Colorado Matters

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.

Colorado spends less on public schools than many other states and its roads are among the worst in the country. Some people blame a law that passed 25 years ago. In the final episode of our series on TABOR, how politicians have learned to live with the law, and how its author, Douglas Bruce, ended up under indictment by the government he tried to constrain. Also, how to get the perfect landscape photograph in Colorado.

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.