Colorado Matters

Democratic U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper is a holdout on re-opening government until there’s a plan to keep health insurance premiums down. We ask about paths for compromise and his frustration with cuts to green energy. Then, we remember NPR founding mother Susan Stamberg. Plus, Pueblo-born musician and composer Mary D. Watkins on honoring the Black experience in America. And Wonderbound’s Rock Ballets.

Now that Colorado-based Dominion Voting Systems is being sold, there are questions about what that will mean to upcoming elections. We talk with county clerks who rely on the system that’s been at the center of election lies and debunked conspiracies. Then, as the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to rollback another provision of the Voting Rights Act, Colorado’s taken action to make sure access is enshrined in state law. Later, a mom rushed in to save her children in the Uvalde school shooting. A documentary about her actions screens in Colorado this weekend. And, known as “Pueblo’s little jewel box,” it’s marking a 125-year milestone.

Eighty percent of the world’s population can’t see the Milky Way. Light pollution interferes. Author and adventurer Craig Childs, of Norwood, Colorado, writes about a trek from light to dark in his new book. “The Wild Dark” takes readers from the incandescence of Las Vegas to the spangled skies of rural Nevada. Childs spoke with Sr. Host Ryan Warner at the Mountain Words Festival in Crested Butte in May.

More and more motorcycle riders are dying on Colorado roads. Last year, 165 motorcyclists died, the highest number ever recorded in our state. Sgt. Ivan Alvarado with the Colorado State Patrol explains some of the reasons behind the trend. Then, we speak with Laurie Montoya, the founder of the Lakewood-based non-profit, BikerDown Foundation, which advocates for and helps bikers who get injured and their families. Plus, Colorado jazz musician Tony Exum Jr. is back on stage in Denver on Saturday.

Respect is the first law of the world’s Indigenous peoples, says a man on a quest to right a historic wrong. On this Indigenous People’s Day, Rick Williams has hope. We learn about his life mission in Colorado In Depth. Then, the two statewide ballot measures that voters will decide in November’s election. And the Denver band, Bison Bone.

A mission-driven restaurant in Grand Junction takes an innovative approach to hunger and nutrition. Then, the plight of federal workers amid layoffs, furloughs and the shutdown. Later, we check in to the Movie Manor in Monte Vista. Also, the filmmakers behind short horror movie “The Ant” who are crawling their way to the top. And, a choreography of hot air balloons from around the world.

When it comes to the changing climate and increasing wildfires, you may not think of dragonflies, but it turns out they’re a good test case to show the impact on an entire ecosystem. Then, Aging Matters looks into classes to help older Coloradans avoid scams. Plus, how a small town football team in Colorado started winning for the first time in generations. Leif Lathrop is the coach at Primero High School in Weston, and author of “The Hill.”

In Rep. Jeff Hurd’s district, which includes Grand Junction and Pueblo, the cost of some health insurance plans is about to be astronomical. But Hurd says the issue shouldn’t be used as leverage in the shutdown. We also ask about militarizing U.S. cities and the Epstein files. Then, Denver’s new city librarian on the evolution of libraries, from digital literacy to distributing food. Then, why the Biennial of the Americas in Denver is going hyper-local. And Colorado Wonders about the Unaweep Canyon’s unique claim to fame.