In The NOCO

A landmark of the northern Colorado art scene is turning 102 years old this year. The historic Rialto Theater in Loveland originally planned to celebrate its true centennial in 2020, when it would have turned 100. Because of the pandemic, though, those festivities had to be postponed – until now. Visitors from all over Colorado flocked to the Rialto this week to share memories and to marvel at the lovingly restored building. Guests enjoyed silent film screenings and special behind-the-scenes tours that took them through winding, cramped passageways below the stage and into the bright, newly designed community spaces. KUNC’s Erin O’Toole and Yoselin Meza Miranda tagged along on one of those tours, joining about a dozen guests who gathered in front of the main stage with small bags of fresh popcorn. Rialto theater manager Steve Lemmon and events coordinator Heather Rubald spoke about the work that's been done to update and expand the space. Most of the theater’s aesthetic has been preserved. The seats are new, but have a vintage look, and the stylized flower murals on the walls have either been restored or painted to look almost exactly like the original.Rubald remembers when she used to go to the Rialto to watch movies. “It was a rather run-down movie theater, so we had mutated the name from Rialto to 'Rathole,'" she said with a laugh.Built in 1920, the Rialto was designed as a silent movie theater. In the late 1960’s they tried to attract more visitors by installing a large movie screen and a snack bar. The building went through many changes over the years, and for a time it housed a shopping mall and office space. It was so rundown that it came perilously close to being torn down. In 1988 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. And after the Downtown Development Authority purchased the building, the process of restoring the Rialto to its original glory began. Some of that work included expanding dressing rooms and adding a modern Green Room for performers.Donna Evans was one of those touring the theater. Years ago, she performed a few times at the Rialto as part of a choral group. There were only two tiny dressing rooms below the stage, and she remembers a Tae Kwon Do studio across the alley that would allow performers to change costumes there.“We had to go out through those back doors, run across all the parking and stuff, get in there [with] no privacy, change your costumes, run back across the thing, get back up on the stage again," Evans recalled. "It’s much better now. It’s beautiful.”Theater manager Steve Lemmon says much of the renovation was done by a group of volunteers who would come in Saturday mornings to work. “Slowly but surely they brought it back to life, and that’s the only reason this theater’s still open today,” he said.Of course any building that is over 100 years old has secrets. “We have a couple of ghosts that live here in the theater,” said Rialto technical coordinator Phil Baugh. One of those spirits haunting the theater is Clarence, a projectionist who worked from the 1940s and 50s. Baugh says Clarence messes with sound and light every now and then. There’s also the infamous “woman in white," a performer from the vaudeville era who has allegedly been seen floating on the stage. She even has her favorite seat – J-16. “She was in the middle of a performance and passed away in the dressing rooms,” said Baugh. “If you feel a little bit of a cold breeze, it just might be the woman in white.”For those interested in paranormal activities, the Rialto offers ghost tours in October, just in time for Halloween. But for this week, the focus is entirely on celebrating the here and now of this longtime cornerstone of the Loveland arts community. “A lot of people who grew up here remember it in its heyday; they remember the tough times it went through; they remember the redemption story of all the community members who brought it back to life," said theater manager Steve Lemmon. "People feel like it’s their theater, and that’s really what a community theater should be.” The Rialto's centennial celebration wraps up Saturday, May 21. Due to inclement weather, many of the events will be held inside the theater. Find more information and a full event schedule here.Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by Jackie Hai.The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.

Warmer days are here, and the snow that supplies most of the water to the Colorado River is melting. Certainly, our drought-stricken region needs all the water it can get. With just a few weeks left in spring, KUNC’s Alex Hager tells us what we can expect for water this summer in the Colorado River basin.The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a lot of uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our society. One of those things was just how undervalued many essential workers are, especially those in lower-paid service-industry jobs. According to an analysis from the Bell Policy Center, around 20% of Colorado’s workforce are considered essential workers — in fields ranging from healthcare to transportation to stocking the shelves of grocery stores.Whether they considered themselves "essential" or not — there was no option for remote work in their fields. Many have said they felt unsafe working through the pandemic, and have said companies didn't do enough to protect frontline workers — from the virus itself, or from angry customers who were unhappy with mask requirements or stores running out of particular items. Some of that experience is behind a recent wave of unionization votes across the country, including at several Starbucks locations here in Colorado.Denver-based writer Adam Kaat had a unique vantage point to understand just what that was like. He happened to be working in a busy grocery store right as the pandemic hit. He then chronicled that experience in the form of a novel, Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic. He spoke with Colorado Edition in March about the book, and what life is really like for essential frontline workers.Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by digital operations manager Ashley Jefcoat. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.

Today – on KUNC’s Colorado Edition. https://colostate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1AE0AAFmNOWWjcyAnyone with an internet connection these days can create false or misleading content that spreads like wildfire to reach millions of people. The rising flood of inflammatory rhetoric and false information is so concerning that the Department of Homeland Security recently announced the creation of a Disinformation Governance Board to combat it — a move that quickly prompted backlash from many Republicans, who compare it to the “Ministry of Truth” from George Orwell’s novel “1984.” It’s an insidious issue that communities and local newsrooms in Northern Colorado are wrestling with, especially with the midterm elections less than six months away. Dominik Stecula studies the intersection of political communication and media. He’s an assistant professor of political science at Colorado State University. He’s part of a virtual panel discussing misinformation Thursday, May 12, 3:00pm to 5:00pm, hosted by the CSU Center for Public Deliberation, in partnership with the NoCo Deliberative Journalism Project. It’s free and open to the public.Interview HighlightsThese interview highlights have been lightly edited for length and clarity.Erin O'Toole: What is the impact of misinformation or disinformation on people's perceptions of topics like science or vaccines, to use a recent example? Is this persuasive? I mean, does it change people's minds?Dominik Stecula: The reality is more complex than it frequently gets portrayed. We tend to have this belief that just because a piece of information exists out there, then it somehow has a super powerful effect on people out there. Actually, scholars have a name for it. It's called the "third person effect," and it's this idea that you yourself might not think that you would be persuaded by something, but other people are much more gullible than you, and they're definitely going to be persuaded. So I think it's a useful idea to understand when we think about the effects of these things, much like any other form of information, misinformation, disinformation matters. It plays a role in terms of shaping our attitudes, shaping our beliefs, and even shaping our actions, like whether to take the COVID vaccine, for example. But just because one is exposed to one particular false story or just because they listened to one questionable interview that somebody did with, like, Joe Rogan on his podcast, doesn't mean that persuaded them.So, we need to remember that there's a kind of supply and demand there. Some people want this kind of things, want this kind of content because they're predisposed to believe it — in the context of a pandemic, especially. The pandemic was, and still is, scary. And especially if you put yourself back in early 2020, February, March, when we were just trying to learn what's going on, exactly how it was going to impact us. Nobody really had all the answers, even the experts. Some people have a very strong psychological need to have simple answers, and they don't trust the kind of more complex, nuanced explanations. So, they're just more drawn to a particular set of answers that in that context tend to be the more harmful things.So when we talk about misinformation and disinformation and its effect, we have to understand it through the prism of all of these different considerations, all of the different predispositions, that every user of the information environment brings to the table. And also the fact that, you know, sometimes just because you see one story, it's not going to do it. You need repeated exposure, just like with everything else. That doesn't necessarily happen with misinformation, right? You might see like a viral meme or tweet or whatever, that is a piece of disinformation. If that just a one-off thing, then it's unlikely to have made a huge impact on you. But if you're kind of bombarded with the same kind of theme of misinformation on a specific topic, then it's going to be much more likely to influence you because you just consumed a lot more. It's more of a top-of-mind consideration for you, and it's more likely to kind of make an impact on you.I'm wondering how we can, as a community, address the impacts of misinformation while at the same time balancing freedom of speech, because that's also important.I think that's a very difficult and obviously contentious issue to grapple with. I think the first thing that is worth remembering is that the fact that we have misinformation on these platforms is not necessarily a thing that leads to our democracy and our politics being more toxic, but the other way around. When we think back to 2016 and we think back to Russian interference in the election and what the trolls from Russia were doing, they didn't create these divisions. They just poured gasoline on a fire.So I think it's worth remembering that as we think about solutions, because there's certain steps we can take to address some of the concerns sur

This coming Tuesday, employees at the Starbucks on Colfax Avenue in Denver will learn if they’ve voted to unionize. Their effort is part of a recent and historic uptick in worker activism across the country, driven partly by the impact of working conditions during the COVID pandemic. There are more than fifty Starbucks locations in the U.S. that have recently voted to unionize, including one in the town of Superior – the first in Colorado to do so.But pro-union employees at this particular Denver store say their efforts have resulted in backlash from the company. Nick Bowlin is a freelance journalist based in Colorado. He wrote about what’s been happening in an excellent, in-depth piece that was published this week in The Guardian.Interview HighlightsThese interview highlights have been lightly edited for length and clarity.Erin O’Toole: Can you start with just a bit of a background about why employees at Starbucks might want to unionize? Not everyone is familiar with unions. I know there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about what it means to have union representation.Nick Bowlin: The workers that I talked to at the Starbucks in Denver had a couple main points. Starbucks has been historically known for having good benefits and good wages for service industry, front-of-house sort of gig. But they [the employees] say that wages have not kept up with inflation in recent years. They also are definitely motivated by some of the difficulties for service workers that resulted from the pandemic. They felt that the company wasn't protecting them when it came to keeping them safe from the virus and also from belligerent customers. Several had horror stories about customers getting angry — and at times violent — about mask mandates and about shortages in the store.They also cited a policy where Starbucks has just been raking in enormous profits in recent years. And they think that more of that should go to the people who make the coffee. They cited a policy that was proposed at the first Starbucks to unionize ever, which was December 20, 2021 in Buffalo, New York, where if a worker misses a shift, the wages from that worker will be distributed to the other baristas who are working at the time or on a short staff shift, rather than going back into their, you know, corporate profits.Many of the workers who I talked to who weren't aware of unions before, when they realized what the collective bargaining process entailed and the ability to really push for the benefits and the protections that they want, that aspect of autonomy; many of them brought that up as something that brought them around to supporting the labor organizing.You started following the effort to unionize at this Denver Starbucks several months ago. Tell us a bit about this particular store, which is on Colfax Avenue. It's known as the Barn. What is it like for employees working there?Well, first of all, it looks like a barn.The Denver Starbucks community says work there is very fast-paced. Inexperienced baristas tend not to start there. Compared to some of the suburban locations, it can be a little bit more rough and tumble. Starbucks workers at other locations tend not to pick up shifts at the Barn because it has something of a reputation. One of the baristas I talked to was punched in the face by an angry customer who was mad about the mask policy. There was this other incident where one of the baristas was pepper sprayed because they were out of frappuccinos one day.These are things that could happen at any Starbucks. But the Barn has a little bit of a reputation which gets back to the issue of workplace protections and maybe why the workers at the point were especially inclined to announce a union drive pretty early on.I have to say, one thing that really jumped out at me is that Starbucks for a long time has had this public reputation as one of the few companies that actually does care about its employees. They offer health benefits; they pay for college tuition. It's kind of hard to square this perception of a benevolent company with what's happening now to employees who want to unionize.And I think that perception is pretty common. And there's evidence of that. Like I said earlier, that's why baristas have sought out Starbucks, because they offer health benefits when not all coffee shop jobs necessarily do. They have a very robust tuition aid program. And they also have this kind of corporate culture that encourages this kind of friendly atmosphere. Every employee from management executives on down to the lowest paid barista are referred to internally in the company as partners. And this of goes along with the, you know, company culture they try to foster.But the workers say a couple of things. Just because there are benefits doesn't mean they're always the best — and they want them to be better. And they also say that if they have a union, it will be up to them to push for the benefits they want rather than, you know, the benefits coming do

If you’re a Colorado high schooler who lives in a middle- to high-income household you’re most likely going on to college. A recent report from the state’s Department of Education shows 67% of those students enroll in a bachelor’s degree program. But those numbers are much lower for low-income students and students of color, in particular. Last year, state lawmakers took several steps toward making access to higher education more equitable. Gov. Jared Polis signed two bills – one banning the use of so-called “legacy admissions” by public colleges and universities, making Colorado the first state to do away with that practice. He also signed a bill to remove a requirement that public colleges consider SAT or ACT scores for freshmen; instead having them rely on high school performance indicators such as grade point average, class rank and the overall academic rigor of a student’s course work. The new law still allows students to submit those test scores if they wish.Nearly a year after those bills were signed into law, it’s not clear yet what the impact will be. Dr. Pius Kamau believes much more needs to be done to encourage and support children from underrepresented groups in the pursuit of higher education – especially in STEM fields. Dr. Kamau was born and raised in Kenya and spent three decades as a surgeon in Colorado. He spoke with Colorado Edition about how higher education institutions can do more to help students.During an ongoing mental health crisis, many Coloradans with serious mental illnesses end up cycling in and out of the emergency department... or jail. Without easily accessible long-term treatment, this cycle leaves some with nowhere to go. KUNC’s Leigh Paterson reports on a $65 million piece of legislation that aims to create more places where people can get help.Lastly -- May 4th is known to fans around the world as Star Wars Day And Colorado fans can show off their light- or dark- side fandom by grabbing one of a handful of custom license plates being auctioned by the state. Configurations include ANAKIN, KYLOREN, MANDO, YODAIAM, and JEDI. The proceeds raised go into a fund to benefit Coloradans living with disabilities. This auction continues through Sunday. May the Fourth be with you!Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by digital operations manager Ashley Jefcoat. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.

The first commercially imported alpacas were brought to the U.S. from South America in 1984. Alpacas are famous for their soft, luxurious fleece – as well as for their reputation as perhaps the most adorable creatures on the planet, with their sweet, goofy smiles, calm dispositions, and impossibly long eyelashes. The U.S. alpaca industry took off exponentially in the early 2000s, but prices collapsed a few years later during the Great Recession, and by 2014 the so-called alpaca bubble had burst. Since then, however, the industry has been slowly coming back – and there’s plenty of love for alpacas here in Colorado. Ranchers raise them and sell their fiber for use in comfy sweaters, socks, even bedding. You can visit with them up close this weekend at the Great Western Alpaca Show at the National Western complex in Denver. The show is free and open to the public, and runs through Sun. May 1. Fans can watch halter and performance competitions, costume contests, and peruse vendor booths with handcrafted alpaca fashions. And you can commemorate the weekend by hopping into a dedicated alpaca selfie photo booth. To get a better idea of what the buzz over these fuzzy, gentle creatures is all about, Colorado Edition spoke with Jennifer Hack, the owner and founder of Triple H Ranch in Sedalia, where she’s been raising suri alpaca since 2013. Later in the episode, KUNC's statehouse reporter Scott Franz takes us to a town on the frontlines of the affordable housing crisis, Steamboat Springs, to get a look at how state lawmakers are trying to help.

It’s been about six weeks since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. In that time, millions of Ukrainians have fled the country -- many of them refusing to leave without their beloved family pets. That flood of images of refugees with children in tow, and dogs or cats in carriers or in their arms, made Dr. Jon Geller want to do something to help. So, in March, the Fort Collins-based emergency veterinarian hopped on a plane and headed overseas. Once there, he set up a clinic providing the necessary care to ensure families' pets are cleared to travel to other European countries.In 2015, Geller founded the Street Dog Coalition, a nonprofit based in northern Colorado that helps people experiencing homelessness get free vet care for their companion animals. He quickly discovered that his mission assisting Ukrainian refugees wasn’t all that different from helping unsheltered people care for their pets here in the U.S.Colorado Edition had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Geller on April 1, shortly after he’d returned home from the Ukrainian border.Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by digital operations manager Ashley Jefcoat. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.

Have you ever felt uncomfortable, threatened, or simply like you didn't belong while trying to enjoy live music at a concert or festival? Traditional venues for music, theater and the arts aren’t always the safest and most welcoming places – especially for women, people of color and individuals from marginalized communities. It can be difficult to enjoy what’s happening on stage when you’re feeling uncomfortable, or worried about being inappropriately groped or harassed. Amy Karp and Ileana Rivera met as college students at the University of Colorado Boulder. They racked up a lot of hours in the local music and arts scene, and witnessed too many examples of problematic behavior including physical and sexual harassment. To acknowledge and address these issues, they co-founded the Text Me When You’re Home collective -- which organizes events across the Front Range and seeks to make the overall arts scene in Colorado safer, more inclusive and more uplifting. We spoke with them in November about their work. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, the U.S. and allied countries are set to announce additional sanctions Wednesday that will target government officials and their families, and Russian-owned financial institutions. This is partly in response to the killings of civilians revealed recently in Ukraine, which President Biden has called “war crimes.” The Ukrainian community in Colorado has been standing in solidarity with their families and friends back home. In late February, I visited a Ukrainian church in northwest Denver to hear from some of the people there. Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by digital operations manager Ashley Jefcoat. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you! Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music used in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.

In many parts of the country, sources of local journalism are in decline. A recent report from the Center for Information, Technology and Public Life notes that more than a fourth of the country’s newspapers have disappeared, and residents in thousands of communities now live in a news desert. This matters, because local news outlets play an essential role in keeping the community informed about elections, public safety, and what their local representatives are up to. Local journalism also help to inform common values that create a sense of shared purpose within a community. With that in mind, a collaborative made up of area newsrooms, public libraries, working journalists and media scholars launched in the fall. The aim of the Northern Colorado Deliberative Journalism Project is to strengthen local journalism by reimagining the current information ecosystem and elevating our ability to tackle shared problems in a more thoughtful, constructive way. Martín Carcasson is the founder and director of CSU’s Center for Public Deliberation, or CPD, which is part of the project’s core team. He joined us to share more about the project, and how the public can be involved. Note: The core team’s meeting will be open to the public once a quarter, beginning Monday, April 4 at 2:00 p.m. You can sign up to participate here. Rural northeast Colorado has fewer employed artists than any other region in the state, according to a 2020 report. While musicians, dancers and fashion designers may sell a lot less out there, they are still creating. KUNC’s Adam Rayes recently went to Yuma County to hear two musicians from different generations discuss their craft. Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by digital editor Jackie Hai. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you! Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.

It’s been about a week since the NCAR Fire ignited in Boulder County, near the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Boulder fire officials announced today that the fire is now completely contained at 190 acres. That blaze came just three months after Colorado’s most destructive wildfire, the Marshall Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes in the communities of Superior and Louisville. And many weary residents are wondering if a year-round fire season is now the ‘new normal.’Jezy Gray was one of about 19,000 people evacuated at the peak of the NCAR fire Saturday. He’s also the managing editor of the nonprofit Boulder Reporting Lab – and he joined us to discuss the emotional impact these frequent fires are having on residents.There were loud calls for gun reform in Colorado after a mass shooting at a Boulder supermarket last year. Lawmakers delivered on some of those requests, but other new laws are still in the works a year after the shooting. KUNC’s Scott Franz looked at the city’s ongoing recovery from the tragedy, as well as some new efforts launching this year to tackle gun violence.And - a couple of events happening around the Front Range this weekend: It’s Guitar Night Friday, April 1 at the King Center at CU Denver. Professor Sean McGowan will play, along with world-renowned guitarist Pierre Bensusan.And in Fort Collins, the ACT Human Rights Film Festival will feature thought-provoking documentary films and discussions throughout the weekend, with events at The Lyric and at CSU’s Lory Student Center.Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by digital editor Jackie Hai. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.

The focus of today’s episode: settlements for allegations of police misconduct that are centered around reforms to policing. The 11 largest cities in Northern Colorado have paid out $50 million over the past decade to settle 205 allegations of police brutality and other abuses of power. Many of these cases have slipped under the radar. Years before the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, two families attempted to reform the Aurora police department through legal settlements.But despite past promises to improve procedures and diversity within the department, a KUNC investigation into the data reveals there hasn’t been much progress toward these goals. Investigative reporter Michael de Yoanna shares what he uncovered in the process, including efforts to increase diversity among Aurora’s police. We hear the second in de Yoanna's two-part series on settlements, and speak with him about his reporting.Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by digital operations manager Ashley Jefcoat. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.

First up, an update on the NCAR Fire. About 150 firefighters have been working to contain the fire, which erupted Saturday in the foothills of Boulder County and prompted the evacuation of nearly 20,000 people. The fire hasn't led to injuries or damage to structures. All evacuation orders were lifted Sunday, although hiking trails in the area remain closed. Incident commander Brian Oliver said in a press briefing Tuesday that they expect it will smolder for weeks.The focus of today's episode: payouts and settlements for allegations of police misconduct. People in Northern Colorado have agreed to drop allegations that police mistreated them and settle for cash payouts. It’s happened more than 200 times in the past decade, for allegations ranging from false arrest to wrongful death. And while some cases receive significant publicity, others slip under the radar. In the first of a two-part series, KUNC investigative reporter Michael de Yoanna uncovered hundreds of settlements -- and an ongoing pattern where allegations of police misconduct disappear in exchange for cash payouts.Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by digital operations manager Ashley Jefcoat. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.

A group of Colorado journalists and community members of color called The Voices Initiative have been working to understand and correct racism in traditional local media. On today's Colorado Edition we talk about the racist past of newspapers and the findings of the initiative so far.

Today on Colorado Edition, we talk with Camille Dungy, a poet and professor in Colorado State University’s English program, about her contribution to an anthology of writings at the intersection of the climate movement and feminist thought. And we talk with Apollo Rodriquez, a high school student in a small Colorado town who documented coming out as transgender in a photo essay.

The new podcast “Women’s Work” from independent audio producer Ashley Ahearn follows women ranchers who are changing the ways we manage land and livestock across the West.

Today on Colorado Edition, we get an update from KUNC’s state capitol reporter about where lawmakers are at the midway point in the 2022 legislative session. And we hear about a new nonprofit launching in Colorado to provide support to the state’s music scene.

On today’s Colorado Edition, we hear about a new bill that would cover the cost of college tuition for thousands of foster youth in the state. And we listen back to a conversation with Dr. K. Ron-Li Liaw, the new chief of mental health at Children’s Hospital Colorado, about the ongoing challenge to provide resources and support for young people struggling with mental health issues.

Water feeds Northeast Colorado’s corn and wheat fields, creating a booming agricultural economy. But that water is disappearing from the tributaries that feed the Republican River, flowing 450 miles from the cropland of Yuma County through Kansas and Nebraska. In this special episode of Colorado Edition from KUNC, reporter Adam Rayes takes us on a journey to explore the water crisis in Colorado’s Republican River basin.

Today on Colorado Edition, we head up to Loveland to watch how a new reservoir project takes shape, and we hear how a volunteer for a nonprofit that helps people navigate insurance after disaster is working with Marshall Fire survivors.

Among many things the pandemic revealed was just how undervalued many essential workers are, especially those who work in lower-paid service-industry jobs. Denver-based author and blogger Adam Kaat chronicles his experience working in a busy grocery store during the height of the pandemic, in a novel called Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic.

Many rural towns across the mountain West are experiencing a moment of crisis — water scarcity and the threat of wildfire, as well as extreme income inequality and a shortage of workers, in part, because the cost of living is often incredibly high. We speak with veteran ski journalist Heather Hansman, who covers these issues in her new book. And we hear about efforts to ban a common but potentially unsafe series of chemicals known as PFAS from ski wax products.

Today on Colorado Edition, we explore local and statewide efforts to prevent overdose deaths and reduce harm. We also hear about a report commissioned by the Interior Department that outlines serious problems at tribal jails.

On today’s show, we hear from two Colorado scientists who recently discovered one of the oldest female infant burial sites in a cave in Europe. We’ll hear their analysis, and what they think life may have been like for the child and her family.

Today on Colorado Edition, we hear about Marshall Fire survivors who are struggling with a challenging housing market and a strong desire to stay put. We also listen back to a conversation with journalist Lisa Napoli about four women who were foundational to the early days of NPR.

Colorado State University held its annual International Symposium last month. As part of that, Colorado Edition’s Erin O’Toole moderated a keynote discussion on politics, polarization and the state of journalism, here and abroad, with former NPR journalist and Weekend Edition Sunday host Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

Today on Colorado Edition, we hear why Colorado kindergarten enrollment is increasing after plummeting due to the pandemic last year. We also learn why the way we understand the impact of snow totals on drought is changing. And, we listen back to a conversation with Wilma Webb, the first Black first lady of Denver, as her husband and former mayor Wellington Webb is set to be honored with a sculpture.

Today on Colorado Edition: We hear from members of Colorado’s Ukrainian community who gathered for a church service over the weekend. We also examine Colorado’s move to add a public option insurance program and what lessons we can take away from Washington’s public option rollout; and we revisit a conversation about the history and future of Black cowboys in the American west.

On today’s Colorado Edition: There’s a long history of people creating guides to help others find inclusive spaces. In the 20th century, Black travelers used The Green Book to navigate safely. Now, two Colorado women have created a new tech startup that aims to do something similar.

Today on Colorado Edition: We hear how Coloradans working in our elections system are grappling with misinformation and threats to their safety. And we explore the ongoing youth mental health crisis with the head of mental health at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Today on Colorado Edition: we explore the history of racist media coverage in Colorado, and the racism still present in media today, with a group of journalists and community members who have been working to understand and correct systemic harm of traditional local media.

Today on Colorado Edition: We check in on several wildfire related bills lawmakers are working on this legislative session. We’ll also hear about the reopening of the Table Mesa King Soopers in Boulder, and we’ll speak with the disaster recovery manager for the city of Louisville.

Today on Colorado Edition: Experts have suggested that eyewitness accounts to identify potential suspects are often inaccurate, given the trauma of seeing a crime take place. Stephanie Daniel explores how the misidentification and wrongful arrest of a Black teen led to a grassroots effort in Colorado to change the practice of using showups.

Nelson Holland, known on social media as fatblackandgettinit, is uniting the majesty of Colorado's outdoors with his own sense of humor and uplifting nature in his channel. He joins Colorado Edition to talk about his journeys and social media fame.

Today on the show, we’ll hear about encampments being assembled to provide temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness, and we explore the work of John Johnson, an early 20th century photographer, who documented the lives of African Americans living in the Great Plains.

Today on Colorado Edition, we hear why schools across the state are starting to loosen COVID safety protocols. We also hear how advocates are looking to address chronic homelessness as donations have poured in for those who lost homes in the Marshall Fire. And, we listen back to a conversation about the history of Denver’s Blair Caldwell African American Research Library.

On today’s show, we hear from two Colorado scientists who recently discovered one of the oldest female infant burial sites in a cave in Europe. We’ll hear their analysis, and what they think life may have been like for the child and her family.

Today on Colorado Edition, we hear about an effort by state lawmakers to allow patients at least one visitor even during a pandemic. We also talk with David Sirota, the Denver-based co-creator of the Academy Award-nominated film “Don’t Look Up”.

Today on Colorado Edition, we speak to Deborah Winking about her new book, Capable: A Story of Triumph for Children the World has Judged as 'Different,' a deeply personal account of raising a child born with a rare genetic syndrome.

Today on Colorado Edition, we get an update on the current state legislative session. We also hear how new technology might help agriculture producers use less water. We listen back to a conversation on the history of lynchings in Colorado. And, we preview the upcoming annual Denver Jewish Film Festival.

Today on Colorado Edition: We check in with KUNC’s Leigh Paterson, who has been speaking with survivors and experts on the ground in the recovery of the Marshall Fire. And we catch up with two teachers to hear how differences in COVID policies in Colorado schools are impacting both rural and urban students.

Today on Colorado Edition, we learn about the growing number of recovery homes, where residents live in a substance-free environment. We also cover the hurdles tribal communities face accessing clean water in their homes. Plus, we hear how Arizona is responding to major federal water cutbacks. And, we talk with a member of the Little Rock Nine.

Today on Colorado Edition, we hear how a volunteer for a nonprofit that helps people navigate insurance after disaster is working with Marshall Fire survivors. We also listen back to a conversation about the history of avocados.

Today on Colorado Edition, we listen back to our favorite stories about two Fort Collins homes with important historical legacies. One is the home of Virgil Thomas, the first known African American to graduate from a Fort Collins high school. The other is an adobe-style home that belongs to the Cordova family, who have lived in Fort Collins for 100 years.

Today on Colorado Edition, we see what recovery is looking like for a Louisville family one month after their home became severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable in the Marshall Fire. We also hear about an organization in Colorado that’s working to fund girls and women of color, a group that’s critically under-funded when it comes to charitable giving, even in an era of unprecedented donations. And we continue our series on the Republican River with a look back at the history of how it got its name.

Today on Colorado Edition, we see what recovery is looking like for a Superior family one month after losing their home in the Marshall Fire. We also hear how some survivors are struggling through insurance inventories of everything they lost in the fire. And, we listen back to a story about Barney Ford, who helped with the Underground Railroad and lobbied for African American rights in Colorado.

Today on Colorado Edition, we explore the unlikely intersection of our state’s natural wonder and beauty with the online environment of TikTok.

Today on Colorado Edition, we hear why Nebraska is staking a claim to more water from the South Platte River. We also learn why some methods to test drugs for fentanyl in the West are illegal. And, we talk about a new apprenticeship program for restaurants in Colorado.

Throughout the last year, we had more than 350 conversations with Coloradans across the Front Range and beyond. Producers Henry Zimmerman and Tess Novotny joined host Erin O’Toole to talk about some of our favorite segments of 2021.

Today on Colorado Edition, we get an update on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s recovery efforts for Marshall Fire survivors in Boulder County. We also hear about a $40 million plan to save a fork in the Republican River. And, we talk about the effects of a freeze on new building permits in Severance.

Today on Colorado Edition, we speak to Deborah Winking about her new book, Capable: A Story of Triumph for Children the World has Judged as 'Different,' a deeply personal account of raising a child born with a rare genetic syndrome.