Juror Bias, Solar Storms, A Mission To Catch An Asteroid, Colorado’s Changing Geography
The United States Supreme Court is considering a Colorado case about a juror who made racist comments during deliberations. The verdict could change a longstanding legal bedrock. Then, a big development in how scientists predict weather in space. And a conversation about asteroids, comets and space probes with our regular contributor astronomer and director of Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium, Doug Duncan. Plus, a Colorado man has documented the state’s changing geography using sketches from the 1870s.
Removing Slavery From Colorado’s Constitution, Campaign Ad Spending, and Tesla’s Legacy
While slavery is banned in Colorado, the state’s constitution allows for it in one circumstance: as a form of punishment for a crime. That doesn’t sit well with Denver’s faith and community leaders who back a ballot measure called Amendment T, which would remove that provision. Then, Colorado voters aren’t seeing nearly the same number of campaign advertisements this election year as they did in 2012. And a new documentary looks at the life of Nikolas Tesla, whose name might be more associated with the car than the man who invented the precursor to the modern electrical motor more than 100 years ago.
Carbondale Nonprofit Helps Children Displaced By Hurricane Matthew
HaitiChildren has been on-the-ground working with abandoned children through educational and medical support. Workers say the hurricane has caused extensive damage to homes, crops, and livestock.
Denver Airport Embraces The ‘Unbelievable,’ But Says Don’t Believe It
There are a fair share of conspiracy theories about Denver International Airport, from lizard people to the New World Order. This month, the airport is “embracing the unbelievable,” with tours and exhibits.
Tina Griego Returns, DCPA Has A New Leader, Kratom Ban Raises Hackles, Greensky Bluegrass Jams
The drastic jump in Denver home prices shocked former Denver Post columnist Tina Griego when she returned to Denver recently after moving to Virginia four years ago. She’s now on the staff at The Colorado Independent. And, we hear from the new head of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts — the first woman to run the organization. Also, the federal government might ban an herbal substance that’s now legal in Denver and the eclectic sounds of an award-winning Colorado bluegrass band.
Grand Junction City Employees Face Layoffs
With a $2.1 million budget shortfall, the city is asking some of its workers to trim their hours, take unpaid leave, retire early or quit.
Police Try ‘Shoot-Don’t-Shoot’ Simulator, A Refugee’s Story, Dining In The Dark
The Denver Police Department prepares officers for the most difficult scenarios by putting them in the middle of a new wraparound video simulator called “Shoot-Don’t-Shoot.” CPR’s Andrea Dukakis tried it. Then, an Aurora high school student from Eritrea shares his refugee story. Plus, eating in complete darkness with strangers might not seem ideal, but the founder of the Blind Cafe says its the perfect social experiment.
Colorado’s Oldest Synagogue Closes, And This Man Could’ve Been The First Black Astronaut
The holiest days of the Jewish year are coming up, but a synagogue in Trinidad, near the New Mexico border, won’t hold services for the first time in 127 years. It’s been operating longer than any other synagogue in Colorado, but has been sold and is closing. Then, an online petition wants Colorado’s Ed Dwight Jr. to become an honorary astronaut. He was the first African-American candidate for the U.S Space program, but following the death of President John F. Kennedy, Dwight was cut from the program. Plus, how budget cuts have hurt one Colorado school district, and an upcoming closure on a main road into Rocky Mountain National Park.
Debate: Coloradans Will Vote Whether To Create Open Presidential Primaries
Proposition 107 would create a presidential primary and open it to unaffiliated voters. Proposition 108 would do the same for down-ticket races.
VA Hospital’s Expensive Design, Medical Research Gender Gap, Former Bronco Turns To Fantasy Football
Colorado’s new veterans hospital is $1 billion over budget. A new investigation criticizes Veterans Administration management for overruns and delays. Then, a University of Colorado researcher wants more women included in clinical studies, because illness and disease affect them differently than men. And, former Broncos tight end Nate Jackson was bedridden a lot in his career, so he took up fantasy football. He writes about his experiences in “Fantasy Man.” Plus, a giant polar bear mascot roams local art shows and venues on behalf of cultural funding.
Denver’s ‘Rich People Behaving Badly’ Chronicled In Dick Kreck’s New Book (Excerpt)
Former Denver Post columnist Dick Kreck explores murders, infidelities and financial misdeeds from Colorado’s past.
Denver’s First Pedestrian Planner Offers Vision For A Walkable City
David Pulsipher says he regularly strolls the streets of Denver to gather ideas for a more pedestrian-friendly city.
Two Colorado Towns Still In Flood Recovery, A Freedom Fighter’s Story
Two small towns have changed permanently as a result of floods that ripped through the Front Range three years ago this week. A check back in on Jamestown and Lyons, which has struggled to replace affordable housing destroyed by the record-breaking flood. Then, from freedom fighter to working at a pharmacy in Denver, Kahsay Abraha shares his story of fighting with the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Army in the 1970s. And, an exhibit on women in abstract expressionism at the Denver Art Museum.
Bodies of Civilian Fighters Return, Pueblo Weapons Depot, Greeks In Ludlow Massacre, H.S. Football Coaches Compete
The bodies of two Colorado men killed fighting against ISIS are nearly back in Colorado. Workers have begun the dismantling a stockpile of chemical weapons in Pueblo. A new film tells the story of Greek American coal miners in southern Colorado who helped create workers’ rights to unionize.Two football coaches are jockeying for the most wins ever. And, Colorado cities are encountering challenges as they adopt LED lights.
Bodies Of Coloradans Who Died Fighting ISIS To Arrive In Denver On Friday
They’re among dozens of Americans who have traveled to Syria to fight. A Colorado congressman helped bring their bodies back home.
Colorado’s Private Prisons, Fate For Conundrum Hot Springs, Paralympian Going For Triple Gold
Privately run prisons have been deemed less safe then ones run by the federal government, so the Department of Justice is phasing them out. But Colorado will keep its private prisons open. CPR’s Andrea Dukakis explains why. A trip to Colorado’s Conundrum Hot Springs is on the bucket list for many, but the area is suffering for it. Paralympian Alana Nichols wants her team to get the same fanfare as Olympians got in Rio. She could become the first female athlete, Paralympic or Olympic, to win gold in three different sports. And a trip to singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov’s Boulder County farm.
