In The NOCO

It's a precarious moment for public media. The Trump administration has declared it wants to end federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – which supports stations that carry programs from NPR and PBS. If you’re wondering where all of that leaves a local station like KUNC or The Colorado Sound, we’re actually trying to figure that out too. So today, we’re sharing what we know so far. In The NoCo’s Brad Turner spoke with Mike Arnold, the Chief Audience and Content Officer for KUNC and The Colorado Sound. Last week, he and about 190 other leaders from NPR members stations around the country met in Washington, D.C. to talk about this moment of uncertainty for public radio. And they asked lawmakers to continue supporting public media. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

The Colorado Rockies have some of the most loyal fans in all of baseball. And that might be part of their problem. The Rockies are off to their worst start of any team in Major League Baseball’s modern history. And yet the fans still show up. It's been the story of the Rockies for years: The team struggles. The fans keep coming. And the steady ticket sales mean ownership has little incentive to build a better team So what’s behind the uncommonly loyal baseball fans here in Colorado? And are they starting to lose patience this season? To find out, we turned to Kevin Simpson of the Colorado Sun. He’s been a season ticket holder since the Rockies’ first season in 1993 – and he’s written about why the fans stick around even as the Rockies have one bad season after the next. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Each spring, the Front Range endures miller moth season. Even in relatively mild years, the tiny, winged visitors enter our homes, annoy us and even frighten us. But they’re also fascinating. So, we talked with Karim Gharbi – an insect expert and horticulture specialist with Colorado State University Extension – to unpack the mysteries of the miller moths. Where do the moths come from? Where do they go when they leave? Are they dangerous to our clothing or food? And why do our pets seem to enjoy chomping on them? Gharbi spoke with Erin O’Toole last spring and offered some surprising answers to these questions and more. 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: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Colorado’s mountain passes and great weather make it a destination for competitive cyclists. But the history of professional cycling races in Colorado is a rocky one. Races like the Colorado Classic, the Coors Classic, and The USA Pro Cycling Challenge have all come and gone over the years. So, we were intrigued when an events company recently announced plans to create the Tour of Colorado – a five-day men’s road biking race through the Rockies that will attract worldclass cycling teams. The first edition would be held in September 2026. And organizers recently received encouragement from Gov. Jared Polis, who praised the plan. Betsy Welch is a freelance writer who reported on the proposal for the Colorado Sun. She spoke from her home in Carbondale with Erin O’Toole about whether this new proposal looks promising and why professional road racing in Colorado has been so hard to sustain. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Colorado has an abundance of mountains named after famous men – think Long’s Peak, Mount Wilson, or Pikes Peak. Since childhood, Sarah Hahn Campbell has been fascinated by the people behind place names. But she discovered little to no information on peaks, lakes or trails named after women. So, in 2017, the Denver-based author and high school teacher set out to research the mysterious women behind the names of some of Colorado’s landmarks. That culminated in Sarah's new book, Her Place on the Map: 18 Women and the Colorado Wonders Named for Them. It’s part trail guide and part history lesson, exploring 18 Colorado trails, mountains and lakes, while highlighting the stories of the women for whom these places were named. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about the book, and how challenging it was to learn about the real women behind the names. Sarah will discuss the book and share some of her favorite local hikes at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Wolverine Farm in Fort Collins. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

There’s a lot of content these days about self-care: how to stay mentally and physically balanced when work, family or other stresses grind you down. We often see social media influencers posting about bubble baths, the perfect tea, or the best skin care routine. But a new book argues that self-care isn’t simply about focusing on ourselves. Rather, it’s a crucial part of how we show up for other people. And losing sight of that can lead to guilt or strained relationships with loved ones. Author Jordan Quaglia is a professor of psychology at Naropa University in Boulder and he wrote From Self-Care to We-Care: The New Science of Mindful Boundaries and Caring from an Undivided Heart. Jordan spoke with In the NoCo’s Brad Turner about the book and how he hopes it nudges readers away from the more selfish or even materialistic versions of self-care. Jordan Quaglia will speak about his book at the Boulder Bookstore on May 29 at 6:30 p.m. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

You know spring is here when the sound of lawn mowers fills your neighborhood. But some folks think mowing isn’t a great idea this time of year. There’s been a trend in yard care called No Mow May – as in, don’t mow your lawn until June. The concept started in the U.K. in 2019. The idea is to protect pollinators like bees and butterflies by letting dandelions and clover grow for a while before cutting them back. But is No Mow May a good idea in Colorado and the Front Range? For answers, we reached out to Alison O’Connor. She’s a horticulture professor with Colorado State University Extension, and an expert in yards, gardens, and the creatures that live among our plants. She spoke with Erin O’Toole last spring about the trend – and offered lots of helpful ways to support pollinators. We’re listening back to that conversation today. Find more tips from CSU Extension about creating pollinator-friendly landscaping and about how to attract native bees to your yard. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Colorado is home to lots of people who are passionate about bicycling. They ride during all seasons. Our host, Erin O’Toole, however, is more of a casual bike rider, with her bicycle spending many of the colder months cooped up in the garage. This means it often needs some maintenance before going on that first cruise of the year. So today we’re talking about how to get our bikes ready for summer riding. Schuyler Gantert is the owner of Road 34, a bike shop in Fort Collins, and he’s a bike maintenance expert. He joined Erin and gave a few tips on some do-it-yourself bike maintenance. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

For the past seven years if you were a Colorado farmer who was struggling and felt overwhelmed, you had a place to turn for help. The AgWell program offered mental health support to farmers and ranchers in several Western states. It gave them stress management tools and support from their peers. That’s important because farmers statistically struggle with isolation and die by suicide at rates twice as high as the general population. But those services are on hold now. Amid other spending cuts ordered by the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture in April froze $10 million in funding for support programs like AgWell. Colorado Sun reporter Tracy Ross recently wrote about the program. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about the abrupt loss of its funding. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

An artist in Lakewood who specializes in creating tiny books and illustrations received an unusual offer recently. An art gallery reached out to Evan Lorenzen and asked for his help in creating a book of original art – no bigger than your thumbnail – to be placed on the moon. The Moon Gallery, based in Amsterdam, works to send cultural artifacts into space. They’ve shipped artwork to the International Space Station. Now they wanted to focus on the moon. Evan worked with the Moon Gallery to compile a tiny, 80-page book filled with images and poetry by dozens of artists and writers. They called the book Moon Bound. It’s set to be launched into space later this year. Evan spoke with Brad Turner about the challenge of making the tiny book and some of the highlights from artists who contributed to the projects. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

When people speculate about fallout from President Trump's threatened tariffs, they often talk about how tariffs on steel could drive up car prices, or how tariffs on some food products or imported wines will drive up prices at the store. But tariffs are hitting some small outdoor recreation businesses in Colorado especially hard. Think about the price of a stand-up paddleboard or a ski jacket almost doubling. And some companies that sell Colorado-made products in other countries are cancelling orders altogether. Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins recently spoke with the owners of several small outdoor companies about how the tariffs are hitting their bottom line. He talked with Erin O’Toole about how they’ll try to cope in the coming months amid the uncertainty. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Rachel Cohen also reported on how tariff hikes could impact companies that make and sell outdoor gear. Find that story here. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A new study suggests that researchers should take a closer look at cannabis as a treatment for cancer and its symptoms. The team behind the study says the results suggest the federal government should remove restrictions on that research. An organization called Cancer Playbook, which is based in Evergreen, paid for the study. Cancer Playbook’s head of research says it works to provide people battling cancer with information about what treatments have helped other cancer patients – and that often includes medical marijuana. The study reviewed more than 10,000 published papers on medical cannabis. That makes it the most comprehensive analysis ever conducted on the topic, according to a recent story in The Guardian. Ryan Castle is the director of research for Cancer Playbook and he led the study. It found that cannabis showed clear promise in many aspects of cancer treatment, from reducing pain to shrinking tumors. Ryan talked with Erin O’Toole about study and why it’s hard to get reliable data on the effectiveness of medical marijuana – which is legal in Colorado and many other states, but still illegal at the federal level. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

An innovative new prosthetic foot dreamed up by students at Colorado State University could offer new options to amputees and other people with limb differences. The team behind it calls it the “Goldilocks foot” because it serves as a middle option. It’s more comfortable than cheaper prosthetics but costs less than prosthetics built for running and other competitive sports. The design team says the Goldilocks foot is especially useful for walks and light exercise. CSU senior, Garrison Hays, worked with a team of engineering undergrads to create the design. And he drew on his personal experience: His leg was partially amputated to remove cancer when he was a kid. He spoke with Brad Turner about how he realized he wanted to make a prosthetic that was affordable, but also durable and comfortable. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Writer Cassondra Windwalker’s new horror novel uses fiction to highlight a real-life crisis that often goes ignored. Ghost Girls and Rabbits touches on the thousands of unsolved cases of Indigenous American and Alaska Native women who were missing or murdered. More than 4,000 cases fit that description, according to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. The novel tells the story of two Indigenous American women: one who has lost her daughter, and the other who has herself been kidnapped. Windwalker is originally from Oklahoma, spent time in Alaska and now lives in Berthoud. Ghost Girls and Rabbits comes out May 5, which is also a day of awareness to call attention to the issue. Windwalker spoke with Erin O'Toole about the horror writer who inspired her, and how she hopes the book raises awareness about an urgent problem. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

In 2025, artificial intelligence gives us personalized shopping recommendations. It writes emails for us. And all those quick tasks require lightning-fast computing and huge amounts of data. Which is why tech companies like Microsoft and Amazon are building massive data centers around the country. Some state lawmakers have proposed incentives for companies that want to build data centers in Colorado. They say the facilities will create jobs and tax revenue – and that Colorado is competing with other states for that economic boost. But skeptics point out that data centers use enormous amounts of electricity and water, which strains power grids and water supplies. To sort through the economic benefits and the environmental costs, we reached out to Vijay Gadepally. He's a senior scientist at MIT who researches high performance computing and artificial intelligence. He’s also the chief technology officer of an AI cloud computing company that hopes to build a data center in Colorado. He talked with Erin O'Toole about why some people think Colorado’s a good place to build more data centers, and how they work. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Some of Colorado’s state laws share an unusual origin story. One set aside money to help foster kids attend college. Another provides free menstrual products in schools. A third law funded an awareness program to prevent eating disorders. All of these are laws that were designed and proposed by high school students, who actually drafted the language of each bill before legislators ultimately approved them. The Colorado Youth Advisory Council, or COYAC, has allowed high school students in the program to meet with lawmakers to discuss issues that affect young people. And those students managed to write seven bills that ultimately were written into law. State lawmakers in recent months considered defunding COYAC amid a statewide budget crunch of about $1.2 billion. They ultimately opted to set aside $50,000 in funding so the students can continue to work with lawmakers – although they’ll no longer have the power to draft bills. Erin O’Toole spoke with Brenda Morrison, who oversees COYAC, about the program, which began in 2008 as the brainchild of a state legislator from Durango. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A clinic in Boulder that was one of only a handful in the country to provide abortions in later pregnancy has closed. Dr. Warren Hern, who operated Boulder Abortion Clinic for 50 years, announced earlier this month that he was retiring and that the clinic would stop scheduling patients. The closure means one less clinic in Colorado at a time when more women are traveling here from states where abortion care is restricted. The doctor didn’t mince words when he spoke with Erin O’Toole on Tuesday. Hern has seen death threats, had bullets fired at his clinic and seen other abortion providers murdered. He spoke at length about running the clinic for a half-century and his thoughts on groups that oppose his work. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Casey Fiesler had an intriguing idea for a research project. Casey teaches information science and technology at the University of Colorado. And she wanted to create social media content that would help young people understand how artificial intelligence works. The National Science Foundation, or NSF, liked Casey's proposal too — so much that they approved a grant of about $268,000 to fund the project. The money would help Casey and a small team of researchers create the educational materials. But that plan ground to a halt two weeks ago when Casey learned the NSF – which is managed by the federal government -- had abruptly canceled the funding. It happened at a moment when the Trump administration is killing grants for projects that involved subjects like misinformation and disinformation. The New York Times reported that Casey's grant was one of more than 400 were defunded with little or no explanation. Casey talked with Erin O’Toole about how she learned that project was defunded, and why it could have been beneficial for young people. She said the grant’s cancellation is especially surprising since the White House has said education about artificial intelligence should be a priority. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Fatal traffic accidents involving pedestrians are on the rise in Colorado. In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available,135 pedestrians died in Colorado traffic accidents. That’s more than twice as many pedestrians as died in traffic crashes a decade earlier, according to a story from the Colorado Sun. But the number of pedestrian deaths has actually decreased in one city. Officials in Boulder reported zero pedestrian deaths in 7 of the past 11 years. So what did Boulder do to limit and prevent pedestrian fatalities? And what can other Colorado cities learn from Boulder? Erin O’Toole spoke with Wes Marshall, a civil engineering professor with the University of Colorado-Denver and previous In The NoCo guest. Wes wrote a book called Killed By a Traffic Engineer, which explores how traffic designs often fail to keep pedestrians safe. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

If you've tried a slew of dieting routines with minimal success – think the Keto Diet, Caveman Diet, or South Beach Diet – a new study says you might have better luck fasting a few days per week. University of Colorado researchers recently found that participants who fasted three days each week were more successful at losing weight than participants who followed a reduced-calorie diet every day. The fasting group saw 60 percent more weight loss than the group that reduced its calorie intake every day. Victoria Catenacci led the study. She’s an associate professor of endocrinology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about why the three-days-per-week fasting model was helpful for many participants – and why it was an easier plan to stick with. (She also noted that if you have a health condition, it’s important to check with your doctor before adopting a diet like this.) Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Recycled wooden barrels. Used steel beams. Reclaimed railroad ties. These are the kinds of things you can find at repurposedMATERIALS in Lafayette. The company acquires discarded industrial materials and products and resells them instead of sending them to a landfill. Damon Carson founded the business in 2011 after running two trash companies. The Lafeyette location is one of six across the country where he stores his unusual inventory and then ships it off once he finds the right buyer. It’s Earth Week, so we’re listening back to a conversation between Damon and In the NoCo’s Brad Turner, recorded in January. Damon explained how he built the company, which he says diverted 15 million pounds of waste from landfills last year. Check out a recent profile of the business in The Denver Post. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A growing number of home gardeners are turning to drought-tolerant plantings – think native plants like yucca, milkweed, or yarrow. For years, many homeowners’ associations in Colorado didn’t make it easy to install xeric landscaping or water-saving tools like rain barrels. But homeowners, state law is on your side. In recent years, Colorado legislators passed a handful of laws that make it easier for homeowners to incorporate water-efficient landscaping without running afoul of their HOA bylaws. Deryn Davidson is the statewide sustainable landscape specialist with Colorado State University Extension. She consulted with legislators as some of these policies were being crafted over the past decade. Deryn spoke with Erin O’Toole about what the laws cover and why they were needed. Read some of CSU Extension’s recommendations for native perennials, shrubs, grasses, and trees. And you can read more about rain barrels here. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Mountain Plovers are a celebrated bird species in parts of Colorado. But if you’ve never seen one, you’re in the majority. Mountain Plovers nest on Colorado’s eastern plains and are sometimes referred to as the “prairie ghost” because their sandy-colored plumage makes them hard to spot. The annual Mountain Plover Festival in Karval – which begins this Friday – celebrates this bird. The festival draws hundreds of visitors each year and owes much of its success to support from local ranchers, who have gotten involved in preserving Mountain Plover habitat. Angela Dwyer is a manager for the stewardship program of the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. She joined Erin O’Toole to talk about the ranchers, the festival and the plovers — including why this prairie loving bird has “mountain” in its name. The sound of Mountain Plovers used in this episode can be found in the Cornel Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Colorado health officials are watching with concern as measles cases increase around the country. Outbreaks of the highly contagious disease are on the rise in two dozen states. Most of the country’s 800 cases so far are in Texas. But the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed three cases in our state so far – and officials there are warning about the potential for measles to spread quickly.So how do we prevent what’s happening in Texas from happening in Colorado? Dr. David Higgins is a pediatrician and preventive medicine specialist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He told Erin O’Toole that healthcare workers in the state should push to get more people vaccinated against measles right now. Curious about the MMR vaccination rate in your school district? Find a map here. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Housing costs in Colorado’s mountain resort towns are so high that many workers can’t afford an apartment or room in the towns where they do their jobs. In Summit County, dozens of workers opt for an unusual solution. They pay $75 a month for a pass that lets them sleep in their car in a parking lot in Frisco. The nonprofit Unsheltered In Summit runs the Summit Safe Parking Program. The program manages the parking lot and provides a portable toilet and trash disposal. Tenants in the lot must show a pay stub that proves they work in the area. The New York Times has reported it’s the only program of its kind in the country. Paul Minjares lives in one of these lots and helps manage it as a paid employee. He screens applicants and keeps an eye on what’s happening from day to day. He first heard about the program after he’d lost his apartment and started sleeping in his car. Paul joined Erin O'Toole to talk about what makes this program work – and what it’s like to call the parking lot home. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Leaders in Colorado are grappling with how to respond to the Trump administration's immigration policies that might affect students. State lawmakers last week gave initial approval to a bill that would limit cooperation between federal immigration officials and public schools. And for months now, education leaders have been gathering advice on how to respond if immigration raids affect students in their schools. One person they got advice from was Steve Joel. He was the superintendent of schools in Grand Island, Nebraska, when immigration officers raided a meat packing plant there in 2006, detaining about 250 workers without legal status. Those arrests in Grand Island rattled the community. And the experience taught the now-retired administrator many lessons, which he recently shared with education leaders at a conference of the Colorado Association of School Boards. Steve spoke with Erin O’Toole in January about his advice for Colorado educators in the months ahead. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Friendships are an essential part of our well-being. Mental health experts say that loneliness is an epidemic that harms mental health and even physical health. So, if you want to build better friendships – and strengthen the ones you already have – you might be wondering how to go about it. Fortunately, there’s a bona fide “friendship expert” at Colorado State University. Natalie Pennington is an assistant professor of communication studies, and she co-leads the American Friendship Project – an ongoing research study of the state of connection in the U.S. Natalie spoke with Erin O’Toole in January and offered practical tips on how to build friendships – or reconnect with friends we haven’t seen for a while. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A lot of young skiers and snowboarders nowadays want to break into an especially daring form of competition called freeskiing. It’s all about performing jumps and other stunts on camera, often in the backcountry. Freeskiers build huge followings on social media and win endorsement deals. But breaking into this sport is dangerous. Last week marked one year since the death of 21-year-old Colorado skier Dallas LeBaue. He died while attempting to jump across U.S. Highway 40 on Berthoud Pass near Winter Park. Dallas had dreamed up the stunt to win a contest that would have netted him $30,000 and greater exposure on social media. After that accident, his friend and mentor Bob Holme decided freeskiers like Dallas need a new kind of training. Bob is a retired Olympic ski jumper who’s now maintenance director for Winter Park Resort. And he recently launched a class to teach young skiers and snowboarders how to attempt these tricks more safely. He called it Dallas’ Class. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Nuclear energy is now clean energy in Colorado. That’s according to a new law recently signed by Gov. Jared Polis. The law adds nuclear power to a list of clean energies like wind and solar. Colorado leaders have set a goal of using only clean energy to power the state by 2040. The law didn’t pass without pushback from critics who point out that nuclear energy produces radioactive waste. But in the end, the Democratic-controlled state legislature approved it. So, what’s behind these shifting attitudes toward nuclear power in Colorado – which currently has no nuclear plants? Parker Yamasaki wrote about this for The Colorado Sun. She joined Erin O'Toole to explain how the new law could change Colorado’s energy sources in the decades ahead. This isn’t the only recent development in nuclear energy in Colorado. KUNC investigative reporter Scott Franz has reported extensively on a proposal to store the nation’s nuclear waste near Craig, in northwest Colorado. You can find his series here. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

There are many types of mental health therapy you can access these days: talk therapy, art therapy, even music therapy. Jen Ikuta leads sessions in what's called cuddle therapy. It’s a growing field. Jen works with clients who want to learn to be more comfortable with another person’s touch. Many of her clients have experienced physical trauma, and many have autism. Jen usually works with clients in one-on-one sessions but also organizes what she calls “community cuddles” for groups at her Arvada office. Erin O’Toole talked with her about the emerging field of cuddle therapy and what Jen remembers about her first experience as a cuddle therapy participant. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Researchers have proposed a plan to transform empty high-rise office spaces into living spaces to reduce the housing shortage in the Denver metro area. Denver is one of many American cities with a tight housing market and a glut of unused office space. A recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the architecture firm Gensler calls for converting high rise offices to shared residential spaces similar to a college dorm. Tenants would share kitchens, bathrooms and workspaces with people in neighboring units. And some real estate developers also see opportunity. Earlier this week, a development company announced it purchased two office buildings in downtown Denver in hopes of converting them into affordable housing. Alex Horowitz is the Project Director of Housing and Project Initiatives at Pew Charitable Trusts who oversaw the study. He spoke with In the NoCo’s Brad Turner last November about why he thinks these low-cost, dorm-style units in skyscrapers could help cities where attainable housing is hard to find – and could even dramatically reduce the rate of homelessness in the U.S. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Egg prices in Colorado and across the nation remain stubbornly high. If you’ve been grocery shopping lately, it won't come as a surprise that the cost of eggs shot up 40 percent over the last year. Some experts have blamed outbreaks of avian flu, which forced farmers to cull millions of chickens and turkeys across the country. And while that is certainly one factor, a Colorado professor says that the systems we use to produce and deliver eggs are actually the root of the problem. Jack Buffington teaches supply chain management at the University of Denver. In a recent article, he wrote that those high egg prices are an avoidable problem – but fixing it will require the U.S. to think differently about egg production. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about why we’re seeing cracks in the U.S. egg supply chain – and what a more resilient system might look like. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A few weeks back we talked about how many Coloradans are planting native plants in their yards. And about how native plants are hardier, use less water, and can support bees and other pollinators in our ecosystem. We also invited you and other listeners to share your questions about native plants. And you sent us loads of responses. In this episode of In the NoCo, Erin O’Toole visits again with native plant expert Tommy Roth. He’s a home horticulture coordinator from the Colorado State University Extension, which advises homeowners on landscaping and many other plant-related matters. You can find lists and fact sheets about native plants and grasses at CSU Extension’s website here. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

If you spend time in the mountains, you’re probably familiar with sitting in traffic on I-70. That congestion is annoying – and costly. Colorado officials estimate the state lost nearly $320 million in revenue last year from delays on I-70. Some leaders in mountain towns blame these losses on semis that cause accidents or hold up traffic. So one veteran railroad employee has pitched an idea he thinks will eliminate much of the aggravation and economic losses. He calls it “truck-by-train.” Truckers would load their tractor-trailers onto a train on one side of the Rockies and ride the railway over the mountains, keeping the I-70 corridor less congested for other travelers. It’s the brainchild of retired Amtrack conductor Brad Swartzwelter. He played a role in reviving the ski train from Denver to Winter Park a few years back. Brad told Erin O’Toole about how his “truck-by-train" vision would work – and why taxpayers should consider supporting the idea. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

The trial of a driver accused of hitting and killing a promising young competitive cyclist has made headlines in recent days. Seventeen-year-old Magnus White was struck and killed in 2023 while riding his bike on Highway 119 between Boulder and Longmont. Today we’re sharing a conversation about technology that might prevent similar tragedies. Magnus White’s parents and other cycling safety advocates have called for more regulations to make bicyclists safer on our roads – including better bike lanes and stiffer penalties for careless driving. Their demands also include a federal requirement that all new vehicles be equipped by the year 2029 with Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems that can sense bicycles. For example, if your car drifts into the shoulder where a bicyclist is riding, the car would automatically brake or be nudged back into its lane. All of this got us wondering – how well do advanced safety systems like AEB or V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) work? And how feasible are these technologies right now? Today we revisit our conversation from last summer with Bryan Reimer with the Center for Transportation and Logistics at MIT to learn more. He researches driver behavior, and how humans interact with automatic braking systems and other advanced vehicle technologies. Bryan spoke with Erin O’Toole about the potential and the limitations of this new technology. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

An extraordinary Colorado athlete gets some much-deserved recognition. Libby James, a runner from Fort Collins, has a slew of accomplishments under her belt. She’s run 10 marathons – including Boston, Tokyo and Pikes Peak. She’s the most dominant female runner in the history of the Bolder Boulder 10k, having finished in the top 20 for her age group an incredible 28 times. And she did most of those things after she turned 40. Never Too Old is a short documentary co-directed by Colorado filmmaker Patty Jen Arndt, who’s part of Libby’s extended family. The film provides a glimpse into Libby’s running career, which didn’t start until she was in her mid-30s, raising four children. She retired from competitive running in 2020, at the age of 83. The film will be screened on Sunday at the Lyric Cinema in Fort Collins, as part of Colorado State University’s ACT Human Rights Film Festival. Patty joined Erin O’Toole to talk about directing the film – and how Libby’s accomplishments grew out of her ability to balance her love of running with her responsibilities as a mom. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Gluten free foods are everywhere nowadays. They’re designed for people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance – people who get sick if they eat gluten, which is a kind of wheat protein. But our guest today thinks many of those products miss the mark. So, she did something about it. Chennelle Diong and her husband, Justin Beaver – both of whom have celiac disease – founded GoodLove Foods. The company, which is based in Longmont, makes gluten-free comfort food, which customers buy frozen and bake at home. The company’s products include buttermilk biscuits and cinnamon rolls. Chennelle says business at GoodLove Foods is taking off. A recent appearance on the TV show Shark Tank landed the company a $150,000 investment deal. Erin O’Toole talked to Chennelle about why she started the company and where the idea came from. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Coloradans who struggle with anxiety or depression will soon have access to a different kind of treatment option. At the start of 2025, a new law took effect that opened the door to psychedelic-assisted therapy offered by licensed treatment centers in Colorado. State officials had projected April as the date these centers could begin offering therapy sessions using psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in some mushrooms. We wanted to understand what this kind of therapy entails. So in January, we reached out to Scott Shannon, founder of the Wholeness Center in Fort Collins. The center has applied for a license, and has offered psychedelic therapy in the past, following the old laws that existed until this year. Scott and other therapists who support access to psychedelics say it could change the way we treat mental health issues in Colorado. As the rollout of these treatment centers gets underway, we’re listening back to his conversation with Erin O’Toole. He began by walking her through what happens in a typical psychedelic therapy session. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Some state lawmakers in Denver are using the term “education deserts” to sound the alarm around underperforming schools. It refers to a ZIP code where at least two-thirds of the students attend a school with subpar math and reading scores. One estimate says about 123,000 public school students in Colorado fall into this category. Some Democratic lawmakers have recently proposed an unprecedented solution: Colorado Senate President James Coleman – along with support from Governor Jared Polis – want to make it easier for charter schools to open in education deserts. They say the status quo isn’t working, and the state needs charter schools’ innovative approaches in the effort to boost academic success. And here’s the unprecedented part: Coleman wants to introduce a bill that would let those charter schools bypass getting approval from local school boards, which traditionally can endorse or torpedo a new charter school. Erica Breunlin covers education for The Colorado Sun. She joined Erin O'Toole to talk about Coleman’s proposal, and the seismic impact it could have on Colorado’s public school system. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Homeowners in Colorado’s foothills are used to the threat of wildfire. But after the Marshall Fire hit Louisville and Superior in 2021, some are taking wildfire mitigation more seriously. And how you landscape your yard is a big part of that work. The good news is you can landscape your yard to be fire-resistant and beautiful at the same time. Tommy Roth is a home horticulture coordinator for the Colorado State University Extension who has been fielding a lot of calls from people with questions about how to do this. “They really need a lot of information to make sure that they're creating a defensible space to prevent another wildfire,” he said. And with spring planting season around the corner, Roth shared some advice with Erin O’Toole about what to plant and where. CSU Extension put together a guide to fire-resistant planting, which you can find here. And you can explore your wildfire risk zone here. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Around the globe, thousands of languages are considered endangered – that's according to the language reference website Ethnologue. In many cases the people who speak them are passing away, and younger generations aren’t learning them. But a pair of language scholars from the University of Colorado are working to stop these endangered languages from slipping away. Zapotec is a family of languages that originated in Southern Mexico and Central America. Today, it’s spoken mostly in Oaxaca, Mexico. And even though about 500,000 people speak a form of Zapotec, it’s in danger of being lost. Professor Ambrocio Gutierrez grew up speaking Zapotec and now leads this effort at CU Boulder along with his colleague Professor Rai Ferrelly. Their work focuses on a particular version of the language, spoken in the town Teotitlán del Valle. They spoke with Erin O’Toole about their work – which includes writing a kind of dictionary for the language, as well as teaching others to speak Zapotec. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

On November 1, 1955, a man planted a bomb aboard a United Airlines plane shortly before it departed from Denver. The plane exploded in midflight over beet fields in Weld County, killing all 44 people aboard. It was a mass murder that grabbed headlines across the country. And viewers saw footage of the trial on TV – which was unusual then. If you've never heard of this crime, though, you're hardly alone. There's no marker at the site of the crash, near what is now Firestone. But as the 70th anniversary approaches, people are talking about Flight 629. A local nonprofit, the Flight 629 Memorial Committee, is working to create a memorial to those who lost their lives, as well as the nearby residents who turned out to try to search for survivors. And a new exhibit at History Colorado honors those lost in the tragedy and looks at how it happened. Andrew J. Field is a retired Staff Attorney for the Colorado Supreme Court, where he specialized in criminal law. He’s the author of Mainliner Denver: The Bombing of Flight 629. He spoke with host Erin O’Toole last year about the bombing and its legacy for modern air travel. We're listening back to that conversation today.The Flight 629 Memorial Committee plans to hold a number of fundraising events leading up to the 70th anniversary. Donations can be made to the committee’s GoFundMe page. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Colorado is a tough state to be a restaurant manager in right now. Every day seems to bring news that another local favorite is closing. It's expensive to run a restaurant. Costs for food and real estate have been on the rise. And for restaurants along Colorado’s Front Range, there’s one especially thorny issue: – employee pay. For the last few years, Colorado’s minimum wage has been $14.81 an hour for non-tipped employees – more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25. And the local minimum wage in cities like Denver and Boulder is even higher than the state’s. That’s a challenge that many restaurateurs say makes it more difficult to stay afloat. KUNC reporter Emma VandenEinde has been exploring this story. She joined Erin O’Toole to talk about how a proposed law aims to help restaurant owners, and the community fallout when a favorite local eatery shuts down. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

The Hayman Fire burned through a huge swath of forest southwest of Denver in 2002. It left behind a massive burn scar. Workers quickly replanted thousands of trees to reestablish the forest. But more than two decades later, large areas of the Hayman burn scar still resemble a moonscape, with some scraggly young trees here and there. Burn scars that take decades to heal are becoming a fact of life throughout the West. It’s partly due to climate change, which is shifting which types of trees will grow naturally in mountain forests. Camille Stevens-Rumann – assistant director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Insitute at Colorado State University – studies reforestation efforts after a wildfire. In a recent Scripps News story, Stevens-Rumann argues it’s time for a new approach to how we replant forests after wildfires. She spoke with Erin O’Toole last November. We’re listening back to that conversation about what she thinks Colorado’s forests should look like in the future – and why trees that have historically thrived in Colorado’s mountains don’t grow back quickly after a wildfire. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Tourists love the sight of a moose with their long noses, large sloping antlers, and gangly legs. But Rocky Mountain National Park biologists say the growing moose population appears to be harming wetlands in the park. That’s according to a recent story in the Fort Collins Coloradoan. And state wildlife officials say they also want to make sure a ‘moose boom’ doesn’t threaten the willows, aspen and other plants that moose feed on in wetland areas. The moose population is a big shift from a half-century ago when there were basically no moose in Colorado and wildlife managers introduced 24 of them, in 1978. Andy Holland is Colorado Parks and Wildlife Big Game Manager who oversees the state’s moose population – which now numbers 3500. Erin O’Toole asked him how officials keep the size of the herd from overwhelming the habitat – or “overbrowsing,” as wildlife officials might say. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A massive reservoir project that will eventually clear the way for a half-million new residents in Northern Colorado is now a step closer to breaking ground. The $2 billion water project will create two new reservoirs that will feed 15 towns and water districts in Northern Colorado. Advocates for NISP, the Northern Integrated Supply Project, say it’s essential to ensure that these fast-growing communities in Larimer and Weld counties have the water they need as development booms. The project has been tied up in planning, permitting and opposition for more than two decades. But it cleared a final hurdle recently, after an environmental group that had sued to stop the project agreed to settle the case. Alex Hager covers water issues for KUNC. He joined Erin O’Toole to explain how NISP could help transform Northern Colorado. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A bill under consideration at the state capitol would allow religious organizations to use their properties to build housing developments. It's an idea some state lawmakers see as an opportunity. Supporters say it would help alleviate Colorado's housing shortage, using thousands of acres of available church-owned property around the state. KUNC's Stephanie Daniel has been reporting on this issue. She spent time visiting a church in Fort Collins that created a version of this idea – a development that they hope will foster a sense of community for future residents and church members. Stephanie joined host Erin O’Toole to share the story of how Heart of the Rockies Church got into the real estate business, and how viable the idea might be for other faith-based groups. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

March is Colorado’s snowiest month. Which means lots of us will be looking to make fresh tracks on that deep powder this time of year. And if you live in Colorado, you know that amazing powder brings with it truly astonishing sunburns for skiers and snowboarders. There are scientific reasons that your friends come home from the slopes with goggle marks scorched onto their faces. And one scientist wants to make sure people understand why. Steven Fassnacht is a Professor of Snow Hydrology at Colorado State University. He recently published an article about the intense reflectivity of fresh snow. He spoke with host Erin O’Toole about why Colorado powder is conducive to sunburn. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

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 told host Erin O’Toole 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. 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: [email protected] 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 O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Spring is approaching, and the garden beckons. Which means it’s not too early to start making gardening and landscaping plans for the year. And if you’re like a lot of homeowners in Colorado, you might be thinking about adding some native plants. Experts say it’s a great way to save water. Native plants also support bees, birds and other pollinators. And native vegetation can require less pruning than more traditional plantings. In the episode of In the NoCo, we've got great recommendations on what native plants to choose and how to plant them, from our friends at the Colorado State University Extension. Erin O’Toole spoke with CSU Extension horticulturalist Tommy Roth, who is especially passionate about landscaping with native plants. Read more of the CSU Extension team's recommendations for planting native shrubs, perennials, grasses, and trees. And lastly, do you have questions about gardening and landscaping as we head into planting season? Share them with us and we’ll find answers with help from the experts at CSU Extension. Email us: [email protected]. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] 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 ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.