- A long line is forming, with anywhere from several hundred to several thousand Coloradans. They’re all young illegal immigrants, hoping for a chance to stay and work here legally. President Obama announced a new program last month to make this possible for people whose family brought them when they were young.
- Where do wildland firefighters turn if their axe is busted? Or their pants tear? To a massive warehouse in Lakewood that stocks about 6 million dollars worth of gear. It’s called the Rocky Mountain Interagency Support Cache. Folks there are very busy these days with all the fires burning in the West.
- The devastating wildfire in Colorado Springs, and others around the state, are reminders that it’s risky to live in the forest, or even near it. But the risk doesn’t seem to deter people. In the last decade, around 100,000 Coloradans have moved into so-called “red zones,” where the danger of wildfire is high.
- With many fires roaring across the Colorado Front Range, there are already people reaching out who’ve been through something similar. People like Andi O’Conor, who lost her home to the Fourmile Canyon Fire west of Boulder in 2010. She blogs about the recovery process, which continues. She speaks with Ryan Warner.
- Governor John Hickenlooper enacted a statewide ban on open burning. This includes fireworks. The governor is still allowing the SALE of fireworks, and says he’ll lift the ban once we get some good rains. Ryan Wallace, at Pyro-City Fireworks in north Denver, tells Ryan Warner his business has taken a dive.
- 10 years ago today, a forest service employee started Colorado’s largest wildfire. The Hayman Fire claimed 100,000 acres and 133 homes. A decade later, the burn zone, southwest of Denver, is coming back. Except in places where conditions are actually worse. Jonathan Bruno explains to CPR’s Ryan Warner how that can be.