Colorado Matters

A Denver teacher says his future is at stake in a possible Congressional showdown over immigration next week. Then, award-winning Colorado author Connie Willis says science fiction Christmas stories go back all the way to Dickens. She’s written a new collection. And, taxidermists are busy fashioning hunting trophies for the holidays. Plus, there’s something new afloat at Denver’s holiday Parade of Lights.

We invited two Coloradans to the state Capitol to give Gov. John Hickenlooper their views on oil and gas drilling. One family says their quality of life will be compromised because of an oil well about 1,000 feet away from their new home. And a man whose family has depended on oil and gas royalties for generations is frustrated about efforts to restrict drilling.

No one found the joke funny when a Denver coffee shop bragged about gentrifying the neighborhood. Protests erupted and local politicians faced criticism. What happens now? Then, the U.S. is leaving the global climate agreement, so why was there such a big American presence at a UN conference in Germany this month? And, since Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy came out of the closet, he says athletes have changed how they talk about gay people.

The new Sanderson Apartments in Denver were designed specifically for people coping with past trauma, particularly homelessness. One resident shares his story and offers a tour. Then, Emmy-winning television program “Top Chef” gets a taste of Colorado. And, guitarist and Denver native Bill Frisell gets inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.

At least 14 candidates want to be Colorado’s next governor. We’ll learn what that means for voters. Then, as metro Denver courts a second Amazon headquarters, we to look to Seattle, which had Amazon’s first base of operations. And, one of Colorado’s most celebrated chefs offers up an idea for a Thanksgiving side dish and talks about what the holiday means to him.

“Slow down the growth!” That’s the message some voters in metro Denver sent in the election earlier this month. What’s driving the movement? And, at the Thanksgiving table, as you’re fighting over the white meat or the dark meat, others are fighting over the tail. Later, CAT scans helped Denver scientists make big new discoveries about mummies they thought they understood.

Annette Gonzales, of Pueblo​, equated Muslims with terrorists. But she agreed to visit a mosque, over the objections of her family. It’s the latest in our series that looks for common ground among Coloradans with very different political views. Then, revelations of sexual harassment at the state Capitol. Later in the show: how growing up in the mortuary business shaped a Colorado writer.

When reports of a mass shooting in a Texas church reached Carl Chinn, he went immediately. The Coloradan helps places of worship protect themselves from violence. Then a new documentary on Bill Nye the Science Guy, who admits he’s a lightning rod for conservatives, includes a University of Colorado climatologist. Plus, at age 70, Rocky Mountain Rescue is one of the country’s oldest search and rescue groups.