Rep. Coffman Raises Security Concerns After Shooting; Avoiding Legislative Gridlock; Humans And Bears; New Dispatch Album
Colorado congressman Mike Coffman says this morning’s shooting in the Washington D.C. area should force Congress to reevaluate how it deals with off-site security. Then, people and bears are often at odds and with more people moving to Colorado, understanding bear behavior is critical. We speak with a scientist who has crawled into dens to study bears. And, does political polarization necessarily mean gridlock? Colorado’s highly polarized legislature has some lessons. Also, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival kicks off this week and each day begins with an odd ritual called “Revenge of the Tarps.” We speak with a member of the band Dispatch which will play at the festival. The group has a new album that focuses on big social issues and personal loss.
Why Colorado’s Health Exchange Struggles For Insurers; Teen Bluegrass Sister Act
A big question mark hangs over tens of thousands of people in more than a dozen Colorado counties: Will the only health insurer in town leave the state’s insurance marketplace? And why are insurers pulling out of Obamacare markets? Next, President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, along with his proposed budget cuts to federal science organizations have been a blow to Colorado scientists who study climate change. Then, we meet The Cody Sisters, a bluegrass sister act at just 12 and 14 years old. And, the first girl to dunk in a Colorado high school basketball game wins a gold medal.
Veterans Helping Prevent Peer Suicide; Colorado’s ‘Cheese Baron’; Inside The Sovereign Movement; Boulder Composer On Pulse Shooting
A Colorado woman started a new training program where veterans learn how to prevent suicide among their peers. Then, James Leprino rarely talks to the press. He’s the Colorado “cheese baron,” who supplies Pizza Hut, Dominos and Papa Johns. A conversation with the Forbes reporter who landed an interview. And, the FBI considers the “sovereign movement” a domestic terrorist threat. People who follow the ideology reject much of government’s authority over them. It has led to a lot of tension in one Southern Colorado county. Then, one year later, a Boulder composer’s musical reaction to the shooting at the Pulse nightclub.
Gov. Hickenlooper On ‘Paris’ Withdrawal; What Retailers’ Troubles Mean For Colorado; A Literary Home On The Range; Flipbooks For Prisoners
Gov. John Hickenlooper says withdrawing from the Paris climate accord is a “serious mistake,” but he’s short on detail when it comes to reducing Colorado’s own carbon footprint. Then, a job fair for shopping center workers laid off after the mall was devastated by a hailstorm. And, a look at how brick-and-mortar retailers are being hurt by internet sales, and what that means for Colorado. Plus, two Denver book lovers are on their way to fulfilling a longtime dream with a mountain library to house 35,000 books about nature. Also, prison inmates can’t use digital technology to communicate with their families, so a Colorado Springs artist has come up with a solution from the 1800s.
Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Couch Potatoes: A Colorado Campaign To Get Kids Outside
Make a mud pie. Find a four-leaf clover. They’re two things you should do before you’re 12, according to a new ad campaign in Colorado that’s designed to get kids outside. On average, kids spend only about four to seven minutes of unstructured time outdoors. Paleontologist and TV host Scott Samson, formerly of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, is on a similar mission, so we listened back to our conversation about his book, “How To Raise A Wild Child.”
‘Wild Child’ Author: 7 Minutes Outside A Day Isn’t Enough For Kids
“We need to move forward into a future that is rich in both technology and nature,” Scott Sampson says during an appearance on Colorado Matters at the Tattered.
Political Commentary Through Cartoons In The Trump Age; Grateful Dead At Red Rocks
In this politically charged environment, what’s it like to be a political cartoonist? We talked with two: Ed Stein, in Denver, had given up the art, but came back to weigh in on President Trump. And on the Western Slope, Paul Snover’s billboard of Trump slaying a liberal dragon got national attention. Then, Dead and Company play in Colorado this weekend, and this week, the Colorado Music Hall of Fame will celebrate the Grateful Dead. Many consider a show at Red Rocks in 1978 one of their best — and helped establish the band as a group worth following.
Prevalence Of Oil And Gas Explosions In Colorado; Springs Sculptor On International Stage
Want to know how many explosions and fires there have been at oil and gas operations in Colorado? How many people have died or been injured? It’s not easy to find this information because the state doesn’t require detailed reporting. But researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health dug deep, and have a new study out. Then, the governor has just signed the first state law dealing with driverless cars. Why lawmakers put only a “light touch” on regulations. And only 17 American artists landed a spot in the Venice Biennale, the prestigious art exhibition that takes place every two years in Italy. One of the 17 is a Colorado Springs sculptor who uses pantyhose — and other everyday objects — in her work. This honor comes late in Senga Nengudi’s career.
Yep, It’s True: You Can Surf In Suburban Denver
If you don’t think of surfing as a Colorado thing — think again. There’s a new park on the South Platte River in suburban Denver where you can catch a wave. Backers hope the sport will spawn a renaissance in the neighborhood. And, two deadly explosions in two months have led to new questions about how close oil and gas development should be to residential areas. Then, Denver students recently won first, second and third places in a national cursive writing contest. It’s a skill their teachers at Stanley British Primary school think is essential — and brain science backs them up. Plus, a Denver artist who turned penmanship into a career.
Raised On Standing Rock Reservation, A Teacher Keeps Lakota Alive In Denver Schools
Denver Public Schools is one of only a handful of districts in the country, off of a reservation, that teaches Lakota, an indigenous language. One of Denver’s two Lakota teachers is from the Standing Rock Reservation, where she took her students this year. Then, the story of the giant steel plant in Pueblo that helped forge America.
Can The National Western Overhaul Help End World Hunger? Questioning Teacher Evals; Dressing For A Space-Edge Jump
Some of the fastest-changing neighborhoods in Denver are along I-70 north of downtown, in part because of a major overhaul planned for the National Western Stock Show complex. The former agriculture secretary under President Obama, Tom Vilsack, is helping shape what’s coming. Also in North Denver, a high school podcast focuses on neighborhood pollution. Then, Colorado was one of the first states in the country to make student improvement a main factor in evaluating educators’ job performance, but it’s not clear whether those reviews are actually helpful. Also unclear is what impact those evaluations will have on the gubernatorial hopes of the politician who created them. And, an engineering feat — creating a suit that would allow a man to freefall from the edge of space –and land safely with a parachute.
Memorial Day Special: America’s Best Wartime Pilots; Bell Tolls For Colorado Veterans
Very few ace fighter pilots are still alive, so a Denver photographer rushed to take their pictures. We hear some of their stories, including one from a graduate from the Air Force Academy who still wonders why he survived as a pilot in Vietnam while his good friend didn’t. Then, the Honor Bell rings at Fort Logan National Cemetery when veterans are buried. A Denver man had the bell made out of frustration. And, hiking through the woods back home, an Afghanistan veteran had a flashback that inspired him to write about his service.
Denver Mayor On Housing And Immigration; New Poet Laureates; Summer Books Of The West
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock speaks to CPR News about the city’s homeless problems, including issues at the Denver Public Library, along with a possible $900 million bond issue, and local immigration policies. Plus, new poet laureates for Denver and Aurora on how their poetry reflects their cities, and how they’ll share their truths — diplomatically. And, recommendations for summer books with a Western flair.
Breaking Bread: Six Coloradans Get Together To Understand Politics And Each Other; New Horizons Spacecraft
A civic experiment: Six Coloradans, three who voted for Trump and three who didn’t, break bread together. They agreed to step out of their political bubbles, sat at our table over soup and sourdough and talked, with no shouting. Then, as the New Horizons spacecraft heads for a target a billion miles past Pluto, a Boulder astronomer joins dozens traveling to South America and Africa to spot the object from Earth. And, an art museum could help fuel Walsenburg’s future.
Mobile Home Park Quandry; Maria Empanada Is A Prize-Winning Hit; Teen Moms Take Center Stage
Mobile homes parks are a form of affordable housing, but these parks often sit on valuable land. A CU Denver sociologist discusses the issues that may arise if that land is sold. Then, the Argentine immigrant and restaurateur who opened “Maria Empanada” in Denver says at first a lot of people didn’t know what an empanada was. They figured it out, and now she’s the SBA’s small businessperson of the year in Colorado. And, a new play looks at the relationship between four generations of teen moms. Plus, why Idaho Springs has a statue of a man who never truly existed.
Why Idaho Springs Has A Statue Of A Man Who Never Lived
The statue is of a cartoon character who had virtually no connection to the town.
