Colorado Matters

After a man died in a bathroom, the Denver Public Library became one of the first libraries in the country to dispense a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. And, it's a year of transition for Molson Coors after an acquisition that made it the world’s third-largest brewer. Then, Estes Park climber Tommy Caldwell scaled Yosemite’s Dawn Wall. His new memoir chronicles intense childhood training, his kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan and his climbs around the world.

Colorado State University in Fort Collins has broken ground on a $20 million center for its burgeoning meat science program. Sixty thousand people have signed a petition to block it, but supporters say it offers hands-on experience for future agriculture workers. Then, two high school students from the city spend a week on a cattle ranch on Colorado's eastern Plains. They say one of the highlights was witnessing the birth of a calf. And, a Denver farm that's not what you might expect. We talk to a cricket farmer who raises insects for human consumption. Plus, for his forthcoming book, Colorado writer Craig Childs traces the first people to come to the Americas. He says their journey wasn't easy since passage required crossing a land bridge.

Is the United Methodist Church headed towards a schism? A church court ruled that the recent consecration of an openly gay bishop, whose territory includes Colorado, violates church law, but she may keep her appointment. Then, western mystery writer Craig Johnson, whose books inspired the TV show "Longmire," on his ghost story now out in paperback. Also, Durango author Blake Crouch's latest book, "Dark Matter" dives into alternate realities -- even quantum mechanics -- to explore "the path not taken." And, Opera Colorado’s production "As One" breaks a lot of rules in the opera world.

There are so many opioid-hooked babies born at one Pueblo hospital that nurses asked the community for help. The call went out for volunteer cuddlers. Then Lt. Governor Donna Lynne, in her first year on the job, has traveled to every Colorado county to hear what’s on people’s minds. And, a huge swath of downtown Denver was demolished 50 years ago. Finally, a Denver poet reflects on what comes after – after violence, after death, after birth.

Fifty years ago, former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm was a freshman legislator when he sponsored what became the nation's first law to ease restrictions on abortion. This week, the group American Right to Life, based in Wheat Ridge, sent state legislators a letter denouncing the 1967 law, saying it led to the deaths of thousands of lives. Then, farmers on the Western Slope are letting their land lie fallow this year and "banking" their water to hedge against future shortages. And, Colorado State University Professor John Straayer is retiring after shepherding more than 1,000 students through internships at the Colorado legislature over 37 years. His former students include Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and former Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter. Plus, police shootings and racial issues left an impression on Denver comic book creator Alan Brooks, who wrote a graphic novel on the subject.

A mobile laundry serves the homeless in Denver. The people who use the laundry truck can also connect with social services in hopes of getting off the street. Then, it was harder to reach the North Pole in the 1800s than to reach the moon in the 1960s, but the lessons those polar explorers learned are still relevant to space scientists today. And, a Colorado restaurant owner writes a memoir about the orphaned bear who was her childhood pet.

Scientists at CU Boulder say there's a climate change collision course underway in Colorado: More wildfires are expected and more people are moving into the forest. The scientists released a report showing how fast-growing communities can adapt. Then, a Colorado cyclist who said no to doping talks about his friendship with cycling's most notorious cheater. Also, renowned architect I.M. Pei, who turns 100 today, has made a big mark on Colorado, from the 16th Street Mall to a striking building atop a mesa in Boulder. Then, we'll remember the pioneering dancer Charlotte Irey, who made CU-Boulder a center for dance.

Last year, four million cantaloupes came from Rocky Ford, Colorado. Right now, farmers are working their fields and, at least one, prays his crop isn't ravaged by hail again. A look at how this year's crop is shaping up and the workforce that harvests it. Then, the Nuremberg Trials took place 70 years ago, and Nazi officers weren't the only ones prosecuted -- so were doctors, who conducted stomach-turning experiments and exterminations. What medical students in Colorado can learn from those trials.

Protestors on college campuses may see signs pointing them to "free speech zones." Those types of cordoned off areas, meant to contain students' political speech, will soon be illegal on Colorado campuses. Then, new evidence that ancestral Puebloans used sophisticated geometry to build the Sun Temple at Mesa Verde National Park. And, Denver poet Robert Cooperman draws on his childhood memories of his father's work at a local hat factory for his new collection, "City Hat Frame Factory." We also have a history of "The Denver," which was the main place to lunch and shop in town during much of the 20th Century.

“Drain The Swamp" was a rallying cry during the 2016 election. It's also the title of a new book from U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican who represents northern and eastern Colorado. Buck joins us to talk Washington political culture, President Trump’s performance, immigration and more. Then, state lawmakers have a new compromise on teen sexting. They've decided on a small penalty for teen couples who send each other nude images. And, DIA concession owners are struggling to fill 400 open jobs. Plus, a Colorado man’s controversial product, drinkable sunscreen, is the subject of a lawsuit claiming it’s phony and dangerous. Also, at age 19, Colorado native Dawson Newby is a pro motocross rider. He'll race in Denver this weekend.