May 16, 2022: Tracking COVID-19 subvariants; Fighting to keep Space Command in Colorado
COVID numbers are rising just as people let down their guards. We review the state modeling outlook and ask a pulmonologist how health care workers are holding up. Then, where will the U.S. Space Command land? State leaders step up the fight for it to remain in Colorado. And a DACA recipient’s journey from despair to inspiration. Plus, Aladar the Alpaca!
A DACA recipient’s monologue on the trials of living undocumented – until everything changed
As the 10th anniversary of DACA approaches on June 15th, we’re airing monologues written by DACA recipients. Among them, Reydesel Salvidrez-Rodríguez, who is legally deaf. He tells the story of his life before DACA and his despair at not being able to attend college. Today, Salvidrez-Rodríguez is a college graduate and is getting his Master’s degree in higher education.
As summer approaches, how to interpret the uptick in COVID-19
Since April, the number of COVID-19 cases in Colorado have been rising. CPR’s health reporter John Daley has been studying the numbers and offers his assessment of what’s happening and where the virus might be headed. Dr. Kenneth Lyn-Kew, a pulmonary and critical care physician at National Jewish Health in Denver, describes what health care providers and hospitals are facing.
May 13, 2022: Ancestral history on the southern Colorado border; Moon turns ‘blood red’
The wildfires in New Mexico are burning through lands that are ancestral homes for some Coloradans. Then, the legislative session wrapped up with some new bills to address climate change. Plus, Colorado had the highest rate of bank robberies last year.
May 12, 2022: The body’s ‘switch’ that leads to weight gain; Spring gardening questions answered
With lawmakers wrapping up their work for the year, we hear from our public affairs team about new Colorado laws. Then, a researcher’s quest to find what triggers obesity. Plus, gardening expert Fatuma Emmad answers listener questions about planting flowers, veggies, and more in the age of climate change and drought.
Humans, like animals, have an obesity “switch” researchers say
The new book, “Nature Wants Us to Be Fat,” follows efforts by researchers to understand why people gain weight and become obese. Dr.
May 10, 2022: Keeping Colorado competitive in tech innovation; Improving mental health care
Colorado’s a technical leader; Democratic Representatives Joe Neguse and Ed Perlmutter say Congress is in the position to ensure it stays that way. Then, Purplish examines efforts by state lawmakers to improve mental health care in Colorado.
May 9, 2022: Is the dream of buying a house in Colorado now a nightmare?
Colorado Matters today is all about trying to buy a home. Prices have jumped astronomically this year and some buyers are using huge amounts of cash to compete. We’ll talk about who can afford this market and what to do if you don’t have the cash. Plus, why many Coloradans still want to buy, despite the mind-boggling prices.
May 3, 2022: The legal landscape of abortion in Colorado; Empowering the ‘new builders’
With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, what does it mean for abortion law in Colorado? Then, a special election in Glenwood Springs focuses on housing and growth. Plus, we revisit our conversation about empowering entrepreneurs as the “new builders” of the economy. And nominating which endangered historic places in Colorado should be saved.
April 29, 2022: Legislative priorities as session nears end; Investigating mental health resources
What issues remain outstanding as the legislative session winds down? Then, Colorado has one of the highest rates of mental illness in the nation, but those who need help struggle for access. Plus DACA recipient Cristian Solano-Cordova explains what the program has meant to him.
A DACA recipient’s monologue recounts crossing the border and fears of deportation
As the 10th anniversary of the federal program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals approaches, we’re sharing monologues from DACA recipients, including one by Cristian Solano-Cordova, about his journey with his mother and sister to the United States and then of his efforts to protect his sister, an American citizen, who fears he and their mother will be deported.
April 27, 2022: COVID-19 cases up but outlook more hopeful; Transgender man finds new path
Cases of COVID-19 are rising but experts are more hopeful this time around. We get perspective from Dr. Anuj Mehta, a critical care physician at Denver Health Medical Center, about cases, vaccines for very young kids and masking. Then, a 19-year-old shares his challenges as a transgender man and his journey beyond drugs in CPR’s podcast “Back from Broken.”
As COVID-19 cases rise, experts say they’re more hopeful this time around
COVID numbers have been creeping up lately, but medical experts aren’t sounding the alarm just yet. They say data modeling predict a lot fewer hospitalizations than during earlier surges. We get some context for what’s happening with Dr. Anuj Mehta, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Denver Health. We also ask about a timeline for COVID vaccines for young kids and the recent decision to lift the mask mandate for planes, trains and buses.
Escaped from Ukraine, Rabbi to observe Passover in Denver
An American Rabbi who escaped from Ukraine with his family says that his celebration of Passover this year will be symbolic. Passover commemorates the Jews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. A few weeks ago, Rabbi Yisroel Silberstein and his family fled from the bombs that rained down on the town of Chernihiv, where he led a congregation for 12 years. The Silbersteins have relatives affiliated with the Chabad Jewish Center of South Metro Denver, which raised the money to bring the family to the United States.
An opioid alternative helps one veteran find relief from chronic pain
A doctor who treats veterans says research is increasingly showing that a drug typically used to help people withdraw from opioid medications can also be an effective pain management tool. Dr. Joseph Frank, who leads a team at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center for veterans with chronic pain, has been prescribing the drug buprenorphine for patients who have used traditional opioid painkillers for relief but want an alternative.
April 12, 2022: Opportunities and challenges in Colorado’s prisons; Rethinking American art
With crime on the rise, we talk with Dean Williams, head of the Colorado Dept. of Corrections, about how prisons are responding, from staffing and safety to ensuring inmates are ready for release. Then, the high cost and lack of child care in Metro Denver. Plus, an apology for a dark moment in Denver’s history. And rethinking what American art means is the theme of two exhibits at Denver’s Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art.