In The NOCO

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...

Summer in Northern Colorado means the return of an old-school mode of transportation -- in the form of a ride on the Fort Collins Trolley . Electric streetcars were once a common sight in the streets of Fort Collins, at least until the early 1950s, when car ownership rose and fewer people relied on public transportation. In the late 1970s, a group of dedicated volunteers began to restore the aged...

Adjusting streetlamps and other exterior lights to allow the stars to shine more brilliantly – that's part of the process for becoming a certified Dark Sky community. More than 200 places in 22 countries around the world have this designation. Advocates say limiting light pollution helps preserve expansive views of the night sky, and helps nocturnal creatures thrive. And the Colorado Tourism Offic...

Colorado has some of the best camping in the country, and Coloradans love their weekends in the wilderness. But does a night in the outdoors become daunting when kids are in the picture?  Boulder author Helen Olsson doesn’t think so. She just rereleased her book The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids. It’s full of unexpected tips on things like how to curb whining, along with fun anecdotes...

Not that long ago, some doctors would use lobotomies as a treatment for mental illness... or insomnia... or severe headaches. That wouldn’t happen now. But modern medicine has taken some weird, often tragic turns to get to where it is now.  Author Wesley Marshall argues that there’s a similarity between the science behind our transportation systems and these outdated practices in medicine and psyc...

People who come to Estes Park marvel at the sights they see... Longs Peak on the horizon... the Stanley Hotel above town... herds of elk just about everywhere.   And on Elkhorn Avenue in the heart of downtown, curious onlookers gather on the sidewalk to watch the hypnotic movements of the mechanical taffy puller in the window of The Taffy Shop .   Now, more people are checking out the iconic shop...

Rodeo is a popular sport all summer long across Colorado and the West. There are large events like the Greeley Stampede or Cheyenne Frontier Days in June and July. And lots of other towns have their own rodeos , from Estes Park to Granby to Steamboat Springs.   Of course, anyone can buy a ticket and head to the rodeo – but what else should you know if you’re new to this world?    To help answer th...

For many veterans, Independence Day can be a hard day.    Celebrating America’s birthday typically comes with booming, colorful blasts of fireworks. We don’t talk about it a lot, but for veterans with PTSD, that can be a struggle. It can remind them of combat or other traumatic experiences from their time in the military.   “We often have veterans who describe, regretfully, dreading this time of y...

Limiting the carbon emissions of a new home or office, long before anyone lives or works in it -- that’s the goal of a key piece of Boulder’s new energy code that will take effect later this year.    Typically, people looking to reduce the carbon footprint of their home might install a heat pump or add solar panels. But those improvements could take years to substantially reduce a building’s carbo...

There’s no getting around it: it’s really, really hot on Colorado’s Front Range right now.   According to the National Weather Service, the Denver metro area typically sees about 45 days each summer when the temperature hits 90 degrees or hotter. And that’s when many homeowners wish for a more resilient lawn.  Allisa Linfield is a horticulturist with Colorado State University extension. She and th...

There are dozens of climbing routes on the famous Flatirons in Boulder. Until recently, all of the routes on those monumental rock formations were installed, or mapped out, by men. That changed recently when two female climbers collaborated to install a new route on a section of the Flatirons known as The Maiden formation.  Lynn Hill and Sasha DiGiulian are at very different points in their climbi...