Colorado Matters

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.

Colorado used to have a corner on the recreational marijuana market but more states have now followed suit, so where does the state’s industry go from here? Then, Bernie Sanders supporters in Colorado say there needs to be change within the Democratic Party following Hillary Clinton’s loss. And a University of Colorado engineer was tasked with making a new sci-fi miniseries about Mars as real as possible. Plus, regular contributor Doug Duncan chats about Monday’s Supermoon.

On this Veterans Day, story of veterans from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. We learn about those buried in foreign graves at American-run cemeteries in places like France and Italy. Also, a Marine from the San Luis Valley fought in one of the worst battles of the Korean War– thousands of U.S. soldiers died. And, an essay from a Colorado Vietnam War veteran about the day he stopped believing in God. Plus, how cycling helps veterans of the “War on Terror” heal.

The future of conservatism in the Trump era. Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, a longtime Clinton supporter and Democratic party activist, on what happened to the party Tuesday and his role as a leader of the party’s internal reform effort. Then, Pat Schroeder was Colorado’s first congresswoman and explored a run for president in 1987. How Colorado’s third-party and unaffiliated voters factored into the election. And checking back on two-first time candidates we’ve followed through the season. Also, a look at how school finance measures did on Tuesday.