LINEA ABIERTA | THIS WEEK | PREVIOUS PROGRAMS

Linea Abierta Programs for June 2005

Wednesday, June 1st

PROGRAM # 4523 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION. THE SHEETROCK SCANDAL LEGISLATION. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) is introducing legislation that would prohibit states from spending federal law-enforcement grants on local anti-drug task forces unless they adopt laws to prevent people from being convicted of drug offenses based only on uncorroborated testimony of cops or informants. This bill stems from the Dallas sheetrock scandal, a case where dozens of people, mostly Mexican immigrants, went to prison on drug charges. The alleged powder drugs turned out to be fake evidence: ground up sheetrock, wallboard material.

Guests: Ana Yáñez-Correa, legislative liaison, League of United Latin American Citizens – LULAC, Project director of Solutions for Sentencing and Incarceration, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, Austin, TX; Erubiel Cruz, Mexican immigrant, imprisoned and exonerated in "Sheetrock" scandal case, Garland, TX.

PROGRAM # 4524 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Journalist Martha Elena Ramírez, producer of the radio program "Voz Pública," begins a new chapter of this radio series. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Friday, June 3rd

PROGRAM # 4525 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings live interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis in issues on women and peace in the Caribbean basin. Listeners are encouraged to call in.

Monday, June 6th

PROGRAM # 4526 - 12:00 PDT
MICHOACAN SIMULCAST: MIGRANT HUNTERS. Civilian vigilante groups expand migrant-hunting operations from the border in Arizona into neighboring California and Texas. A new law in Washington will bring new and more fortified fences at the border. What do these activities means for migrant traffic and safety at the border?

Guests: Chris Simcox, director of border operations, Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, Tucson, AZ; Claudia Smith, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, San Diego, CA; Carlos Ernesto García Pérez, director, Atención Legal y Administrativa a Migrantes, Coordinación General de Atención al Migrante, Gobierno del Estado de Michoacán, Morelia; Victor Manuel Serrato García, secretario ejecutivo, Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos, Morelia, Mich.

Tuesday, June 7th

PROGRAM # 4527 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION. Chicago Attorney Rosalba Piña joins this edition to talk with state legislator Roberto Alonzo from Texas, sponsor of a legislative bill in Austin seeking to help undocumented immigrants apply for a driver’s license. Piña also answers listener calls on immigrant rights and citizenship procedures.

Wednesday, June 8th

PROGRAM # 4528 - 12:00 PDT
SOCIAL SECURITY OVERHAUL: THE DEBATE IN TEXAS. President Bush continues struggling to get support for his proposals to reform Social Security. This program explores how this national debate is followed in Texas. Personal retirement accounts, reductions in Social Security benefits and protecting pension plans, are among the issues to discuss.

Guests:  Ana Escobedo Cabral, U.S. Treasurer, The White House, Washington, DC; Celia Salomons, district director, Texas Foundation of Republican Women, founder of Hispanic Republican Women of San Antonio, San Antonio, TX; Oscar Luna, associate state director, American Association of Retired Persons AARP, Houston, TX.

PROGRAM # 4529 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Journalist Martha Elena Ramírez, producer of the radio program "Voz Pública," begins a new chapter of this radio series. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Friday, June 10th

PROGRAM # 4530 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings live interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis in issues on women and peace in the Caribbean basin. Listeners are encouraged to call in.

Monday, June 13th

PROGRAM # 4531 - 12:00 PDT
FARMWORKERS SPRAYED, POISONED. Last month, 23 women who were working in a vineyard in Kern County, California, were exposed to chemical poisons sprayed by a pesticide applicator in a neighboring field. They were rushed to the hospital with severe headaches, nausea and dizziness. Farm worker advocates call for prosecuting the application company and for stricter laws against pesticide safety violations. Victims of the mass poisoning have been invited to this program, broadcast live from the farmworking town of Lamont in Kern County.

Guests: Anita Martinez, organizer, United Farm Workers of America, UFW, Arvin, CA; Rosario Ortiz, news reporter, The Bakersfield Californian, Bakersfield, CA;  Maura Salazar, organizer, Lideres Campesinas, Arvin, CA.

ALSO, PROTECTION AGAINST THE WORST PESTICIDES. Jose Ríos, news director at KDNA in Granger, WA, reports on a bill pending in the Washington state legislature to phase out some of the most toxic pesticides used in agriculture and to require immediate protections for pesticide handlers.

Tuesday, June 14th

PROGRAM # 4532 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION – SCHOOL FUNDING SHORTCHANGE. Schools in Texas face increased enrollment, higher standards of accountability and more costs brought by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Still, revenues for public schools are going down. Educators raise this issue, as well as issues of equal education in school funding. The system is moving into a deep crisis and the state Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on this matter for July 6.

Guests: Sylvia Bruni, superintendent, Laredo Independent School District, Laredo, TX; Louis Malfaro, president, Education Austin; member of the board of directors, American Federation of Teachers atAustin, TX; Rocio Diaz, parents organizer, Hispanic CREO, Austin, TX.

This program also includes a brief salutation from Rosa Maria Lares, general manager of Radio Tecnologico de Tijuana. The affiliate station at the Tijuana/San Diego border is celebrating its 18th anniversary.

Wednesday, June 15th

PROGRAM # 4533 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION – LOS DOS GILBERTOS. The four members of the classic conjunto from the Rio Grande Valley, Los Dos Gilbertos join this program, recorded in San Antonio during the Texano Conjunto Festival. They talk about their decades-old traditional conjunto style and their new album, Amor Eterno.

PROGRAM # 4534 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Journalist Martha Elena Ramírez, producer of the radio program "Voz Pública," begins a new chapter of this radio series. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Friday, June 17th

PROGRAM # 4535 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION – PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis on issues about women and peace in the Caribbean basin. While the show is pre-taped, listeners are encouraged to call in to a voice mail.

Monday, June 20th

PROGRAM # 4536 - 12:00 PDT
AIDS AND MIGRANTS. Concerned by the rising numbers of migrants infected with HIV/AIDS, academic researchers and health agencies conducted a survey in 2004 targeting migrants in Mexico and California. How much do migrants know about preventing HIV/AIDS infection? Do they use health services for HIV/AIDS? Leading researchers share some findings and recommendations.

Guests: Dr. Juan Ruiz, acting chief, VIH/SIDA Epidemiology Section, California Department of Health and Human Services, Sacramento, CA; Raúl Tejeda, research assistant, Planned Parenthood Marmonte, Fresno, CA.

Tuesday, June 21st

PROGRAM # 4537 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION– IMMIGRATION ADVICE. Chicago attorney Rosalba Piña talks with Romanita Matta, representative for Senator John Cornyn, Republican- Texas. Matta talks about Cornyn's legislation proposing funds for thousands of new border patrol agents and a guest worker program. Piña also answers listener calls on immigrant rights and citizenship procedures.

Wednesday, June 22nd

PROGRAM # 4538 - 12:00 PDT
POISONED CHILDREN. Children living on or around the fields often grow up in a toxic environment, exposed to the poisons of pesticides. The United Farm Workers of America, the Natural Resource Defense Council, and other advocacy organizations have filed a lawsuit demanding the U.S. Environment Protection Agency to promote federal laws to protect farm children by designating them as a model population when determining how much pesticides residues children can “safely” be exposed to. This and other topics are discussed with Lupe Martínez, national vice president of the United Farm Workers of America, and Elva López, representative of state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Bakersfield, CA. This conversation was held in the studios of Lamont, CA.

PROGRAM # 4539 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Journalist Martha Elena Ramírez, producer of the radio program "Voz Pública," begins a new chapter of this radio series. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

PROGRAM # 4540 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION – PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis on issues about women and peace in the Caribbean basin. Listeners are encouraged to call in.

Friday, June 24th

PROGRAM # 4541 - 12:00 PDT
NUESTRA MÚSICA FESTIVAL. Interviews with leading members of the groups Sones de México from Chicago, Los Camperos de Valles from San Luis Potosí, and Ecos de Borinquen from New York. These groups kick off the Nuestra Música Festival, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution at the U.S. National Mall. This program originates live from Washington, DC. The program is co-hosted with Ligia Mazariegos from Radio Michoacán’s state network in Morelia, Mexico. This program airs live from the studios of WAMU radio in Washington, DC. This broadcast is co-hosted by Ligia Mazariegos from Radio Michoacán's twelve-station state network in Morelia, Mexico.

Guests: Daniel Sheehy, ethnomusicologist, curator, Festival Nuestra Música, director, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Washington, DC; Marcos Hernandez, director, Los Camperos de Valles, San Luis Potosi, Mexico; Juan Diez, director, Sones de Mexico, Chicago; Miguel Santiago Diaz, director, Ecos de Borinquen, Puerto Rico.

PROGRAM # 4542 - 7:00 PM PDT
THE MEXICAN SON. Three-hour concert featuring Los Camperos de Valles and Sones de México. Los Camperos de Valles is a trio from the Mexican cattle-herding region known as La Huasteca. Sones de México is a six-member ensemble dedicated to performing styles of regional Mexican music mixed with contemporary styles. This program provides interviews with the curators of the festival, Daniel Sheehy and Olivia Cadaval,  as well as Gregorio Solano and Joel Monroy of Los Camperos.

Saturday, June 25th

PROGRAM # 4543 - 7:00 PM PDT
MUSIC AND POETRY. Three-hour concert featuring Los Camperos de Valles and Ecos de Borinquen. This program explores the common historic roots of the Mexican coplas and the Puerto Rican décimas. Ecos de Borinquen is made up of eight musicians who represent the best of today’s música jíbara from Puerto Rico. The program features interviews with Marcos Hernandez, director of Los Camperos, Daniel Sheehy, curator of the festival, Pablo Figueroa Villalobos, guiro player for Ecos de Borinquen, as well as members of the public.

Sunday, June 26th

PROGRAM # 4544 - 7:00 PM PDT
JÍBARO MUSIC. Two-hour concert featuring Ecos de Borinquen. This program also features interviews with curator Daniel Sheehy, as well as Miguel Santiago Diaz and Karol Aurora de Jesus Reyes, from Ecos de Borinquen. Members of the public were also invited to comment.

Monday, June 27th

PROGRAM # 4544 - 12:00 PDT
FARMWORKER TRANSPORTATION. The leading cause for work related deaths among Florida framworkers are transportation accidents. Florida is the second state in the nation in car accident fatalities among farmworkers. Farmworker advocates and legislators are trying to change Florida law to mandate seat belts in workers vehicles, among other safety measures, and are asking state agencies to take transportation problems seriously and enforce the existing law.

Guests: Tirso Moreno, President, Florida Farmworkers Association, Apopka, FL; Gerardo Reyes, Organizer, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Immokalee, FL; Lupe Romero, Contractor, Romero Harvesting, Okeechobee, FL; Florida Sen. JD Alexander (R-FL 17th), Invited.

Tuesday, June 28th

PROGRAM # 4545 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION - JOSE ANGEL GUTIERREZ. This is a conversation on current Texan issues with Dr. Jose Angel Gutierrez. Dr. Gutierrez is currently a professor and attorney in Dallas. He was a founder of the La Raza Unida Party in 1969, an organization that during the early 70s was instrumental in electing a number of Mexican American candidates to public office. He has authored several books on Chicano history and politics in the United Ststes.

Guest: Dr Jose Angel Gutierrez, Lawyer, Professor, The University of Texas-Arlington.

Wednesday, June 29th

PROGRAM # 4546 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS-GUADALAJARA: THE EMIGRE VOTE. Mexico's Congress is gathered in special session to discuss a bill allowing Mexicans living abroad to vote in the 2006 presidential elections. The deadline is June 30th. Mexican emigre activists from Texas join this edition to discuss the developments on this issue. This edition of the series "Sin Fronteras" airs in collaboration with the state network of Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Televisión in Guadalajara, in Western Mexico.

Guests: Emilio Espana de la Cuesta, coordinator of economic affairs, Consejo Consultivo del Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior, Houston, TX; Dr. Roberto Rosas, coordinator of legal affairs, Consejo Consultivo del Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior, Houston, TX; Mexican Legislators, Foreing Relations Commitee, Invited.

PROGRAM # 4547 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Journalist Martha Elena Ramírez, producer of the radio program "Voz Pública," begins a new chapter of this radio series. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

PROGRAM # 4548 - 12:00 PDT
LOS ANGELES SIMULCAST: THE MOST POLLUTED CITIES (II). Los Angeles, along with Mexico City and Santiago de Chile, is considered one of the most polluted cities in the planet. California's Central Valley follows closely. What makes these areas such dirty air hot spots? What happens to those who breathe smog and toxic air? What can be done to reduce smog and clean the air? This program provides a live report from the site of a community forum on quality-air justice in a small town in Central California. It also provides a testimonial by a farm working woman who continues suffering the effects of exposure to pesticide drift. It also includes an interview with a demonstrator at the world meeting of mayors on the environment.

Guests: Alma Martínez, news reporter, Radio Bilingüe; Daniela Simonovich, Fresno Metro Ministries, Fresno, CA; Luis Cabrales, California League of Conservation Voters, Los Angeles; Rey León, Latino Issues Forum, Huron, CA; Teresa Almaguer, PODER, San Francisco, CA; Soledad Luna, farm worker, Arvin, CA.

To tune in to this news service, check our Affiliate Stations page to find your nearest station. Also, the audio of these news stories will soon be available live in this same website.

LINEA ABIERTA | THIS WEEK | PREVIOUS PROGRAMS