Undocumented Immigrant Drivers Licenses, Gender Pay Equity At CSU, Taking On TABOR, Afghan Climbers
Colorado created drivers licenses for immigrants living in the country illegally several years ago. But the issue is hardly settled, with Republicans at the state Capitol calling it backdoor amnesty and limiting the program. We’ll debate its future. Then, a report last spring showed that male full professors at Colorado State University made 16 percent more than their female counterparts. While investigating this issue, Nick Coltrain of the Coloradoan in Fort Collins also raised questions about above-average raises for administrators.
Caucus Night Lessons, Overtaxed Immigration Court, Thrift Store Job Training, Tiny Desk Competitors
After voters vented on the CPR News Facebook page about long lines and other frustrations Tuesday night, we spoke with the leader of the Democratic Party in Colorado, Rick Palacio about what happened. He says Colorado may have outgrown presidential caucuses, and he will continue to push for a primary. Then, immigrants in Colorado can expect to wait 933 days for a hearing at Denver’s immigration court. Why? And, what does it mean for people whose cases may not be heard for years. Also, a new thrift store has opened in Denver, staffed by teens who used to be homeless. Finally, we hear about Colorado bands in NPR’s Tiny Desk Competition, and an encore piece about a local boy’s lemonade stand business.
Coloradans Take Up Challenge To Beat Cancer, Documenting ‘The Cannabist,’ Architectural Salvage Closes Its Doors
President Obama gave Americans a mission in his final State of the Union address: Find a cure for cancer. It got us wondering about the scientists in Colorado already at work on exactly that, and their outlook. Then, the Denver Post’s Ricardo Baca, editor of “The Cannibist,” is the subject of a new documentary about the first year of legal recreational marijuana in Colorado. And, when owners of old homes needed to replace old fixtures, they turned to “Architectural Salvage” in Denver. After almost 30 years, it’s going out of business. We talk to the owners.
A Driverless Car Ride, Newfangled Traffic Configurations, Coyote Research And Conflicts
When it comes to self-driving cars, the future may be now: We take a spin in a Tesla to see it drive and switch lanes on its own, plus accelerate very quickly. Will these cars and new road designs be enough to get traffic flowing in the decades ahead? Then, humans and their pets are having more run-ins with coyotes across Colorado — some of them violent. We’ll look at why, and how to avoid them.
Columbine Victim’s Daughters Speak Out, Election Ad Dollars In Colorado, Fiscal Cliff Law, Photographer’s Activism
The daughters of a Columbine shooting victim talk about the new book from Sue Klebold, mother of gunman Dylan Klebold. Then, as we near the caucuses, Democrat Bernie Sanders is beating Hillary Clinton in Colorado when it comes to TV ads. Also, when is a pay raise a bad thing? When it makes it harder to afford child care. And a Colorado photographer says a photo can change the world.
Americans For Prosperity’s Colorado Goals, Heavenly Music From An Abandoned Tank, Cheecake In A Jar
The Koch brothers’ political action committee, Americans for Prosperity, doesn’t flex its conservative muscle in every state. But it came to Colorado early because it is seen as such a critical swing state. AFP strategists tell us what they’re after, and how they intend to go about it. Then, the story of a musical wonder in the Western Slope town of Rangely: a giant, abandoned tank known for its heavenly acoustics. And, how Lee Mathis came to put cheesecake in a jar — and use it as a springboard to a new business.
Colorado Caucus Skeptics, Being ‘Arab-American’ In Colorado, Buffalo Bill Tales, A Poem For Winter
Excitement is building ahead of Colorado’s caucuses March 1, at least among the voters who can participate. More than a third of registered voters in the state are excluded because they’re unaffiliated. We talk to a political scientist who wants to change that. We’ll also hear about a potential ballot measure that would create a hybrid here — of caucuses and a primary. Then, we talk to a Colorado filmmaker who moved to the U.S. from Iraq and who contemplates what it is to be “Arab-American.”
Colorado Caucuses Explained, Cat Bigney’s ‘Great Human Race, Colorado Symphony Goes Global
Today, we hear what you need to know about the upcoming Colorado caucuses, including the fact that many Coloradans who’d like to participate won’t be able to because of the rules over how and when voters needed to register. Then, survival expert Cat Bigney, who grew up in the West, says her upbringing prepared her for “The Great Human Race,” a new show on The National Geographic Channel that forced her to live as our ancestors did millions of years ago. And, new recordings mean the Colorado Symphony grabs a global audience.
Drug Counselors In Denver Schools, Botanic Gardens’ Iconic Conservatory, McGyver Of The Woods
Drug use is such a big problem among teenagers that addiction counselors are working at three Denver schools. We’ll meet one of them. Then CPR News health reporter John Daley visits a morgue to see the problem of drug overdoses up close. Then, what do Woody Allen, Jack Kerouac and Frank Lloyd Wright have in common? The conservatory at the Denver Botanic Gardens. It’s turning 50 years old. Also, calling Doug Hill of Lafayette an outdoorsman would be an understatement. He’s the founder of a primitive skills school and he’ll teach us the big three “musts” for surviving in the wild.
Banning Campus Bloggers, Sculpting An Iceman, DeBeque’s Weed Windfall, Author Colleen Oakes Goes Hollywood
Should Colorado’s public universities be allowed to ban whoever they want from campus? The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado doesn’t think so. Then, Gary Stabb usually sculpts prehistoric beasts like dinosaurs, but he finally got access to an elusive stone age mummy for a project for Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science. Also, taxes on marijuana sales in tiny DeBeque brought a windfall — more money than the town sees in overall sales tax and energy impact fees combined. Now, how to spend it? And, Hollywood has taken interest in Broomfield author Colleen Oakes’ trilogy “Queen of Hearts,” which explores how the queen in “Alice in Wonderland” became a villain.
Sue Klebold Talks About ‘A Mother’s Reckoning,’ Her Book About her Son, Dylan, And The Columbine High School Shooting
Most people think of the attack on Columbine High School in 1999 as a school shooting. Sue Klebold thinks of it as her son Dylan’s murder-suicide. She’s written a new book and says she hopes the insight it provides outweighs the risk of re-traumatizing victims’ families. Klebold answers a question she’s faced for years: How could her son have planned the attack without her knowing? And she says she’ll never know if she could have prevented her son’s actions, but she does wish she could’ve done some things differently.
‘Longmire’ Author Craig Johnson On The West, Hollywood, And Funny Indians
The author’s hit mystery series inspired a hit TV show about a flawed, big-hearted sheriff.
The Latest Historic Preservation Efforts In Colorado, A New Play Summit In Denver
Buildings that tell the story of Colorado are deteriorating, and some risk being lost altogether. Today we’ll hear about the latest additions to the state’s “endangered places” list. One is the Tabor Opera House in Leadville. Then, new plays hatch in Denver in a sort of theatrical incubator. This year’s new play summit includes a piece about a female mariachi band, love in Antarctica, and one about a struggling climate scientist.
Wall Street Looks At Water In The West, Choreographer Channels Violence Into Dance
Is Wall Street the answer to the water shortage in the West? That’s the question investigative reporter Abrahm Lustgarten raises in a piece for ProPublica and The Atlantic. He profiles a hedge fund manager who’s betting that water won’t always be so cheap. Then, Rennie Harris has channeled the violence he grew up with into dance. The hip-hop choreographer is an artist-in-residence at CU Boulder. He joins us ahead of a big show this weekend.
Before Obamacare there was Jeffersoncare and Franklincare
In the new book, “Revolutionary Medicine,” University of Denver historian Jeanne Abrams writes about the founding fathers’ and mothers’ contributions to medicine.
The Mood Of Latino Voters, Birds In The Suburbs
Anxious. Frightened. Angry. Those are words that describe the mood of voters this year. The big question, especially for Latinos in Colorado, is whether those feelings will inspire more people to vote, or to tune out. CPR News partners with NPR to look at the overall tone of the election… and how that may play out in our swing state. Then, in an encore presentation, ornithologist John Marzluff has advice on how to make a home for birds and other wild animals in the face of rapid development in the West.
