Colorado Matters

Protestors on college campuses may see signs pointing them to “free speech zones.” Those types of cordoned off areas, meant to contain students’ political speech, will soon be illegal on Colorado campuses. Then, new evidence that ancestral Puebloans used sophisticated geometry to build the Sun Temple at Mesa Verde National Park. And, Denver poet Robert Cooperman draws on his childhood memories of his father’s work at a local hat factory for his new collection, “City Hat Frame Factory.” We also have a history of “The Denver,” which was the main place to lunch and shop in town during much of the 20th Century.

“Drain The Swamp” was a rallying cry during the 2016 election. It’s also the title of a new book from U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican who represents northern and eastern Colorado. Buck joins us to talk Washington political culture, President Trump’s performance, immigration and more. Then, state lawmakers have a new compromise on teen sexting. They’ve decided on a small penalty for teen couples who send each other nude images. And, DIA concession owners are struggling to fill 400 open jobs. Plus, a Colorado man’s controversial product, drinkable sunscreen, is the subject of a lawsuit claiming it’s phony and dangerous. Also, at age 19, Colorado native Dawson Newby is a pro motocross rider. He’ll race in Denver this weekend.

There’s a lot of uncertainty now for young people in AmeriCorps. The national service program could lose its federal funding under President Trump’s proposed budget. Eric Gorski, bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado, says this isn’t the first time AmeriCorps’s been on the chopping block. Then, a Boulder woman convinced the people behind Emojis — those little pictures you can text — to make one of a rock climber. They modeled it after her. Later, the high school football player who didn’t realize she was actually a trailblazer. And, the view of Pikes Peak inspired “America The Beautiful.” The Colorado Springs Philharmonic commissioned new pieces based on the song.

It’s the longest congressional break since the inauguration of President Trump and we check in with CPR’s new government reporter Alison Sherry to find out what lawmakers have been saying about issues like immigration, health care and marijuana. Then, even though Colorado is attracting more tourists, the state tourism office wants more money. It would use the funds to boost tourism beyond metro Denver and the mountain resorts. Then, husband and wife duo “Tennis” have a new album they wrote aboard a sailboat and recorded in a cabin they rented in Frasier, Colorado. Also, a documentary spotlights Greek-Americans in the shadow of the Ludlow Massacre.

A Colorado doctor is on a mission: to develop antidotes for people attacked with chemical weapons. He says his team is close. We’ll talk in light of the gas attack in Syria. Then, Romeo and Juliet with a twist — families separated by religion. It’s the creation of Denver choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson. Also, we meet the man behind Little Free Libraries; those bird-house-looking-things in people’s front yards that have books inside. And, rum is often thought of as an island spirit. But a distillery right here in landlocked Colorado is making it. And it’s in demand.

“Take your seats … fasten your safety belts.” We learn today that climate change could make air turbulence worse. It’s just one of the stories we talked through with two Colorado climate scientists, one of whom went to conference at Arapahoe Basin recently, for news on skiing and climate change. Then, plays usually come to the stage after years of writing and rewriting. Not the one Curious Theater is putting on. They decided — mid-season — to add it to their line-up. Why the company thinks the production, called “Building The Wall” is so critical. And we answer your gardening questions, like the plusses and minuses of growing bamboo in Colorado. Plus some good alternatives to grass for your lawn.

Autonomous vehicles appear to be the wave of the future and state lawmakers have grappled this session with how to regulate them. Sen. Owen Hill, Republican from El Paso County, has helped lead the effort and has high hopes for the technology. But some worry it could mean the loss of jobs for truckers and taxi drivers. Then, most palm trees in Los Angeles are imported and kept alive with Colorado River water. That was a revelation for New Yorker writer David Owen as he traveled the length of the river to see where all the water comes from and where it goes. Also, we speak with the director of Google Food. He’s in charge of feeding 110,000 people a day in 56 countries.

Governor John Hickenlooper has had recent calls with President Trump’s budget director and his infrastructure guru. We’ll hear about those and about the governor’s letter imploring the federal government to butt out when it comes to state marijuana laws. Then, we meet a former air traffic controller at Denver’s old Stapleton airport who hasn’t been there since it closed in 1995, and we learn about plans to turn the control tower into an upscale bowling alley. Also, a Longmont banjo player says old folk songs are like heirloom seeds. He’s planting them and growing new music.