Nathan Fernando-Frescas

Senior Host, All Things Considered

@heffeln[email protected]

Nathan Fernando-Frescas (Heffel) is a host for All Things Considered on CPR News.

Professional background:
Nathan returned to Colorado Public Radio in 2022, bringing years of on-air experience with radio stations across Colorado. From 2015 to 2018, he was a host and producer for CPR News' daily interview show, Colorado Matters. In 2018, he left CPR to work as an editor for NPR’s All Things Considered in Washington, D.C., before returning to Colorado to become the station manager for KRVG FM, a commercial music station in Western Colorado. Nathan was a host and reporter for KUNC in Greeley, Colo., with an emphasis on coverage of transportation, public infrastructure and LGBT issues. Prior to that, he was news manager for KUVO and began his radio career as an assistant producer for KYGO, both Denver stations.

Nathan's work has been featured on national and international radio shows including PRI's The Takeaway, NPR's Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, All Things Considered, Here and Now, and ABC's Victoria Statewide Drive. In print, The Denver Post, U.S. News and World Report and numerous other local newspapers around Colorado.

Education:
Bachelor’s degree in government, Lawrence University.

Awards:
Nathan's work in journalism has been recognized by the Associated Press, the Colorado Broadcasters Association, the Society of Professional Journalists and Public Radio News Directors Incorporated.

Colorado Matters

Colorado’s Attempts To Save Failing Schools; Homelessness In Metro Denver; Cycling Cross Country

A dozen schools and five districts are failing academically and the the state intends to step in. Colorado has intervened with another school before and the results were pretty rocky. Then, Denver failed to meet its 10-year goal to end homelessness, but now it’s trying a different approach. The heads of Denver’s new office of HOPE and the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative explain. Plus, the story of a Colorado man’s cross-country bike ride that’s more about the journey and less about cycling.
By Nathan Fernando-Frescas
Colorado Matters

Impact of EPA Cuts For Colorado, Béla Fleck, Charming Lichens

Big budget cuts will come to many federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, if the president gets his way. That worries some people in Colorado. We explore what a smaller EPA could mean for the state. Then, banjo great Béla Fleck has released a new classical concerto album recorded with the Colorado Symphony. It’s named after his son. And you know that crusty colorful stuff you see covering rocks and tree trunks? They’re lichens and there’s a park in Boulder full of them — including two newly identified species.
By Nathan Fernando-Frescas
Colorado Matters

Health Care Reform; Tax Checkoff For Charity; Stevie Wonder Surprise; Bestselling Author On Sex Scenes

Years before the Affordable Care Act and the GOP’s proposed replacement, Colorado devised its own plan to reform healthcare. Now the leader of the bipartisan effort is trying again to help the state lower costs. Then, a check box on state tax forms lets people donate some of their refunds to a list of charities, but getting on the list may be too political. Plus, “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder has been covered by many artists, including a native of rural Colorado, who was surprised when Stevie Wonder was in the audience and joined in the performance. And, Colorado author Laura Pritchett explores the “intimate” stories of a fictional Colorado town in her new book, “The Blue Hour.”
By Nathan Fernando-Frescas
Colorado Matters

Climate Change Comedy, Artistic Exploration Of Place, Tribute To Former Ice Capades Star

A comedy show at the University of Colorado Boulder brings levity to a serious, potentially cataclysmic subject: climate change. Then, what “place” means to Latinos in America today. It’s the subject of a new show at the Denver Art Museum. And, at 90 years old, this Denver figure skater still made it to the rink five times a week. A new documentary pays tribute to Yvonne Dowlen, who died last May.
By Nathan Fernando-Frescas
Colorado Matters

Where Colorado’s Congress Reps And Senators Are; Bathroom Access For Transgender Students; High School Basketball Star

Senators and members of Congress haven’t hosted town halls in Colorado this week. CPR’s Sam Brasch explains what they have been up to. Then, how the Trump Administration’s decision about transgender students and bathrooms will affect Colorado schools. Plus, Russia’s representative in the western United States is in Colorado to talk about trade. And Aurora high school sophomore Francesca Belibi could dunk a basketball before she knew the rules of the game. A video of her went viral, after ESPN made it a top 10 play.
By Nathan Fernando-Frescas
Colorado Matters

Twin Astronauts Health Study, RTD’s Troubled Train To The Plane

Famous astronauts Mark and Scott Kelley are identical twins, and part of an ambitious experiment. Scientists studied Mark on Earth, while Scott lived in space for more than 340 days, and the results are surprising. Then, emails between RTD and the Federal Railroad Administration show a troubled relationship with the Train to the Plane. Plus, snowmobiler Colten Moore suffered a spinal cord injury at last month’s X Games. His brother Caleb died after a similar accident in 2013.
By Nathan Fernando-Frescas
Colorado Matters

Fighting Service Animal Fraud, Colorado’s First Supreme Court Justice, Endangered Places

Some people try to pass their dogs off as service animals to get them into apartments and restaurants, but a new Colorado law tries to curb that behavior. Then, if Neil Gorsuch is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he’ll be the second Coloradan to serve on the Supreme Court. Byron White was appointed to the high court in 1962, and we talk with White’s former clerk Dennis Hutchinson. Plus, a kitchy roadside Colorado attraction is endangered of being lost along with other “endangered places” in the state. And, Aurora’s first poet laureate Jovan Mays’ term ends. He reflects on what’s been a bumpy ride.
By Nathan Fernando-Frescas