In The NoCo

Election Day 2026 was the story of the big, blue wave: Democrats won big nationwide and here in Colorado, too.  

Many Colorado Democrats emerged as winners early in the evening. Phil Weiser easily won the governor's race. John Hickenlooper won another term in the Senate. 

Melat Kiros easily defeated her Republican challenger after a surprising primary win in House District 1 earlier this year. Representatives Joe Neguse, Jason Crow and Brittany Pettersen also held onto their seats. And Manny Rutinel defeated Republican incumbent Gabe Evans in an expensive, high-profile race for Colorado’s 8th congressional district.  
  
At the same time, lots of matters remained undecided – including many amendments and initiatives on Coloradans’ ballots.  
 
We spoke with KUNC’s Kyle McKinnon on Election Night, as the dust was still settling.  Kyle is managing editor of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. He shared some of the night’s biggest takeaways with host Erin O’Toole.  

KUNC will continue to update the results of the election as more votes are tallied. Find the latest results here.

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Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

On Nov. 7, 1893, men in Colorado did something extraordinary for the time: They granted women the right to vote – which made Colorado the first state to do that not by legislative action or executive order, but by a vote of the people.  

It was a moment of triumph for activists who fought for women's suffrage for decades. It meant women in Colorado could vote 27 years before that right was granted to all women, with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. 

And they used that victory as a springboard to get things done – from electing women to political office in the state, to helping women secure more economic power. 

A new History Colorado exhibit, Votes and Dreams: At the Ballot and Beyond, highlights those accomplishments. It’s on display now at the Center for Colorado Women’s History in Denver.  

 Exhibit developer Margaux Miller joined Erin O'Toole earlier this year to share more about it. On this Election Day, we're listening back to that conversation.

 
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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

People who rely directly on the Colorado River for their existence – at a time when there's less water to go around.  

That's the subject of a new documentary called The River. The film takes viewers from a ranch in Wyoming to a surprisingly lush golf course community in Utah to farms in California’s Imperial Valley.  
 
On a farm on tribal land in Arizona, one farmer reflects on the increasingly scarce water from the river and predicts its water will be “more valuable than gold” before long. 

The River also depicts a sort of Cold War between Colorado and other states in the Southwest that draw from the river and are reluctant to cut their use.  

The documentary will be screened Thursday in Denver at Metropolitan State University, and Nov. 11 in Durango. It's also been featured at this year's Denver Film Festival.  

Director Mara Tasker joined host Erin O'Toole to talk about what she hopes the documentary adds to the conversation about the drought-stricken Colorado River. 

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

There’s always that person in the neighborhood who takes their Halloween decorations to the next level – with a yard full of monsters, giant skeletons and zombies that look frighteningly real when you walk by. 

These kinds of elaborate decorations are the specialty of a Colorado company that’s been in the Halloween business for nearly a half-century.  

Distortions Unlimited has been making monsters in Greeley since 1978. What began as a mask-making hobby for founder Ed Edmunds evolved into a company that he runs along with his wife, Marsha. It even led to a starring role in a reality show on the Travel Channel called Making Monsters.  

Today they lead a team of nearly 20 people who create uniquely detailed props or animated creatures for movies, professional haunted houses, and theme parks.  

Ed and Marsha Edmunds joined host Erin O’Toole to share more about how they did it – and what they love about the business of scaring people for fun.  

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia affect one in three older adults in the U.S., according to the Alzheimer's Association.  The condition damages the brain and can leave patients agitated and confused. And it takes a toll on families and the people who care for these patients.   

The search for a cure for Alzheimer's has been elusive. But new research out of Colorado State University that involves the study of aging dogs may offer some hope.   

Julie Moreno is a neurotoxicologist and associate professor at CSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. She's part of a team studying dogs as they age at home to identify similarities between canines and humans with dementia.  

She says canine brains offer insights that other testing hasn’t been able to produce – and could one day lead to better tests and treatments for Alzheimer's disease and dementia in people. She and her colleagues recently published their findings in the journal npj Dementia.   

Julie joined Erin O'Toole to share more about how the canine brain could help further Alzheimer's research.   

For more information about enrolling a dog in the study, send an email to: [email protected]

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A ski resort in Boulder County. A neighboring town with a bold plan to buy the resort. And now, a growing outcry that the whole project would be a costly mess.  

Those are the broad strokes of what's playing out in Nederland, the mountain town 15 miles west of Boulder. Town leaders have spent years now working to secure financing to buy Eldora Mountain Resort, which sits just up the road and has faced some financial challenges.   

But recently, residents in Nederland are asking if the town board is wasting millions to develop a purchase that would ultimately cost more than $120 million dollars.  

Colorado Sun reporter Tracy Ross lives in Nederland and covered a recent town board meeting where several residents questioned the plan forcefully. She joined Erin O'Toole to talk about what these questions mean for Nederland's future, and for the Eldora ski area.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A stolen idea for a novel, an angry social media post – and an online backlash that engulfs the main characters. These are the elements of an intriguing novel by Colorado author R.L. Maizes.   

The writer says it draws on some of her own experiences. And the novel raises thorny questions about who gets to own an idea, who has the right to tell a particular story, and the tension of writing a novel in an age of social media tirades.  

A Complete Fiction was released in November, and recently won the 2026 Colorado Book Award for fiction. Maizes, who lives near Boulder, joined Erin O’Toole to share the real-life challenges of being a writer in our chronically online society. We’re listening back to that conversation today. 

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

It’s an ambitious — and expensive — project to reduce collisions between motorists and wildlife on one of Colorado’s busiest highways.  

The state’s newest wildlife overpass stretches 200 feet across Interstate 25 near Castle Rock. The project funnels elk, deer, coyotes and other critters over the highway. It cost $15 dollars, according to our partners at The Colorado Sun. It opened 10 months ago.  

And if you ask transportation and wildlife officials, it's working.  

So, what makes a wildlife overpass a success? Michelle Cowardin is a wildlife movement coordinator with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She’s worked on several wildlife overpasses. Host Erin O'Toole spoke with her to get an expert’s report card on the I-25 overpass.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

It's finally starting to feel like fall on the Front Range. And along with those glorious fall colors – comes the dreaded task of raking up all those fallen leaves.  

Now, if you're one of those people who shuffles them into piles, rakes them into giant leaf bags, and then sets them out at the curb for the garbage, consider this: Those leaves could instead be doing valuable work to help make your lawn healthier. 

That’s according to Alison O'Connor, a horticulture specialist with Colorado State University Extension. She says fallen leaves can help return nutrients to the soil and give pollinators a home over the winter. But this doesn't mean you can just ignore all those leaves in the yard, either. 

Alison talked with Erin O'Toole to share tips to help you skip the leaf bagging this year – and the science behind why this approach can be beneficial for your yard. 

For more on how to prepare your lawn and garden for winter, check out these tips from CSU Extension.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

If you pay attention to your local elections office this time of year, you often see recruiting ads for seasonal election workers. These folks might manage a polling place or help process ballots after votes are cast. 

This year in Boulder County, the elections office is recruiting for a different kind of role, which they call an Election Champion.  

They've invited the public to attend trainings that touch on the nuances of how elections are run in Colorado, and try to dispel misinformation about mail ballots or voter fraud – both of which are talked about frequently by the Trump administration. So far, more than 100 people have signed up for the training.  

Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Molly Fitzpatrick talked with Erin O'Toole to explain more about the training, and why Election Champions are needed this year.  

One last training session before the midterm election is set for Oct. 27 in Louisville.  

Find your nearest mail ballot drop box location here. 

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.