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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April 1, 2022: Diving into Colorado’s newest Congressional District

Colorado’s new congressional district stretches from Thornton to Greeley and includes parts of Adams, Larimer, and Weld Counties. But do people know they’re in a new district and what issues might shape their vote? Plus, Elizabeth Garner breaks down the growth and population trends in CD-8. Then, Dick Barkey, a Democratic organizer in Weld County, and Joe Jackson of the Colorado GOP, talk about the effort to win the district.

March 31, 2022: Self-screening for cystic fibrosis; Entrepreneur finds opportunity in pandemic

People of color with cystic fibrosis are more likely to go undiagnosed because the medical community has long considered it an illness that only afflicts white people. Now there’s a new screening tool to help people self-advocate. Then, an Aurora entrepreneur found opportunity during the pandemic. And, Purplish explores the history of the abortion debate in Colorado as lawmakers pass a bill to enshrine the right to an abortion in state law.

March 28, 2022: Helping displaced Ukrainians; The new photo on your driver license

We talk with a hiker who’s now had close encounters with two wildfires in four months. Then, John Babiak is the son of Ukrainian immigrants; he’s headed from Colorado to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees. Plus, Denver will pay a group of protesters $14 million. Also, the photographer who took the image on Colorado’s new driver licenses. And reflecting on coming “Back from Broken” as season three debuts.

March 25, 2022: Recognizing women in STEM with statues; A fuller ‘West Side Story’

An exhibit at the Smithsonian features statues of women in STEM industries, and six of them are Coloradans. Sarah Wilson and Jenny Briggs talk about being memorialized as part of the exhibition. Then, Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz of CU Boulder talks about Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” and how it strives to get the story of its Puerto Rican characters right.
Pain Naomi Binkley McDonald

March 21, 2022: A journey to find pain relief; Motus Theater’s UndocuAmerica Project

Naomi Binkley-McDonald of Golden has been working to find relief from her chronic, often debilitating pain, for nearly a decade. She shares her journey in our series, “On Pain.” Then, a high school student’s song to convey life in the pandemic. Plus, Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubenstein on the election fraud case against Tina Peters. Later, creating a national monument to the Global War on Terror. And DACA recipients’ stories through the Motus Theater’s UndocuAmerica Project.

Staff

Tom Hesse.
Colorado Matters Western Slope Producer

Tom Hesse