In The NoCo

If you're like most people, you've probably gotten at least one alert over the years saying that your mobile phone or favorite tablet is being put out to pasture.  

It's that moment when the tech company behind the product is no longer supporting or updating the technology. That's often when you're forced to buy a newer (and more expensive) version. 

A Colorado consumer group says this is unfair -- and they want consumers to have a say. The group, called CoPIRG, argues that consumers deserve ongoing support for a product they purchase. And the advocates say if tech companies won't listen, they'll ask lawmakers to enforce it through legislation. 

The group recently held a mock funeral with headstones and eulogies for older devices and operating systems that are no longer being supported.  

Reporter Michael Booth wrote about this issue recently for the Colorado Sun. He spoke with Erin O'Toole about what's behind the movement. 

And check out Michael's reporting on a recent legal settlement with John Deere to give farmers and ranchers the right to repair their tractors and other farm equipment.  

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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.

Some Colorado ski resort managers are trying a new strategy as they recover from an unusually warm and dry winter, in hopes of making next season better. 

The concept is called snow storage. Basically, resorts gather piles of leftover snow from the end of ski season and shield them from the sun and heat. The hope is that most of that snow will make it through the summer – and translate into a solid base of snow when the next ski season begins later this year. 

So, what makes snow storage possible? And does it actually work? 

Reporter Betsy Welch recently saw examples of snow storage in action and wrote about it for the Colorado Sun. She joined Erin O'Toole to talk about whether it's a source for hope as resorts cope with a warmer climate and less snow. 

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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.

Nearly one in five new moms experiences anxiety or depression during pregnancy or after giving birth. These conditions can lead to difficulty bonding with a newborn, or a higher risk of suicide, if left untreated.   

But a new experimental treatment is giving some researchers hope. It's a psychoactive substance derived from mushrooms called luvesilocin. 

In a recent set of FDA trials, a single dose of luvesilocin turned out to be highly effective – and worked more quickly – in improving patients' postpartum depression and anxiety.  

Dr. Camille Hoffman is an OB-GYN and Professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz. She helped oversee an early clinical study of luvesilocin, and wrote about it for The Conversation.  

Hoffman spoke with Erin O'Toole about what researchers found, and why luvesilocin may be a promising alternative to psychotherapy or prescription drugs that are often used to treat postpartum depression. 

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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.

Summer is a great time to see Colorado by car.   

And this summer in particular, with high fuel prices pushing up airfares, more Coloradans may decide to keep their summer vacation plans a little more local.  

Many Colorado highways provide stunning alpine views, scenic forests, wildflowers and waterfalls, and a connection to the state’s historic communities and culture.  

Today on In The NoCo, we present a few interesting drives for your summer to-do list. Lenore Bates, manager of the state’s Colorado Byways program, joined Erin O’Toole to share some recommendations for where to take a drive this summer.   

This summer, Colorado Byways released free, downloadable audio tours for 10 of the state’s historic drives – including some we mentioned in the episode, like the Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway or the Top of the Rockies Byway. 

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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.

A poison control center is the place to call if your child accidentally swallows something dangerous, like paint or a detergent pod.   

But the Rocky Mountain Poison Center based in Denver also tracks the things that poison Coloradans. It monitors prescription drug misuse, tracks new substances Coloradans might ingest and helps hospitals treat venomous snake bites. 

Dr. Richard Dart first led the center, which serves Colorado and three other western states, in 1992. In the decades that followed, he saw many changes, from how the center handles phone calls to how it trains the next generation of toxicologists. 

Earlier this year, Dr. Dart announced his retirement. Ahead of that, he spoke with Erin O’Toole about how the things that sicken or kill Coloradans have changed in recent decades – and what drew him to this unusual line of work. We’re listening back to that conversation today. 

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out our interview with Stephen Mackessy, a researcher at the University of Northern Colorado who’s part of an international team developing more effective, less costly antivenom to treat venomous snake bites. 

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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.

Do your eyes sting? Is your throat sore? Is it happening pretty regularly this summer? 

You're not alone. It's already been a grueling wildfire season across Colorado: thousands of acres burned, hundreds of structures destroyed, three firefighters dead and a helicopter pilot lost in a fatal crash over the weekend. 

But even if you're not that close to a wildfire, the secondhand effects of wildfire season are real.  

Delphine Farmer is a chemistry professor at Colorado State University who specializes in air quality.  She shared a few tips on how to respond when the air in your neighborhood turns hazy and smells smokey.  

Check out our previous interview with Delphine about how chemicals in your home can affect your respiratory health. Delphine also recommends checking out AirNow.gov for local air quality updates.

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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 winter sport Nordic combined requires intense effort. Athletes launch themselves off towering ski jumps – then push their endurance in cross-country ski racing the same day. 

But the women's Nordic combined team in Steamboat Springs got attention in recent years for a different kind of effort. They called for a chance to compete in the Winter Olympics.  

Men have competed in the sport in the Olympics since 1924, but women's Nordic combined had never been part of the Games. 

Colorado lawmakers even got involved earlier this year, sending a letter urging the International Olympic Committee to keep the event – and include women.  

Which made this week’s news from the Olympic committee especially tough to hear: Nordic combined is being eliminated altogether for the 2030 Winter Games. 

KUNC’s Emma VandenEinde has been following this story. She joined Erin O’Toole to explain what’s behind the Olympic committee’s decision, and what’s next for the sport in Colorado.

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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.

Colorado recently reached a major clean energy milestone: In the first three months of this year, the majority of its electricity – 53 percent – came from renewable sources, like wind, solar and geothermal.  

That's according to an article from the news website Big Pivots. And it marks a significant step toward Colorado's goal of getting to 100% emission-free electricity by the year 2050. 

 But despite hitting this threshold, energy officials say the most challenging part of the transition may still lie ahead — and big questions remain about how to keep the grid reliable while keeping costs down.   

To learn more, we spoke with Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, who has led the state’s clean energy strategy since 2019.  

He talked with Erin O’Toole about how Colorado reached this point — and what it will take to get all the way to 100% renewable energy. 

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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.

A discovery by paleontologists working in Colorado is giving scientists a slightly revised history of primates. That’s the group of mammals that includes apes – and humans.  

Scientists working at Corral Bluffs near Colorado Springs recently discovered tiny teeth and bone fragments belonging to a species called Purgatorius.  

Purgatorius was an early and distant cousin of humans. It thrived 65 million years ago  – not  long after an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. Purgatorius fossils had never been found as far south as Colorado before this recent dig. And scientists say the discovery suggests that, once dinosaurs were out of the picture, mammals may have thrived more quickly – and over a wider swath of the planet – than previously understood. 

Jordan Crowell is a postdoctoral fellow with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science who worked with dozens of volunteers and other scientists on the dig near Colorado Springs. He spoke with Erin O’Toole in March about what they found, and why scientists are excited by the discovery. 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
 
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.

Drive through some communities in Colorado, and your movements may be monitored by a network of cameras that track your license plate. Police say they use these cameras to respond to crime and track down suspects. 

A company called Flock Safety operates dozens of these cameras in Boulder, Denver and Fort Collins. They’ve quietly photographed millions of cars over the last year.  And right now, these cities are grappling with the question of whether these cameras help fight crime – or are an abuse of privacy and civil liberties.  

In June, Fort Collins City Council voted to cancel its contract with Flock Safety. Denver leaders announced in February they would not renew the city’s contract with Flock. Meanwhile, officials in Boulder are also considering dropping  Flock cameras after public opposition.   

To better understand the debate, we reached out to Steven Keener. He’s an assistant professor of criminology at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. Keener studies the use of Flock cameras across the U.S., including their effect on crime reduction and concerns over how the data is shared. 

He joined Erin O’Toole earlier this year to discuss how Flock data has been used by law enforcement, as well as some of the philosophical objections to the cameras.  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
 
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.