Colorado Matters

With scant snow, U.S. Olympians struggle to practice for next month’s games. Then, a competitor’s-eye view of a crazy Olympic sport, skeleton. Also, after eight years and $13 billion in aid, Haiti still struggles to recover from an earthquake. A Coloradan says there’s a better way to help. And, putting your life, and your child, on YouTube.

Rocky Mountain snowpack is the lowest in 37 years, a potential threat to states that rely on the Colorado River for water. Also, jail inmates build family connections by recording stories for their children. Then, University of Colorado scientists invent robotic muscles. And, skaters seek the thrill of wild ice.

Two prominent Colorado politicians, including a state senator, left their parties recently. Each says she got pressure to toe the party line on everything. Then, how Colorado Medicaid expansion helped hospitals that otherwise might have closed. And, a new book chronicles a wolf’s life in the Rockies. Some Westerners welcome her. Others want her dead.

Marijuana taxes pay for about half of DeBeque, Colorado’s budget. So the small West Slope city is preparing for what could happen if the Trump administration comes down harder on recreational pot. Then, Grand Junction has no international flights, but local leaders think a customs office could transform the city. Also, virtual reality makes it possible to experience an opera rehearsal from the inside.

Many wonder if a federal marijuana crackdown is coming after an about-face by the Justice Department. The former U.S. attorney shares some perspective about how prosecution could change in Colorado. Then, funeral services today for the Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy who was gunned down at an apartment complex. We learn when cops are most in danger.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rolling back a policy that let legal marijuana flourish in Colorado. The state’s top lawmakers react, and they describe how the Capitol’s changing after sexual harassment scandals. Then, the opioid epidemic hits home for a retired four-star admiral. And, a new memoir about entering the world of for-profit eldercare.

As lawmakers head back to the state Capitol, CPR’s Sam Brasch has a preview of the major issues before them in 2018, including financial problems with Colorado’s pension fund, the state’s opioid crisis, and a lack of transportation funding. Also, what new findings, that show Down Syndrome is more of an immune disorder than a brain condition, could mean for treatment.

Age discrimination is getting pretty sneaky in the Internet era, including job ads that are placed specifically not to reach older workers and online applications that don’t allow you to enter certain birth dates. A 49-year old IT professional in Denver did a little experiment to land a job. Then, to fight the opioid epidemic, Vancouver is trying some unusual things, and Denver’s intrigued. Plus, what’s next for the Denver Broncos after their 5-11 season.