Carla Jimenez

The Twelve Tribes religious organization made headlines earlier this year for a possible link to the start of the deadly Marshall Fire. Investigators were looking into whether the fire started on property owned by the organization. Though the investigation is still ongoing, this prompted Denver Post reporter Shelly Bradbury to start looking into Twelve Tribes. As her reporting unfolded, former members came forward with allegations of child abuse, financial abuse, shady business practices and racism.

Think back to middle school. Would your life have been better or worse if you were able to transform into a giant red panda every time you felt overwhelmed? That’s the premise of Pixar’s latest film, “Turning Red.” Danielle Feinberg grew up in Boulder. She is the visual effects supervisor for “Turning Red” and is the first woman to take on that role for Pixar. It’s also the first Pixar movie in which all of the leadership positions are filled by women. Feinberg spoke with Colorado Matters producer Carla Jimenez.

Going to the doctor can be anxiety-producing, particularly for women and people of color. They may not be believed and studies show they are more likely to be misdiagnosed. The phenomenon has a new name: medical gaslighting and the consequences can be deadly. Medical sociologist Karen Lutfey, of CU Denver, studies health care decision-making and disparities.

On Saturday, April 16, the city of Denver will apologize to early Chinese immigrants and their descendants for an anti-Chinese riot in 1880. A Chinese man was lynched. The riot also led to the destruction of the city’s Chinatown. It’s in the Denver neighborhood now known as LoDo. Denver will be the fifth city in the U.S. to issue this kind of apology.

Democrats basically have total control of Colorado government, from the governor on down. They also have majorities in Washington, albeit slim ones. And all of that is at stake in this year’s midterm elections. Last month, we heard from the head of the Colorado Republican Party. Today we hear from Democratic Party chair Morgan Carroll.

Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District will be among the most competitive in the country and it has the biggest Latino population of any district in the state. That’s something Michael Cortes and Stacy Suniga fought hard for. Cortes is a board member of CLLARO, the Colorado Latin Leadership Advocacy and Research Organization. Suniga is president of the Latino Coalition of Weld County.

Colorado Matters went on the road to Thornton and Greeley, both parts of the state’s newest Congressional district. While we were there, we spoke with constituents about what would draw them to vote in a mid-term election year.

CD-8 is made up of parts of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties, which is on average, younger than the rest of the state. It’s also growing fast: State Demographer Elizabeth Garner explains that this growth is due to a number of factors: economy, space and resources.

Dick Barkey is a Democratic organizer near Fort Lupton, and for the first time in years, he’ll have a chance to vote in a new competitive district. He and his fellow Democrats in Weld County are trying to draw voters to the polls this year to vote for the candidates by fusing issues with fun.

CD-8 was designed to be competitive: with 44% of registered voters listed as unaffiliated, Joe Jackson says they hope their message on public safety and affordability will draw people to vote for their candidates.