Colorado Matters

Hosted by Ryan Warner and Chandra Thomas Whitfield, CPR News' daily interview show focuses on the state's people, issues and ideas.
Airs Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-10 a.m. & 7 p.m.-8 p.m.; Sundays: 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
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Latest Episodes

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Nov. 4, 2025: Lawsuit asserts ICE is not following federal law; Colorado’s grey wolves heading south?

ICE agents can detain someone without a warrant under certain conditions. Now a judge will decide if agents are flaunting federal law in Colorado. Then, a noteworthy development with the reintroduction of grey wolves in Colorado. Plus, a farm that honors Native American heritage at the site of much pain. Also, Purplish explores uncovered history hidden inside the state capitol. Second graders in Grand Junction embrace the power of a single act of kindness. And music from Littleton artist Conrad Mata, with a little help from his dad!
Jane DeDecker sculpts Josephine Baker

Nov. 3, 2025: Why young Coloradans are considering public service; Loveland sculptor’s tribute to Joséphine Baker

Who gets into public service these days? We’re at Colorado State University to find out from students in a leadership program. Then, it’s been a century since performer and civil rights champion Joséphine Baker left the U.S. for France. In Loveland, a sculptor lovingly captures her in clay. And later, one part ska, one part punk, one part pirate?! Music from the Fort Collins band, “The Swashbuckling Doctors.”
Photo shows a man in a blue long-sleeve shirt with a full beard and grey white air looking toward the left with his arms bent and hands extended. On the right is a large projection screen showing a historic building in Denver.

Oct. 31, 2025: DenverFright terrifies at The Bug Theatre

A Halloween haunting with Denverite’s third annual DenverFright. Local writers gather on stage at The Bug Theatre to send chills down your spine, including Stephen Graham Jones and Teague Bohlen. Denver historian Phil Goodstein takes us to a cursed block Uptown. And the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance’s scariest resident shambles in!
king-pettus

Oct. 30, 2025: The past, present and future as the Voting Rights Act turns 60; In-person voting for inmates

As the Supreme Court deliberates changes, the Voting Rights Act turns 60. We look at its past, present and future with local political analysts — this after Colorado took action in its last legislative session to make sure access is enshrined in state law. Colorado state law also requires all county jails to offer in-person voting for eligible individuals — we explore how the process is working in Jefferson County.
Father with two daughters

Oct. 28, 2025: A lung cancer doctor shares the same path as his patients; Purplish explores capitol history

A Colorado doctor was diagnosed with the same lung cancer he’s researched and treated all his life. He only recently decided to share his story when chemotherapy made him horribly sick. Dr. Ross Camidge talks about sharing the same path as his patients, and how he views death and what comes next. Then, from artwork to hidden history on the walls, Purplish explores the many stories the state capitol has to tell. Plus, just in time for Halloween, a Colorado haunting… and a reimagining of Ichabod Crane.
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Oct. 27, 2025: Innovating a ‘sexy walker’ to break stigma; An Indie 102.3 soundtrack for autumn

A lot of people risk falling rather than use a walker; there’s just too much stigma around them. Today in Aging Matters on Colorado Matters, we visit a lab where they’re developing a so-called “sexy walker,” but the project is about far more than vanity: it’s frankly life or death. Then, food banks prepare for a rush as SNAP benefits run dry. Plus, our colleagues at Indie 102.3 help score the season with local musicians to add to your autumn playlist.

Staff

Tom Hesse.
Colorado Matters Western Slope Producer

Tom Hesse