Colorado In Depth

What identified Nixon as a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua? Was it a confidential informant's testimony? Was it the rose tattoo on his arm? After seeking answers from local and federal law enforcement, we travel to Peru to search for Nixon and find out directly from him.

The Whisper Game is a co-production between Colorado Public Radio, Latino USA and Futuro Media.

You can donate to Colorado Public Radio here.

Before Nixon was arrested, a PR firm reached out to national media outlets and told them that Tren de Aragua was taking over apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado. A local politician said the organization was also taking over entire swaths of the city. Then she got a call from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. He was coming to town. The game of telephone that started with spent bullet casings ends with Nixon on a plane headed to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.

The Whisper Game is a co-production between Colorado Public Radio, Latino USA and Futuro Media.

You can donate to Colorado Public Radio here.

In July 2024, a then nineteen-year-old Venezuelan man named Nixon Azuaje-Pérez picked up spent bullet casings after a shooting outside his apartment in Aurora, Colorado. It was a decision that would thrust him into the middle of Trump’s presidential campaign and eventually land him in a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Local police suspected Nixon was part of a Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua. But was he a member? And how would anybody know?

The Whisper Game is a co-production between Colorado Public Radio, Latino USA and Futuro Media.

You can donate to Colorado Public Radio here.

Rick Williams’ Cheyenne ancestors were pushed out of Colorado along with members of dozens of other Indian tribes. They were forced onto reservations out of state, and today, little sign remains of their time living on Colorado’s busy Front Range corridor. 

Williams is leading an effort to document what was lost, recommend how to restore some of it, and account for atrocities against Indian people. But he’s working towards these goals at a time when many Americans do not want to acknowledge the troubled parts of American history, let alone make amends.

Colorado In Depth is a podcast of special reporting, documentary news and investigations from CPR News. Follow the podcast for reporting from the Front Range, the Four Corners, the Eastern Plains and the mountains.

Reported and written by Paolo Zialcita

Produced by Paolo Zialcita, Rachel Estabrook and Pedro Lumbraño

Edited by Rachel Estabrook

Mixed by Pedro Lumbraño

Music by Pedro Lumbraño and Universal Music

Support from Hart Van Denburg

Additional reporting by Alejandro Alonso Galva

Executive produced by Kevin Dale

The first 100 days of President Trump’s second time as president is seen by many as a good indicator of what is to come. Early on, he set out his agenda to be tough on immigration, reduce the size of government and overhaul education. How has this affected Coloradans so far? CPR News  journalists explain how Trump’s policies are changing lives in Colorado.

Hosted by Caitlyn Kim.   

Reported by Caitlyn Kim, Allison Sherry, Sarah Mulholland, Jenny Brundin, John Daley and Bente Birkland.  

Edited by Jo Erickson, and Megan Verlee.   

The executive producers are Kevin Dale and Rachel Estabrook.   

Find more information about Trump’s impacts on Colorado here.  For more episodes of Colorado In Depth, follow the show in your podcast feed. 

Colorado in Depth is a production of Colorado Public Radio, which is part of the NPR Network.

A quirky pair of entrepreneurs want to make electricity using hot water from a mile underground.

Hank Held and Fred Henderson have a dream to build Colorado’s first geothermal plant in an idyllic stretch of the central Rockies. The plant could power more than 6,000 homes and lay the groundwork for a renewable energy boom in Colorado.

But after the pair has spent years studying old maps and applying for state grants, a group of local activists stands in opposition.

Reported by Sam Brasch

Hosted by Bazi Kanani

Written, produced, sound designed and mixed by Mateo Schimpf

Edited by Rachel Estabrook

The executive producer is Kevin Dale. Special thanks to Joe Wertz.

Find more stories about the future of geothermal energy in Colorado at cpr.org.

Colorado in Depth is a production of Colorado Public Radio, which is part of the NPR Network.

In the search for longevity and how to live well, it helps to get advice from your elders. In this episode, four Coloradans who have each lived more than 100 years share their wisdom.

The beginning of the year is a particularly good time to hear these life stories, because it's a time to evaluate what's going well, and what you want to change. These centenarians will remind you what's most important and how to love life for decades to come.

Reported and written by Andrea Dukakis
Produced, sound designed and mixed by Michael Hughes
Edited by Carl Bilek and Rachel Estabrook
Executive producer: Kevin Dale

Find more stories about older Coloradans and aging at cpr.org. This reporting is supported in part by Select Health.

Colorado in Depth is a production of Colorado Public Radio, which is part of the NPR Network.

Colorado is home to one of the largest medical trials for psilocybin, the compound in magic mushrooms. One young mom in Denver, who has cancer, is among the first wave of patients to see if the therapy can help her reduce her anxiety and face the prospect that her illness may be terminal. What she and the researchers discover could help people with depression, PTSD, addiction and other conditions. 

Colorado in Depth is a podcast of special reporting, documentary news and investigations from CPR News. Follow the podcast for reporting from Colorado’s Front Range, the Four Corners, the Eastern Plains and the mountains. 

Reported and written by Andrew Kenney 
Edited by Rachel Estabrook 
Produced, mixed and sound designed by Luis Antonio Perez 
Executive producer: Kevin Dale 
Thanks also to CPR’s Lauren Antonoff Hart, Andrea Dukakis, Sam Brasch, Jo Erickson and Hayley Sanchez 
Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Universal Production Music 

Follow Andrew Kenney @AndyKnny
Follow CPR News @NewsCPR 

Show your commitment to independent journalism by making a donation today. 

Colorado in Depth is a production of Colorado Public Radio.

Tina Peters goes on trial in February. The former Mesa County clerk faces criminal charges for using her position overseeing local elections to empower a movement that falsely believes U.S. voting systems are rigged to steal elections. Peters' scheme and her evolution from trusting the election system to trying to subvert it from the inside is a warning sign for 2024.

This is an installment of Colorado in Depth, a podcast of documentary news, investigations and special reporting from CPR News. Follow the show for stories from the plains to the mountain, the Four Corners to the Front Range.

Hosts and reporters: Bente Birkeland and Stina Sieg

Colorado is remembering the five people killed at Club Q a year ago. Dozens more survived that night, and have been trying to figure out life in the aftermath. Stories from four people in their own words remind us that there is no going back to “normal,” and that for each of us, survival has its own meaning.

This is an installment of Colorado In Depth, a podcast featuring special reporting and investigations from CPR News. This episode is a collaboration with CPR’s partner KRCC.

Reported and produced by Abigail Beckman