June 16, 2025: DOJ wants Colorado’s election records; A new way to measure snowpack by air to help water planners
The Justice Department wants Colorado’s voting records. We ask the Secretary of State and the head of Colorado’s County Clerks about the request and the reasons. Then, a new way to measure snowpack from the air could help waters planners make sure there’s enough to go around. Plus, the debate over the sale of federal public lands, how the land is managed, and cuts to staffing. Also, Colorado Wonders about coal trains. And later, a whole bunch of Ryans will descend on Coors Field.
Is your name Ryan? There’s a meetup for you. Brians need not attend
The nationwide Ryan Meetup descends on Denver this weekend. As many Ryans as possible will gather at Coors Field Friday whent the Colorado Rockies play the ARYzona Diamondbacks. (Sorry. Terrible joke.) Our own Ryan — Ryan Warner — speaks with organizer Ryan Fisher about this exceptional gathering of unexceptionally named people.
June 13, 2025: On Jewish life in the US today in all its beauty, anxiety, and complexity
About the same time a man shot flames at Jewish people in Boulder, Rabbi Caryn Aviv hit “send” on the final draft of her new book, “Unlearning Jewish Anxiety.” Aviv is the spiritual leader of Judaism Your Way in Denver and Boulder. Previously she taught Israel-Palestine studies at a university level. Rabbi Aviv is also Sr. Host Ryan Warner’s rabbi.
A Rabbi reflects: Boulder attack ‘presses all the Jewish anxiety buttons about our safety and belonging’
Rabbi Caryn Aviv finished her book “Unlearning Jewish Anxiety” the same day as a firebomb attack on Pearl Street. She also reflects on the terms antisemitic and anti-Zionist.
June 11, 2025: What a new medical school means for rural healthcare; A top Northern Colorado tourist spot blossoms
Colorado Matters travels to Northern Colorado, as crews in Greeley build the state’s third medical school. How it could ease the physician shortage. Then, we visit the test gardens that help determine which plants you find in your local nursery. And a commencement speech at CSU from a budding documentarian who defies cultural expectations.
Colorado is getting a third medical school. Rural communities will benefit, says its dean
The UNC College of Osteopathic Medicine’s first class is expected next year. Founding Dean Dr. Beth Longenecker shares what will set this new school apart and how it aims to address Colorado’s physician shortage – especially in rural communities.
June 9, 2025: The bestselling novel ‘Go As a River’ weaves an engrossing tale of a watery ghost town
As a girl growing up in Gunnison, Shelley Read swam in Blue Mesa Reservoir. And she knew of the watery ghost town just beneath her. That ultimately led to her writing about it; the novel, now a global bestseller, is called “Go As A River.” A Turn the Page encore. And it’s not just about the disappearance of the town of Iola, Colorado. Then, students creating a workforce for climate resiliency. And, Colorado Wonders why some holders of annual state park passes may have to pay an extra fee to enter.
June 6, 2025: The challenge of tracking federal cuts; Festival Flamboyan creates connection
“The Impact Project” is a tool to track and display cuts to federal agencies; we speak with the founding director. Then, an update on the survivors and the suspect in Sunday’s firebomb attack in Boulder. Plus, a nationally renowned Colorado theater company that makes theater-going more accessible adapts in the face of canceled grants. And Festival Flamboyan is a first-of-its-kind event that hopes to connect Coloradans.
June 4, 2025: A Hiroshima survivor remembers; Challenges for Colorado jobseekers; Thriving with diabetes
Hiroshima survivor Tamayo Terada welcomed us into her Denver home, as her adult children gathered round. Less than a month after that gathering, Terada passed away. Then, advice for jobseekers in uncertain times. Plus, a Colorado woman’s half-century journey with diabetes. And, Colorado country music, according to The Barlow.
Remembering Hiroshima survivor Tamayo Terada, of Denver
Tamayo Terada likely survived the atomic attack on Hiroshima because of a scheduling fluke. She welcomed Sr. Host Ryan Warner into her Denver home, surrounded by her adult children. Shortly after their meeting, Terada passed away. Ryan has this remembrance, now 80 years after the bombing.
June 2, 2025: Attorney General Phil Weiser says Boulder attack is ‘personal’; A shift in immigration protocols?
The Jewish holiday of Shavuot, when Jewish people celebrate the gift of the Torah – the Hebrew bible, was marred by violence as eight people were attacked Sunday in Boulder. Attorney General Phil Weiser provided an update on the latest developments. Then, have immigration protocols shifted from finding criminals to stopping those following the current guidelines? Also, oil companies aren’t always complying with fracking laws. And, how cancelling millions of dollars in grants has impacted addressing environmental inequities.
May 30, 2025: We are starved for stars, says outdoor writer Craig Childs
Eighty percent of the world’s population can’t see the Milky Way. Light pollution interferes. Author and adventurer Craig Childs, of Norwood, Colorado, writes about a trek from light to dark in his new book. “The Wild Dark” takes readers from the incandescense of Las Vegas to the spangled skies of rural Nevada.
May 28, 2025: Investigating ‘welfare checks’ of migrant children; Colorado Symphony and Lettuce mix it up
Federal agents have been knocking on doors in Colorado; n the other side of those doors: kids who crossed the border illegally and alone. CPR Justice reporter Allison Sherry brings us her investigation, a story she broke. Then, could the BLM relocate to Colorado, again? Also, a the case of a Grand Junction man convicted in deadly pipe bombings; we talk with the Innocence Project about faulty forensic science. And later, an unexpected collaboration from the Colorado Symphony, this time with Denver funk band Lettuce.
May 23, 2025: Polis on a bevy of lawsuits, federal budget cuts; Severe weather season tears through Colorado
“Cruel” and “disastrous” is how Gov. Jared Polis describes the US House’s budget plan. Meanwhile, Colorado cities sue him over housing requirements. Also, Polis on immigration and a pedestrian bridge proposed at the State Capitol. Then, a destructive start to severe weather season. Later, how two rafting companies navigate tariffs. And Joe Cocker joins the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He found inner peace in Colorado.
Polis says House budget bill would be ‘disastrous’ for Colorado
In an interview with Colorado Matters, the governor discussed how the so-called ‘big, beautiful bill’ will affect Colorado, plus a lawsuit he faces over housing policy.
May 21, 2025: ‘Countdown’ examines how the U.S. is updating its ‘geriatric’ nuclear arsenal
This country’s nuclear arsenal is “geriatric.” And many of the people who maintain it are heading towards retirement. Plus, the agency that oversees the nuclear arsenal has not been immune to the possibility of federal staffing cuts. Colorado science writer Sarah Scoles examines the future of nuclear defense in her book, “Countdown: The Blinding Future of Nuclear Weapons.”
