The Airport Train’s Future, Lawn Burning, Colorado’s One-Time Largest Employer, And How Not To Drink At The Holidays
The train to Denver International Airport came close to being shut down this weekend by the federal government because of problems with rail crossings. Ahead of the holiday travel season, we’ll get an update on that and other new train lines in metro Denver. Then, a new effort to stop a long-standing practice in Mesa County: residents burning yard waste and scraps. Also, the story of the giant steel plant in Pueblo that helped forge America. And, how to avoid drinking alcohol, particularly during the holidays.
North Dakota Protest Has Historical Roots, Keeping Family Peace At Election Time, Film’s Star Juggles Fiction, Real Life
To understand the pipeline conflict at Standing Rock, North Dakota you have to go back to the first U.S. president. Then, a young woman and her grandmother are political opposites. How they’re keeping things harmonious this election year. And a new film, shot in Denver, feels like everyday life. Plus, a robot truck made a 120-mile beer run across Colorado recently, but there are no state laws governing self-driving trucks.
2016 Election Special: Key Initiatives, Selfies And 5th Graders On Voting
Supporters and opponents of the major ballot measures debate the issues, including whether to raise the minimum wage, implement a statewide universal health care system, and make it harder to amend the constitution. We also hear about efforts to block a law that makes it illegal to share photos of a completed ballot and from 5th graders who are urging college students to vote.
Colorado Militia Rises, Election Opposites, Student Election Essay, Teenage Robot Inventor, Roller Derby Going Mainstream
At the US-Mexico border, it’s not just law enforcement on patrol. Colorado militias are there, too. Mother Jones writer Shane Bauer went undercover to see these paramilitary groups up close. Then, one Denver teenager gives her thoughts on this election season, while another builds an SUV-sized walking robot. Also, people who manage to disagree politically and still love each other. And roller derby teams — including in Denver — are moving away from the kitschy names and dolled-up reputation in an effort to take the sport mainstream.
Stories From The Grave On This Halloween Episode Of Colorado Matters
For Halloween, lessons in properly burying the dead and how to raise them back up — through necromancy. University of Colorado Boulder historian Scott Bruce, and a ghoulish crowd, joined Colorado Matters at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver to dig into a millennium’s worth of ghost stories. Bruce’s new book is “The Penguin Book of the Undead: Fifteen Hundred Years of Supernatural Encounters.”
A Millennium’s Worth Of Ghost Stories, In Time For Halloween
Stories of zombies before “The Walking Dead,” and ghosts long before Casper, as recollected in a CU historian’s new book.
CM Helps End Ballot Confusion, Using Artistic Expression To Refuse Serving Gays, “Growing Up Coy”
You have questions about this year’s ballot initiatives and we have answers. CPR’s Megan Verlee, John Daley, and Jenny Brundin join us to clear things up. Then, the legal argument a website designer is making so she doesn’t have to make websites for gay couples getting married. And, a new film about a transgender six-year-old in Colorado, who wasn’t allowed to use the girls room at school. Plus, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival reacts to news Christopher Marlow co-authored the Bard’s “Henry The Sixth.”
Where’s The Aurora Theater Shooter, The 20 Other Presidential Candidates And Who’s Voting For Them
Families of victims in the Aurora theater shootings say under state law, Colorado officials must reveal where the killer is being held. He was moved to an undisclosed location after being attacked at a Colorado prison. State prison officials say they’re under no obligation to tell. Also, for voters who don’t like Clinton and Trump, there are 20 other people to choose from on the presidential ballot; we hear from Coloradans who plan to vote for those alternative candidates.
Ballot Selfies, Human Services Chief Answers Critics, A Road To The South Pole, And Local Ballot Measures
Some of Colorado’s most vulnerable people rely on the Colorado Department of Human Services, including kids who are abused and people with severe disabilities. The department’s head, Reggie Bicha, answers questions on issues that have plagued his administration, and on strides it’s made. Then, from a sugary soda tax to municipal broadband, we look at some of the local measures on ballots across the state. And ballot selfies may strike you as silly, but they’re illegal for a reason. Plus, a Colorado man who helped build a road to the South Pole.
Whistleblower: Vets Wait Too Long For Care, Choosing To Live In A Car, Van Gogh Tribute Animated By 64,000 Paintings
Every night, Diane Kois has a decision to make — where to park the car she lives in. She’s chosen this life, but the high cost of Denver metro housing is a factor. Then, a whistleblower says veterans are still waiting too long for healthcare in Colorado. Plus, a new film pays tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. It’s animated entirely by more than 64,000 oil paintings. We’ll meet the Colorado painter who took part. And, how a Reddit conversation impacted a little tree named Plato.
A 911 Call And A Meeting That Was More Than Black And White, Students’ “4th Reich” Facebook Group
When a sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of an African-American man with a gun, things weren’t as they first appeared. The deputy, and the female CPR news host he stopped, both realize the encounter could have turned out much differently. Then, a decentralized Colorado voting system means it would be difficult to rig elections. Plus, a group of Boulder high school students formed a Nazi Facebook group called “The 4th Reich,” an incident that highlights growing concern over hate crimes. Also, a Colorado Springs woman wants to make history in November as the nation’s first transgender member of Congress.
What Pueblo Voters Want The Next President To Know About Their Lives
Both of the major presidential candidates have visited Pueblo in recent weeks to pick up swing voters and rally supporters. The presidential candidates believe Colorado’s nine electoral college votes could hinge on this working class city. Colorado Matters Host Ryan Warner spoke with about a dozen Pueblo voters of different ages, political affiliations and backgrounds about what they want from their next president, and what that person should know about them.
Sen. Michael Bennet On Re-Election, Iran, Health Care And Hillary Clinton
U.S Senator Michael Bennet wants another six years in office, and this election Coloradans will decide whether he gets them. Bennet tells us why he wants another term, when congressional approval ratings are at just 17 percent and partisan gridlock means — as he once put it– the standard of success is simply keeping the lights on.
Who Can Vote? The Long, Difficult History Of Voter ID Laws
A new documentary explores historic controversies over voter ID laws.
Who Can Vote? The Long, Difficult History Of Voter ID Laws
A new documentary explores historic controversies over voter ID laws.
Debate: How To Change Colorado’s Constitution, ‘Extreme’ Mammals
Colorado voters will decide whether to make it more difficult to amend the state constitution. Supporters say it would ensure voters across the state are represented. Opponents say it would increase the influence of special interests. A Denver ballot measure would allow pot smoking in public. Colorado Matters’ resident poet weighs in on presidential debates. Did you know horned beavers used to live in Colorado? A Denver museum exhibits “extreme” mammals.
