Colorado Matters

Eight months ago, Rebecca Gutierrez and her husband bought a home in Puerto Rico, a dream that finally came true. Now, she’s living a nightmare. After two massive storms and nearly two weeks without power and clean water, Gutierrez left the island. She’s staying in Colorado with her niece. Then, the Colorado-built Kepler Space Telescope is giving an unexpected boost to the study of quakes in stars, or “asteroseismology.” Yes, that’s a thing. And later in the show, new chimes are ringing at the City and County building in Denver.

A scalp from the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, where dozens of American Indians were murdered by Union soldiers, sat in the depths of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for decades. The Cheyenne and Arapaho asked for it back, and the museum returned it, but it took years. For the current curator of the museum, the episode raised the question: Who owns the past? His new book explores the fight to reclaim American Indian culture. Later in the show, why Boulder and Denver have the biggest “achievement gaps” among Colorado’s largest school districts.

General Motors says its working toward a future with only electric vehicles. But companies have to overcome people’s fear that electric cars will leave them stranded miles away from charging stations . Now Colorado’s government is trying to ease drivers’ “range anxiety.” Then, only white pilots could fly commercial airplanes until a Supreme Court ruling in 1963. The case came out of Colorado, when Marlon DeWitt Green applied to Continental Airlines. Green will be inducted this weekend into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame. Plus, rents are up in Denver, and evictions have followed. The city has launched new programs to keep people in their homes. And, Halloween’s around the corner. We have some ghoulish ideas to trick out your house or costume this year.

Tater tots and nachos are out at Boulder schools. Roast chicken and brown rice are in. Chef Ann Cooper was once known as the Renegade Lunch Lady for transforming what kids eat. Now her videos teach others how to make the switch. Then, a startup that’s found a market for food that would have been thrown out. And, a film that pays tribute to Vincent Van Gogh is animated entirely by thousands of oil paintings.

With so many people addicted to prescription painkillers, doctors across the state are experimenting with other ways to manage pain. The physician leading this effort got involved because he realized he was part of the problem. Then, health reporter John Daley on alternatives to opiates in the dentist’s office. Later in the show: It’s easy to lose count of the cranes on Denver’s skyline. Find out what it’s like to work in one every day.

There used to be neighborhoods in Denver where you could not get a home loan. The policy, called redlining, was racist, but it still affects Denver’s neighborhoods.. Then, only two animals have ever been protected by Congress by name. The first was the bald eagle and the second was the wild horse. Investigative journalist Dave Phillips shares his journey into “Wild Horse Country,” which is also the name of his new book. And, warm and sunny one day, snow the next…Colorado weather has fascinated Russ Schumacher since his days as a graduate student at Colorado State University — now he’s the state climatologist. Schumacher discusses the factors behind Colorado’s diverse weather.

Fans of John Denver are gathering in Aspen to celebrate his life. Denver died 20 years ago this week. His song about Colorado, “Rocky Mountain High,” was a hit and eventually became the state’s second song. Today, Colorado Matters follows John Denver’s rise to stardom and the frustration felt by some Coloradans that his song led too many people to come to the state. We’ll also meet Denver’s longtime bodyguard and meditation instructor.

A temporary village has popped up near Denver International Airport, with completely solar homes built by college students and sponsored by the federal government. A team from the University of Denver built a home with a wall covered in moss. Then, with the possibility of snow hitting the Front Range by Monday, a meteorologist offers a ski season forecast. And, a Coors heir was killed in a botched kidnapping in 1960. A new book tells the tale of the manhunt for his brilliant but bumbling murderer. Plus, CPR’s OpenAir remembers rock legend Tom Petty, who passed away this week at the age of 66.