In The NoCo

Colorado has some of the best camping in the country, and Coloradans love their weekends in the wilderness. But does a night in the outdoors become daunting when kids are in the picture? 

Boulder author Helen Olsson doesn’t think so. She just rereleased her book The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids. It’s full of unexpected tips on things like how to curb whining, along with fun anecdotes from her own family adventures.  

In The NoCo host Erin O’Toole spoke with Olsson about being in the wilderness with her brood and why she thinks more families should embrace camping. 

Not that long ago, some doctors would use lobotomies as a treatment for mental illness... or insomnia... or severe headaches. That wouldn’t happen now. But modern medicine has taken some weird, often tragic turns to get to where it is now. 

Author Wesley Marshall argues that there’s a similarity between the science behind our transportation systems and these outdated practices in medicine and psychiatry. And, he says it’s time for a wakeup call.  

Marshall, who teaches civil engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, thinks the way our streets and highways are designed contributes to tens of thousands of unnecessary crashes and deaths each year.  

He recently published his research and ideas in a provocatively titled book, Killed By a Traffic Engineer.

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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

People who come to Estes Park marvel at the sights they see... Longs Peak on the horizon... the Stanley Hotel above town... herds of elk just about everywhere.  

And on Elkhorn Avenue in the heart of downtown, curious onlookers gather on the sidewalk to watch the hypnotic movements of the mechanical taffy puller in the window of The Taffy Shop.  

Now, more people are checking out the iconic shop after it was named Best Candy Store in the country by USA Today in June. 

The independent, family-owned store has essentially made one type of candy since it opened in 1935. The original saltwater taffy recipe is a closely guarded secret -- and is still used today, said Mark Igel, who bought the business in 2014 from the original owners. 

“It’s funny, because my first impression was, how can there be a saltwater taffy shop in a Colorado mountain town?” Igel recalled about his first visit to the store as a customer. “Until you know what saltwater taffy really is, and that we can have the best saltwater taffy in the country, here in Colorado. It’s not salt or water, it's not the ocean; it's the way that you make the candy.” 

Mark Igel joined host Erin O’Toole to share more about what it's been like to be recognized nationally... and why tradition is such an important ingredient in everything they do. 

We mention The Taffy Shop’s online taffy cam at the end of the episode – you can find that soothing livestream 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.

Rodeo is a popular sport all summer long across Colorado and the West. There are large events like the Greeley Stampede or Cheyenne Frontier Days in June and July. And lots of other towns have their own rodeos, from Estes Park to Granby to Steamboat Springs.  

Of course, anyone can buy a ticket and head to the rodeo – but what else should you know if you’re new to this world?   

To help answer that question, we reached out to Abe Morris.  Abe is a former professional bull rider who lives in Denver. He also spent nine years as a broadcast commentator for Cheyenne Frontier Days. And he encourages people who are on the fence to just go and experience the rodeo – no cowboy boots or hat needed. 

“I think once you go to a rodeo and you see a good bull riding event or something like that, you're going to keep going. You're going to become a fan for life.” 

Abe Morris joined host Erin O’Toole to share his perspective and insights on rodeo culture. 

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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.

For many veterans, Independence Day can be a hard day.   

Celebrating America’s birthday typically comes with booming, colorful blasts of fireworks. We don’t talk about it a lot, but for veterans with PTSD, that can be a struggle. It can remind them of combat or other traumatic experiences from their time in the military.  

“We often have veterans who describe, regretfully, dreading this time of year,” says Dr. Mandy Rabenhorst-Bell, PTSD program manager with the VA healthcare system serving Eastern Colorado. “Although they love the celebration and maybe used to find this a very joyful time of year, now they don't -- and find that they no longer kind of approach it with the same sense of joy and wonder as they once did.” 

She joins host Erin O’Toole to give a glimpse at what the Fourth of July is like for those with PTSD – and how friends, family and neighbors can help support them.   

Find more information and resources for PTSD from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs here. 

Limiting the carbon emissions of a new home or office, long before anyone lives or works in it -- that’s the goal of a key piece of Boulder’s new energy code that will take effect later this year.   

Typically, people looking to reduce the carbon footprint of their home might install a heat pump or add solar panels. But those improvements could take years to substantially reduce a building’s carbon output. That’s why Boulder officials looking to fight climate change are embracing a concept called ‘embodied carbon.’ 

Embodied carbon looks at the components that make up a new building or major renovation project -- things like concrete foundations and insulation. And the concept considers the carbon emissions created by manufacturing and delivery of those materials.   

Boulder City Council member Lauren Folkerts is an architect who pushed for the new guidelines. She joined Erin O’Toole to discuss the impact she hopes they’ll have in Boulder – and on a larger scale.   

Read more about the embodied carbon incentives from the Boulder Reporting Lab here.

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.

There’s no getting around it: it’s really, really hot on Colorado’s Front Range right now.  

According to the National Weather Service, the Denver metro area typically sees about 45 days each summer when the temperature hits 90 degrees or hotter. And that’s when many homeowners wish for a more resilient lawn. 

Allisa Linfield is a horticulturist with Colorado State University extension. She and the other lawn and garden experts there spend a lot of time researching the science of creating a more drought-tolerant yard.  

A lawn makeover is a daunting project for most homeowners to tackle all at once, so Allisa joined ITN’s executive producer Brad Turner to share some guidelines for creating a more resilient yard – one small step at a time. 

There are dozens of climbing routes on the famous Flatirons in Boulder. Until recently, all of the routes on those monumental rock formations were installed, or mapped out, by men. That changed recently when two female climbers collaborated to install a new route on a section of the Flatirons known as The Maiden formation. 

Lynn Hill and Sasha DiGiulian are at very different points in their climbing careers, but they came together to create this unprecedented route.

The route, and why it matters to the climbing community, is also explored in a new documentary called Here to Climb, focused on DiGiulian's developing career.

DiGiulian began her career in climbing gyms when she was six and quickly began winning many competitions at a young age. Lynn is a veteran climber, who became famous as the first person – male or female – to scale an area on Yosemite's El Capitan called The Nose, unassisted.

Who is allowed to vote in a resort town’s election when a large chunk of the town’s homeowners are not full-time residents? And how does it change the equation if many of the town’s homes are owned by private companies, rather than individuals? 

These are questions that periodically come up in resort areas like Aspen or Vail. And leaders in Mountain Village, located above Telluride, are debating these issues now.  

The town’s charter already allows people who own property in Mountain Village, but don’t live there year-round, to vote in municipal elections. It’s currently the only town in Colorado that lets nonresidents have a say in local races on issues like new regulations or taxes. Now the town board is studying whether Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) – which own hundreds of homes in Mountain Village – should also get to vote. 

Jason Blevins has been covering the debate for The Colorado Sun. He joined host Erin O’Toole to unpack the issue – and what it says about the tension between residents in resort towns and the tourism business that traditionally shaped the local economy. 

You’ve probably seen 3D printing used to create objects out of plastic – things like toys or chess pieces. A company that recently moved its headquarters to Greeley thinks that one day your new home might be created with 3D printing. And they want Greeley to be a major global hub for this approach to construction.

Alquist 3D was founded by Zack Manheimme. Alquist is the first company in the U.S. to build a lived-in 3D printed home. They use a process called concrete printing construction,  meaning they build houses one thin layer of concrete at a time. 

Alquist says it’s faster, and should eventually cost less, than traditional homebuilding, which makes it a potential strategy to reduce housing shortages. 

Alquist already has a location in Greeley. Starting in August, the company will partner with Aims Community College on a new program to train students in the design and manufacturing of concrete printing construction.  

Zack Mannheimer spoke with host Erin O'Toole about his company’s unique construction process, and how his creative background led him to think about solutions to the housing crisis.