño reports.

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Documenting The Old Spanish Trail

Two years ago, a Spanish artist set out on a journey from New Mexico to California, following an 1800’s trade route known as the Old Spanish Trail.  Traveling in an SUV through six states, Janiere Nájera looked for the descendants of the Trail's first Spanish settlers.  The result is Moving Forward, Looking Back, an exhibition at Albuquerque's National Hispanic Cultural Center.  It combines photography, video and recorded conversations.  Nájera describes her journey in an interview with KUNM’s Spencer Beckwith.

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