Hickenlooper On Colorado Infrastructure, Buying Cars On Sundays, Writing Horror
On the eve of a new legislative session, Gov. John Hickenlooper has high hopes of finding a way to pay for billions of dollars in transportation improvements, and of passing a law that might make housing more affordable. Then, one state agency says people should be able to buy cars on Sundays. That’s one of 25 “Sunrise, Sunset” laws being taken to the state legislature this session. And, Stephen King based “The Shining” on The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. That’s why a CU Boulder professor, who’s teaching a new course — “Advanced Horror Fiction” — is there with his students.
Transportation, Affordable Housing Top Legislative Agenda; A Refugee Story On Stage; The Stock Show Anthem Singer
Colorado lawmakers start their 2017 session on Wednesday, with plans to tackle transportation funding, affordable housing, the state budget and more. Two legislative leaders talked with Colorado Matters: incoming Senate President Republican Kevin Grantham, who’s the first rural Coloradan in the post in many years, and Democrat Crisanta Duran, who will soon become the first Latina to serve as Speaker of the House. Then, a new play called “Boat Person” about a couple who came to the U.S. with just the clothes on their backs. And hear the National Anthem sung by a 15-year-old who won the chance to perform tonight at the National Western Stock Show.
Lawmakers Prepare For Trump Energy Changes, Penalties For Rogue Skiers, NASA Snow Study, Winter Driving
With Donald Trump’s energy agenda taking shape, state lawmakers have formed a new committee to consider local impacts. Steamboat plans to charge skiers $500 if they need rescuing out-of-bounds. NASA is set to launch a five-year study of Colorado’s snowpack beginning in February. It’ll provide information about weather and snow, and also help with space exploration. Also, tips on driving in the winter.
Colorado Hate Crimes, Bug Attacks Wine Grapes, Ski Train Reborn, Unusual Place Names
There have been multiple hate crimes in Colorado over the past six months, including swastikas carved into a playground in Longmont found earlier this week. We check in with the Anti-Defamation League to understand what happens after an act like this and how an incident is designated a hate crime. Then, a bug that once ravaged European vineyards has come to the Grand Valley. We’ll talk about what the arrival of Phylloxera means for Colorado’s biggest wine-producing region. And, the Winter Park Ski Train rides again, beginning this Saturday with service between the ski resort and Denver’s Union Station. But is the price tag too steep for skiers? Plus, the story behind Colorado place names — from Alamosa to Zirkel.
Golden Isn’t Named For Gold (And Other Stories About Colorado Place Names)
From Antonito to Zirkel, author Jim Flynn has put together ‘A Compendium Of Curious Colorado Place Names.’
Finding Peace Politically, The Truth Behind Immigration Identity Theft
It’s time to become transpartisan, says Boulder mediator Mark Gerzon. He’s spent his career working with Congress, the UN and developing countries to resolve disputes. His latest book is called “The Reunited States of America.” Then, there’s a widely held belief that undocumented immigrants in the United States steal identities so they can work. The trouble is: that ignores the role employers play in helping workers get IDs that don’t belong to them. It’s a practice a CU-Denver anthropologist investigated when she was doing research in the farm fields. She also got acquainted with a phenomenon known as “trabajando fantasma” — the working ghost. And, after recording a record with the Colorado Symphony Boulder folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov prepares to perform live with them.
Metro Denver’s Gifts, Curses And Rapid Growth, A Spiritual Audio Book Publishing House
It’s no accident Denver is growing as fast as it is. It’s the result of city leaders going back decades. They laid plans for things like a rail system and public spaces that would lure and serve more people. But something else added fuel to the fire: the Internet. Today, listen to “Denver Rising,” a discussion organized by The New York Times about the metro area’s gifts and its curses. Speakers include former mayor, now governor, John Hickenlooper and preservationist Dana Crawford, who shaped downtown. Then, Tami Simon’s Louisville-based audio book company Sounds True and the audio clips that have changed the way she looks at life.
Denver Rising: The City’s Growth Is No Accident
At a New York Times event, leaders in government, technology, arts and preservation talked about Denver’s blessings and its curses.
Before Oprah, Colorado’s Tami Simon Was Bringing Spiritual Thinkers To A Broad Audience
Three decades ago, Simon founded the spiritual publishing house Sounds True. The Louisville-based company is on track to do $24 million in business this year.
Why People Are Drawn To Fictional Sheriff Walt Longmire, Good-Bye To Cascade Cottages At RMNP
As 2016 comes to a close, we’re listening back to some favorite conversations from the year. This includes a fictional character who’s loved on the page and on the screen: Western sheriff Walt Longmire. He’s the creation of Wyoming author Craig Johnson. Then, after decades of hosting guests from around the world, the Cascade Cottages at Rocky Mountain National Park are no more.
A Denver Church For All Sinners And Saints, The Lumineers On Hitting The Big Time
As the year winds down, we’re listening to captivating conversations from 2016 — like the one with the swearing, tattooed pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, founder of the House For All Sinners and Saints in Denver. Her latest book is about finding God in all the wrong people. Then, the Lumineers discuss sudden fame and the creative process.
Being Hunter S. Thompson’s Son, AIDS Stories, The Journalist And The Cop, Remembering Glenn Frey
As Denver takes steps to eradicate AIDS by the year 2030, women who have been affected by AIDS and HIV tell their stories as part of a new project from StoryCenter. According to the state’s Department of Public Safety, Blacks in Colorado are arrested at much higher rates than whites; earlier this year, we brought you the anatomy of a police stop involving an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy, who’s white, and an African-American civilian. Then, another conversation from earlier this year — Juan Thompson talks about what it was like being the son of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. And, remembering former Eagles founder Glenn Frey.
Dianne Reeves, Clare Dunn, The Lost Tribe And More On Inaugural Colorado Matters Holiday Music Special
The first-ever “Colorado Matters Holiday Music Special” broadcast live Wednesday morning from the CPR Performance Studio. Hosted by Ryan Warner, the show featured Colorado musicians and their holiday stories, including Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, rising country star Clare Dunn, Christmas carols recorded in an old water tank on the Western Slope and a Denver trio who got their start as singing caterers.
State Of Working Colorado, Homeless Exhibit, Antibiotic Animal Feed, Colorado Prohibition Anniversary
By many measures, Colorado has recovered from the great recession but a smaller proportion of people here have jobs. We’ll talk about that and other trends in the state’s economy. Then, feeding antibiotics to livestock is controversial and 2017 brings new restrictions on everyone from the kid in 4-H raising a cow to the largest feedlots. An infectious disease expert at CSU discusses what these new restrictions could mean for animal and human health. Also, an art exhibit asks Denver’s mayor: “What are you going to do about homelessness?” Plus, we’ll learn about Colorado’s strange prohibition history and we remember a former host of this program, Dan Meyers.
Learning About ‘The Sixth Extinction,’ Time To Pay Online Taxes, Highlights In Indie Music
Some scientists believe a 6th mass extinction is underway. We hear from New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert who’s the author of “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.” We also found a high school class in Jefferson County that’s reading the book. Then, a state tax you didn’t know you had to pay: The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a Colorado law that requires online retailers like Amazon to tell customers how much they owe in state sales tax. Plus, Colorado bands that had a good year and are poised to break out in 2017.
Governor Hickenlooper On Trump And Transporation, Boulder’s Yonder Mountain String Band, Holiday Books
Colorado’s governor says the state needs more money for transportation, so he’s looking for options that would be acceptable to Republican lawmakers. One possibility is a sales tax; another is a device in your car that keeps track of your driving and charges you accordingly. Also, we ask the governor what he would say if he got some time with President-elect Donald Trump. Then, we hear from Boulder’s Yonder Mountain String Band which is hard at work on a new album. And, it’s time to curl up with a good book or give one as a gift. Two Colorado booksellers offer their holiday picks.
