Colorado Matters

A prison gang is suspected in the murder of Colorado’s corrections chief, but three years later, no members have been charged. We learn what kind of power these gangs wield inside prisons and out from an anthropologist who has interviewed many, many inmates. Then, a Colorado theater company that hires actors with disabilities expands its mission to welcome audiences with disabilities. And, the musical “Newsies” is in town, offering a chance to dig into the history of newspaper delivery boys in Denver. Then, what happens when you take people with dementia to a concert?

Train service between Denver’s Union Station and DIA starts in less than a month. It is a key step in making the airport the heart of a second city center, but will it form in an intelligent manner? “Much of the development we’ve seen around airports to date has been spontaneous, haphazard,” says author John Kasarda. He talks about that with us. Then, how the thorniest issue at the state Capitol came to be this year: the hospital provider fee. We hear from its godfather. Then, Boulder County ends the battle over GMOs on its public lands, and KUNC’s Luke Runyon joins us to sort through the matter.

The Supreme Court handed Colorado a victory last week when it refused to hear a lawsuit from Oklahoma and Nebraska over legal marijuana. We have an update on that and other suits triggered by Colorado’s pot laws, with Sam Kamin, who teaches criminal and constitutional law at the University of Denver. Then, to mark the birthday of labor activist Cesar Chavez, we hear about his time in Colorado fighting for farm workers from Metro State’s Ramon del Castillo. Also, a big Colorado company, IHS, is moving its headquarters to London and in the process will save hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate taxes. We’ll dive into “inversions” with a Washington Post reporter. And, we talk to a Denver curry chef who wants to fuel your workouts.

Today, a friendship forged because of schizophrenia. Roberta Payne, of Denver, has sought to understand her disease for decades, ever since she thought aliens from outer space were inhabiting her thoughts. Dr. Robert Freedman, head of psychiatry at CU-Denver, has helped her gain more understanding. We’ll talk to them about recent breakthroughs in schizophrenia research. Then, Happy New Year to you, if you celebrate the Persian holiday of Noruz. We’ll hear about the holiday’s traditions and food from an Iranian-American living in Denver. And, we hear your feedback today in our Loud and Clear segment. Our interview about the state of medicine drew lots of comments.

First, a conversation with Gov. John Hickenlooper on why he’s still committed to Hillary Clinton and why he doesn’t agree with economists who say the state’s economy is heading into a recession. Then, an effort to ban “conversion therapy” for gay children, which tries to make them heterosexual. And finally, swimmer Missy Franklin is in her native Colorado — training. She hopes to qualify for the Rio Olympics, but doesn’t focus too much on a medal goal.

Today, an encore show. First, how Westerners get around. Past. Present. And future. Writer Rinker Buck retraced the Oregon Trail in a a covered wagon, and tells his thoughts about retracing the ruts. Then, the strange story of the Denver Tech Center. It starts when a brand new Lincoln got dented downtown. Now, cars may have an easy time, but the same cannot be said for pedestrians. And, we talk with a Colorado author who says we are on the brink of a driverless car revolution, one in which you don’t have to own one — you just call for it.

When physicians look at patients, too often they see body parts and money, according to Dr. Abraham Nussbaum, of Denver Health. In a new book he calls for a renewal of medicine; he wouldn’t recommend the profession to young people right now. Then, tiny satellites are aboard the International Space Station — ones even kids can, and did, build. And Denver craft blogger and Martha Stewart contributor Anne Weil talks about knitting without needles, and he first book.

Before this morning’s attacks in Brussels, the big international news was President Obama’s visit to Cuba. We speak with Colorado U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, who’s traveling with the president, and with some Cuban-Americans who want to make life better on the island. Then, Colorado’s a leader when it comes to electing women to political office — women make up a bigger proportion of our legislature than any other state. But a new documentary shows that it’s not always easy for them when they get there. Pat Schroeder, the first woman elected to Congress from Colorado, remembers the committee chairman who considered her a half-person.