Crossing the Divide

An in-depth interview with Grand Junction resident Kurtis Minder, who grew from a precocious teen working for an internet startup in the '90s to the world’s most renowned ransomware negotiator who travels the globe spreading the gospel of internet security.

Before his current stint as a world-renowned ransomware negotiator, Grand Junction resident Kurtis Minder got his internet-world start as an unassuming teen playing an integral role in piecing together an e-commerce system that allowed (at the time) "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince" to circumvent record labels through online sales long before the online payment platforms of today came into existence.

The Tower Inferno examines the increasingly fast pace of modern society and its effects on the world of journalism with Rhema Zlaten, Assistant Professor of Mass Communications at Colorado Mesa University.  Zlaten's research focuses specifically on philosophy and media ethics in light of the shift to digital news dissemination.  Together we touch upon many factors pressuring newsrooms, including how social media influencer culture is forcing journalists to come out from behind the work they produce, igniting the walls of The Ivory Tower that once separated reporters from the readership they served.

This episode of The Daily Direct, We Gather Together, looks at the difficult task of managing wild mustangs on public lands and protecting the rangeland that sustains an array of animals both wild and domesticated, a task that involves the practice of wild horse gathers, viewed by some animal rights activists as a controversial and unnecessary process.  

An interview with former National Parks and BLM Ranger Wayne Hare about his adventures in the wilds of the American West.  He expresses pride at serving on many search and rescue teams and reminisces about the difficulty of bringing home the body of one of their own.  The New England native also reflects on why he calls the Colorado Plateau his home and happy place.  Hare is also the founder of The Civil Conversations Project.

In this episode of The Daily Direct, in the midst of a heated midterm election season, Daily Sentinel Audience Engagement Director Gretchen Reist sits down with Tim Sarmo and Dennis Kirtland, founding members of Restore the Balance, a local non-profit made up of voters from across the political spectrum working together to combat the rising tide of political extremism by encouraging voters to set aside candidates' political affiliations and vote country over party.

Together, we discuss the current state of affairs and attempt to trace the path that got us where we are today, witnessing the seeming de-evolution of political life and discourse.

In our continuing series on journalistic challenges in a digital environment saturated with disinformation, we profile The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel's Dan West, the paper's newly-minted editorial page editor.  In addition to exploring Dan's past history in the industry, we examine the important role of the paper's dedicated Opinion section in a media climate where the line between reporting facts and expressing opinion has become increasingly blurred.

Visit https://www.gjsentinel.com/podcasts/the_daily_rewind/ every Friday to access Dan's and my weekly wrap-up of the biggest local headlines!

An interview with Citizens for Clean Air members Karen Sjoberg and Jerry Nelson about their organization's ongoing study into the potential use of biochar as an alternative to agricultural burning.

A conversation with 37-year Grand Junction Daily Sentinel photojournalist Christopher Tomlinson on the eve of his retirement from full time working life.

Part 2 of my conversation with Wayne Hare, founder of The Civil Conversations Project.  Where Part 1 focused on Wayne's personal history and racial awakening, Part 2 focuses on some of the more over-arching themes and consequences of racial division, such as the physical and emotional toll it takes on the human body and how to reconcile the history of a country not always as noble in deed as in word.  We also discuss his work through the Civil Conversations Project:  what prompted its founding and what he hope to achieve.