Colorado Matters

Without the horse, says historian Tim Winegard, the world would look nothing like it does today. The Colorado Mesa University professor has written, “The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity.” He joins Sr. Host Ryan Warner on stage in Grand Junction for our reading series, “Turn The Page.”

Researchers hoped the FDA would approve the drug commonly known as “ecstasy” to help treat PTSD. But now that the FDA has rejected it in a surprise decision, what’s next for the psychedelic? Then, two CU Boulder scholars interpret what they believe to be previously unknown fragments of two lost tragedies by the Greek playwright Euripides. And, using mammograms to increase awareness of dense breast tissue.

District Attorney Dan Rubinstein takes us inside one of the first convictions of an election official related to The Big Lie: former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters will be sentenced October 3. We’ll talk about takeaways from the case and what’s next. Then, ride the Colorado River with a sisterhood of rafters. And later, high-tech meets gut instinct: developing a new way to pick the perfect Palisade peach.

The U.S. Surgeon General says almost half of American parents report feeling completely overwhelmed by stress. He now calls it an “urgent public health issue.” To get perspective, we’ve asked three parents to join us: Craig Knippenberg of Denver is a dad and family counselor, Kelli Clifton Ogunsanya is a mom and the chief operating officer at local corporation, and Jess Pramov is also a mom and a telecom executive.

The race to represent Western and Southern Colorado in Congress is much milder than it’s been the past few cycles. Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District is an open seat this year, with Lauren Boebert having switched districts to run for a safer seat. That leaves Democrat Adam Frisch facing off against Republican Jeff Hurd. Both candidates say they want sensible energy and immigration policies, as well as protections for water, though they chart different routes to achieve that.

Four out of ten people who worked in public health in Colorado left their jobs during the pandemic. We’ll get a pulse on what’s happening with the dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, Cathy Bradley. Then, opening statements and witness testimony offer a glimpse of what’s to come in the trial of the man who shot and killed ten people in a Boulder grocery store. Later, the Denver Art Museum showcases the artistry of a gifted painter who was incarcerated at Amache.

There’s a clinical trial underway in Colorado that is recruiting participants in an effort to treat and reverse Alzheimer’s disease. Then, electric vehicles are changing how firefighters respond to car fires. Plus, Native American skier Ross Anderson from Durango will be inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame this weekend! And, Mount Blue Sky, the highest road in North America, is now closed for repairs until spring of 2026.

Voters will decide 14 ballot measures in the November election. We’ll take a closer look at the issues. Plus, working to support startups in rural Colorado. Then, separating fact from fiction in the story of Venezuelan gangs in Aurora. Later, with Wu-Tang Clan, RZA sampled classical composers; now he’s the classical composer, and his new album with the Colorado Symphony is “A Ballet Through Mud.” And congratulations to Colorado’s YanXiao Gong who won a silver medal in the Paralympics!