In The NoCo

This year marks the 250th birthday of the United States – and it’s also the 150th anniversary of Colorado becoming a state.  But it was not an easy journey to get there. 

In December 1875, a group of 39 elected delegates from the Colorado Territory gathered in a brick building in Denver. Their mission was to lay out a constitutional framework for the state of Colorado – on a very tight deadline. 

There had been four previous attempts at statehood, and Congress had given these delegates an ultimatum: If they couldn’t write and pass a constitution by July 1876, Colorado would not become a state. 

The newest season of KUNC's podcast The Colorado Dream explores some of the most impactful and historic moments in Colorado’s history – including its complicated journey to statehood.   

Stephanie Daniel is the host of The Colorado Dream. She joined Erin O’Toole to share more about the show and what to expect from the latest season.  

New episodes of The Colorado Dream: Happy Birthday are available each Monday through July 29.  

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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.

Headlines and video images from across Colorado and the West this week illustrate a brutal reality: Wildfires are deadly – and so is the work of fighting them. 

News of three casualties in the Snyder Fire west of Grand Junction drove home that sentiment earlier this week. Three wildland firefighters who to traveled to Colorado died fighting the blaze.  

So today on In The NoCo, we’re looking at the story from a different angle. We want to hear about how wildland firefighters protect themselves in the worst of circumstances.  

Timothy Ingalsbee is a former wildland firefighter based in Oregon. He’s now executive director of the nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology.  

He talked with Erin O’Toole about the tools and techniques firefighters use to give themselves a fighting chance in a deadly scenario.  

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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.

If you ask a wildlife official – moose are relatively new arrivals to Colorado. 

In the late 1970s, wildlife managers released two dozen moose captured in other states into Routt National Forest near Walden. Before that, moose may have occasionally wandered in and out of Colorado, but didn’t have a permanent home here, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s official moose webpage. 

But a researcher at the University of Colorado says that history is all wrong – and that moose have been part of Colorado’s ecosystem for centuries.  

William Taylor is an archeologist and associate professor of Anthropology at CU Boulder. He studied moose remains, along with Indigenous and historical records, that suggest moose roamed Colorado long before their reintroduction in the ‘70s. The research was recently published in the Journal of Biogeography. 

William joined Erin O’Toole to talk about the research and the questions it raises about the right way to treat the roughly 3,500 moose in Colorado 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.

Colorado leaders have a unique plan to make cheaper prescription drugs available. It’s starting to move forward after seven years in development – but the chances of success are uncertain.  

Governor Jared Polis says Americans are getting “ripped off” when it comes to prescription drug prices. And he's looking to Canada to help remedy the situation. The plan calls for importing drugs from Canada, where prices are lower. 

The project just passed a key milestone for approval from federal regulators. But it still has some major hurdles to clear before it actually lowers the price of what’s in your medicine cabinet.  

John Ingold covers healthcare for the Colorado Sun, and wrote about the plan. He joined Erin O’Toole to talk about how the plan would work – and its long odds of success. 

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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.

Wilderness areas are designed partly to let people escape the sounds of civilization – to get away from noise like traffic.  

But a handful of recent decisions by Trump administration officials could bring a more jarring sound into wilderness areas in Colorado and other western states: the sound of chainsaws ripping through timber.  

That's something that was prohibited for decades. But officials recently said they'd allow the use of chainsaws to remove fallen trees that were blocking trails in Idaho.   

So, does this mean we can expect the sound of chainsaws while hiking in Eagle's Nest Wilderness near Frisco, or Mount Zirkel Wilderness near Steamboat Springs? And why does it matter if we hear mechanical noise in a wilderness area?  

Rachel Cohen is KUNC’s reporter for the Mountain West News Bureau. She’s been following the story, and joined Erin O’Toole to talk about why it’s causing a stir now.

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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's Western Slope is famous for the fruit that’s grown there. Cherries, apples, and peaches are a staple of farmers' markets. 

But Colorado is also famous for wild, unpredictable weather. And this past April, a spring freeze devastated many of the western slopes' fruit orchards. Some growers saw total losses of this year's crops.  

We wanted to know how fruit growers survive, and keep their farmstands stocked, after a devastating freeze like that one. 

So, we reached out to Harrison Topp to learn more. He’s a co-owner of Topp Fruits – a family farm that grows peaches, apples and cherries in Paonia and Hotchkiss. That April 17 freeze wiped out their entire crop. But the season won’t be a total loss, thanks to a partnership with another farm, Rancho Durazno, in Palisade. 

He spoke with Erin O’Toole about how this unusual relationship will allow both operations to still have a presence at farm stands this summer, despite the devastation to his crops. 

You can find Topp Fruits at stands this summer at the Lafayette Farmers Market, and in Denver at the City Park and Harvey Park Farmers Markets. 

Rancho Durazno will also be at markets in Boulder, Longmont and the Larimer County Farmers Market. 

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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.

Scientists have a new tool in the fight to eradicate a fish that’s been causing havoc in some of Colorado’s mountain streams.   

Brook trout are a nonnative species introduced in the state more than a century ago. They breed prolifically and edge out many native fish species for food and other resources.  Over the decades, "brookies" have steadily pushed out Colorado's native cutthroat trout.  

Now, scientists and wildlife officials are trying a new approach that involves altering the very biology of the brook trout.    

Reporter Michael Booth covers the environment for the Colorado Sun. He joined Erin O’Toole to talk about this new strategy to restore some native ecosystems – and how it’s already shown promising results. 

CLARIFICATION: We want to clarify a couple points from our recent interview about Colorado Parks and Wildlife working to remove brook trout from Colorado streams. First, the brook trout are being removed from some, but not all, Colorado streams to preserve the native cutthroat trout. Second, a Parks and Wildlife representative stressed that the trout with two YY chromosomes are created through selective breeding and hormone treatment -- meaning they're not genetically modified, in the way the term is typically used. 

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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.

 
Since 1960, the National Repertory Orchestra has brought talented college-aged musicians to Colorado to practice the art of playing in an ensemble.  

Each season, about 80 young musicians are selected to join the NRO in Breckenridge. They spend eight weeks rehearsing and performing in Summit County. Many of them go on to pursue careers in professional orchestras across the country.  

 
To get a glimpse behind the scenes at this unusual – and influential – summer orchestra, Erin O’Toole spoke last year with Michael Stern, their music director and conductor. He shared what makes a summer in the National Repertory Orchestra a formative experience. As the NRO’s new season gets underway, we’re listening back to that conversation today. 

Performances for the NRO’s 2026 season run through Aug. 8.  

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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 new stage production in Longmont and Boulder examines the displacement of Black residents. 

In the 1950s, thousands of Black families in Indianapolis were pushed out when their neighborhood was destroyed to make way for the expansion of a university.   

That area, known as Indiana Avenue, had been a thriving community, with Black-owned businesses, churches and newspapers. 

A new play, 13 Fires, is a historical drama that explores one family’s experience. They live in a shack with carboard partitions. A severe winter storm is coming in. They’re worried about staying warm. 

13 Fires premieres at the Longmont Theatre Company tonight, and at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder starting Wednesday. Curtis K. Rogers wrote the play and spoke with In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole about it. He now lives in Boulder, but grew up in Indianapolis.

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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.

This might be the end for text messages from the school lunchroom and Instagram pics from the hallways. At least if students follow the rules.
 
Denver Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, announced last week it's banning cell phones, smart watches and other devices during the school day. Previously, different schools in DPS had different policies on when or if to allow kids to use devices. 

A growing number of Colorado school districts have enacted bans similar to the new DPS policy — or are considering them right now. That’s partly because state lawmakers ordered every district to set a policy on mobile device use by July 1. 
 
So how did school officials in Denver arrive at a bell-to-bell prohibition on phones? And what factors are different districts weighing as they consider their own policies? 
 
Reporter Melanie Asmar heard from parents, students and educators while reporting on the story for Chalkbeat Colorado. She talked with In The NoCo's Brad Turner about what she learned.