In The NoCo

Colorado lawmakers head back to the state capitol on Thursday for a special session to fix a $750 million hole in the state budget.   

If this feels like deja vu – it is, in a way. Earlier this year, state legislators addressed a $1.2 billion shortfall during the regular session -- and balanced the state budget.   

But President Trump recently signed into law the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed by Republicans in Congress. That bill’s rewriting of the federal tax code punched a hole in Colorado’s budget, creating an instant, $750 million-dollar shortfall for the state.   

State lawmakers now face tough decisions as they try to close this gap, while they try to minimize the impact on Coloradans’ daily lives.  

KUNC state capitol reporter Lucas Brady Woods joined Erin O’Toole to explain how Colorado lawmakers got here, and how they might fix the problem.  

Legislators may also try to squeeze in a few other issues to the session, which is expected to last five days. That could include a pause on Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program, or how to improve a controversial AI law set to take effect next year. 

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Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
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 small menace is invading the river that supplies water to 40 million people in southwestern states. 

Zebra mussels are tiny freshwater shellfish. They’re about the size of your thumbnail, with a striped shell. Since the late 1980s, they’ve spread to 30 states across the country, including Colorado.  

Now, Colorado Parks and Wildlife says they’ve been found in the Colorado River near towns like Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs. 

Zebra mussels wreak havoc on water infrastructure and devastate ecosystems. And they are difficult – if not impossible – to eradicate from rivers.  

We wanted to learn more about why this species is so damaging and what Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to do about them. Erin O’Toole spoke with Robert Walters, who oversees the agency’s Aquatic Nuisance Species Program.  

If you spot a zebra mussel you can report to Colorado Parks and Wildlife using this online form. You can also email [email protected] or call 303-291-7295.  

After several years of record-setting numbers, Colorado's mountain towns are experiencing an unexpected summer slowdown in tourism.  

A drop in international visitors is a significant factor. This year, European visitors to mountain towns in Colorado and six other Western states are down 39 percent compared to 2024. Canadian visitors dropped 58 percent from last year.  

The trend has state and local officials concerned about the challenges this creates for mountain communities where visitor spending drives the economy.   

Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins recently wrote about the summer tourism sag. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about what’s driving the decline and how it's impacting local businesses. 

For more on the Colorado economy, check out recent In The NoCo conversations with Jason about how the Trump administration’s tariffs are affecting Colorado’s outdoor businesses and how a new AI-powered commentator and referee could transform how we watch sports. 

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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
Producer: Ariel Lavery
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.

Demon rabbits. Frankenstein bunnies.  Zombie cottontails. 

Phrases like those went viral this week after photos were published of rabbits near Fort Collins that appeared to have horns or tentacles on or around their heads.  

 Wildlife officials say the unusual-looking rabbits aren't a cause for concern. The rabbits suffer from a relatively common virus that's harmless to humans, called rabbit or shope papillomavirus. And although the growths caused by the virus can look gruesome, they often clear up on their own. 

All the attention got us wondering how these cottontails caught this odd disease, why it causes such spooky-looking growths, and how the condition may have inspired the myth of the “jackalope.”  

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose joined Erin O’Toole to dispel some myths about the mostly harmless virus.  

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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
Producer: Ariel Lavery
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 goo and gunk you find in your dishwasher, or in the drip tray underneath your refrigerator, could hold secrets to fighting climate change or reducing pollution. 

That’s according to James Henrickson, a research scientist from Colorado State University. He says your hot water heater, washing machine, and shower are similar to hot springs or volcanic vents on the ocean floor. James studies creatures that can survive in these harsh environments.  

James has traveled the world in search of these organisms, which scientists call extremophiles. Extremophiles can survive by consuming carbon dioxide or toxic chemicals.  

So, James is on a search for new extremophiles that might make the planet healthier. He started a campaign with CitSci, an organization that lets citizen scientists upload their observations and share them with researchers.  

Erin O’Toole spoke with James back in May, and we’re listening back to that conversation today. They discussed how the public might be able to help in the search for extremophiles and why James sees potential in these creatures.

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
Producer: Ariel Lavery
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.

An innovative cancer therapy inspired by the gripping power of geckos might be on the horizon.   

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder studied the microscopic structures on gecko toes that allow the tiny reptiles to climb walls and cling to slippery surfaces like windows.  

That work inspired the development of a new material that could help chemotherapy drugs cling onto tumors, enabling less frequent and more effective treatment – potentially with less discomfort and fewer side effects for patients. The technology is described in the journal Advanced Materials. 

The research began with a focus on bladder cancer, which affects about 85,000 people in the U.S. each year. It’s been in the headlines recently after CU football coach Deion Sanders announced that he’d been treated for it. 

Wyatt Shields is assistant professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at CU Boulder, and part of the team that developed the gecko-inspired material.  

Wyatt spoke with Erin O’Toole about the material, and its potential to change how we treat other diseases in the future.  

Curious about other reptile research? Check out our interview with a scientist studying how python eating habits could one day lead to better treatment of heart disease in humans. 

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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
Producer: Ariel Lavery
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 world’s largest wildlife overpass will soon be open for use in Colorado.  

Wildlife overpasses allow animals to safely cross over highways. And Western states are building more of them to cut down on the number of crashes between vehicles and animals.   

This new overpass is being constructed over a section of I-25 between Denver and Colorado Springs, just north of Monument. Some 80,000 drivers pass through this area daily. But elk, mule deer, and pronghorn also use that area to move between the mountains and the plains. And this stretch of highway averages one vehicle crash involving wildlife every day.   

So, how could this overpass help reduce these dangerous and costly crashes?   

Nicki Frey is a wildlife specialist with Utah State University Extension. She studies wildlife overpasses in the West, but was not involved in planning this one. She joined Erin O’Toole to explain how they work – and why they’re important to wildlife in the ecosystem. 

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
Producer: Ariel Lavery
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 teachers say their students are missing something that helps determine their academic success. They call it grit.  

If a student who struggles with math studies hard and performs well on their math test, that’s grit. If they complete a homework assignment that was tough to finish, that's also grit.   

Erica Breunlin covers education for The Colorado Sun. Since the pandemic, she says teachers have told her they’re seeing less of this core life skill in the classroom – and that’s leading to lower test scores for K-12 students.  

Erica recently wrote about grit, and the strategies some educators and parents have developed to build more of it in their kids. She spoke about it with Erin O’Toole in January. With the new school year starting for many Colorado students this month, 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
Producer: Ariel Lavery
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.

After the death of President Jimmy Carter last December, many of the tributes mentioned his environmental legacy and push for energy-efficient development. And one unusual part of his plan was focused here in Colorado.  

Carter’s administration had backed the design of some experimental homes along the Front Range. They were warmed by the sun and fueled by renewable sources – an exciting idea in the late 1970s.  

John Avenson was paying attention back then, and wanted to live in one of those homes. He got the plans, hired a contractor and built his very own Carter home in Westminster in 1981 – even as Carter’s successor in the White House, President Ronald Reagan, scaled back renewable energy development.  

Avenson still lives in that home today. It’s featured in an episode of the PBS series Heart of a Building, which focuses on innovative building construction.   

Erin O’Toole spoke with Avenson and Heart of a Building host Paul Kreischer in February to learn about life in one of Colorado’s first energy-smart homes. We’re listening back to that conversation today. 

Here’s where to watch the Heart of a Building episode featuring Avenson’s home. 

In the months after this interview, President Trump rolled back many clean energy incentives and tax credits for homeowners and developers with the passage of his budget bill. 

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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
Producer: Ariel Lavery
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 is known as a very dog-friendly state. A recent study by Colorado State University noted that if you’re a pet owner in this state, there’s an 80 percent chance that pet is a dog.    

Colorado is also known for being one of first states to legalize cannabis.  

But the high number of dog lovers plus the state’s long history of legal weed appear to have created a growing trend that worries veterinarians. As cannabis has become more widespread – and more potent – there's been a significant uptick in veterinary emergency calls for dogs who have ingested marijuana. The problem is complicated by edibles – which can be very enticing to a dog.  

Boulder-based journalist Kate Ruder recently wrote about this for the Colorado Sun. She joined Erin O’Toole to discuss the symptoms to watch for, and what veterinarians advise if you think your dog may have eaten cannabis. 

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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
Producer: Ariel Lavery
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.