‘Wild Child’ Author: 7 Minutes Outside A Day Isn’t Enough For Kids
“We need to move forward into a future that is rich in both technology and nature,” Scott Sampson says during an appearance on Colorado Matters at the Tattered.
Political Commentary Through Cartoons In The Trump Age; Grateful Dead At Red Rocks
In this politically charged environment, what’s it like to be a political cartoonist? We talked with two: Ed Stein, in Denver, had given up the art, but came back to weigh in on President Trump. And on the Western Slope, Paul Snover’s billboard of Trump slaying a liberal dragon got national attention. Then, Dead and Company play in Colorado this weekend, and this week, the Colorado Music Hall of Fame will celebrate the Grateful Dead. Many consider a show at Red Rocks in 1978 one of their best — and helped establish the band as a group worth following.
Prevalence Of Oil And Gas Explosions In Colorado; Springs Sculptor On International Stage
Want to know how many explosions and fires there have been at oil and gas operations in Colorado? How many people have died or been injured? It’s not easy to find this information because the state doesn’t require detailed reporting. But researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health dug deep, and have a new study out. Then, the governor has just signed the first state law dealing with driverless cars. Why lawmakers put only a “light touch” on regulations. And only 17 American artists landed a spot in the Venice Biennale, the prestigious art exhibition that takes place every two years in Italy. One of the 17 is a Colorado Springs sculptor who uses pantyhose — and other everyday objects — in her work. This honor comes late in Senga Nengudi’s career.
Yep, It’s True: You Can Surf In Suburban Denver
If you don’t think of surfing as a Colorado thing — think again. There’s a new park on the South Platte River in suburban Denver where you can catch a wave. Backers hope the sport will spawn a renaissance in the neighborhood. And, two deadly explosions in two months have led to new questions about how close oil and gas development should be to residential areas. Then, Denver students recently won first, second and third places in a national cursive writing contest. It’s a skill their teachers at Stanley British Primary school think is essential — and brain science backs them up. Plus, a Denver artist who turned penmanship into a career.
Raised On Standing Rock Reservation, A Teacher Keeps Lakota Alive In Denver Schools
Denver Public Schools is one of only a handful of districts in the country, off of a reservation, that teaches Lakota, an indigenous language. One of Denver’s two Lakota teachers is from the Standing Rock Reservation, where she took her students this year. Then, the story of the giant steel plant in Pueblo that helped forge America.
Can The National Western Overhaul Help End World Hunger? Questioning Teacher Evals; Dressing For A Space-Edge Jump
Some of the fastest-changing neighborhoods in Denver are along I-70 north of downtown, in part because of a major overhaul planned for the National Western Stock Show complex. The former agriculture secretary under President Obama, Tom Vilsack, is helping shape what’s coming. Also in North Denver, a high school podcast focuses on neighborhood pollution. Then, Colorado was one of the first states in the country to make student improvement a main factor in evaluating educators’ job performance, but it’s not clear whether those reviews are actually helpful. Also unclear is what impact those evaluations will have on the gubernatorial hopes of the politician who created them. And, an engineering feat — creating a suit that would allow a man to freefall from the edge of space –and land safely with a parachute.
Memorial Day Special: America’s Best Wartime Pilots; Bell Tolls For Colorado Veterans
Very few ace fighter pilots are still alive, so a Denver photographer rushed to take their pictures. We hear some of their stories, including one from a graduate from the Air Force Academy who still wonders why he survived as a pilot in Vietnam while his good friend didn’t. Then, the Honor Bell rings at Fort Logan National Cemetery when veterans are buried. A Denver man had the bell made out of frustration. And, hiking through the woods back home, an Afghanistan veteran had a flashback that inspired him to write about his service.
Denver Mayor On Housing And Immigration; New Poet Laureates; Summer Books Of The West
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock speaks to CPR News about the city’s homeless problems, including issues at the Denver Public Library, along with a possible $900 million bond issue, and local immigration policies. Plus, new poet laureates for Denver and Aurora on how their poetry reflects their cities, and how they’ll share their truths — diplomatically. And, recommendations for summer books with a Western flair.
Breaking Bread: Six Coloradans Get Together To Understand Politics And Each Other; New Horizons Spacecraft
A civic experiment: Six Coloradans, three who voted for Trump and three who didn’t, break bread together. They agreed to step out of their political bubbles, sat at our table over soup and sourdough and talked, with no shouting. Then, as the New Horizons spacecraft heads for a target a billion miles past Pluto, a Boulder astronomer joins dozens traveling to South America and Africa to spot the object from Earth. And, an art museum could help fuel Walsenburg’s future.
Mobile Home Park Quandry; Maria Empanada Is A Prize-Winning Hit; Teen Moms Take Center Stage
Mobile homes parks are a form of affordable housing, but these parks often sit on valuable land. A CU Denver sociologist discusses the issues that may arise if that land is sold. Then, the Argentine immigrant and restaurateur who opened “Maria Empanada” in Denver says at first a lot of people didn’t know what an empanada was. They figured it out, and now she’s the SBA’s small businessperson of the year in Colorado. And, a new play looks at the relationship between four generations of teen moms. Plus, why Idaho Springs has a statue of a man who never truly existed.
Why Idaho Springs Has A Statue Of A Man Who Never Lived
The statue is of a cartoon character who had virtually no connection to the town.
Denver’s Housing Woes; Denver Health’s Medicaid Worries; Grand Junction’s Mayor
As Denver’s population has boomed, its housing stock hasn’t. Now some families that were already displaced from the city are being displaced again in the suburbs as they get more expensive. A new study suggests potential solutions for low- and middle-income earners like teachers and retail workers. Then, a quarter of Denverites get their healthcare from Denver Health. The provider says it’ll have to cut services if Medicaid funding is slashed. And, we talk with Grand Junction’s mayor about the economy and a rash of teen suicides in the area.
Kids And Guns; Denver YouTuber Recognized For Blending Humor, Social Justice; Charles Lindbergh Book
A Colorado pediatrician made some surprising discoveries when he and his team interviewed hundreds of young people and their parents about access to firearms. Then, her many YouTube followers know her as “Tazzy Phe.” She’s Muslim, of Pakistani descent, lives in Denver. Her videos are funny and edgy. Plus, Charles Lindbergh sometimes skimmed just 10 feet above the waves as he flew the Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic. A Colorado pilot’s new book takes us inside the cockpit. And, a Denver Public Library social worker says the downtown library has become the city’s largest day shelter for the homeless.
Immigrant Teen Has Big Plans In US; Pet Care For Veterans; Scientists Pursue The Fountain Of Youth; Poetry Recalls Minstrel Shows
A Grand Junction teen has deep community ties and big plans for the future, but only a temporary reprieve from deportation that’s subject to presidential approval. He was brought to the U.S. illegally at age 5. His story is the first in a CPR series about people who stand to be directly affected, for better or worse, by Trump administration policies. Then, a Denver veterinarian will offer free services Saturday to the pets of current and former service members. And, Fort Collins researchers are testing ways to extend the lives of mice, with an eye toward someday keeping humans healthier longer. Plus, a CU Boulder poet’s latest work features characters like Martin Luther King Jr. and singer Eartha Kitt. Also, a new device offers disabled athletes a chance to get back on Colorado’s trails.
Denver Holocaust Survivor’s Liberation; Colorado Author’s Novel On Missing Woman’s Survival In The Wild
Each May, a Denver man celebrates what he calls his second birthday. It was this month — more than half a century ago — that US troops liberated Jack Adler during a Nazi death march. Adler survived the Holocaust, but the rest of his immediate family didn’t. Still, he’s able to find humor in his life. Then, author Diane Les Becquets on her novel “Breaking Wild,” which is set in the Colorado backcountry. The book follows a lost woman who discovers the scariest thing she faces are her own demons. And, a tiny, rural school in eastern Colorado has four seniors in the graduating class of 2017. They talk about their close-knit experience and what’s next.
Today’s Focus Is Food: Feeding Presidents; Changing Chain Restaurants; Leftovers At Coors Field
Some of our favorite culinary conversations are the focus of our show today. First, did you know about BEANGATE? That’s when White House staff scrambled to find out what beans president Lyndon Johnson ate. It’s one of many stories that comes out in a new history of black chefs in the White House. Then, after making a fortune in the tech world with his brother Elon, Boulder’s Kimbal Musk wants to reinvent the chain restaurant. And, what does Coors Field do with leftover food? Well, a group that feeds the hungry gets their hotdogs and other unused food.
