Colorado Matters

In Colorado Matters’ monthly interview with the governor, Hickenlooper shares his support for Longmont, who is regulating oil and gas within city limits, and encourages others to follow that mold. The outgoing governor also talks “red flag” gun laws and The Denver Post. Then, meet the wildlife rescuers who save fish imperiled by fires and drought.

Journalist Latria Graham wrote a feature for Outside magazine tackling diversity in the outdoors. Next, CPR reporter Nathaniel Minor attended a public meeting where the A Line operator revealed what went wrong on April 20. Then, learn about state’s oldest wolf sanctuary. Finally, why some doctors disapprove of legislation that limits opioid prescriptions.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is on a four-state tour focusing on promoting President Trump’s agenda on farming, food stamps and international trade and workers. Then, some people usually think of University of Colorado Boulder as a party school, but we some students graduated in a special ceremony honoring their recovery and sober lifestyles.

The stop and search of two Native American students at CSU prompted us to ask Cheryl Crazy Bull, the president of the American Indian College Fund, about other barriers Native students face on college campuses. Then, Brian Eason of the Associated Press checks in about the struggles of the state employee pension system. Also, why the president of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition opposes making child autopsy reports public. A few groups are in the early stages of deciding whether to step in and buy the Denver Post. And, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan. Hogan died Sunday of cancer.

Lawmakers put a wrap on the 2018 legislative session, grappling with some of the thorniest issues right up to the last minute. The session will bring changes for people stuck in traffic, for state workers unsure of their retirement, and for people who prefer full-strength beer. Then, the number of underage teens smoking electronic cigarettes has skyrocketed and is starting to draw federal scrutiny. Plus, one of the most enduring symbols of the Cold War turns 60.

Scientists are studying how nature affects our health, from brain studies in national parks to forest bathing in Japan. Journalist Florence Williams got interested in this research when she left her outdoorsy life in Boulder and moved to Washington, D.C. Suffering from a nature deficit, she says, she noticed she was more anxious and slept poorly. In her new book “The Nature Fix,” Williams writes about her quest to understand why.

Republican Greg Lopez wants to be Colorado’s governor. He’s an Air Force veteran and used to be mayor of Parker, elected at age 27 as a Democrat. Lopez would be Colorado’s first Hispanic governor, but he’s raised relatively little money. Then, it was known as “Black Sunday” when, in the early 1980s, Exxon shuttered an oil project in Western Colorado, laying off 2,200 workers. It inspired a new novel. And, some recommendations for wildflower hikes in Colorado.

She has the No. 2 job in the state. Now Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne wants the top one. As our candidate interviews continue, we talk health care, education and guns. Then, after a deputy’s death at the hands of a man who’d been identified as a mental-health risk, a Rocky Mountain PBS documentary explores what might have prevented the shooting.