In The NOCO

Wildfires, like the ones that hit Colorado’s Front Range this summer , rip through communities. They torch homes and disrupt lives.   But wildfires can also cause some surprising -- even uplifting -- things to happen. They strengthen the bonds between neighbors. They make people more resilient. And those stronger connections help people prepare for future emergencies.  In fact, there’s a whole fie...

On Colorado’s Western Slope a single sign represents a mining town that was once there. The town helped provide the uranium in the first atomic bomb. The town was called Uravan.  Journalist Alec Cowan has long been fascinated by stories of Uravan. Cowan grew up in nearby Grand Junction and remembers hearing urban legends about Uravan. Officials closed and buried the town in the 1980s due to radiat...

In Colorado, there are approximately 3,000 search and rescue incidents each year, according to the state's Search and Rescue Association . And when someone goes missing in the backcountry, every hour counts. Heat, dehydration and exposure to the elements make a person's survival less likely as time ticks by. Rescuers in our state also deal with rugged mountains, steep canyons, dense tree cover, an...

A year ago last summer, a young bicyclist named Magnus White was struck and killed by a driver on Highway 119 near Boulder. A memorial ride for Magnus earlier this month drew more than 2,000 participants, with hundreds more joining virtually.   His parents spoke to the crowd and called for measures that would make roads safer for cyclists – including better bike lanes and stiffer penalties for car...

Grasshoppers are everywhere along Colorado's Front Range right now. They blanket the sidewalks and lawns – which makes them a pest. But they also devastate crops, which makes them a real problem for farmers.  Our friends at the Colorado State University Extension run a sort of hotline for folks with questions about gardening and lawncare. They confirmed that this is an extraordinary summer: They s...

A team of scientists, including a CSU seismologist, recently spent years peering beneath the largest mass of ice on Earth.  The unique study yielded fascinating insights about the relationship between the massive glaciers that cover much of Antarctica’s surface, and the ground underneath the ice. And the findings may help scientists better predict how climate change will affect sea level in the de...

If you read the Colorado Sun, you might be familiar with the comic strip called ‘ What’d I Miss? ’ It follows conversations between Ossie – a young Black man – and Myra – an older white woman – who has awakened from a long coma.    Together they struggle to understand modern day politics and culture. Ossie and Myra talk about issues like artificial intelligence, disinformation on social media and...

Comedian and writer Stephanie Sprenger bares all in her comedy.   Through her standup, the Arvada resident broaches subjects that might make people blush -- but are very real portrayals of life as a middle-aged single mom. She jokes about topics like menopause, potty breaks and divorce.  Stephanie is part of a group of four comedians and four storytellers performing this Thursday in Lafayette at a...

As much as 40 percent of the homes in some Colorado mountain resorts sit unoccupied for much of the year. And housing is in such short supply in communities like Breckenridge or Steamboat Springs that many workers find themselves living in hotels, rather than a house or apartment. Leaders in a coalition of ski towns called the Colorado Association of Ski Towns, or CAST, are asking lawmakers for a...

The 2024 Olympics are underway in Paris. And for the first time, breaking is an official part of the Games .   Breaking (or breakdancing as it’s sometimes called) originated in the Bronx during the 1970s, growing within the larger spectrum of hip-hop culture. But it’s more than just the music, the rhythms, and the athletic, visually stunning moves. There's a deep history and culture that surrounds...

Coloradans in recent weeks have seen a barrage of evacuation notices and news updates about four major wildfires along the Front Range . Beyond the ever–changing tallies of acres burned or the latest containment numbers, we wanted to see a wildfire from a fire chief’s perspective – from the first visible plumes of smoke, to when evacuees return home.   Rob Stumpf leads the Lyons Fire Protection Di...

Geothermal is having a moment in the spotlight. It hasn’t gotten the attention that wind and solar have as the ‘powerhouses’ of Colorado’s electric grid. But energy officials say it’s time for the state to start building up other sources – including tapping the heat that’s under our feet.  The state is offering grants and tax credits to support research into new geothermal projects, with the goal...

Four major wildfires burned along the front range in the last week . One person reportedly died in the Stone Canyon Fire. Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes and dozens of structures were lost in the four fires.   While fire is a normal part of the ecosystem of the mountain west, fires that push into urban areas are destructive to those landscapes. The effects of urban fires, known...

Ash is a cute yellow lab with a very big job.   She is Colorado’s newest employee in the Division of Fire Prevention & Control. Ash started on July 1 as the Division’s newest accelerant detector tool -- meaning she can sniff out if something suspicious was used to start a fire. Her powerful nose can help determine a fire’s cause, often more effectively than a mechanical device. And right now,...

Colorado is home to world class skiing, with dozens of public resorts open to skiers of all levels -- and incomes. Private ski resorts – which tend to cater to the ultra-wealthy – are practically nonexistent here.  But a newly proposed private resort could add to Colorado’s short list.  Stagecoach Mountain Ranch would create an exclusive enclave of multi-million dollar luxury homes in Routt County...

Architecture can provoke a powerful emotional response in us. Perhaps you've stopped on a sidewalk to stare up in wonder at a massive skyscraper... or stepped inside a beautifully designed building and felt a sense of peace or inspiration.   But the reaction to a building isn’t always positive -- particularly for people who have experienced trauma. Buildings that resemble schools, hospitals, or ja...

Many people in Colorado bought homes or refinanced during the pandemic,  when interest rates were at historic lows. Now, they feel trapped by that low mortgage rate. They might want to sell and move, but can’t afford to buy elsewhere, with interest rates at much higher levels than four years ago.    The problem has been dubbed 'mortgage handcuffs.'  This dilemma isn’t unique to Colorado, but it ap...

Of all the insects that could turn up in your yard, the Japanese beetle is one of the nastiest.  Its larvae chew up the roots of your grass, while the mature version of the beetle eats just about every plant in your yard . And worst of all, it’s tough to eradicate.   Japanese beetles are an invasive species that turned up across Colorado’s Front Range in the early 2000s.  Recently, a new infestati...

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science recently made an exciting announcement: A new species of cave-dwelling pseudoscorpion had been discovered in the foothills outside Boulder. Researchers named it Larca boulderica – a nod to the city of Boulder – and say the only place on the planet where you’ll find it is in just two caves near the Boulder Flatirons.     We reached out to David Steinmann, the...

You might be getting lots of push notifications this summer – from ozone action day alerts and air quality alerts, to heat and wildfire smoke advisories.   So far this summer, we've seen more than 25 days with highs over 90 degrees. And federal air quality regulators say Front Range cities have racked up multiple ozone violations this year, according to the Colorado Sun .  But how do you know whic...

A new Colorado law that took effect on July 1st ensures that pregnant people on Medicaid will have access to doula services. Doulas can offer support and advice before, during, and after birth that complements a doctor’s guidance.   Joy Twesigye is a trained women’s health nurse practitioner and says this new law could make a huge difference for people on Medicaid. Lower-income patients who rely o...

Two years ago, Jordan Sarazen lived a comfortable, perhaps even mundane life, working in an office as a financial planner.     Then one day, he decided to make a change. He set out to fulfill a dream of managing a goat herd and renting their services to landowners. Today, Jordan and his wife Toni own 300 goats, and a company called Goat Bros .    They travel around the Front Range and let the herd...

$70 million is the amount a utility company will pay to a community in Northwestern Colorado when it shuts down a coal plant that drives a large part of the local economy.  Tri-State Energy plans to close its coal-fired power station, and all three coal mines, in Craig by 2028. The closure comes as Colorado moves to do away with coal-fired power and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.   The $70 m...

On November 1, 1955, a man planted a bomb aboard a United Airlines plane shortly before it departed from Denver. The plane exploded in midflight over beet fields in Weld County, killing all 44 people aboard. It was a mass murder that grabbed headlines across the country. And viewers saw footage of the trial on TV – which was unusual then.   If you've never heard of this crime, though, you're hardl...

Boulder, like many cities in Colorado, has an ongoing shortage of housing for the middle class – which means many people who work in Boulder can’t afford to live there.    One local group is proposing an unconventional solution: They want to decommission Boulder’s municipal airport and turn that city-owned land into a neighborhood with around 2,000 homes.  At least half of those homes would be des...