Colorado Matters

Mayor Marc Williams discusses the shooting that took place in Olde Town Arvada on Monday. Plus, the drought is drying up Lake Powell, an important reservoir for a lot of Western states. Then, author Mimi Pockross talks about Denver playwright Mary Chase in her new biography, “Pulling Harvey Out of Her Hat.”

There’s a lot riding on Colorado’s new public option; but what does accountability look like, and will there be quality health care at a lower cost? Then, Reps. Ken Buck and Joe Neguse lead the fight to rein in big tech companies. Plus, we invite some book experts to give us their summer reading picks; navigating DIA and “responsibly sourced” natural gas.

Dr. Robert Meguid, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of Colorado Hospital, describes the lung transplant that saved the life of a COVID-19 patient. Then, a new lawmaker from southern Colorado reflects on the role of government as a Republican in a Democratic-controlled state legislature.

It started with cold symptoms late last year. It ended in a transplant. Bryan Raymond caught COVID-19 and is now learning to breathe again with a donor’s lungs. He and his wife Trinity share their journey as he becomes the first COVID-19 patient to receive a lung transplant in Colorado.

Juneteenth is now a federal holiday and to mark the occasion, we present an encore of music that grew out of tremendous pain, but led to hope. The Spirituals Project Choir is based at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music.

Colorado is in the midst of a mental health crisis among children, and advocates and health care providers are trying to address it head on. Then, the dancing returns to the century-old Turnverein in Denver. And, R.L. Maizes is a finalist for a Colorado Book Award for “Other People’s Pets.”

The national spotlight on missing and murdered Indigenous Women is growing, via a grassroots effort to build community support and prevent violence. Then, the Western Conservative Summit returns to Denver this weekend. And, mixed messages for the new owners of the Gunnison Country Times. Plus, a Ride the Rockies bicyclist returns after a horrific accident.

We answer a Colorado Wonders question asking why there seem to be fewer pollinators like bees and butterflies this spring. Then, one community tries to go all electric to fight climate change. And, we explore the lost history of Irish miners in Leadville and the effort to make sure they’re no longer forgotten.