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FRONTERAS: Border Drinking Water; Pregnant in Rural NM; Mexican Fine Dining

DANIEL SALINAS / LAS CRUCES HIGH SCHOOL

This week on Fronteras: 

  • Residents along the U.S.-Mexico border have water that is not fit for drinking or even washing clothes.
  •   Many pregnant rural New Mexicans live more than 60 miles away from a safe place to deliver their babies.
  •   In Austin, U-T students play a vital role in helping refugee children make their transition to America.
  • The state of Texas wants to move the sanctuary cities lawsuit from San Antonio federal court to Austin.
  • Experiencing the art of Mexican fine dining.  It’s a pricey new trend

Drinking Water Along The U.S.-Mexico Border Threatened

There may be a political debate over the reality of global warming but in the Southwest, temperatures are rising and that threatens to diminish already scarce water supplies.  A 2014 United Nations report suggests that globally, the burden of climate change will impact the poor the most. Some of the most marginalized communities in the United States are found along the border between the U.S. and Mexico.  Daniel Salinas has the story from KRWG in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The Story

 This story was produced by David Salinas and the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Lab at Las Cruces High School, NM mentored by partner station KRWG. Support comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Science Foundation. For more information visit  @reportinglabs or http://studentreportinglabs.org

Credit JOE GREEN / FLICKR VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

Rural Healthcare For Pregnant Mothers Falls Short In New Mexico

There’s another situation in northern New Mexico - a dilemma faced by pregnant women living in rural areas there. When their babies are coming, the race to the hospital can take an hour or longer.  That’s because they have to travel over 60 miles to deliver their babies with a doctor or midwife.  In addition, they face another challenge:  getting physicians to work where they live.  KUNM’s Sarah Trujillo explains.

The Story

Credit JORGE SANHUEZA-LYON / KUT
Graduate student Kim Canuette Grimaldi volunteers with UT's Refugee Student Mentor Program.

UT Refugee Mentor Program Helps Students Adjust

The number of refugees admitted to the U.S. has plummeted since President Trump took office and last week, the Supreme Court allowed parts of Mr. Trump’s travel ban on refugees to take effect.  For those families already here, they’re eager to return to normal lives, including educating their kids.  Until recently, many schools in Austin were unable to offer support for languages such as Arabic. But, as KUT’s Nadia Hamdan reports, that changed when a group of student volunteers from the University of Texas stepped in.

The Story

Credit Ryan Poppe / TPR
Austin Federal Courthouse

Texas Attorney General Wants SB4 Lawsuit Moved To Austin

We have an update on SB4, the sanctuary cities law.  Critics call it the “show me your papers” law.  Now the state is trying to move the lawsuit against it from a federal court in San Antonio to one in Austin. TPR’s Ryan Poppe has more.

The Story

Credit GUS CONTRERAS / KERA NEWS
Revolver Taco Lounge owner and chef Regino Rojas.

The Art Of Mexican Fine Dining Can Be Pricey

There’s no argument that Texans love Mexican food but will they pay more to eat it? Texas is filled with taquerias and Tex-Mex restaurants, but there aren’t many places that focus on Mexican fine dining.  In Dallas, the Revolver Taco Lounge is changing that with its new dinner concept. As KERA’s Gus Contreras reports, it’s bucking the trend that good Mexican food has to be cheap.

The Story

Norma Martinez can be reached at norma@tpr.org and on Twitter at @NormDog1