Kunc's Colorado Edition

In the months ahead, leaders across the West will wrestle with a proposal to use federal land as a remedy for housing shortages.  You may remember that a few weeks ago, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah wanted to sell off thousands of government-owned acres in Western states, including some parts of Colorado. That plan died when some key Republican senators refused to support it.  But a similar, and more focused, proposal may still move forward under the Trump administration. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has offered a plan to sell or lease federal land to Western communities that are facing housing shortages.? Interior Department officials will meet with local leaders about it in the months ahead.  So how will this idea be received in places like Summit County — which face severe housing shortages, but are also defined by the picturesque public lands that surround them?  Rachel Cohen is a reporter for the Mountain West News Bureau, which KUNC is part of. Rachel's been reporting on this issue. She spoke with

A solar panel that collects energy from the sun – while also helping farmers grow bigger, tastier tomatoes and other crops. A team of scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden (NREL) say that’s exactly what they’ve developed. And this new type of solar panel could lead to better produce and more widespread solar power generation.  Some farmers already place solar panels on their land and grow crops alongside them. It’s a practice called agrivoltaics.  But the new panels designed by NREL are translucent – meaning they allow certain frequencies of light to pass through and reach crops planted beneath the panels. In fact, NREL scientists used the solar panels as the roof and walls of a greenhouse during their experiments. Bryon Larson is NREL’s principal researcher on this study. He talked with In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole about the solar panels and how they might be used in the future.  Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KU

For a lot of veterans, Independence Day can be a hard day.   Celebrating America’s birthday typically comes with loud, colorful blasts of fireworks. We don’t talk about it a lot, but for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, that can be a struggle. It can remind veterans of combat or other traumatic experiences from their time in the military.  Helping veterans cope with PTSD is the specialty of Dr. Mandy Rabenhorst-Bell. She is the PTSD program manager with the VA healthcare system serving Eastern Colorado.  Mandy spoke with Erin O’Toole ahead of Independence Day last year about what the holiday can be like for those with PTSD, and how friends and family can help support them. We’re listening back to that conversation today. Find more information and resources for PTSD from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo b

Travelers making their way through Denver International Airport this summer may notice a colorful, distinctive new art exhibit.  The project, called “It’s Not What You Take, It’s What You Bring Back,” was created from 183 pieces of used luggage, suspended over a walkway in Concourse B. They’re painted in the vibrant colors of the Colorado sky – turquoise, baby blue, ruby red – and they form a shape resembling the infinity symbol.  That painted baggage is part of a new installation by Colorado artist Thomas Evans, better known as Detour. He’s well known around Denver for his colorful murals of local sports legends like Denver Nuggets Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.  Detour talked earlier this year with Erin O’Toole about what inspired his new art at DIA – and some of the stories behind the luggage. We’re listening back to that conversation today. You can see even more photos from the installation on  Detour’s website at https://www.iamdetour.com/.  Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions

Like a lot of people nowadays, Colorado artist Rick Dallago is very invested in selfies. But Rick, who’s a painter, thinks about selfies differently than someone who just snaps a quick self-portrait with their phone.  Rick paints key moments in history and then paints a cell phone into the image. In one painting, a man takes a selfie in front of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001. In another, a man uses a selfie stick to capture the moment when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. And other paintings show iconic images, like Michelangelo’s sculpture David, reduced to a snapshot on a tiny cell phone screen.   Rick’s work is on display in a new show called “Thirst Traps.” It’s on display in Denver at The Lab on Santa Fe through July 19. Rick Dallago joined In the NoCo’s Brad Turner to talk about the ideas behind his paintings. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the sh

A few weeks back, Colorado saw three moose attacks on people in just three days. The incidents were reported in the Coloradoan.  The attacks left three people injured. One of the incidents led to a cow moose being shot in self-defense, and her calf being euthanized.  So, as more people head out to hike in the state’s moose territory this summer, we wondered: What are you supposed to do if you encounter an aggressive moose? And how do you avoid a moose attack in the first place?  Bridget O’Rourke who is a Public Information Officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She spoke with host Erin O’Toole about how to be safe around moose – and what makes them such dangerous animals. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!Host and Producer: Erin O'TooleProducer: Ariel LaveryExecutive Producer: Brad TurnerTheme music by Robbie Rev

Back in April, a commercial flight carrying 159 people had a major scare as it took off from Denver International Airport: The United Airlines flight struck an animal, which crippled one of the plane’s engines and forced the crew to make an emergency landing. As it turns out, the threat to aircraft from birds, rabbits and other animals is something DIA officials work hard to manage. Scott Franz, who’s an investigative reporter here at KUNC, recently got his hands on documents that show just how widespread the problem is.  Scott found that last year 878 planes had reported animal strikes while taking off or landing at DIA. And the airport killed or relocated tens of thousands of birds and other animals to limit the potential damage to aircraft. So: How vulnerable are planes at DIA, and is there a better solution? Scott talked about his story with In The NoCo's Brad Turner. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? He

The vast space around earth is getting a little crowded. There are nearly 10,000 satellites in Earth’s low orbit, the space just outside our planet’s atmosphere. And space companies plan to launch tens of thousands more in coming years.  That could led to problems like interruptions to communications from satellites that monitor the weather. Or we could see satellites crashing into one another. So how do we make rules to prevent those kinds of accidents? And how much regulation of space is too much?  A unique gathering at the University of Colorado Law School this week is confronting those questions. The Space and Spectrum Policy Conference began Tuesday.   Keith Gremban is a professor and co-director of the Spectrum Policy Initiative at CU Boulder and he helped organize this conference. He spoke with In The NoCo’s Brad Turner about why one of the main goals for the conference is simply to raise awareness of these issues. For more on the dark sky preservation programs Keith mentioned, check out this In The No

Last year, Colorado lawmakers passed an unusual law.  It directed every county in the state to set up in-person voting for incarcerated people in jails, many of whom are awaiting trial and haven’t been convicted of a crime.   The new law is the first of its kind in the nation. It's an effort to support voting rights for a population that is often considered out of sight, out of mind.  Alex Burness writes for Bolts, a publication that covers issues of criminal justice and elections. He said that while some cities like Denver have supported voting in jails, Colorado’s statewide initiative was groundbreaking: Turnout in the state’s jails increased roughly by a factor of 10. Alex spoke in March with host Erin O’Toole about the impact of the new law. We’re listening back to the conversation today. Read Alex’s article on voting in Colorado jails. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people disc

In 1895, Leadville city leaders faced a dilemma. The silver mining industry had made the town quite wealthy. But then the silver market crashed, and the city's fortunes cratered right along with it. Residents were leaving in droves to seek better opportunities. So, city leaders came up with an unusual idea to draw tourists to Leadville, entice people to live there, and give the remaining residents a sense of pride: They decided to build a giant palace of ice.  What followed is a remarkable story of innovative engineering that drew visitors from thousands of miles away – at least for a few winter months, until the inevitable spring melt.  Windsor-based author Afton Rorvik paints a vivid picture of all of this in her new book, The 1896 Leadville Ice Palace. Her research drew from the collections of the Heritage Museum and the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville.   She joined Erin O’Toole to talk about why she finds this history fascinating – and why the story of the Ice Palace still resonates t

Many students in Colorado schools don’t have much of a chance to act onstage, play an instrument or hone their craft at painting. Arts programs in most public schools have been cut severely due to tight budgets and to make room for classes that help schools get higher scores on standardized tests. So a team of KUNC reporters recently wondered: What does this look like in Colorado schools? And where are kids learning about the arts? In this special episode of In The NoCo, we’re sharing stories from Loveland, Brighton and Steamboat Springs. Check out photos and more reporting on these stories. This episode was reported by Rachel Cohen, Emma VandenEinde and Leigh Paterson. The series was edited by Leigh Paterson. Jennifer Coombes edited the online version of the series. Brad Turner adapted the stories for this episode of In The NoCo. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The

More than three decades ago Colorado was known as the Hate State. In 1992 Colorado voters passed Amendment 2, which banned anti-discrimination laws meant to protect gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. But the Amendment never went into effect because there was immediate backlash. It was challenged again and again for being unconstitutional, bringing it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Season 4 of KUNC’s Colorado Dream podcast retraces Colorado’s tumultuous history and evolving relationship with its queer and transgender population.  Stephanie Daniel is the executive producer and host for The Colorado Dream. She spoke about the latest season with Erin O’Toole last fall. To celebrate Pride month, we’re listening back to that conversation today. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin

Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar. The actor won for her role as Mammy in the film “Gone with the Wind.”  And McDaniel spent much of her childhood in Colorado: A plaque marks her family’s former home in Fort Collins. Growing up, she attended public schools in Denver.  McDaniel was in her 40s when she won the best supporting actress Oscar. And she used her platform to become a champion for civil rights. Today, in honor of Juneteenth, we’re exploring Hattie McDaniel’s story. Reshonda Tate is author of the book “The Queen of Sugar Hill”, which explores McDaniel’s life and career. ReShonda spoke with Erin O’Toole and mentioned that there was a time when she had a hard time admiring McDaniel as an actor. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!Host and Producer: Erin O'TooleProducer: Ariel LaveryEx

A vaccine against weight gain may be a reality soon, thanks to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder. The study focuses on a strain of bacteria that prevents obesity by reducing inflammation.  Chris Lowry is a professor of integrative physiology and CU and led the research. His study found that he could prevent mice from becoming overweight, even when raised on the equivalent of an all-McDonald’s diet.  When his team injected mice with that particular strain of bacteria, the junk- food mice gained no more weight than mice with healthy diets. Chris Lowry joined Erin O’Toole in January to talk about his research and why he thinks it’s a promising solution for obesity and how the results caught him off guard. We’re listening back to that conversation today.  Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!Host and Pro

Summer heat in Colorado has many people dreaming about escaping to the cool air of the mountains. But for Black Americans in the 1920s and 30s, segregation and discrimination severely restricted where they could travel and take a vacation.  Which is why, in 1922, Lincoln Hills emerged as a mountain resort created by and for African Americans. It sits near Rollinsville, northwest of Denver, and was the largest resort of its kind west of the Mississippi River. It drew visitors from all over the country until the 1960s. And it offered a rare opportunity for Black Americans to feel safe and welcome in the outdoors, during a time when access to such spaces was often limited because of racial discrimination. History Colorado in Denver has unveiled a new exhibit called Lincoln Hills: Mountain Sanctuary. It features photographs, displays of recreational clothing, and recently collected oral histories.  Erin O’Toole spoke with Acoma Gaither, History Colorado’s assistant curator of Black history, to learn more about wh

If you've ever walked near a landfill, or driven by one on a warm summer day with your windows down, you know there's a certain smell it puts out.  But Colorado's landfills also produce massive amounts of methane, emitting as much dirty air as driving a million cars for a year. Landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions in Colorado, after agriculture and fossil fuel extraction. And that concerns health officials more than any smell – because methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, and has some negative health effects, too.  Denver-based environmental journalist Jennifer Oldham recently wrote about this issue for  Capital & Main. She says state health officials may ask Colorado’s landfill operators to measure and track their methane emissions, which is something they haven’t had to do before. Jennifer joined Erin O’Toole to talk about the problem and potential solutions. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? St

Colorado has 13 sites that are part of the National Park System. And visitors may notice some striking new signs posted in the parks when they visit this summer.  The U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, is requiring the posting of signs that ask visitors to identify and report “any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans.”  The order caught the attention of many national park supporters, who fear it could lead to censoring less flattering parts of American history – especially at sites in Colorado that commemorate the Sand Creek Massacre or the Amache internment camp that imprisoned Japanese Americans in World War II. Tracy Coppola is Colorado senior program manager with the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit that advocates for the national parks but is not part of the park service. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about the impact this policy could have on visitors, as well as rangers and educators at the parks.  *

Imagine being able to control exactly when the plants in your vegetable garden will ripen. New research out of Colorado State University could make that concept a reality. Researchers there have been working to create what they call “genetic toggle switches” embedded in the DNA of plants.  The researchers plug synthetic DNA into a plant’s genetic material and use it as a switch that tells the plant to ripen, or flower, or grow. Professors June Medford and  Ashok Prasad led this research into plant biology and recently published their findings in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology.  They joined host Erin O’Toole to talk about how these “toggle switches” work, and how the technology might eventually change the produce section at your grocery store. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.orgLike what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!Host and Producer: Erin O'TooleProduc

More than 82 million people passed through Denver International Airport last year – and almost none of them noticed the very complicated cleanup project happening right under their noses. Airport officials spent $3 million dollars cleaning up toxic chemicals left over from the firefighting foam the airport used on its runways in the past. The foam is full of PFAS – otherwise known as “forever” chemicals – which have been linked to harmful effects in humans.  DIA recently completed the cleanup project as part of a program created by the state of Colorado to remove forever chemicals from DIA and other sites that use firefighting foam. Now that they’ve cleaned up the chemicals and the contaminated firefighting equipment at the airport, there’s a new challenge – figuring out where to dispose of 100,000 gallons of harmful waste from DIA.    Michael Booth is an environmental writer for the Colorado Sun. He wrote about this cleanup project, and why the chemicals were used in firefighting foam in the first place.   L

Fifty years ago, two men came to the Boulder County courthouse, seeking a license to get married.  Marriage equality was not the law of the land in 1975. But Clela Rorex, the newly elected Boulder County clerk, could find nothing in Colorado state law that would prevent her from issuing a marriage license to a same-sex couple. So, she did. And she issued five more in the next few weeks before she was ordered to stop.  It was a historic moment in the movement for LGBTQ rights, and her actions made her a hero -- and a target of backlash.  Mardi Moore is the CEO of Rocky Mountain Equality, an LGBTQ advocacy group based in Boulder. She was a friend and colleague of Clela, who died in 2022 at the age of 78.  During Pride Month, Erin O'Toole spoke with Mardi to learn more about Clela Rorex and that day she made history back in 1975. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoC