Colorado Matters

We get perspective from an infectious disease expert on how the variant of the COVID-19 virus might affect its spread and the efficacy of the vaccines. Then, how election polling is evolving for the digital age. Plus, finding an escape from the pandemic. And, will the third time be the charm for an Arvada choir director nominated for a Grammy?

We start the new year with a “Kitchen Shelf” special! Coloradans crack open their favorite community cookbooks and share the recipes and memories inside. We taste sopaipillas from tiny Antonito, Colorado, challah from “Shalom On The Range,” and a lemon icebox pie from one of the state’s oldest Black churches.

Colorado Public Radio turned 50 this year, and to mark it we did stories about the state then and now. To kick off the retrospective, host Ryan Warner and producer Xandra McMahon dig through the CPR archives for radio and state history. Then, how Colorado came to be known as the “Napa Valley of beer.” And how the state’s music has changed in half a century.

For artists, the pandemic’s proven to be both a creative and economic challenge, and, at times, an inspiration. We reflect on the year with musicians Chuck D. of Public Enemy, Alaina Moore of Denver-duo Tennis, Neoma’s Carla Huiracocha and country singer-songwriter Joe Johnson from Manitou Springs.

As a federal judge rules that DACA be reinstated, a recipient in Aurora shares how his love of insects and nature helps him make sense of what’s been immigration uncertainty. Then, revisiting creative visionaries in 2020, from a digital Green Book project to “The Social Dilemma” and “Bicycle Junction.”

How reliable is renewable energy? We fact-check recent statements about wind and solar by Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert. Then, Denver7 Chief Meteorologist Mike Nelson with “The World’s Littlest Book on Climate: 10 Facts in 10 Minutes about CO2.” Also, revisiting some of our favorite interviews with authors– from a poet to a doctor.

It’s the 5th Annual Colorado Matters Holiday Extravaganza. Grammy-nominated jazz cornetist Ron Miles headlines; Broadway star Beth Malone channels Judy Garland; and Colorado Springs comedian Rion Evans brings some levity to 2020. They’re just some of the acts in a virtual event this year– so we spread merriment and not virus. We hope you enjoy!

All this week, it’s a Colorado Matters Holiday Extravaganza… Extravaganza! We’re bringing you five years of seasonal joy — after a year defined by pandemic disruptions. Today is the fourth annual holiday show from 2019, featuring Kid Astronaut, Holocaust survivor Osi Sladek, comedian Nancy Norton, and Hip Hop Band 2MX2.