Colorado Today

Colorado’s largest utility has laid out how it plans to meet the booming demand for energy by data centers. But critics say the plan doesn’t go far enough to require that power come from clean sources. Then, a debate in Colorado Springs over whether new rules could make rooftop solar less attractive for homeowners. Plus, a new poll offers a look at how Latino voters in Colorado view the state and...

The numbers are in and Colorado’s air really did have a terrible summer, thanks in part to ground-level ozone. Then, the state accidentally made personal information about confidential voters searchable online, and one of those exposed is the Republican candidate for Attorney General. Plus, new lawsuits argue understaffing is endangering inmates at a private prison in Eastern Colorado. And this we...

Communities and parks along the lower Arkansas River have been warned to avoid the waterway as a massive wastewater spill continues to make its way downstream. Then, ICE arrests are up, and immigrant rights groups in Colorado are documenting cases where they say agents have used unnecessary and unlawful force. Plus, a lab at CSU is learning about dementia by studying cognitive decline in dogs. Ema...

This school year started with a lot fewer mobile distractions in some Colorado’s classrooms. As districts roll out their new restrictions, we hear what some students think of them. Then, after a teen was hit and injured at an unauthorized late-night car meet up, her parents are asking why law enforcement can’t do more to crack down on these events. Plus, Colorado has a state flower, a state tree a...

CORRECTION: In today's segment about Colorado's glaciers, we identified the expert voice throughout as Matthew Siegfried from Colorado School of Mines. However, the final two quotes are actually from Dan McGrath, associate professor of geosciences at CSU. We apologize for the error. The floods and mudslides in Nepal have horrified the world, and for some in Colorado, the pain is personal. Plus, wh...

Colorado helped lead the lawsuit against Meta for practices the state says have harmed kids. So what will it get from the company’s big settlement? Then, doctors say fear over immigration enforcement is keeping some patients from seeking care, and it’s taking a toll on their providers, too. Plus, a Fort Collins teen may have found the most “Colorado” way possible to get to college. Email us at col...

Colorado election officials are vowing to maintain the state’s all-mail ballot system, even as the Trump administration moves forward with plans to restrict who can get ballots that way. Then, two state patrolmen were shot in Woodland Park Tuesday, unleashing a huge law enforcement response. Plus, we get a look behind the controls of a new adaptive race car, designed for people with serious spinal...

From political football to actual football, Denver’s jockeying to host some big-name events in the coming years. Then, Gov. Polis requested federal disaster declarations for two of this year’s wildfires. But after denying similar requests last year, will the President agree? Plus, a new law puts banks on the front lines of fighting fraud against seniors. And how a historic sewer exposed weaknesses...

A new plan from the federal government spares Colorado from having to send more water to downstream states, at least for now, and that means some unhappy neighbors. Then, you will likely find more than a dozen statewide initiatives on your ballot this fall — why has that become such a popular avenue to make policy? Plus, Colorado’s overall growth rate has slowed, but some areas are still booming....

Millions of tourists visit Glenwood Springs each year, many to visit the town's hot springs. But locals are concerned that plans to expand a nearby mining operation could forever alter that natural resource. Then, the federal government is rounding up around a thousand wild horses in the state this summer, reigniting the debate over how to manage this iconic, yet not-native species. And, bears! In...

After weeks of back-and-forth, the state is going to court to try to force the private company running Aurora’s immigrant detention center to cooperate with a public health order. Then, why the end of the Roadless Rule won’t immediately impact Colorado’s National Forests. Plus, a look inside the massive emergency exercise at DIA Wednesday. And Waymo is inviting reporters to ride in its driverless...

Republican leaders in Colorado are wondering, and sometimes worrying, about the larger-than-life political outsider their voters chose for the governor’s race. Then, a courthouse drama in a southern Colorado county, where prosecutors are accused of holding back evidence in dozens of  cases. Plus, there are lots of things that make Rocky Mountain National Park one of a kind, and these days, that in...

Unpaid medical bills are piling up for the immigrant detention center in Aurora, which now owes the hospital run by the University of Colorado millions of dollars. Then, Colorado Parks and Wildlife says calls about bear encounters are spiking this year, as a poor natural food supply has them foraging in increasingly urban parts of the state. Plus, the recreation of Bent’s Old Fort in La Junta has...

Colorado farmers are facing a deluge of challenges all at once. From drought to Congressional gridlock, we hear about what’s weighing on rural Colorado. Then, lawyers for Colorado say they found the “smoking gun” in their argument that the Trump administration acted illegally to punish the state as part of a pressure campaign to get Tina Peters out of prison.   Plus, why the new State Historian wa...

New rules for rideshare companies just went into effect in Colorado. We break down what they mean for riders and drivers, and why advocates wish they went further. Then, two stories on going green, from Denver winning a fight over electrifying buildings, to the state’s biggest brewer getting into the solar game. Plus, Arlo shares one last postcard from this year’s Telluride Jazz Fest, where younge...

We’re learning a bit more about the five teens killed when their car went off a cliff this past weekend. Youth traffic fatalities are part of why Colorado’s death rate remains above pre-pandemic levels, but it’s not the only reason. We learn more about the latest numbers. Plus, a famous courtroom drama, staged inside the walls of a Colorado prison. Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org . Colorado Toda...

One of Colorado’s biggest school districts is trying to balance a potentially costly legal fight, with faltering finances. We get an update on why JeffCo Schools has gone to court to defend its policies for trans students. Then, a Western Slope sheriff is bowing to community pressure and cutting all ties with ICE. But he worries about what may come next. Plus, we take you on a tour to a golf cours...

Stop work orders keep piling up for a major data center project in Weld County, which appears to have been moving forward without the property zoning or permits, or a clear sense of its potential impact on nearby communities. Then, the Denver neighborhood of La Alma Lincoln Park has a long history. But with the Broncos planning to move in next door, some are worried for its future. Plus, as it app...

Do the psychological assessments given to police department hires cross the line into discrimination? A federal complaint and lawsuit against the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office could have wide implications in the state. Then, when people with opioid addictions are ready for treatment, it can still take months to get medication, but a new Denver clinic is speeding that up. Plus Denver musical art...

The historic drought is putting pressure on the water supplies for cities and towns across the West. In Kremmling, those problems have been compounded by broken infrastructure and back-of-the-line water rights. Then, Colorado may have dodged the cyclosporiasis bullet, but salmonella-tainted jalapenos did trouble some restaurant-eaters last month. And we look back to a wild story of voter fraud, an...

New details about the man killed by a jet on a DIA runway tell the story of a person who struggled with mental illness and clashed with law enforcement throughout his adult life. It also shows how Colorado’s mental healthcare system failed to keep him out of crisis. Then, an experiment in Southern Colorado investigates whether one big cash payment can help people achieve long-term stability. Plus,...

The primary victory of Melat Kiros and a vote on whether to cut American foreign aid to Israel show a changing stance from Colorado Democrats, both among voters, and the members of congress who answer to them. Then, we have updates on several recent stories you’ve heard on the podcast, from the Cargill lockout in Fort Morgan to Denver’s nightlife policies. Plus, the tiny Eastern Plains town of Har...

The Colorado River makes life possible for communities from here to Southern California, but dividing it up is only getting harder. We hear how the federal government is stepping in. Then, homicide charges for an Aurora police officer who fatally shot a Black driver during a traffic stop last year. And, pull up a seat at a mile-long table that brings strangers together to build community. Email us...

Independent Shimon Blau has gathered enough signatures to be on the ballot to represent Denver in Congress, running against surprise Democratic primary winner Melat Kiros. What are his policies, and why did he enter the race? Then, new requirements for people buying high-powered rifles and shotguns took effect over the weekend, but what do they mean for Coloradans? Plus, we track down what happene...

After a record snow-drought, dry trees and other fuels could keep the major wildfires burning around Colorado active for months to come, despite monsoon rains. Then, meatpacking workers in Fort Morgan could potentially return to work after reaching a tentative agreement with Cargill earlier this week. Plus, one final batch of Colorado Postcards to tell the story of how Colorado became the state it...