Colorado Matters

Former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer spent his career promoting education for working adults. Now his granddaughter and his son have adopted the same cause. National rankings place Colorado’s voting practices among the nation’s best. For Denver Broncos’ new stadium announcer it’s about calm and, worst-case scenario, the cough button. The voice of Colorado classical music, Charley Samson, reminisces about 40-plus years in the business. He retires this week.

A Denver political strategist who should’ve been on top of the world is instead finishing one of the hardest years of his life, because of depression likely brought on by open heart surgery. The Beaver Creek Fire burning in far northern Colorado is so exceptional it’s forced firefighters to rethink 100 years of suppression tactics. Then, climate change is affecting what visitors to Mesa Verde National Park see, and National Park Service archeologists say that as global temperatures warm, other historical sights could be at risk.

There’s controversy over the first openly gay bishop elected to represent the West. Also, why car thefts in Colorado are going up. And, reinventing the fitted sheet.

As Hillary Clinton increases her lead in presidential polls in Colorado, her national campaign manager addresses fracking, climate change and the campaign’s ground game here. Then, the connection between dyslexia and entrepreneurship. Famous businessmen like Richard Branson, Charles Schwab and Governor John Hickenlooper have learned to use their dyslexia to help them be successful. And Breckenridge has invested a lot in art, including a festival this week, called BreckCreate, that mixes art and the environment.

3-D printers are expanding the things people create and how they create them. Meet the Colorado man who’s considered the father of 3-D printing. Then, art students helped design a 3-D prosthetic for an injured cat. A CU Boulder professor wants children who are blind to experience literature with tactile picture books created with the printers. A Loveland company builds small 3-D printers for home use, and a printer that could turn water to ice, then create homes on Mars.

The federal-state conflict over marijuana laws was a hallmark of Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh’s tenure. He left office this week after six years. And, there’s an effort afoot to preserve a Douglas County field that was once home to an Ice Age meat market. Then, Denver encourages neighborhood public art projects, from mural-clad dumpsters to tree trunks turned into music boxes. Plus, a visit to Colorado moose country.

Climate change is affecting climbing and visitation habits at national parks. And, a restoration of a fresco of Jesus becomes a humorous opera. Also, a Durango author depicts a man who wakes up in a new world.

Police are being taught to use words, not weapons to defuse a situation. Then, the questions that may appear on your November ballot. And, a new book celebrates music at Red Rocks. Also, with IKEA considering opening a second store in Colorado, a look at the company’s history.