In The NoCo

Comedian and writer Stephanie Sprenger bares all in her comedy.  

Through her standup, the Arvada resident broaches subjects that might make people blush -- but are very real portrayals of life as a middle-aged single mom. She jokes about topics like menopause, potty breaks and divorce. 

Stephanie is part of a group of four comedians and four storytellers performing this Thursday in Lafayette at an event called “Reclamation: The Fempire Strikes Back.”  

She spoke with host Erin O’Toole about what inspires her comedy and how she came to standup relatively late in life. 

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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.

As much as 40 percent of the homes in some Colorado mountain resorts sit unoccupied for much of the year. And housing is in such short supply in communities like Breckenridge or Steamboat Springs that many workers find themselves living in hotels, rather than a house or apartment.

Leaders in a coalition of ski towns called the Colorado Association of Ski Towns, or CAST, are asking lawmakers for a new tool to address the housing shortage. They want the ability to discourage those homeowners, who let their properties sit empty, from doing so.

And one way they might do that is by taxing those unoccupied homes.

Revenue from those taxes could then fund affordable housing programs and cut down on vacant homes.

Host Erin O’Toole spoke with Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins, who has been covering this story.

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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 2024 Olympics are underway in Paris. And for the first time, breaking is an official part of the Games.  

Breaking (or breakdancing as it’s sometimes called) originated in the Bronx during the 1970s, growing within the larger spectrum of hip-hop culture. But it’s more than just the music, the rhythms, and the athletic, visually stunning moves. There's a deep history and culture that surrounds the art - and sport - of breaking. 

Rennie Harris is an artist-in-residence at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he’s the co-director of Hip-hop Studies. He spoke with host Erin O’Toole about what makes breaking such a unique and dynamic art form... and about what to watch for when 32 B-boys and B-girls from around the globe compete for Olympic gold.  

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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.

Coloradans in recent weeks have seen a barrage of evacuation notices and news updates about four major wildfires along the Front Range. Beyond the ever–changing tallies of acres burned or the latest containment numbers, we wanted to see a wildfire from a fire chief’s perspective – from the first visible plumes of smoke, to when evacuees return home.  

Rob Stumpf leads the Lyons Fire Protection District. He and more than 200 firefighters spent days working to contain the Stone Canyon fire near Lyons. That blaze, which sparked on July 30, triggered evacuations, burned five structures and is linked to one death. The cause of the wildfire is under investigation. On Sunday, crews announced they had fully contained the blaze. 

Stumpf has worked on many wildfires in his 27 years as a firefighter. And while the temperatures were brutal, he noted the unusual terrain was a large part of what made the Stone Canyon Fire so dangerous. He spoke with host Erin O’Toole by phone from the firehouse in Lyons. 

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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.

Geothermal is having a moment in the spotlight. It hasn’t gotten the attention that wind and solar have as the ‘powerhouses’ of Colorado’s electric grid. But energy officials say it’s time for the state to start building up other sources – including tapping the heat that’s under our feet. 

The state is offering grants and tax credits to support research into new geothermal projects, with the goal of bringing some small- and large-scale projects online in the coming years. Some projects already underway, such as the geothermal system at Colorado Mesa University, are expanding. 

With all this activity happening, we wanted to understand more about why geothermal has the potential to help reduce energy costs and stabilize the electric grid.  

Will Toor is Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office, which oversees the state’s geothermal energy grant program.  He spoke with host Erin O’Toole about why the state is upping its investments in this renewable energy source. 

 
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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.

Four major wildfires burned along the front range in the last week. One person reportedly died in the Stone Canyon Fire. Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes and dozens of structures were lost in the four fires.  

While fire is a normal part of the ecosystem of the mountain west, fires that push into urban areas are destructive to those landscapes. The effects of urban fires, known as urban conflagrations, can have long-term effects on our waterways' local ecology.  

Host Stephanie Daniel speaks with Dr Lauren Magliozzi, PhD candidate in the University of Colorado Boulder’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and Civil and Environmental Engineering. They discuss what we should be looking for in the water after a major wildfire.

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 SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Ash is a cute yellow lab with a very big job.  

She is Colorado’s newest employee in the Division of Fire Prevention & Control. Ash started on July 1 as the Division’s newest accelerant detector tool -- meaning she can sniff out if something suspicious was used to start a fire. Her powerful nose can help determine a fire’s cause, often more effectively than a mechanical device. And right now, she’s the sole canine detection tool for the entire state’s fire prevention division.  

Host Erin O’Toole sat in on a training session and sat down to talk with Ash’s handler, Matt Morgan, who is also a fire investigator with the Division of Fire Prevention and Control. They discussed Ash’s training, her apt ability for detecting scents, and her role as a therapy dog for fire victims.  

Colorado is home to world class skiing, with dozens of public resorts open to skiers of all levels -- and incomes. Private ski resorts – which tend to cater to the ultra-wealthy – are practically nonexistent here. 

But a newly proposed private resort could add to Colorado’s short list. 

Stagecoach Mountain Ranch would create an exclusive enclave of multi-million dollar luxury homes in Routt County.  The area, near Steamboat Springs, was once home to a small ski area back in the 1970s. Now, an Arizona-based developer wants to turn those 6,600 acres into a private ski area and golf course. This concerns some nearby residents, who worry the project will change the nature of their quiet community. 

Host Erin O’Toole spoke with Jason Blevins, who covers the ski industry and the outdoors for The Colorado Sun. They discussed the history of private resorts in the West and whether this development might open the floodgates for more of these private ski areas in Colorado. 

Jason mentioned ghost ski areas across Colorado. Read more 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.
 

Architecture can provoke a powerful emotional response in us. Perhaps you've stopped on a sidewalk to stare up in wonder at a massive skyscraper... or stepped inside a beautifully designed building and felt a sense of peace or inspiration.  

But the reaction to a building isn’t always positive -- particularly for people who have experienced trauma. Buildings that resemble schools, hospitals, or jails – can make a person feel helpless or anxious.  

A relatively new movement in architecture considers this throughout the creation process. ‘Trauma-informed’ design thoughtfully incorporates elements that help people feel welcomed and safe. And it’s a key component in a new youth shelter opened by Denver nonprofit Urban Peak.  

The ‘Mothership,’ as it’s called, will serve young people between the ages of 12 and 24 experiencing homelessness. The 136-bed facility offers not only a place to sleep, but supportive amenities like a garden, computer lab, and a full-service kitchen that will offer cooking lessons. And the building itself is designed to help its residents feel empowered. 

Chad Holtzinger is the founder of Shopworks Architecture, the firm behind the facility’s innovative design. He joined host Erin O’Toole to share more about the roughly $38 million project -- which is set to start welcoming youth in early to mid- August. 

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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.

Many people in Colorado bought homes or refinanced during the pandemic,  when interest rates were at historic lows. Now, they feel trapped by that low mortgage rate. They might want to sell and move, but can’t afford to buy elsewhere, with interest rates at much higher levels than four years ago.   

The problem has been dubbed 'mortgage handcuffs.' 

This dilemma isn’t unique to Colorado, but it appears the problem is worse here than in any other state in the country, according to a recent article in the Denver Post. 

Host Erin O’Toole sat down with Libby Levinson-Katz - chair of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors market trends committee, and a realtor with Kentwood Real Estate out of Denver - to explain how we got here and where we might be headed. 

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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.