Colorado Matters

Robert Blaha, the co-chairman of Donald Trump’s Colorado campaign, is now helping the new administration’s transition team regionally. Blaha discusses what a Trump presidency could mean for Colorado. Then, the first and only woman to lead the city of Aurora, Norma O. Walker, talks about her administration. The Navy is about to christen a new submarine: The USS Colorado.

Why the ballot effort to eliminate the legal slavery reference from the state constitution went down in defeat. Also, a Colorado pediatrician asked physicians for stories about unforgettable patient recoveries and collected them in a new book. Then, some Colorado entrepreneurs have developed a machine that dries waterlogged electronics. Staples stores across the country have bought the machines and are offering the service to customers.

In our first interview with John Hickenlooper since Donald Trump’s election, the governor says if he had Trump’s ear he’d urge caution in healthcare, immigration, trade and the nation’s power supply. Also, where does the governor find promise in a Trump administration? Then, Joel Gratz has been called “Snowstradamus.” He’s the founder of the popular snow forecasting website OpenSnow. We get a preview of ski season. Plus, in Nepal elephants trample rice crops, which is what people eat, so the animals are often shot. A Colorado zookeeper may have a way to save the crops — and the elephants. Hint: it involves bees. And, a Thanksgiving recipe from U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.

This’ll be the first Thanksgiving in almost 30 years that Clarence Moses-EL won’t spend in prison. The Denver man was just cleared of a crime he always said he didn’t commit. Then, for those who are about to see relatives for the first time since the election, and dread talking with them about politics, we ask the founder of StoryCorps for tips on asking and listening, even when you hate what you hear. And the Colorado River faces more stresses than ever, like population growth and climate change, but instead of fighting, some Western states are working together to save water, and avoid federally mandated cutbacks.

Eighty percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2080. To prepare, Denver is looking to a city planning method based on musical theory. Then, anthropologists from University of Colorado broke down President-Elect Donald Trump’s unusual communication style. They say mocking his opponents helped propel him to the White House. Plus, a story from deep in the CPR archives about a supersonic jet that landed in Colorado Springs, as a Colorado company hopes to bring back supersonic passenger travel. The story of Daddy “Bruce” Randolph, who made Thanksgiving a little brighter in Denver. And, Denver Art Museum’s director hopes a new “Star Wars” exhibition attracts a lot of visitors, but insists they are not “dumbing down things.”

Weather forecasts in the United States are expected to get a lot better thanks to a new satellite made in Colorado. Engineers at Lockheed Martin spent eight years building it. The launch is scheduled for Saturday, and the satellite could help forecasters save lives during severe weather. Then, in the early 1900s, Chinese immigrants held in an American detention center wrote poetry on the walls to pass the time. Decades later, the writing inspires a Denver poet, an immigrant herself. Plus, an entire museum dedicated to a single artist opened five years ago in Denver. What do the next five years hold for the Clyfford Still Museum? And, public radio mainstay “A Prairie Home Companion” comes to Colorado. A conversation with the show’s new host, mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile.

A new biography traces Jean Dubofsky’s journey from “Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow” to the first female justice of the Colorado Supreme Court and then to a leading role in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case. Then, a film about motorcycle daredevil, and Boulder legend, Evil Cheesey. And the Colorado 10-year-old who just made a winning pitch on “Shark Tank” to expand his lemonade business. Plus, a scientist who’s bathing toads to save their lives.

The number of people in Colorado — without legal immigration status — is about 200,000, according to the Pew Research Center. People who are in the country illegally came under great scrutiny during President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign, and his message resonates with many of his supporters. Now that he’s won, these immigrants’ lives stand to change. Also, your brain has an autopilot function, that directs you even when you’re not aware. NPR’s social science correspondent, Shankar Vedantam tells how a man from Colorado, Derek Amato, convinced his mom that he’d become a piano savant.