Colorado Matters

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.