In The NoCo

Mysterious, unsolicited packages are showing up in people's mailboxes in Colorado and several other states.   

They appear to be sent from another country, often China. Labels on the packages suggest there’s a small piece of merchandise inside, like jewelry or some kind of wire connector.   

Instead, recipients find packets of seeds inside – with no indication of what the seeds are, who sent them, or why. They may look similar to sunflower or pumpkin seeds. But state and federal agriculture officials recently warned people not to plant these mystery items.  

Laura Pottorff is the Director of Colorado Seed Programs with Colorado State University. She joined Erin O’Toole to discuss the mystery of these odd packages, and what to do in case one arrives in your mailbox. 

Laura mentioned that - if that does happen - you should mail the unopened packet to the USDA office in Colorado at this address:  

USDA APHIS PPQ 
3950 North Lewiston Street, Suite 104 
Aurora, CO 80011-1561 

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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.

Drive through some communities in Colorado, and your movements may be monitored by a network of cameras that track your license plate.   

A company called Flock Safety operates dozens of these cameras in Boulder, Denver and Fort Collins. They’ve quietly photographed millions of cars over the last year.  And right now, these cities are grappling with the question of whether these cameras help fight crime – or are an abuse of privacy and civil liberties.  

Denver leaders announced in February they would not renew the city’s contract with Flock. Officials in Boulder and Fort Collins are also considering dropping their use of Flock cameras after public opposition.   

To better understand the debate over the cameras, we reached out to Steven Keener. He’s an assistant professor of criminology at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. Keener studies the use of Flock cameras across the U.S., including their effect on crime reduction and concerns over how the data is shared. 

He joined Erin O’Toole to discuss how Flock data has been used by law enforcement, as well as some of the philosophical objections to the cameras.    

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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.

Young women are more active in sports than ever – and more visible. Think Naomi Osaka on the tennis court or Caitlin Clark playing hoops. Colorado’s first-ever women’s professional soccer team, Denver Summit FC, just played its inaugural match on Saturday. And overall, young women’s participation in sports continues to increase. 

But female athletes face different health challenges than their male counterparts. They may grapple with painful periods, and experience body image issues or eating disorders at a higher rate than male athletes.   

A newly formed team of doctors at Children's Hospital Colorado hopes to change that. The hospital’s Female Athlete Program transforms the way middle and high school girls train, compete, and manage their physical and mental health. That often means talking honestly about hormones. 

Dr. Lauryn Roth, one of the program’s founding physicians, specializes in pediatric and adolescent gynecology. She works alongside sports medicine physician Dr. Aubrey Armento.  

They joined Erin O’Toole last November to discuss how the program works – and how their own experience as teenage athletes shaped how they now treat young women. 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.

Back in 1948, the U.S and other countries created a unique coalition:  The World Health Organization was established to address global health challenges including disease outbreaks like the COVID-19 pandemic.    

At the start of this year, the Trump administration formally withdrew the U.S. from the WHO.  That withdrawal creates uncertainty over how the U.S., and individual states like Colorado, will track and respond to future outbreaks.  

So, Colorado is trying a new tactic. Health officials have applied to join the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network – or GOARN – as an individual state.    

Scientists and health officials say the move will put Colorado in a better position to respond to emerging diseases and will foster stronger public health policies across the state.   

Reporter John Ingold has been following this story for The Colorado Sun. He joined Erin O'Toole to talk about the decision to join this global health network, and how it might help Coloradans prepare for the next health crisis. 

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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.

Colorado has a childcare shortage. Many childcare centers see more applications from families who need care than there are spaces available.   

And for parents of infants, it’s worse: Ten rural Colorado counties don't have a single licensed childcare provider for babies under the age of 18 months.   

That lack of licensed care options for infants in places like Leadville and Salida has forced some tough decisions for families. Some find neighbors or family members to watch their young kids. Some cut back on work hours or even drop out of the workforce entirely. Other parents rely on unlicensed, in-home providers to care for their babies.   

So, what's causing the shortage – and how does that add to the housing and food costs that make life unaffordable for many rural and mountain town residents?  

Colorado Sun reporter Jennifer Brown recently wrote about Colorado’s infant-care deserts. She joined Erin O’Toole to talk about what’s causing it, and what it might take to fix the problem.  

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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.

The Great Gatsby is classic American literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel about wealth and longing has generally been celebrated ever since it was published in 1925.  

But a Colorado author’s latest book asks you to consider the story from a different vantage point. 

Writer Allyson Reedy recently published Mrs. Wilson’s Affair. It's told from the perspective of Myrtle Wilson – a tragic character who appears in just a handful of scenes in The Great Gatsby, and whom Fitzgerald presents in an unflattering light.  

Reedy says she loves the original Gatsby – she's read it numerous times -- but she thought Myrtle deserved more of a backstory and a little more empathy.  

Reedy, who lives in Broomfield and also serves as restaurant critic for 5280, spoke with Erin O’Toole in November about the novel. We’re listening back to that conversation today.

Check out an excerpt from Mrs. Wilson’s Affair.   

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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.

Runny noses. Red eyes. Sneezing and itching and grogginess. If it feels like your seasonal allergies have flared up earlier than usual, it's not your imagination.  

This year’s warm, dry winter means some plants and trees are flowering – and producing pollen – even earlier than usual.  That’s happening on top of what allergy experts say is a larger trend in which pollen season starts earlier and lasts longer each year than it did two or three decades ago.  

So, how is allergy season evolving? And what are the best ways to find relief from the annoyance of watering eyes, itchy throat, or constant sneezing?  

Dr. Levi Keller is an assistant professor in allergy and clinical immunology with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about what’s uniquely difficult for allergy sufferers this year. 

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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 diagnosis of chronic depression or bipolar disorder can be daunting. These conditions can come with feelings of sadness or despair, or intense mood swings.  
 
But a researcher at the University of Colorado says we might be thinking too simplistically about these disorders.   

June Gruber  is a professor of psychology and neuroscience who runs the Positive Emotion and Psychopathology Lab at CU Boulder. She specializes in research around happiness.  

She recently looked into silver linings — or side benefits — of some common mood disorders. And what she found is encouraging — both for folks with these conditions, and those close to them.  

June and her research team found those potential advantages can include a greater ability to cope with life's stresses, a tendency toward creativity and a richer social life.  

June joined Erin O’Toole in December to talk about her research, which was partly inspired by watching her father deal with life with bipolar disorder. We’re listening back to that conversation today. 

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out this previous interview with June on her tips for living a happier life. 

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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.

Colorado could soon see a new wave of home solar power — but not in the form of the large solar panels you may see on rooftops around your neighborhood. Instead: Imagine slim, portable panels that you can attach to a porch or balcony and then plug into your wall.   

Small-scale solar units like these are already popular in Europe. But they’re almost unheard of in the U.S., partly because of regulatory restrictions by power utilities but also because there aren’t many of these plug-in solar products on the market. 

Not yet, at least.  

A bill at the Colorado statehouse could clear the way for renters, condo owners and people who can’t afford a full rooftop system to buy these plug-in panels.   

State lawmakers hope to see these systems available by the end of this year.  

Reporter Michael Booth covers the environment for The Colorado Sun. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about how these tiny solar power units work, and how this might look in Colorado.   

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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.

In most states, if someone repeatedly hasn't paid a medical bill, collectors can eventually go to that person's employer and garnish their paycheck – which means that they withhold a portion of that person's earnings to pay off the debt.   

Critics of wage garnishment say the practice disproportionately affects lower income patients.   

Now a bill under consideration at the state capitol would effectively prevent debt collectors from doing this – and would make Colorado one of the few states in the U.S. to ban wage garnishment for medical debt.  

 But some opponents say that would ultimately drive up the cost of healthcare for everyone.  

Rae Ellen Bichell is Colorado correspondent for KFF Health News, which covers healthcare policy. She spoke with Erin O'Toole about why the practice is controversial, and how this proposal might affect it.   

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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.