Kunc's Colorado Edition

Travelers making their way through Denver International Airport can experience a colorful, distinctive new art exhibit.  The project, called “It’s Not What You Take, It’s What You Bring Back,” was created from 183 pieces of used luggage, suspended over a walkway in Concourse B. They’re painted in the vibrant colors of the Colorado sky – turquoise, baby blue, ruby red – and they form a shape resembling the infinity symbol.  That painted baggage is part of a new installation by Colorado artist Thomas Evans, better known as Detour. He’s well known around Denver for his colorful murals of local sports legends like Denver Nuggets Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.  Detour talked with Erin O’Toole about what inspired his new art at DIA – and some of the stories behind the luggage. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!Ho

For many people, being stopped by police can produce a wave of anxiety. But that sense of stress and uncertainty is even worse for people with conditions like autism spectrum disorder, hearing loss, Tourette’s syndrome, or dementia.  Boulder’s Police Department recently rolled out a new initiative called the Blue Envelope Program to help people with disabilities communicate when they encounter an officer.  It allows a person to get an official blue envelope and fill it out with information that an officer might need to know to communicate with them. Then if they’re stopped by Boulder Police, they hand over the envelope. The program is used by agencies in a handful of states, but Boulder’s Blue Envelope Program is the first in Colorado. Alistair McNiven, Chief of Staff for Boulder Police, helped launch the program in January. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about why he thinks the envelopes may be a transformative tool for law enforcement. McNiven said people can email BlueEnvelope@bouldercolorado.gov to request an

If you visit the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Denver, you see different types of wildlife, miles of hiking and biking trails and acres of rolling prairie.  But you don’t see any trace of the astonishing history of what happened there during the Cold War: Rocky Flats was the site of a plant that made plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons until it was shuttered in the early 1990s.  Officials removed later removed the buildings used in processing plutonium and cleaned up the area. And after a series of sometimes contentious public hearings, the wildlife refuge opened to the public in 2018. Filmmaker Jeff Gipe explores that history in a new documentary, Half-Life of Memory: America’s Forgotten Atomic Bomb Factory. Gipe grew up in nearby Arvada. His father worked at the plant in the 1980s.  Gipe says he made the film to remind people of the hazards buried beneath the wide-open spaces of the wildlife refuge, and to share the voices of workers whose lives were affected by the dangerous material

You likely haven’t heard the word ‘bipartisanship’ used much lately when it comes to news out of Washington. Republicans control the presidency and both chambers of Congress – and they’re making big policy moves. But Democratic Congressman Jason Crow still sees value in members of the two parties working together. Crow represents Colorado’s 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Aurora and parts of the Denver metro area.  He has served for six years on the For Country Caucus – a group of Republican and Democratic military veterans in the House – and recently wrapped up a two-year term as the group’s co-chair.Rep. Crow spoke with Erin O’Toole to share what he sees happening in Washington – and why he thinks the veterans caucus is an important group in Congress, particularly in this moment.   Looking for more In The NoCo interviews with Colorado lawmakers? We recently spoke with Rep. Brittany Pettersen about her effort to change strict in-person voting rules for new parents in Congres

Manipulating the clouds to make it rain or snow sounds like the stuff of science fiction. But the technology behind cloud seeding is nothing new: It dates back to the 1940s. That science got a new look recently when lawmakers ordered the Government Accountability Office to re-examine the possibilities of cloud seeding as water becomes a more precious resource in the U.S. The newly published report calls cloud seeding promising, but also says more research is needed. That got Alex Hager – KUNC's in-house water reporter -- thinking about how cloud seeding might affect what’s probably the biggest water story in the nation: the drought-stricken Colorado River. Alex wrote about it recently, and joined In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole to talk about what he learned.  For more on the Colorado River, check out KUNC’s award-winning podcast Thirst Gap. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo b

JBS is one of the largest meat producers in the world. The company – which is headquartered in Greeley – reportedly earned $76 billion last year.   And the company relies on immigrant labor to keep their meatpacking plants, like the one in Greeley, operating.   A new story from the Food and Environment Reporting Network and the investigative journalism show Reveal offers a look at the community of immigrant workers at the Greeley plant. Many of them are Haitian, and many of them are here legally under what’s called TPS, or temporary protected status. Now, their future is uncertain as President Trump’s administration plans to take a harder line on immigration issues.   Investigative journalist Ted Genoways reported the new audio documentary for Reveal. He spoke with Erin O’Toole to share insights about the lives of JBS workers in Greeley, and the grueling work of slaughtering hundreds of cattle per hour on what Ted calls the “disassembly line.” The Reveal episode hits podcast feeds this Saturday, and airs Sund

The recent news stories about wildfires in California seem all too familiar to Coloradans. We see homes destroyed by wildfires here every year.  But we’ve also been hearing reports of a second, slower-moving disaster in news reports out of California: insurance companies pulling out of high-risk areas, leaving thousands of homeowners with no ability to get coverage.  That kind of crisis is something Colorado lawmakers are working to avoid here. Democrat Kyle Brown represents House District 12, which includes Louisville and Superior, in the state house. He knows about natural disasters firsthand, since that area saw hundreds of homes destroyed by the Marshall Fire three years ago. Brown and other legislators are working on ways to limit these insurance problems in Colorado – even as natural disasters become more common and severe. He joined host Erin O’Toole to discuss some of the bills he’s introducing at the state Capitol.  * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? S

Clinicians who treat patients with eating disorders have endured a perfect storm of challenges in recent years.  Specialists say the pandemic, and the years that followed, saw more people developing eating disorders and often taking longer to seek help. On top of that, treatment for these conditions is expensive. At the same time, lawmakers have heard terrible stories of patients being mistreated at clinics in Colorado.  Jennifer Brown has been covering this issue for the Colorado Sun. She remembers hearing from parents who tried to help their kids by finding a clinic where they could get help. "It was just heartbreaking to hear from these moms saying that they thought they were doing the best they could for their kid, and, come to find out, their kid was feeling abused,” she said.  So how does Colorado – a national hub for this kind of treatment – address these issues?  Erin O’Toole spoke with Brown about the severity of these problems and how new measures might offer patients better care in Colorado. Sign u

Parents worry about getting parenting right: limiting screen time, teaching responsibility, helping with homework.  It’s a lot of pressure. Author Deborah Winking is an elementary school educator in Fort Collins. And she found her fears about raising a well-rounded child magnified after one of her children, Jack, was diagnosed with Sotos syndrome,  a rare neurological disorder. Doctors weren’t optimistic that Jack would be able to live a full life.  But Deborah figured out how to support her son through childhood and school. Along the way she developed some guidelines for what it means to be a supportive parent.  Her newest book, Raising Capable Kids, distills years of her research and experience into a set of 12 habits for parents. She wrote it with families of neurodivergent kids in mind, but says she hopes her book is useful to any parent or teacher who wants their kids to grow into strong, curious and independent human beings.  Deborah spoke with host Erin O’Toole about some of the advice she offers to pa

A new vending machine opened for business recently in Boulder.  Instead of snacks or soda, customers who visit the machine can grab safe containers for needles ... fentanyl testing strips... or condoms. And all the items are free. Health officials call it a "harm reduction vending machine." It’s funded by restitution money from lawsuits against manufacturers of prescription opioids. Supporters hope it reduces the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and helps prevent overdoses. Amanda Wroblewski with Boulder Community Health works with people who deal with opioid addiction and chronic pain. She helped set up the machine, which is the first of its kind in the Boulder area. Amanda spoke with host Erin O’Toole about the vending machine, which opened to the public in November.* * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast

Members of Congress are required to show up in person to vote on any measures. That creates challenges for representatives who are in the final weeks of pregnancy, or who just gave birth.  U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat from Lakewood, understands these rules from experience. And she says they’re unfair. She’s due to give birth to her second child in a few days – which means she’s under travel restrictions, and unable to be in Washington to cast votes.  But Pettersen -- and several other representatives -- have proposed a solution. Pettersen wants the House of Representatives to pass a resolution that would allow new or expectant parents to vote by proxy when they can’t be in Washington. That means they’d appoint another person to vote in their place.  But there’s been some pushback to the plan – including from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who says the proposal is unconstitutional. Pettersen talked to host Erin O’Toole from her home in Lakewood about being an expectant mother in Congress – and the det

As President Donald Trump begins his second term, one of his promises to supporters has been to carry out what he calls the largest deportation in U.S. history. This has a number of Colorado communities on edge, especially in places where immigrants without legal status make up a large part of the population.  It has also prompted education leaders across Colorado to prepare for how their students might be affected by immigration enforcement. The effort took on new urgency this week, after the Trump administration cleared the way for immigration arrests at schools and other sensitive locations, like churches.  Steve Joel was the superintendent of schools in Grand Island, Nebraska, when immigration officers raided a meat packing plant there in 2006, detaining about 250 workers without legal status.  Those arrests in Grand Island rattled the community. And the experience taught the now-retired administrator many lessons, which he recently shared with education leaders at a conference of the Colorado Association

Old firehoses. Used forklifts. Two-thousand sheets of acrylic plastic. These are the kinds of things you can find at repurposedMATERIALS in Lafayette. The company acquires discarded industrial materials and products and resells them instead of sending them to a landfill.  Damon Carson founded the business in 2011 after running two trash companies. The repurposedMATERIALS location in Lafeyette is one of six locations across the country where he stores his unusual inventory and then ships it off once he finds the right buyer.  Damon Carson talked with In the NoCo’s Brad Turner about how he built the company. Check out a recent profile of the business in The Denver Post. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!Host and Producer: Erin O'TooleProducer: Ariel LaveryExecutive Producer: Brad TurnerTheme music by Robbie ReverbAddi

Coloradans who struggle with anxiety or depression will soon have a new treatment option. Psychedelic treatment with a licensed therapist– will be as legal in Colorado as prescription antidepressants. Colorado voters approved this. Starting in April, licensed healing centers can offer psychedelic therapy using psilocybin, the psychedelic component in some mushrooms.  We wanted to understand what psychedelic therapy looks like before it becomes more widespread.  Dr. Scott Shannon founded the Wholeness Center in Fort Collins, which offers an array of treatments for mental health, including for anxiety and depression. He’s offered psychedelic therapy for eight years and treated thousands of patients. (He’s worked with psychedelics while following the old laws that existed until this year.) Scott and other therapists who support access to psychedelics say it could change the way we treat mental health problems in Colorado. He walked host Erin O’Toole through a typical psychedelic therapy session.  Sign up for the

When Colorado writer X. Ho Yen was a kid, he loved to read science fiction.   X. Ho Yen is autistic. He liked how some sci-fi stories, like the Star Trek series, depicted a more enlightened future society where neurodivergent people were treated equally.   Eventually he began writing his own science fiction novels. His newest release is titled Space Autistic Author’s Puzzling Innerverse. It’s different from his other books: It’s a series of puzzles that reveal the plot of a story as you solve them.    X. Ho Yen spoke with ITN’s Erin O’Toole about the new book, his influences and how science fiction resonated deeply with him as a child. Check out a recent profile of the author from The Colorado Sun. Correction: An earlier version of this episode gave the incorrect city of residence for X. Ho Yen. He lives in Centennial. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the sho

If you think of Baroque music, it might bring to mind ornate-sounding pieces by composers like Bach, Vivaldi or Handel. But a pair of concerts in Denver this weekend will offer listeners a different flavor of Baroque music – one that blends European-style harmonies with rhythms and percussion from Mexico and other Latin American countries. The performances, by the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, focus on Latin American Baroque. The program will explore on the writings and music of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, an artist who lived in Mexico in the 1600s. University of Denver musicologist and viola da gamba player Zoe Weiss will lead the concerts at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Denver. Zoe talked with host Erin O’Toole about why she’s eager to play this music in Colorado. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Th

Visitors to Colorado ski resorts can ride to the top of the mountain in a sleek gondola, or take a high-speed, four-person chairlift.  Or, if they head to one of the state’s smallest resorts, they can ride up in a trailer pulled by a snowcat. Cuchara Mountain Ski Park in southern Colorado operates on weekends without a functioning ski lift, and serves just a few dozen skiers per day. They charge $40 for a daily pass when many of their gigantic competitors charge more than $200.  Cuchara recently received a $250,000 grant from the state to help with operating costs. We wanted to know more about how a small, nonprofit ski resort sustains itself in a state where behemoth ski resorts are the norm. Ken Clayton is with the Panadero Ski Corporation that manages Cuchara. He talked with Erin O’Toole about why he believes the place has a bright future and what makes it special. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearin

You may have heard the recent news of a scandal involving state lab technicians who falsified some test results of drinking water. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment suspended further testing for now, saying the results couldn’t be trusted.  You may also have heard about bogus test results in monitoring for water contamination near oil and gas wells around the Front Range.   On top of that, you might also recall hearing about tainted DNA test results at the state crime laboratory earlier this year. The issue potentially may have affected hundreds of criminal cases.  Colorado has multiple investigations into mishandling of data at several state labs.  These scandals might make you wonder if you should be concerned about your health and safety.  “The thing that really connects them is that they all involve some element of science, and some element of the scientific process being subverted,” says John Ingold, reporter with The Colorado Sun who focuses on health and healthcare coverage.  He’

When it’s time to get a good night’s rest, women have it harder than men. Women are more likely than men to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  But the treatments that doctors prescribe for sleep disorders, like medication or different bedtime routines, may be based more on data about male sleep patterns than female sleep patterns.  That's a key takeaway from a new study out of the University of Colorado. The findings could eventually lead doctors to rethink how they treat sleep problems -- especially in women. Rachel Rowe is Assistant Professor of Integrative Physiology at CU, and she worked on the study. Rowe joined Erin O’Toole to explain her research and how sleep medicine as we know it may be short-changing women who experience sleep problems.* * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by ratin

Have any of your New Year’s resolutions included to live a happier life this year? If you said yes, one recent study suggests you’re probably not alone.  Americans feel less happy than in previous years, according to the recent World Happiness Rep, which collects data on happiness from countries around the world every year. The U.S. finished 23rd, behind countries like Kuwait and Slovenia.  So we wanted to find some expert advice on how to be happy in 2025. Luckily, the University of Colorado has its own happiness expert. Dr. June Gruber is Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at CU Boulder and she teaches a class on happiness.  Erin O’Toole talked with Gruber to get her best advice on being happy. She said it starts with shifting your perspective a little.  Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!Host and P