Kunc's Colorado Edition

Today on Colorado Edition: We head to the mountains for a look at tensions over housing in Steamboat Springs, where a temporary halt on short-term rentals is causing friction between business owners and those who want to free up housing to locals. We also speak with Boulder’s first independent police monitor about how his role in police oversight works. And, we explore how Denver Public Schools is reinvesting funds after cancelling its contract with Denver Police for school resource officers.

Today on Colorado Edition: We explore the political spending of some of Colorado’s professional sports leaders and the connection between sports and politics. Plus, we hear how climate change is impacting the high mountain habitat of the American pika. We also speak with a woman living in Walden, Colorado where residents are banding together to pick up medications, and with a reporter covering the decline of rural pharmacies. And we hear about the return of a silent film series at Boulder’s Chautauqua Auditorium.

On today’s Colorado Edition: We talk with a public health expert about the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of the delta variant. We hear about the impacts of a new bill aiming to rein in paramedics’ ability to sedate people using ketamine. We learn about two upcoming NASA missions to Venus, and the Colorado scientists involved. And, as baseball fans descend on Denver ahead of the All-Star Game on Tuesday, we explore the economic impact expected from hosting the event.

Today on Colorado Edition: We explore the impact of the prolonged warming and drying trend across the Southwest that has left the nation’s two largest reservoirs at record lows. We hear about a foreclosure auction for a large outdoor retail center that drew no bidders. Then, we learn about a new effort at the Denver Zoo to vaccinate many of its animals against COVID-19. And finally, we discuss how Colorado’s historic wildfires last year are impacting water quality this year.

Today on Colorado Edition: We learn about the work of a new coalition of early childhood stakeholders that’s forming to help educators earn their degrees. Plus, we hear about the comeback of a silent film festival here in Colorado, and we’ll visit the Shambhala Mountain Center, one of a growing number of places trying to shore up their defenses against future fire. We’ll also hear a listener essay about preserving the area between Denver and Colorado Springs.

Today on Colorado Edition: We learn about a tool that can predict how lawmakers will vote on certain bills - and find out how a friendly wager between two reporters turned out. Then, we hear about a surge of Colorado entrepreneurs who started businesses during the pandemic. And, we learn about the global history of the avocado.

Today on Colorado Edition: We head to the Greeley Stampede to get an inside look at the Miss Rodeo Colorado pageant. We also hear the story of recent eagle drama at Standley Lake that brought global attention to the park last year. Plus, we explore a course at Colorado State University that’s weaving Indigenous perspectives into natural resource management, and we speak with the food editor of 5280 Magazine.

Today on Colorado Edition: We learn why vaccination rates in rural communities are lagging behind more populated areas. Plus, we hear the latest on an effort by Colorado State University and the NASA SnowEx campaign to figure out how much water comes from mountain snowpack. We also get an inside scoop on how the sale of the Boulder chocolate company Lily’s fits into a larger trend in the candy industry. And, we talk with residents of Hickory Village, a Fort Collins mobile home community, who are trying to gain ownership of their park.

Today on Colorado Edition: We hear about a recently passed bill that will do away with most court fees and costs in the state’s juvenile court system. We also explore the work of the state board tasked with reviewing requests to change geographic place names. Plus, we get the latest on two ongoing investigations into the decision to move U.S. Space Command headquarters to Alabama from Colorado, and we hear a review of the Macedonian film God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya.

On today’s episode of Colorado Edition, we learn how a changing climate and other natural hazards can make buildings susceptible to damage. Then, we discover how small towns on the Front Range are trying to conserve water supply to support their booming communities. We hear why a state law is unintentionally making it harder for Coloradans to find remote work. And, we learn how arguments over critical race theory made their way to a Colorado school board meeting.

On today’s episode of Colorado Edition, we hear more about the recent wave of wildfires burning though the northwestern part of the state, including the Sylvan Fire near Eagle. Then, we dive into wildfire restoration and recovery efforts at some of last year's worst0hit areas. And, we celebrate the legacy of Barney Ford, a prominent Black businessman in Denver whose life was largely shaped by the Underground Railroad.

Today on Colorado Edition: We explore why health experts have been sounding the alarm over the state of children’s mental health, even as the recovery from the pandemic continues. We hear from Grand Junction residents about whether the Bureau of Land Management headquarters should remain in Colorado or shift back to D.C. We’ll get an update on summer construction along I-25 in Northern Colorado. And, we discuss a new body image disorder borne out of the pandemic surge in video conference calls.

On today’s episode of Colorado Edition, we learn how the federal moratorium on evictions that’s soon to expire might impact tenants and landlords across the state. Then, we examine how the racial and ethnic diversity of faculty at Colorado’s universities impacts students. Next, we learn how Colorado towns are working to preserve their starry night skies. And, we hear about a new documentary series on Rocky Mountain PBS that shines a light on “environmentally harmonious” buildings.

Today on Colorado Edition: We explore the ongoing housing crisis in Colorado’s mountain communities, and how emergency declarations are opening up short-term solutions in the high country. We also hear about an unusual ceremony that took place in Denver recently in which a 102-year-old World War II veteran received medals he had earned, but never received. Plus, the world’s largest meat processing company recently settled a federal lawsuit over claims of discrimination against Muslim workers at its Greeley plant. We’ll speak to a lawyer and a former worker involved in the case.

On today’s episode of Colorado Edition, we hear about a new transportation bill that will raise billions in funding for the state’s infrastructure. Then, we learn why theaters and concert venues are still waiting to get their hands on relief money from Congress. Plus, we hear how the city of Boulder is taking a local approach to fighting climate change. And, we get an opinion on the 2019 foreign film, Take Me Somewhere Nice, from KUNC's film critic.

Today on Colorado Edition: We hear about the upcoming Juneteenth celebration happening in Erie, a small Colorado town with a population that’s 92% white. We’ll also check in on the health of the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin through its two largest reservoirs. Plus, we hear a forecast for heat and drought conditions in our state for the coming weeks, and we explore the connection between how we heat our homes and the changing climate.

Today on Colorado Edition: We take a look at a variety of bills passed out of the state legislature this session related to stimulus money, to mental health, and to police use of ketamine to sedate people. Plus, we hear how the state is cracking down on smaller bodies of water to prevent waste in the midst of drought conditions. We’ll also hear about a new scholarship program for students from underrepresented communities pursuing careers in health care. And we explore declining enrollment rates in schools across the state.

On today’s episode of Colorado Edition, we discover how the rise of virtual health care during the pandemic changed both patient-provider relationships, and the future of health care. Then, we learn how communities damaged by last year’s wildfires are trying to recover their natural areas. Next, we hear about the first gray wolf pups to be spotted in the state since the 1940s. And, we check in with the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, where the Colorado’s last printing press approaches its final days.

Today on Colorado Edition: we learn how a new law might change the future of marijuana hospitality along the northern Front Range. Then, we speak to a new member of the Colorado Rockies franchise, and discover how she is making history. Next, we take a look a new true crime podcast out of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Plus, in honor of Pride Month, we revisit a story that takes us from Colorado’s history as a “hate state” to a leader in LGBTQ+ rights.

Today on Colorado Edition: We get an update on a bill that would place limits on when paramedics can sedate people with ketamine. We also hear an economist’s perspective on an incentive program from the state aiming to get unemployed Coloradans back into the workforce. And we’ll hear why a different incentive program to vaccinate Colorado’s correctional officers isn’t working like officials had hoped.