The remote town of San Luis was built around a concept of communal living. And their market - the R&R Market embraced that concept fully. But after 8 generations of family ownership… it’s been sold. So what does this mean for the future of this

Colorado educators hope to become first charter school in the state to unionize; Three governors in one day

Mar 18th, 2022 16m 25s

Nearly 30 educators at New America School’s Lakewood campus demonstrated Wednesday calling for the board of their charter school network to recognize their union. As Colorado Sun education reporter Erica Breunlin reports, teachers at the campus

Conservative moms in Douglas County helped flip school board; Sand Dunes National Park

Mar 17th, 2022 13m 47s

It started with coffee and snacks at one Douglas County woman’s house, and has evolved into a grassroots political machine that helped flip the school board. Now a group of suburban conservative moms, who call themselves the “Liberty Girls,” sa

Should farmers with defunct conservation easements be compensated?; Four from Pueblo awarded Medal of Honor

Mar 16th, 2022 10m 45s

It’s a dispute that Colorado officials have been trying to settle for more than a decade. And now Colorado lawmakers are once again debating a proposal to compensate family farmers and landowners who held now-defunct conservation easements that

New app aims to help Colorado teens manage their mood; Colorado's state seal

Mar 15th, 2022 15m 18s

After more than two years of tumultuous pandemic life, many Colorado teens are figuring out how to push past the loneliness and anxiety of pandemic restrictions and go back to school. And as Colorado Sun reporter Erica Breunlin heard, it’s not

Denver doctor sparks controversy after helping patients get aid-in-dying medication; Colorado Cooperative Company

Mar 14th, 2022 17m 26s

A Denver eating disorder doctor who has helped patients with anorexia nervosa obtain aid-in-dying medication has sparked controversy in the psychiatric community and initiated an emotional, national debate about the ethics of prescribing lethal

A closer look at a fulfillment center tasked with distributing COVID tests; The balloon campaign

Mar 11th, 2022 13m 42s

Testing for COVID has been a key element in the federal government’s efforts to address the pandemic, and the Postal Service has instituted a massive program to deliver test kits to virtually all Americans who ask for some. Making it all happen

Local leaders across Colorado deal with aftermath of natural disasters; The Georgetown Loop

Mar 10th, 2022 17m 15s

Natural disasters driven by climate change, from floods to wildfires, have in recent years put incredible stress on the communities they’ve devastated. They’ve also taken a toll on the leaders of those communities, who suddenly found themselve

Is Colorado delaying reducing greenhouse gas emissions?; Frozen Dead Guy Days

Mar 9th, 2022 16m 34s

In Colorado, lawmakers and politicians have been creating targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions for several years now. Then it’s up to rule making agencies to figure out how to implement those standards. The Sun’s Michael Booth reports

Coloradans find new ways to come together as COVID restrictions lift; Who was Lafayette Head?

Mar 8th, 2022 15m 44s

The pandemic has taken its toll on us in many ways, including by discouraging group activities and keeping us relatively sequestered in our own worlds. But as the COVID threat subsides, some people have seized the moment to reinvent ways for in

Firestone's population boom constrained by lack of water; Cinderella City opens

Mar 7th, 2022 13m 25s

The town of Firestone, about 30 miles north of Denver, is one of the fastest-growing places in the state. 20 years ago, It had only about 2,000 people. That number now stands at around 16,000. And town leaders expect the population figure to do

A new radio station produced by and for inmates in Colorado prisons; An attempt to trademark the cheeseburger

Mar 4th, 2022 11m 42s

A new radio station launched this week in Colorado. But it’s not what you typically find coming over the airwaves. The station is called Inside Wire, and it is produced by and for inmates in Colorado prisons. Colorado Sun reporter Olivia Prentz

Colorado bill aiming to address racial bias in jury selection stalled; Minoru Yasui Day

Mar 3rd, 2022 13m 44s

Yesterday, we told you about a bill at the state Capitol trying to address implicit or unintentional racial bias in jury selection for criminal trials. The bill is stalled due to opposition from prosecutors. But this is not the first time Color

How can Colorado's cannabis industry be more inclusive?; Teddy Roosevelt's “Midnight Reserves”

Mar 2nd, 2022 12m 25s

Recreational cannabis stores have been operating legally in Colorado for more than eight years now. In that time, the industry has come to be dominated by chains backed by wealthy and well-connected businesspeople. Now, there is a growing movem

Former Colorado governor resigns from board of major Russian bank; The story of Horace A.W. Tabor

Mar 1st, 2022 11m 9s

The United States and other nations have hit Russia with a flurry of sanctions and restrictions following that country’s invasion of Ukraine. Now the reverberations have drawn in a former Colorado governor. Bill Owens this week resigned from hi

Major project underway to fix traffic issues at Floyd Hill; Colorado becomes a territory

Feb 28th, 2022 11m 2s

A major project is underway to fix a half century of traffic challenges at Floyd Hill in central Colorado, where Front Range residents try to reach mountain getaways, truckers try to deliver the nation’s goods, and local residents just want to

The legal status of psilocybin, psychedelic drug, is up for debate; Celebrating the birthdays of two Colorado writers

Feb 25th, 2022 16m 15s

Colorado Sun reporter Thy Vo is giving us an update on a potential change in the legal status of psilocybin. Advocates for the benefits of the drug are pushing for legalization across the country and in Colorado, and Thy tells Michael Booth you

Whats going on with the Idaho Springs gondola resort project?; Four Corners

Feb 24th, 2022 11m 21s

For today’s podcast we grabbed Jason Blevins from the road to hear more about the hugely ambitious Idaho Springs gondola resort project. Local residents were among those putting in millions of dollars to launch the major attraction at the Argo

How much will state lawmakers spend on children's mental health?; Alan Berg on the radio

Feb 23rd, 2022 14m 22s

There’s an enormous gap in services and facilities for Colorado children suffering from deep crises in their lives, and whether the state is ready to fulfill a plan at building enough safe beds to help a larger number of kids.The Colorado Sun’

Gaps in public safety systems come to light following Marshall Fire; Treaty with Luis de Onis

Feb 22nd, 2022 16m 23s

The Colorado Sun’s ongoing coverage of the Marshall Fire in Boulder County keeps uncovering more and more gaps in public safety systems. So what turned the Marshall Fire into one of the most damaging and costliest in Colorado history, and what

How an avalanche at Breckenridge changed the Colorado ski industry; Charles Autobees

Feb 21st, 2022 20m 3s

Joining us today is Jason Blevins, The Colorado Sun’s outdoor industry reporter. He wrote last week about the Peak 7 avalanche at Breckenridge, which killed four young men on Feb. 18, 1987 and changed Colorado’s ski industry forever.The deadly

How the pandemic has changed office culture in Denver; Browns Canyon becomes National Monument

Feb 18th, 2022 16m 31s

Joining us today is Tamara Chuang, a business reporter at The Colorado Sun. She wrote this week about how the pandemic has dramatically changed the office culture in the Denver area. A survey by commercial real estate broker CBRE found that 8

Colorado Sun's new water reporter on the Colorado River Basin; Pikes Peak gold rush kicks off

Feb 17th, 2022 14m 26s

The Colorado Sun’s new water reporter, Christ Outcalt, spoke about his new beat with political editor and reporter Jesse Paul. Chris is based in Carbondale and will focus on issues affecting the Colorado River Basin, which millions of people in

Gov. Jared Polis joins us to discuss 2022 reelection campaign; Captain Silas S. Soule's testimony

Feb 16th, 2022 18m 20s

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis joins us today for an interview as he kicks off his 2022 reelection campaign. The Democrat spoke to political editor and reporter Jesse Paul about his first term, what his policy plans are if he is reelected in Novembe

Researchers study Colorado's thistle plant to learn about climate change; “Honest John”

Feb 15th, 2022 12m 45s

Colorado’s high alpine tundra is a delicate environment, where small wildflowers, mosses and lichen are adapted to thin air and cold weather. So the thistle plant, which can grow three feet high, often stands out in what can seem to be a barren