- A former internment camp in Southeast Colorado that housed Japanese-Americans during World War II is closer to becoming part of the National Park System. The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Thursday supporting that designation for Camp Amache. The vote was 416 to 2.
- An obsession with the Rocky Mountains drives Heather Mateus Sappenfield to write. An obsession not just with the topography but with the people of the Rockies who have to navigate economic, social, and racial disparities. Sappenfield lives in Vail.
- Artist Keith Haring first made his mark with chalk drawings of figures on the walls of New York subway stations. He moved on to large murals in his distinct pop art style. One of his works was a mural painted along the walls of a stairwell in a former youth center in New York. Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art transported the original wall panels to the museum. The museum's director Nora Burnett Abrams took CPR's Andrea Dukakis on a tour.
- The play "Harvey" premiered on Broadway in 1944. Audiences went gaga. It features a man named Elwood Dowd whose best friend is a large rabbit. The catch is: no one but Elwood can see the rabbit. Harvey became a feature film-- starring Jimmy Stewart. Playwright Mary Chase won a Pulitzer Prize for Harvey. She was a life-long Denverite who grew up in a working-class Irish family. There's a new biography of Chase, who died in 1981. It's called "Pulling Harvey Out of Her Hat." Author Mimi Pockross spoke with CPR's Andrea Dukakis.
- Now that summer's officially here, we asked two booksellers for their recommendations for good reads with Western themes or by Colorado authors. Margie Wilson owns Grand Valley Books in Grand Junction and Revati Kilaparti does community outreach for Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins.
- There's a lot riding on Colorado's new public option; but what does accountability look like, and will there be quality health care at a lower cost? Then, Reps. Ken Buck and Joe Neguse lead the fight to rein in big tech companies. Plus, we invite some book experts to give us their summer reading picks; navigating DIA and “responsibly sourced” natural gas.
- Last month, Children’s Hospital Colorado declared a “State of Emergency” for youth mental health. Here's how the state is responding.
- Mesa County’s vaccination rate remains low, Colorado continues to try to increase the vaccination rate among Latinos, we've got a new $1 million vaccine winner and the Delta COVID-19 variant is now a "variant of concern." Here's a breakdown of where thing are at this week.
- As Juneteenth approaches this weekend, organizers in Denver, which holds one of the largest celebrations in the country, are determined to make it a national holiday.
- this week, Mesa County is seeing a surge of COVID cases from the highly contagious Delta variant and the state released info about infections among the vaccinated. Also, what is the pandemic's toll on kids?
- About 25 years ago in Lima, Peru, an American woman named Lori Berenson was sentenced to 20 years in prison. It was for collaborating with a terrorist organization. The case enraged many Peruvians who saw her as meddling in the country's unrest at the time. In the United States, Berenson became a cause celebre for U.S. officials who fought for years for her release. Andrew Altschul teaches creative writing at Colorado State University. His novel, "The Gringa," is based on Berenson's story. It's a finalist for a Colorado Book Award in the Literary Fiction Category.
- One year ago, the country was immersed in protests over the death of George Floyd. Colorado was no exception. We've been hearing perspectives from different people a year later. Today, we talk with an activist in Denver. Elisabeth Epps calls herself an abolitionist and has spent the last several years fighting for racial and social justice.
- As Colorado marks a vaccination milestone, there's concern about a variant on the Western Slope. What does this mean for public health? Then, civil rights activist Elisabeth Epps reflects on a year of unrest, and points out there's a key difference between "abolishing police" and "abolishing policing." Plus, “The Gringa” is a Colorado Book Award finalist.
- A new film, "Black Ice," follows a group of young people from Memphis, Tennessee to Montana to try out ice-climbing. But it's really about being young and Black in America today. Zachary Barr, with Boulder-based Reel Rock, a documentary production company an film tour, directed the film.
- Alzheimer's forced Rebecca Chopp to step down as Chancellor at the University of Denver in 2019. But that was just the beginning of a life change that saw her embrace art, singing, and a determination to raise awareness and to make sure she was in charge of her destiny, not the disease.
- The World War II-era internment camp in southeast Colorado is up for designation as a National Historic Site. Former camp resident Carlene Tanigoshi Tinker and University of Denver archaeologist Bonnie Clark describe what life was like there.
