In The NoCo

Some of Colorado’s state laws share an unusual origin story.   
  
One set aside money to help foster kids attend college. Another provides free menstrual products in schools. A third law funded an awareness program to prevent eating disorders.  

All of these are laws that were designed and proposed by high school students, who actually drafted the language of each bill before legislators ultimately approved them.  

The Colorado Youth Advisory Council, or COYAC, has allowed high school students in the program to meet with lawmakers to discuss issues that affect young people. And those students managed to write seven bills that ultimately were written into law.  

State lawmakers in recent months considered defunding COYAC amid a statewide budget crunch of about $1.2 billion. They ultimately opted to set aside $50,000 in funding so the students can continue to work with lawmakers – although they’ll no longer have the power to draft bills. 

Erin O’Toole spoke with Brenda Morrison, who oversees COYAC, about the program, which began in 2008 as the brainchild of a state legislator from Durango.

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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 clinic in Boulder that was one of only a handful in the country to provide abortions in later pregnancy has closed.  

Dr. Warren Hern, who operated Boulder Abortion Clinic for 50 years, announced earlier this month that he was retiring and that the clinic would stop scheduling patients.  

The closure means one less clinic in Colorado at a time when more women are traveling here from states where abortion care is restricted.    

The doctor didn’t mince words when he spoke with Erin O’Toole on Tuesday. Hern has seen death threats, had bullets fired at his clinic and seen other abortion providers murdered. He spoke at length about running the clinic for a half-century and his thoughts on groups that oppose his work.   

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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.

Casey Fiesler had an intriguing idea for a research project.  

Casey teaches information science and technology at the University of Colorado. And she wanted to create social media content that would help young people understand how artificial intelligence works.

The National Science Foundation, or NSF, liked Casey's proposal too — so much that they approved a grant of about $268,000 to fund the project. The money would help Casey and a small team of researchers create the educational materials. 
 
But that plan ground to a halt two weeks ago when Casey learned the NSF – which is managed by the federal government -- had abruptly canceled the funding.  

It happened at a moment when the Trump administration is killing grants for projects that involved subjects like misinformation and disinformation. The New York Times reported that Casey's grant was one of more than 400 were defunded with little or no explanation. 

Casey talked with Erin O’Toole about how she learned that project was defunded, and why it could have been beneficial for young people. She said the grant’s cancellation is especially surprising since the White House has said education about artificial intelligence should be a priority.

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.

Fatal traffic accidents involving pedestrians are on the rise in Colorado. In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available,135 pedestrians died in Colorado traffic accidents. That’s more than twice as many pedestrians as died in traffic crashes a decade earlier, according to a story from the Colorado Sun.  

But the number of pedestrian deaths has actually decreased in one city. Officials in Boulder reported zero pedestrian deaths in 7 of the past 11 years.   

So what did Boulder do to limit and prevent pedestrian fatalities? And what can other Colorado cities learn from Boulder?  

Erin O’Toole spoke with Wes Marshall, a civil engineering professor with the University of Colorado-Denver and previous In The NoCo guest. Wes wrote a book called Killed By a Traffic Engineer, which explores how traffic designs often fail to keep pedestrians safe.

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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.
 

If you've tried a slew of dieting routines with minimal success – think the Keto Diet, Caveman Diet, or South Beach Diet – a new study says you might have better luck fasting a few days per week.  

University of Colorado researchers recently found that participants who fasted three days each week were more successful at losing weight than participants who followed a reduced-calorie diet every day. The fasting group saw 60 percent more weight loss than the group that reduced its calorie intake every day. 

Victoria Catenacci led the study. She’s an associate professor of endocrinology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about why the three-days-per-week fasting model was helpful for many participants – and why it was an easier plan to stick with. (She also noted that if you have a health condition, it’s important to check with your doctor before adopting a diet like this.)

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.

Recycled wooden barrels. Used steel beams. Reclaimed railroad ties. 

These are the kinds of things you can find at repurposedMATERIALS in Lafayette. The company acquires discarded industrial materials and products and resells them instead of sending them to a landfill.  

Damon Carson founded the business in 2011 after running two trash companies. The Lafeyette location is one of six across the country where he stores his unusual inventory and then ships it off once he finds the right buyer.  

It’s Earth Week, so we’re listening back to a conversation between Damon and In the NoCo’s Brad Turner, recorded in January. Damon explained how he built the company, which he says diverted 15 million pounds of waste from landfills last year. 

Check out a recent profile of the business in The Denver Post.

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.

A growing number of home gardeners are turning to drought-tolerant plantings – think native plants like yucca, milkweed, or yarrow. 

For years, many homeowners’ associations in Colorado didn’t make it easy to install xeric landscaping or water-saving tools like rain barrels.   

But homeowners, state law is on your side.   

In recent years, Colorado legislators passed a handful of laws that make it easier for homeowners to incorporate water-efficient landscaping  without running afoul of their HOA bylaws.  

Deryn Davidson is the statewide sustainable landscape specialist with Colorado State University Extension. She consulted with legislators as some of these policies were being crafted over the past decade.   

Deryn spoke with Erin O’Toole about what the laws cover and why they were needed. 

Read some of CSU Extension’s recommendations for native perennials, shrubs, grasses, and trees. And you can read more about rain barrels 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
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.

Mountain Plovers are a celebrated bird species in parts of Colorado. But if you’ve never seen one, you’re in the majority.  

Mountain Plovers nest on Colorado’s eastern plains and are sometimes referred to as the “prairie ghost” because their sandy-colored plumage makes them hard to spot.  

The annual Mountain Plover Festival in Karval – which begins this Friday – celebrates this bird.   

The festival draws hundreds of visitors each year and owes much of its success to support from local ranchers, who have gotten involved in preserving Mountain Plover habitat. 

Angela Dwyer is a manager for the stewardship program of the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. She joined Erin O’Toole to talk about the ranchers, the festival and the plovers — including why this prairie loving bird has “mountain” in its name.

The sound of Mountain Plovers used in this episode can be found in the Cornel Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library.  

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 health officials are watching with concern as measles cases increase around the country.  

Outbreaks of the highly contagious disease are on the rise in two dozen states. Most of the country’s 800 cases so far are in Texas.  

But the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed three cases in our state so far – and officials there are warning about the potential for measles to spread quickly.

So how do we prevent what’s happening in Texas from happening in Colorado?  

Dr. David Higgins is a pediatrician and preventive medicine specialist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He told Erin O’Toole that healthcare workers in the state should push to get more people vaccinated against measles right now. 

Curious about the MMR vaccination rate in your school district? Find a map 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
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.
 

Housing costs in Colorado’s mountain resort towns are so high that many workers can’t afford an apartment or room in the towns where they do their jobs.  

In Summit County, dozens of workers opt for an unusual solution. They pay $75 a month for a pass that lets them sleep in their car in a parking lot in Frisco.   

The nonprofit Unsheltered In Summit runs the Summit Safe Parking Program. The program manages the parking lot and provides a portable toilet and trash disposal. Tenants in the lot must show a pay stub that proves they work in the area. 

The New York Times has reported it’s the only program of its kind in the country. 

Paul Minjares lives in one of these lots and helps manage it as a paid employee. He screens applicants and keeps an eye on what’s happening from day to day. He first heard about the program after he’d lost his apartment and started sleeping in his car. 

Paul joined Erin O'Toole to talk about what makes this program work – and what it’s like to call the parking lot home.

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.