Michelle P. Fulcher

Michelle Fulcher was a producer for "Colorado Matters" from 2007 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2025.

Speaker KC Becker Sees A Slower Session Since ‘Election Years Are Tougher Years’

Colorado lawmakers return to the state Capitol Wednesday but the breakneck pace at which they adopted a Democratic agenda last year may slow, according to a leading Democrat. Democrats maintain the ‘trifecta’ — control of both legislative houses and the governor’s office — that led last year to the adoption of full-day kindergarten, health care reforms and an overhaul of oil and gas regulations. But Democratic House Speaker K.C. Becker of Boulder says many of those issues had been debated, and negotiated for years. In 2020 lawmakers wil consider newer proposals and return to debates over ideas where Democrats are divided, like the death penalty and paid family leave. “We’re not trying to match last year, we just want to pass good policy’’ Becker said. Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner spoke with Becker.

What Makes This Man A ‘Hero’? Donating RVs To People Left Homeless By A Wildfire

Woody Faircloth was a thousand miles away when Paradise, California was leveled by a wildfire last year. Faircloth had never been to the small town in California and didn’t know anybody there but as he heard about the thousands of people left homeless he had an idea. At his home in Denver’s City Park, Faircloth started looking around on Craigslist for Within days he and his daughter Luna, then 6, started a GoFundMe account, bought a vehicle for $2,500, packed it up, drove it to California and donated it to a man left homeless by the fire. That was the start of a nonprofit called RV4CampfireFamily that has since donated several dozen RVs to fire victims. Now, Faircloth is one of 10 people nominated for CNN’s Hero of the Year award. The winner will be announced Sunday in a live broadcast from New York.

Colorado Fossils Unlock A Million-Year Mystery

The mood was giddy when scientists took the stage last week at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to talk about what they’re billing as an unprecedented fossil discovery. Scientists working east of Colorado Springs have discovered plant and mammal fossils they say detail what happened in the million years after an asteroid hit Earth, wiping out the dinosaurs and most other life forms. Paleontologist Tyler Larson made the key discovery when he found mammal fossils inside a type of rock called a concretion.

Finding The Hidden Gems At This Year’s Denver Film Festival

The Denver Film Festival opens on Wednesday, October 30, with some big movies and red carpet stars, and a lot of hidden gems from around the world. Walter Chaw, a blogger for FilmFreak.net gives us a preview of what’s showing, and how to make the most of the festival experience. He also wrote about the Denver Film Festival for Denverite. The festival runs through November 10.