In The NoCo

A week ago on the show, we talked about how to stay safe during fall hikes – and more specifically, what to do if you encounter a grumpy, pre-hibernation bear out on the trail. 

But plenty of other animals in Colorado can dazzle us with their beauty while keeping us on guard as they fatten up for winter or look for a mate. So today, the In The NoCo team brings you a sequel of sorts: We're talking about how to stay safe if you encounter an elk, moose or bighorn sheep while camping or hiking.  

Bridget O’Rourke with Colorado Parks and Wildlife joined Erin O’Toole to explain why the stakes are a bit higher when we venture into a forest or national park this time of year. 

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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.

Taylor Swift seems to be everywhere these days. Her new album drops Friday. Her engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce is all over the news. And if that weren’t enough, she helps teach students at Colorado State University. Sort of.  

Spanish for Swiftie Purposes is a course available to students at CSU. It’s been offered once, and the curriculum asks students to hone their skills at translating English into Spanish. They also analyze other people’s translations like a Spanish-language version of Taylor’s song “Fortnight,” performed by the duo Kevin and Karla.   

In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole spoke with the professor who created the course, Alyssia Miller de Rutte. Alyssia says she hopes to teach the class again this spring. 

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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.

Fear. Anxiety. Shame. And a horde of colorful, crocheted monsters. 

They’re all part of an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum that asks visitors to confront some uncomfortable emotions. 

Denver artist Sadie Young created cuddly and soft monsters with vivid colors and big eyes. And they’re all crocheted out of thousands of yards of yarn. Some are large enough for visitors to step inside.  

The exhibit, called The Tangled Self, draws on both Young’s artistic experience and her educational background in psychology, particularly the concept of the shadow self.  

Sadie is also the founder and creative director of Spectra Art Space, which specializes in immersive installations. 

She joined Erin O’Toole in May to talk about her exhibit at the DAM, the inspiration behind the creatures, and how she got started with crocheting. 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
This episode was produced by Ariel Lavery
 
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.

Many farmers on Colorado's Eastern Plains face uncertain futures.  

They grapple with unpredictable crop prices, extreme weather that spoils harvests, and siblings with different levels of commitment to maintaining the family farm. 

In the new fifth season of the award-winning KUNC podcast The Colorado Dream, the show offers a glimpse into the inner workings of a family farm. 

The first new episode is in podcast feeds now. Stephanie, who also hosts the show, gave Erin O’Toole a preview of the new season.  

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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.

Fall is here, and the cool, crisp weather can make hiking especially appealing this time of year.  But fall is also a time to be especially cautious around Colorado's wildlife – including bears.  

Black bears are extra-active as they hunt for food ahead of their winter hibernation. And encounters with them are not uncommon. State wildlife officials say Coloradans report about 4,000 bear sightings and encounters in a typical year.   

So, before heading out to savor the fall weather, what do we need to know about bear behavior this time of year?  

Bridget O'Rourke is a public information officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She joined Erin O’Toole to talk about how to avoid run-ins with bears, and how to handle it if you do encounter a bear in the wild.  

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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 Colorado Rockies are wrapping up their worst season in franchise history – and the second-worst season on record for any baseball team in the modern era.   

So today, we’re talking about an idea that might hold potential to change the team’s fortunes in future seasons. 

A big part of the Rockies’ misfortunes is the fact that Coors Field sits a mile above sea level. Baseballs fly further here, which means more home runs. Playing at 5,280 feet also means pitches like curveballs have less curve to them, which make life harder for Rockies pitchers. 

Colorado Sun reporter John Ingold recently wrote an in-depth look a possible solution. It examined whether using baseballs with raised seams could make playing at Coors Field similar to what players experience at other ballparks.  

John joined In The NoCo’s Brad Turner to talk about how it might work, and the science of playing baseball a mile above sea level.

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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
Editor and 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.

Every fall in southeast Colorado, hordes of hairy, eight-legged creatures leave their burrows and roam the landscape in search of a mate.  

The tarantula migration draws hundreds of curious spider-lovers to La Junta around this time each year. The town’s annual Tarantula Fest offers tarantula tours, a parade, and other events to celebrate these oversized arachnids. 

Erin O'Toole talked with Colorado State University horticulture specialist Karim Gharbi to learn more about why people find tarantulas so fascinating. Karim just got back from his own visit to the La Junta area – and shared some tips on how to spot tarantulas if you go. 

For more on Colorado insects, check out a recent conversation with Karim Gharbi about how to protect your trees amid the spread of the emerald ash borer. 

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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.

Just outside Leadville, there’s a tiny ski hill that just might help keep the ski industry vital in the decades ahead.  

Students at Colorado Mountain College manage the Dutch Henry ski area as part of courses that train aspiring ski resort workers. And soon, those trainees will include future lift mechanics and operators. The students will practice their maintenance skills on a newly donated lift, which administrators hope to have installed there by summer 2026. 

That’s a breakthrough for the ski industry – which is a big part of Colorado’s economy – because many of the current employees who keep the lifts running at big resorts are starting to retire.  

Ben Cairns is Vice President and campus dean of Colorado Mountain College’s Leadville and Salida campuses. He joined Erin O’Toole to talk about training the next generation of lift mechanics and operators.   

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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.

Students at Evergreen High haven’t returned to school yet after last week's shooting there. The incident ended with two students hospitalized after the 16-year-old gunman fatally shot himself. 

About 900 students attend Evergreen High School. A powerful story in The Colorado Sun this week hints at the feelings those students will carry with them going forward. The story included text messages and videos from the students as they heard gunshots, fled the school or hid in classrooms.  

Today we're going to share some of those texts and stories, and hear from Erica Breunlin and Taylor Dolven, two of the Colorado Sun reporters who wrote the article. 

This episode mentions suicide and details of a school shooting. If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available 24/7. You can call or text 988 to reach Colorado's crisis lifeline. 

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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.

Experts at History Colorado have been thinking of different ways to help commemorate Colorado’s 150th birthday next year. One idea they pursued was to track down the earliest known photograph of Colorado.  

And what they uncovered is striking: It’s a daguerreotype from 1853, taken during an expedition across the West – more than 20 years before Colorado became a state in 1876. 

The image depicts a Cheyenne village with two people facing the camera, near what is now Lamar, Colorado. 

For the curators at History Colorado, the photo also revealed the fascinating story of the photographer – a man named Solomon Nunes Carvalho, who traveled the West with a bulky camera and captured some of the earliest photos of the region.  

Erin O’Toole spoke with Sam Bock, History Colorado’s director of Interpretations and Publications, to learn more about the search for the oldest photo and what it tells us about Colorado’s early history. 

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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.