Colorado Matters

The Rockefellers are known as well-heeled industrialists but in Pueblo, Colorado their name is a reminder of the Ludlow Massacre, a bloody chapter in history. On Friday, David Rockefeller Jr. will visit Pueblo, marking the first time a Rockefeller has returned to the city to address its dark past. Also, as the U.S. Air Force hits its 70th birthday, we profile the Air Force Academy Band, which has commissioned new music to commemorate the anniversary.

President Trump is trying to — at least temporarily — block refugees from settling in the US, and that’s sparked a lot of questions from you: “What do refugees do when they get to Colorado?” “Why spend taxpayer money to support them over, say, Americans who are homeless?” “How can you help refugees?” We have the answers. Then, on Valentine’s Day, Denver singer and longtime cabaret owner Lannie Garrett shares some of her favorite love songs.

Your perception of George Washington may change when you hear about how he treated the first presidential cook. The story comes out of Denver author Adrian Miller’s new book, “The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of African-Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families.” Then, writing on the walls of an immigrant detention center inspired Denver poet Teow Lim Goh. The poems in the men’s barracks are still there, but the women’s were destroyed in a fire. Goh imagines what those lost poems may have been in her latest collection called “Islanders.”

Famous astronauts Mark and Scott Kelley are identical twins, and part of an ambitious experiment. Scientists studied Mark on Earth, while Scott lived in space for more than 340 days, and the results are surprising. Then, emails between RTD and the Federal Railroad Administration show a troubled relationship with the Train to the Plane. Plus, snowmobiler Colten Moore suffered a spinal cord injury at last month’s X Games. His brother Caleb died after a similar accident in 2013.

As the Dakota Access Pipeline rolls ahead, a look back at an earlier clash between Indian tribes and the federal government, when activist Elouise Cobell filed the largest class-action suit ever against the United States. Then, veterans describe their battlefield experiences in a long-running Regis University program called “Stories From Wartime.” Students learn the history. Vets find it cathartic. And, the rules designed to help communities and industry avoid conflicts over oil and gas drilling are causing — conflict. Plus, an import from Denmark to Colorado: What’s hygge?

The Volkswagen settlement means not just money for car owners and auto dealers but also for the state to pay for clean energy projects. Then, communities quarrel with new oil and gas operations despite state rules intended to ease the tension. Those rules also helped fund a forthcoming study of the potential health effects of living near drilling rigs. Also, the new film “The Space Between Us” is about the first human born on Mars, who wants to travel to Earth. And, an opera written especially for children.

President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban has generated a lot of reaction in Colorado — from approval, to fear. We hear from both sides. Then, for a Colorado curling team, the countdown to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea begins this weekend. Next, we meet an experimental poet, Eleni Sikelianos, who wants readers to tear into her new book “Make Yourself Happy” — literally. She’s included pages that are meant to be ripped out and turned into three dimensional art. And, the story of two Colorado school districts that share a border, but are worlds apart.

Some people try to pass their dogs off as service animals to get them into apartments and restaurants, but a new Colorado law tries to curb that behavior. Then, if Neil Gorsuch is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he’ll be the second Coloradan to serve on the Supreme Court. Byron White was appointed to the high court in 1962, and we talk with White’s former clerk Dennis Hutchinson. Plus, a kitchy roadside Colorado attraction is endangered of being lost along with other “endangered places” in the state. And, Aurora’s first poet laureate Jovan Mays’ term ends. He reflects on what’s been a bumpy ride.