Author

Lissa Knudsen
Lissa Knudsen was the news editor at the New Mexico Daily Lobo, following a stint as the publication’s public health beat reporter. She also worked as a data analyst for local NPR affiliate KUNM News. Her areas of coverage include politics and policy with an emphasis on racial and gender equity. Knudsen holds a bachelor's degree in health science and a master's degree in program planning and health education. She’s a critical cultural communication doctoral candidate, emphasizing reproductive justice, maternity and health. She is a board member of the New Mexico Public Health Association. Before she realized she was supposed to be a journalist, Knudsen was involved in local politics up until mid-2014, getting into hot water with her bosses as she pushed for transparency and public accountability.
ABQ councilors dealt competing proposals for bus program
By: Lissa Knudsen - January 9, 2023
The Albuquerque City Council continues to take its time to determine the fate of the Zero Fares Program, a transportation project that allows any city bus rider to hop on and go without having to show anything to the driver. The Council decided again last week to postpone a final vote on an ordinance that […]
Albuquerque bus fare bill deferred until early 2023
By: Lissa Knudsen - December 6, 2022
City Councilors again revised the proposal to scale back Albuquerque’s Zero Fares Pilot Program on Monday, kicking the final vote down the road until the council meets in January. The latest proposal would allow anyone to use their government-issued ID to ride city buses for free. People who don’t have an ID will be required […]
City Council takes another swipe at ending the Zero Fares Bus Program citing unreliable data
By: Lissa Knudsen - November 11, 2022
The Albuquerque City Council continued its efforts to end the hop-on-and-go Zero Fares program, citing safety concerns despite city data showing that the buses have become more accessible and safer since the program was implemented last January. Councilors Dan Lewis and Klarissa Peña’s substitute bill replaces an earlier version, and if approved, would end the […]
Councilors: Albuquerque’s hop-on-and-go bus program made it too easy for the wrong kind of riders
By: Lissa Knudsen - November 7, 2022
Albuquerque city councilors are weighing whether to end a popular Zero Fares Pilot Program for the bus system where riders don’t have to pay or show any kind of pass to get on a bus, arguing that the policy makes public transit less safe. “Right now the buses are dirty and smell like urine,” said […]
Governor may appoint a commission candidate to fill Couy Griffin’s seat
By: Lissa Knudsen - October 14, 2022
Democrat Stephanie Dubois has been tapped by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to replace Couy Griffin on the Otero County Commission, according to the Alamogordo Daily News. The Governor’s Office, however, has not officially announced the appointment and says it is not yet finalized, as paperwork is still being completed. “The review process is ongoing and […]
People of Middle Eastern, Northern African descent say census categories erase their experience
By: Lissa Knudsen - August 4, 2022
When Leena Aggad was applying to graduate schools, she was pleasantly surprised when she saw that one of the universities she was considering included Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) among the race and ethnicity categories on the application. “Seeing that made me feel more included,“ Aggad said. “And I actually took a picture of […]
NM Transportation Department is sitting on millions of unspent breathalyzer funds
By: Lissa Knudsen - April 6, 2022
As much as $2.1 million meant to help people pay for interlock devices is sitting in Santa Fe unspent. Word of the fund isn’t always getting out, officials say, and the application process may be hindering those who most need the financial help. The fund comes from an annual $100 fee tacked onto the cost […]
Sexual assault and harassment linked to higher long-term heart attack risk in women
By: Lissa Knudsen - March 14, 2022
Women who have experienced sexual assault and workplace sexual harassment are at higher long-term risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease, a new study shows. The study, published last month in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed data from one of the largest investigations into risk factors for major chronic disease […]
New Mexico gets rid of the ‘tampon tax’
By: Lissa Knudsen - March 10, 2022
People in New Mexico will no longer have to pay taxes on menstrual pads, tampons and cups as of July 1 — a victory for advocates who’ve been working on the issue for years. A provision to allow for a deduction on retailers’ gross receipts taxes was included in the omnibus tax reform bill that […]
N.M. residents may soon be able to sign up for health coverage while they file their taxes
By: Lissa Knudsen - February 24, 2022
Figuring out your health insurance could become as easy as checking a box on your tax return if a bill the Legislature passed is signed by the governor. Set to take effect next year, New Mexico would be the fifth state in the nation to streamline the process this way. House Bill 95 — dubbed […]
Rise in newborn syphilis cases prompts DOH intervention
By: Lissa Knudsen - December 3, 2021
More babies in the U.S. are being born with syphilis than at any time in the last 20 years, and CDC research indicates that the trend is growing exponentially worse. The latest data show New Mexico has the second-highest rate in the country. The infection is curable. And it’s alarming rise led the New Mexico […]
New DWI-detection tech might alter the law’s disproportionate impacts
By: Lissa Knudsen - November 11, 2021
A mandate for technology in new vehicles that can pull over if the driver is impaired by alcohol was rolled into the infrastructure bill on its way to President Joe Biden. That means once the U.S. National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration figures out the regulations in the next couple of years, all new cars […]