Colorado Matters

For decades, people have used the Colorado River as if it's an unending tap, but climate change has led to a growing recognition that a new approach is needed. We’ll talk about CPR’s new podcast “Parched.” Then, a look at the ethics requirements for judges in Colorado in light of the controversy surrounding U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, many thought the war would only last a few days. Now, just over a year later, there's no end in sight, and the role of outside influencers, like China, is evolving. This week, the World Affairs Council in Colorado Springs gathered experts to offer context. CPR's Southern Colorado Reporter Dan Boyce moderated the discussion.

Black men make up roughly three percent of doctors in the United States; an initiative on the University of Colorado's Anschutz campus is answering the call to increase diversity in medicine. Then, why are more Latinos pleading guilty than white or Black defendants in Colorado.? And the Women+Film Festival elevates the work of women filmmakers.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, who served in Afghanistan, says presidents, Congress and the military should have ended U.S. involvement earlier. Crow also said recent document leaks show the U.S. should reevaluate its relationship with Egypt. Then, new research on how art could help reduce medical workers’ stress. And, a tribute to Maj. Gen. Maurice Rose.

A new product promises to help reduce the effects of climate change by sucking carbon out of the air, but there are several hurdles to overcome first. Then, avalance rescue dogs are being trained at Steamboat’s ski resort. And, the evolution of an award-winning theater company in Boulder. Also, chronicling the lives of African Americans in the Mountain West.

Prospective police officers in Aurora take a written assessment and a video test. An investigation by Sentinel Colorado in Aurora finds the city is accepting recruits who score the equivalent of a D, which would be disqualifying in neighboring communities. Then, Purplish takes on the waning art of compromise at the state Capitol.

The Oath Keepers were central to the January 6th storming of the US Capitol. We talk with an Estes Park man who used to churn out the militia group's propaganda. Then, the layered history of Bears Ears National Monument, which is, in many ways, like an outdoor museum.

Two measures that change gun laws in Colorado are headed to the governor's desk and others may soon follow. Then, new guidelines on how to best treat children diagnosed as overweight or obese. And, Colorado's only oil and gas refinery is up and running, but nearby residents aren't happy. Also, the story of a baseball pitcher whose fastball might go from fiction...to fact.

Voters in Denver and Colorado Springs, your work is not done! Mayors' races in Colorado's two biggest cities are headed to runoffs. Then, those crowded mayoral contests got us wondering about ranked-choice voting. Plus, it's not too early to play for the next total solar eclipse. And the evolving sounds of nature and a unique message to not feed wildlife.

Lawmakers are moving forward with a bill they say will help Coloradans who’ve experienced domestic violence feel safer. Then, SNAP benefits end for some and solving the Colorado River crisis. Also, Indigenous history in Colorado and a new book about the Ku Klux Klan iin the 1920's in Denver. And, what’s underground at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.