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

In Vitro Fertilization For Veterans; Doc Holliday In Colorado; ‘Dog Power’ Movie

Tyler Wilson, of Golden, was paralyzed in Afghanistan. He and and his wife, Crystal, later spent thousands of dollars on IVF to conceive a child. Now, along with other veterans, they’ve convinced Congress to allow the VA to pay for fertility treatment — at least temporarily. Then, Doc Holliday, famed for his role in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, spent more time in Colorado than anywhere else in the Old West — find out why. A movie explores a world of dog-powered sports that goes far beyond mushing huskies in the Iditarod. And, a look at how maggots could soon turn food waste from Boulder-area restaurants into animal feed.

The Airport Train’s Future, Lawn Burning, Colorado’s One-Time Largest Employer, And How Not To Drink At The Holidays

The train to Denver International Airport came close to being shut down this weekend by the federal government because of problems with rail crossings. Ahead of the holiday travel season, we’ll get an update on that and other new train lines in metro Denver. Then, a new effort to stop a long-standing practice in Mesa County: residents burning yard waste and scraps. Also, the story of the giant steel plant in Pueblo that helped forge America. And, how to avoid drinking alcohol, particularly during the holidays.

Colorado’s Outdoor Recreation Industry, A Veteran’s Dance, Voting Memories, And The Band Lost Walks

Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry brings in more than $13B dollars a year, and includes a company, Voormi, that calls itself “the microbrew of apparel.” Then, a new dance performance in Denver captures the darkest days of Todd Bilsborough’s life, when he came back from the Iraq War. The veteran wrote the music for the show. And, the new Denver band “Lost Walks” thought their concept album would resemble a Disney musical, but they ended up with something more like Goth. Plus, long-time voters remember their first time filling out the ballot.

North Dakota Protest Has Historical Roots, Keeping Family Peace At Election Time, Film’s Star Juggles Fiction, Real Life

To understand the pipeline conflict at Standing Rock, North Dakota you have to go back to the first U.S. president. Then, a young woman and her grandmother are political opposites. How they’re keeping things harmonious this election year. And a new film, shot in Denver, feels like everyday life. Plus, a robot truck made a 120-mile beer run across Colorado recently, but there are no state laws governing self-driving trucks.

Colorado Militia Rises, Election Opposites, Student Election Essay, Teenage Robot Inventor, Roller Derby Going Mainstream

At the US-Mexico border, it’s not just law enforcement on patrol. Colorado militias are there, too. Mother Jones writer Shane Bauer went undercover to see these paramilitary groups up close. Then, one Denver teenager gives her thoughts on this election season, while another builds an SUV-sized walking robot. Also, people who manage to disagree politically and still love each other. And roller derby teams — including in Denver — are moving away from the kitschy names and dolled-up reputation in an effort to take the sport mainstream.

Stories From The Grave On This Halloween Episode Of Colorado Matters

For Halloween, lessons in properly burying the dead and how to raise them back up — through necromancy. University of Colorado Boulder historian Scott Bruce, and a ghoulish crowd, joined Colorado Matters at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver to dig into a millennium’s worth of ghost stories. Bruce’s new book is “The Penguin Book of the Undead: Fifteen Hundred Years of Supernatural Encounters.”

Hickenlooper Wants To Flip The Senate, Friends Rally To Publish Works Of Late Denver Writer

Gov. John Hickenlooper says he’s never recorded campaign ads for state legislative candidates. But, with Republicans opposed to his signature budget policy, he hopes to flip control of the Senate. That would mean total Democratic control of the legislative and executive branches. Then, a Denver man wrote more than 20 novels, but died before any were published. So his friends are stepping up. And, a web series about people’s complex relationships with food, including a vegetarian who married a Colorado cattle rancher.

Staff

Tom Hesse.
Colorado Matters Western Slope Producer

Tom Hesse