Colorado Matters

When a sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of an African-American man with a gun, things weren’t as they first appeared. The deputy, and the female CPR news host he stopped, both realize the encounter could have turned out much differently. Then, a decentralized Colorado voting system means it would be difficult to rig elections. Plus, a group of Boulder high school students formed a Nazi Facebook group called “The 4th Reich,” an incident that highlights growing concern over hate crimes. Also, a Colorado Springs woman wants to make history in November as the nation’s first transgender member of Congress.

Both of the major presidential candidates have visited Pueblo in recent weeks to pick up swing voters and rally supporters. The presidential candidates believe Colorado’s nine electoral college votes could hinge on this working class city. Colorado Matters Host Ryan Warner spoke with about a dozen Pueblo voters of different ages, political affiliations and backgrounds about what they want from their next president, and what that person should know about them.

U.S Senator Michael Bennet wants another six years in office, and this election Coloradans will decide whether he gets them. Bennet tells us why he wants another term, when congressional approval ratings are at just 17 percent and partisan gridlock means -- as he once put it-- the standard of success is simply keeping the lights on.

While slavery is banned in Colorado, the state's constitution allows for it in one circumstance: as a form of punishment for a crime. That doesn't sit well with Denver's faith and community leaders who back a ballot measure called Amendment T, which would remove that provision. Then, Colorado voters aren't seeing nearly the same number of campaign advertisements this election year as they did in 2012. And a new documentary looks at the life of Nikolas Tesla, whose name might be more associated with the car than the man who invented the precursor to the modern electrical motor more than 100 years ago.

Colorado voters will decide whether to make it more difficult to amend the state constitution. Supporters say it would ensure voters across the state are represented. Opponents say it would increase the influence of special interests. A Denver ballot measure would allow pot smoking in public. Colorado Matters' resident poet weighs in on presidential debates. Did you know horned beavers used to live in Colorado? A Denver museum exhibits "extreme" mammals.

School districts have a record-setting number of measures on the ballot worth $4.4 billion all together. Education reporter Jenny Brundin explains what the schools want it for. And, AOL co-founder Steve Case recently came to Colorado as part of an investment tour of start-up companies that are outside of Silicon Valley. Also, how Asians persevered in Colorado despite an unwelcoming environment. Plus, assessing the state's tobacco sales tax ballot measure and Denver's use of its cultural tax.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Darryl Glenn talks about his changing positions on Donald Trump's candidacy in the wake of a controversial video and weighs in on policy issues including the Iran nuclear deal, Obamacare, the "war on coal" and race relations.

Three prominent Colorado Republicans withdrew their support for Donald Trump over the weekend to mixed reactions from voters. And Colorado's Secretary of State has a warning for those wanting to write-in their choice for President. Plus, Columbus Day or Indigenous People's Day? It's a question Denver's been grappling with for years. Also, a Colorado non-profit is on the ground working with abandoned children in Haiti following hurricane Matthew. Denver International Airport is "embracing the unbelievable" with conspiracy theory tours and exhibits.

The drastic jump in Denver home prices shocked former Denver Post columnist Tina Griego when she returned to Denver recently after moving to Virginia four years ago. She's now on the staff at The Colorado Independent. And, we hear from the new head of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts -- the first woman to run the organization. Also, the federal government might ban an herbal substance that's now legal in Denver and the eclectic sounds of an award-winning Colorado bluegrass band.

Amendment 69 on the ballot would provide taxpayer-funded universal healthcare in Colorado. A supporter and opponent debate the proposal. Then, why the oil and gas industry is getting involved in another issue facing voters, Amendment 71, which would make it harder to put initiatives on the ballot. And, in a state where beer is king, artisanal cider is the new darling of the craft alcohol scene.