Colorado Matters

The agency charged with safeguarding the country’s most cherished public lands has neglected to protect its workers. That’s what High Country News found when it investigated the National Park Service. They uncovered stories of sexual harassment, assault and gender discrimination. Congress has taken note of the story. Then, a new film about a homeless man who died at the hands of deputies in the Denver County jail. The life and death of Marvin Booker. And, author Sean Prentiss went on a quest to find the grave of the creator of the Monkey Wrench Gang, but what he really found were answers to other mysteries.

We get reaction to President-elect Donald Trump’s press conference from a Colorado Republican who vowed to stand up to him. Congressman Mike Coffman talks about the future of healthcare, the new VA hospital in Aurora, and Russian meddling in the election. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee which has cybersecurity in its purview. Then, a new CU regent says the University of Colorado system needs more diversity (but she’s not talking about gender or race.) Heidi Ganahl joins us. And, a Denver man has a new comic book that deals with heavy subjects: police shootings and race relations.

On the eve of a new legislative session, Gov. John Hickenlooper has high hopes of finding a way to pay for billions of dollars in transportation improvements, and of passing a law that might make housing more affordable. Then, one state agency says people should be able to buy cars on Sundays. That’s one of 25 “Sunrise, Sunset” laws being taken to the state legislature this session. And, Stephen King based “The Shining” on The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. That’s why a CU Boulder professor, who’s teaching a new course — “Advanced Horror Fiction” — is there with his students.

Colorado lawmakers start their 2017 session on Wednesday, with plans to tackle transportation funding, affordable housing, the state budget and more. Two legislative leaders talked with Colorado Matters: incoming Senate President Republican Kevin Grantham, who’s the first rural Coloradan in the post in many years, and Democrat Crisanta Duran, who will soon become the first Latina to serve as Speaker of the House. Then, a new play called “Boat Person” about a couple who came to the U.S. with just the clothes on their backs. And hear the National Anthem sung by a 15-year-old who won the chance to perform tonight at the National Western Stock Show.

Lawmakers will return to the State Capitol next week for the new legislative session, perhaps pledging to work together. But a study says Colorado is the most polarized legislature in the country. Then, the Denver Post hired Ricardo Baca as its first marijuana editor three years ago. Now Baca is leaving his post and will work for a marijuana technology startup. And mounted shooting is the next big equine sport. It will be on display at the National Western Stock Show.

With Donald Trump’s energy agenda taking shape, state lawmakers have formed a new committee to consider local impacts. Steamboat plans to charge skiers $500 if they need rescuing out-of-bounds. NASA is set to launch a five-year study of Colorado’s snowpack beginning in February. It’ll provide information about weather and snow, and also help with space exploration. Also, tips on driving in the winter.

There have been multiple hate crimes in Colorado over the past six months, including swastikas carved into a playground in Longmont found earlier this week. We check in with the Anti-Defamation League to understand what happens after an act like this and how an incident is designated a hate crime. Then, a bug that once ravaged European vineyards has come to the Grand Valley. We’ll talk about what the arrival of Phylloxera means for Colorado’s biggest wine-producing region. And, the Winter Park Ski Train rides again, beginning this Saturday with service between the ski resort and Denver’s Union Station. But is the price tag too steep for skiers? Plus, the story behind Colorado place names — from Alamosa to Zirkel.

It’s time to become transpartisan, says Boulder mediator Mark Gerzon. He’s spent his career working with Congress, the UN and developing countries to resolve disputes. His latest book is called “The Reunited States of America.” Then, there’s a widely held belief that undocumented immigrants in the United States steal identities so they can work. The trouble is: that ignores the role employers play in helping workers get IDs that don’t belong to them. It’s a practice a CU-Denver anthropologist investigated when she was doing research in the farm fields. She also got acquainted with a phenomenon known as “trabajando fantasma” — the working ghost. And, after recording a record with the Colorado Symphony Boulder folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov prepares to perform live with them.