Political Primaries May Make A Comeback In Colorado, And Chris Thile’s Approach To A Prairie Home Companion
More than one million Coloradans have rejected political parties and are registered unaffiliated, but they still want a say in picking presidential candidates. This November voters will decide whether to create an open primary and get rid of presidential caucuses in Colorado. Then, one phone call, from Garrison Keillor, changed musician Chris Thile’s life. It was an offer to become the new host of the public radio mainstay A Prairie Home Companion. Thile accepted and talked with us about the direction of the show, which will tape in Denver in November. Plus, what voters need to know about a ballot proposal to renew a cultural tax for Metro Denver; how Colorado influenced writer Vladimir Nabokov; and listener feedback to a recent interview with Denver’s first pedestrian planner.
Denver Filmmaker Profiles Gang Member Turned Youth Mentor, Brain Injuries In Extreme Sports, Colorado’s Wayward Wealthy
The film “Clever” tells the story of Gerardo Lopez, a former Los Angeles gang member who now mentors Denver youths in an anti-gang group called Homies Unidos. Then, Colorado is becoming a mecca for extreme sports medicine at a time when extreme athletes are grappling with the potential implications of the brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encepalothapy, or CTE. And, writer Dick Kreck chronicles the wayward wealthy of Colorado in his book “Rich People Behaving Badly.”
Treating Inmates With Brain Trauma, New Bike Race Planned, Free Literature Festival
Researchers are offering treatment to inmates who’ve suffered brain trauma. And, big funders are backing efforts to bring a bike race to Colorado. Also, two authors talk about characters that are “outsiders” and a 100-year-old school teaches English to refugees.
Denver’s Pedestrian Planner, New Colorado Christian President, Down Syndrome And Mental Health
Denver is walking into new territory by hiring its first full-time pedestrian planner, and listeners expressed their thoughts on the city’s streets. Then, the new president of Colorado Christian University is a pastor and an academic — a very different background from his predecessor, who was a politician. What that means for the school’s role on hot button issues. Plus, a vexing problem for people with Down Syndrome and their families: Regression means for some young people with Down Syndrome, the ability to talk and move deteriorates. How the Sie Down Center in Denver is trying to fight it.
Minimum Wage Debate, Saving The Pandas, Clara Brown Statue In New Smithsonian Museum
A debate on the ballot proposal to raise Colorado’s minimum wage. Then, from her office in Littleton, a woman is fighting to protect giant pandas. She’s just been recognized by the Chinese government for her work. Plus, the national Museum of African-American History and Culture opens Saturday in Washington D.C. It includes a statue of Colorado pioneer Clara Brown.
Athlete Protests Not New To Denver, Gay Bishop’s First Colorado Sermon, Cottages Sold To National Park, ‘Those Who Can’t’
Decades before San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem, a Denver Nugget launched a similar protest. Colorado’s universal healthcare proposal spurs economic debate. The first openly gay bishop of the United Methodist Church reflects on her first Denver sermon. The family-owned Cascade Cottages have been sold to Rocky Mountain National Park. TruTV’s “Those Who Can’t,” features a Denver comedy trio.
Chalkbeat On STEM, Matthew Shepard Oratorio, New West Slope Thriller
STEM is a buzzword in education circles these days, meaning science, technology, engineering and math. But few schools here actually teach it, according to Chalkbeat Colorado, which surveyed the state’s 30 largest districts. Then, a new choral work is dedicated to Matthew Shepard, the gay teen who was murdered outside Laramie, Wyoming in 1998. It draws on his diary entries. And, the western slope is the backdrop for the new thriller, “Nothing Short of Dying.” We meet the author, who wrote it while living in his small hometown of Rangely. Lastly, we examine the merger between Colorado Springs’ Fine Art Center and Colorado College.
The Appeal Of Formula One, A Willy Wonka Remembrance, Life Post-Olympics, And Painting In The Sky
Colorado-based Liberty Media is buying Formula One Racing. It’s popular abroad, but in the U.S. where NASCAR has the poll position, what’s the appeal? Then, two Colorado Olympians — cyclist Mara Abbot and wrestler Adeline Gray — on how they’re moving on from losses at the Rio Olympics. Plus, the actress who played the grating, gum-chewing girl “Violet Beauregard” in the original Willy Wonka movie lives in Denver. She remembers Gene Wilder at an event in Littleton this week. Also, an artist has nearly completed her goal of painting from the top of all of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks.
Colorado’s Libertarian Senate Candidate, Teaching 9/11 To Young Students, Denver Schools Chief After Sabbatical
The Libertarian party’s candidate for U.S. Senate, Lily Tang Williams, says her experience growing up in China drives her conviction that less government is better government. Teachers whose students were not alive at the time of the 9/11 attacks grapple with how to educate them about what happened that day. Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg returns from a sabbatical in Argentina to some good news about test scores, but the district still faces challenges in areas such as student discipline.
Colorado Climate Change, Political Neophytes, Paper Bird Soars
Powerful people in this state do not believe climate change is a real or imminent threat. Among them: State Sen. Kevin Lundberg of Berthoud, a ranking Republican. He reached out to Colorado Matters after hearing our climate change coverage, and had a very different story to tell. He appeared on the program with a climate scientist from Colorado State University. Then, this election year we’re following two Coloradans who are running for office for the first time. They spent the summer knocking on doors and marching in parades. Plus, Colorado folk act Paper Bird gets a reboot with new talent and a new sound.
Governor Weighs In On Ballot Issues, Colorado Hispanic Leader Backs Trump On Immigration, The Changing Future Of Diplomacy
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper opposes universal health care but otherwise leans in favor of most issues on the fall ballot. A leader of Colorado Hispanics For Trump supports the candidate’s immigration policies. In a changing world, future American diplomats will need social media skills as much as a mastery of history, according to the University of Denver’s dean of international studies.
Latinos’ Growing Economic Power, Abandoned Cremains, Colorado Composer Hears Birdsong
Latinos’ economic contributions are undervalued because they’re often demonized, says former Colorado businessman. Also, a man buys a Montrose funeral home and discovers the abandoned ashes of 200 people. And, a Colorado musician hears echoes of jazz and the blues in birdsong.
WhiteWave Buyout, Exoplanet Discovery, Frankenstein Guitar
Behind liver, tofu was the most reviled food in the US back in the 1980s… It’s mainstream today, in no small part because of Steve Demos. He founded the Colorado company “White Wave,” maker of Silk. He joins us as White Wave is sold — in a controversial deal — to a French conglomerate. Then, studying exo-planets is en vogue these days in astronomy. One’s been discovered that could support life. We hear from astronomer Doug Duncan, our regular guest from Boulder’s Fiske planetarium. And, the dobrato is a “Frankenstein” instrument made in Gunnison, Colorado. It’s played by some big name musicians. We meet the inventor.
Remembering Kent Haruf Through His Final Novel, ‘Our Souls At Night’
Kent Haruf’s wife, Cathy, and his editor, Gary Fisketjon, reflect on the late Colorado author’s career.
Outgoing Colorado U.S. Attorney On Marijuana, Ice Age Relics In Douglas County, Tree Trunks Turned Into Music Boxes
The federal-state conflict over marijuana laws was a hallmark of Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh’s tenure. He left office this week after six years. And, there’s an effort afoot to preserve a Douglas County field that was once home to an Ice Age meat market. Then, Denver encourages neighborhood public art projects, from mural-clad dumpsters to tree trunks turned into music boxes. Plus, a visit to Colorado moose country.
A Visit To Colorado Moose Country
After learning about a state park where moose abound, CPR’s Ryan Warner hit the road in hopes of seeing one.
