Colorado Matters

Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic could reduce the urge to drink. It’s one of several novel approaches Colorado researchers are studying for alcohol use disorder. Then, Colorado firefighters return home after helping in California. Also, if today’s world feels more anxious, a doctor has ways to decompress. Plus, a new exhibit at the Denver Art Museum elevates the Indigenous viewpoint. And for Valentine’s Day, “Pitch a Friend.”

Sex trafficking is a growing problem in Colorado — the state now ranks 10th for the most reported cases. We hear from a survivor who shares how she took back control of her life. Then, imagine driving along a rough road when two of your tires pop. It happened to one Colorado driver — and Colorado Wonders about the state paying for the damage. Also, her mother marched on Washington more than 60 years ago with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We’ll re-share her daughter’s journey back to D.C. for Black History Month. And History Colorado incorporates works by living artists — to connect past and present.

White settlers wiped out Colorado’s wolf population. In 2020, voters required them to be reintroduced. There are now 29 wolves here. Ranchers — worried about their livestock and livelihoods — must adapt. CPR Climate and Environment Reporter Sam Brasch hosts a discussion at Loveland’s Rialto Theater about the past, present, and future of wolf restoration.

A Black middle school dean says she was fired by a school district in Colorado for objecting to a book ban. Now she’s filed a civil rights complaint. Then, President Trump has told the Treasury Department to stop making pennies. They’re minted in Denver. We’ll talk about the history and cost of the one cent coin. Plus, Chandra tries to up her “Colorado street cred” by taking on skiing thanks the BIPoC Mountain Collective. And author Laura Krantz asks, “Do you believe in magic?”

High-capacity magazines are banned in Colorado. And Democratic lawmakers say they’re serious about enforcement.  ut might their solution go too far? We take a closer look with Purplish. Then, in Pueblo and Fort Collins, a locally-reported newsletter lands in people’s inboxes. Except it’s neither local, nor reported. Plus, how a small town school district got students engaged again in learning. And how climate change is affecting beer.

ICE enforcement this week tested the resilience of migrant communities in Colorado. How they’re peacefully resisting, and the many unanswered questions about the actual raids. Then, Colorado joins eleven states in suing the Trump Administration over Elon Musk’s and DOGE’s access to the U.S. Treasury. Plus, the new species of mammal discovered on Colorado’s western slope. And how delicate art became a sanctuary for a Ukrainian couple now in Colorado.

Early Wednesday morning, immigration agents, along with local and federal law enforcement officers, descended on an apartment complex in Aurora. We look at what happened — and what happens next. Then, researchers in Colorado want to know if psilocybin – also known as psychedelic mushrooms – can help people process past trauma. And, with a pair of Black quarterbacks facing off in Sunday’s Super Bowl, we revisit a book focused on African-Americans and their evolution at the position.

Today, a check-up on school kids in Colorado. The latest national report card shows they’re outpacing the rest of the country in reading and math, but chronic absenteeism remains high. We speak with the state’s education commissioner, Susana Córdova, who’s spent time in districts large and small, looking for innovation. Then, questions about safety standards amid concern over contaminants like mold and pesticides in cannabis. And how the Trump administration could impact Colorado’s energy sector.