Colorado Matters

In the early 2000s, Colorado was in trouble. The state government couldn’t recover after the dot-com bust. It was a pivotal moment for one of the state’s most unusual laws, a constitutional limit on taxing and spending known as TABOR. Today, the second part of CPR’s podcast “The Taxman” about TABOR and its author, Douglas Bruce. Also, was Magic Music Colorado’s first jam band?

There’s a lot of hand-wringing at every level of government in Colorado about a law that passed 25 years ago. It’s the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, known as TABOR, and its author, Douglas Bruce, wanted to give the people more control over their government. Today, part one of CPR’s three-part series on TABOR and Bruce. Later in the show, a song host Ryan Warner can’t get out of his head.

What happens when a person of one faith steps into someone of another faith’s house of worship? In the latest installment of “Breaking Bread,” a Muslim couple attends a church service for the first time. Then, author Helen Thorpe spent a year in an English class for recent refugees at South High School in Denver. Plus, a preview of CPR’s new podcast, “The Taxman.”

When the U.S. entered World War II, Joe Hoberman rushed to finish school to join the fight. But when he saw his first combat, that eagerness faded. He and another soldier share their stories on the eve of Veteran’s Day. Then, a Denver author says self-awareness plays a critical role in success and happiness. And, a world-champion rock climber whose left arm ends just below her elbow.

When do we call an attack “terrorism”? Researchers say not as often as it happens. “When the perpetrators were saying a phrase that sounds like it was an attack committed in the name of Islam,” they say, “people were significantly more likely to call that terrorism than an absolutely identical attack where the perpetrator said ‘Heil Hitler.'” Then, All-Star pitcher Roy Halladay was a high school phenom at Arvada West High School. His former coach remembers Halladay, who died this week in a plane crash.

We look at the 2017 election results. Last night, Denver voters approved nearly $1 billion dollars to fund roads, libraries, and other public projects. Then, former University of Colorado football player Derek McCoy is working with the Broncos to prevent violence against women. McCoy says football’s macho culture is largely to blame.

Colorado may limit how many pain pills doctors can prescribe as part of the state’s fight against opioid addiction. It’s one of several bills a bipartisan group of lawmakers will bring to the Capitol next year in hopes of debate and passage. We speak with a lawmaker who helped shape these proposals, and with her mother, whose struggle with addiction motivated her daughter to act. Then, oil and gas drilling is coming closer to a spot in Western Colorado where a nuclear bomb was detonated underground four decades ago.

At one of the oldest African-American churches in Denver recently, about 200 people gathered in the sanctuary to hear the pastor and his wife, who’s a diversity consultant, share their views on racism. The topic: Whites can’t just be allies in fighting discrimination; they must be leaders. Also, in Colorado there are more kids who need foster homes than adults willing to take them in. People of color, especially, aren’t signing up.