Colorado Matters

The Koch brothers’ political action committee, Americans for Prosperity, doesn’t flex its conservative muscle in every state. But it came to Colorado early because it is seen as such a critical swing state. AFP strategists tell us what they’re after, and how they intend to go about it. Then, the story of a musical wonder in the Western Slope town of Rangely: a giant, abandoned tank known for its heavenly acoustics. And, how Lee Mathis came to put cheesecake in a jar — and use it as a springboard to a new business.

Excitement is building ahead of Colorado’s caucuses March 1, at least among the voters who can participate. More than a third of registered voters in the state are excluded because they’re unaffiliated. We talk to a political scientist who wants to change that. We’ll also hear about a potential ballot measure that would create a hybrid here — of caucuses and a primary. Then, we talk to a Colorado filmmaker who moved to the U.S. from Iraq and who contemplates what it is to be “Arab-American.”

Today, we hear what you need to know about the upcoming Colorado caucuses, including the fact that many Coloradans who’d like to participate won’t be able to because of the rules over how and when voters needed to register. Then, survival expert Cat Bigney, who grew up in the West, says her upbringing prepared her for “The Great Human Race,” a new show on The National Geographic Channel that forced her to live as our ancestors did millions of years ago. And, new recordings mean the Colorado Symphony grabs a global audience.

Today, Gov. John Hickenlooper tells us whom he’s endorsing for president. He’ll also explain why he’s moving forward on the Clean Power Plan, despite a stay in the Supreme Court. Then, Outside Magazine investigates what it calls “the internet’s most Infuriating outdoor retailer” — that happens to be based in Colorado. And, outdoor hockey comes to Denver’s Coors field this weekend, despite the warm weather.

Drug use is such a big problem among teenagers that addiction counselors are working at three Denver schools. We’ll meet one of them. Then CPR News health reporter John Daley visits a morgue to see the problem of drug overdoses up close. Then, what do Woody Allen, Jack Kerouac and Frank Lloyd Wright have in common? The conservatory at the Denver Botanic Gardens. It’s turning 50 years old. Also, calling Doug Hill of Lafayette an outdoorsman would be an understatement. He’s the founder of a primitive skills school and he’ll teach us the big three “musts” for surviving in the wild.

Should Colorado’s public universities be allowed to ban whoever they want from campus? The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado doesn’t think so. Then, Gary Stabb usually sculpts prehistoric beasts like dinosaurs, but he finally got access to an elusive stone age mummy for a project for Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science. Also, taxes on marijuana sales in tiny DeBeque brought a windfall — more money than the town sees in overall sales tax and energy impact fees combined. Now, how to spend it? And, Hollywood has taken interest in Broomfield author Colleen Oakes’ trilogy “Queen of Hearts,” which explores how the queen in “Alice in Wonderland” became a villain.

Most people think of the attack on Columbine High School in 1999 as a school shooting. Sue Klebold thinks of it as her son Dylan’s murder-suicide. She’s written a new book and says she hopes the insight it provides outweighs the risk of re-traumatizing victims’ families. Klebold answers a question she’s faced for years: How could her son have planned the attack without her knowing? And she says she’ll never know if she could have prevented her son’s actions, but she does wish she could’ve done some things differently.

A Colorado scientist who studies black holes says the recent discovery of gravitational waves — ripples in space-time — may be the most important discovery of her lifetime. Then, audiences feel a connection to the character of Sheriff Walt Longmire, whether it’s in the mystery novels by Craig Johnson, or on the small screen in the Netflix series “Longmire.” Johnson, who lives on a ranch in Wyoming, tells us some of his best ideas come to him when he’s shoveling out the barn.