Colorado Matters

Bernie Sanders won the Democrats' Colorado caucus Tuesday night, and The Political Junkie, former NPR political editor Ken Rudin, puts the Colorado headlines in national context. Then, more police officers wear body cameras to help build trust with their communities, but the cameras are not used consistently from Denver to Durango. We'll hear about an effort to change that. Also, a Colorado Rockies shortstop is the first player to run afoul of Major League Baseball's new domestic violence policy. And, we'll hear why a busy restaurant is completely dark -- on purpose.

Today, one woman's crusade to make Montrose, on the Western Slope, "the most veteran friendly community in America." Then, the state doesn't want wolves intentionally released into the wild here, but could they be wandering in on their own? Also, an unusually fertile snow leopard at the zoo in Colorado Springs has researchers wondering what that means for humans. And, a private school in Denver is taking a unique approach to teach students about dementia.

President Obama gave Americans a mission in his final State of the Union address: Find a cure for cancer. It got us wondering about the scientists in Colorado already at work on exactly that, and their outlook. Then, the Denver Post's Ricardo Baca, editor of "The Cannibist," is the subject of a new documentary about the first year of legal recreational marijuana in Colorado. And, when owners of old homes needed to replace old fixtures, they turned to "Architectural Salvage" in Denver. After almost 30 years, it's going out of business. We talk to the owners.

When it comes to self-driving cars, the future may be now: We take a spin in a Tesla to see it drive and switch lanes on its own, plus accelerate very quickly. Will these cars and new road designs be enough to get traffic flowing in the decades ahead? Then, humans and their pets are having more run-ins with coyotes across Colorado -- some of them violent. We'll look at why, and how to avoid them.

The daughters of a Columbine shooting victim talk about the new book from Sue Klebold, mother of gunman Dylan Klebold. Then, as we near the caucuses, Democrat Bernie Sanders is beating Hillary Clinton in Colorado when it comes to TV ads. Also, when is a pay raise a bad thing? When it makes it harder to afford child care. And a Colorado photographer says a photo can change the world.

The Koch brothers' political action committee, Americans for Prosperity, doesn't flex its conservative muscle in every state. But it came to Colorado early because it is seen as such a critical swing state. AFP strategists tell us what they're after, and how they intend to go about it. Then, the story of a musical wonder in the Western Slope town of Rangely: a giant, abandoned tank known for its heavenly acoustics. And, how Lee Mathis came to put cheesecake in a jar -- and use it as a springboard to a new business.

Excitement is building ahead of Colorado's caucuses March 1, at least among the voters who can participate. More than a third of registered voters in the state are excluded because they're unaffiliated. We talk to a political scientist who wants to change that. We'll also hear about a potential ballot measure that would create a hybrid here -- of caucuses and a primary. Then, we talk to a Colorado filmmaker who moved to the U.S. from Iraq and who contemplates what it is to be "Arab-American."

Today, we hear what you need to know about the upcoming Colorado caucuses, including the fact that many Coloradans who'd like to participate won't be able to because of the rules over how and when voters needed to register. Then, survival expert Cat Bigney, who grew up in the West, says her upbringing prepared her for "The Great Human Race," a new show on The National Geographic Channel that forced her to live as our ancestors did millions of years ago. And, new recordings mean the Colorado Symphony grabs a global audience.

Today, Gov. John Hickenlooper tells us whom he's endorsing for president. He'll also explain why he's moving forward on the Clean Power Plan, despite a stay in the Supreme Court. Then, Outside Magazine investigates what it calls "the internet’s most Infuriating outdoor retailer" -- that happens to be based in Colorado. And, outdoor hockey comes to Denver's Coors field this weekend, despite the warm weather.

Drug use is such a big problem among teenagers that addiction counselors are working at three Denver schools. We'll meet one of them. Then CPR News health reporter John Daley visits a morgue to see the problem of drug overdoses up close. Then, what do Woody Allen, Jack Kerouac and Frank Lloyd Wright have in common? The conservatory at the Denver Botanic Gardens. It's turning 50 years old. Also, calling Doug Hill of Lafayette an outdoorsman would be an understatement. He's the founder of a primitive skills school and he'll teach us the big three "musts" for surviving in the wild.