In The NOCO

Who is allowed to vote in a resort town’s election when a large chunk of the town’s homeowners are not full-time residents? And how does it change the equation if many of the town’s homes are owned by private companies, rather than individuals?  These are questions that periodically come up in resort areas like Aspen or Vail. And leaders in Mountain Village, located above Telluride, are debating t...

You’ve probably seen 3D printing used to create objects out of plastic – things like toys or chess pieces. A company that recently moved its headquarters to Greeley thinks that one day your new home might be created with 3D printing. And they want Greeley to be a major global hub for this approach to construction. Alquist 3D was founded by Zack Manheimme . Alquist is the first company in the U.S....

Fifty years ago in June, a small group of friends and activists from the gay and lesbian community gathered in Denver's Cheesman Park to be together and celebrate their identity. It was the first iteration of what's now known as Denver PrideFest .  The event has evolved over the years , growing during good times but also during times of adversity and challenge for the LGBTQ community.   This weeke...

When she’s onstage, comedian Zoe Rogers talks about what she knows best: her kids. Her standup centers around her identity as a mom. She jokes about the difference between the proper mom etiquette she carefully displays to her children, and her internal monologue.  Offstage, Zoe appreciates a standup routine that’s a genuine reflection of the comedian’s perspective. So, in addition to her own stan...

An exhibit at the Museum of Boulder illuminates the stories of Black Coloradans, highlighting their influence on the region's history and their impact on the future.  Proclaiming Colorado's Black History centers on places like the once-bustling farming community of Dearfield ; and notable people like businessman Barney Ford and philanthropist Julia Greeley , a formerly enslaved person who is prese...

In Colorado, about 3,000 people go missing each year, according to the state's Search and Rescue Association . And when someone goes missing in the backcountry, every hour counts.  Cold, dehydration and exposure to the elements make a person's survival less likely as time ticks by. Rescuers also deal with rugged mountains, steep canyons, dense tree cover, and extreme temperatures at high elevation...

Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when the last of the enslaved people in our country learned of their freedom. It has been a federal holiday since 2021 – and a state holiday since 2022 – observed on June 19.    People celebrate Juneteenth in different ways. Some head to music festivals – like this long-running celebration in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. Some go to community gatherings...

The Patton Veterans Project is a three-day film workshop designed to give veterans, who may be suffering from PTSD or depression, a communal space to process their trauma.  Vets who participate learn a “narrative therapy” approach to dealing with emotional trauma. At the end of three days, these vets walk away having made a short film about their personal story.  The latest three day workshop incl...

If you listen to music at all in 2024 it’s clear that female artists are a dominant force. From Taylor Swift to Beyonce, Dolly Parton to Billie Eilish, women are some of the top-selling artists in the business.   But behind the scenes? It’s a different story.  Statistics show only a small fraction of people in the music industry are women – not on the performing side, but in behind-the-scenes jobs...

The future of the Colorado River is in the hands of seven people who represent the states that use its water. And right now, they can’t agree on a set of new rules to share the shrinking supply - despite a quickly approaching deadline.  Those negotiations typically happen behind closed doors, rather than in a public setting. But last week, representatives from Wyoming to California met at the Univ...

Pets give us companionship and keep us healthier. They can give us a reason just to get out of bed in the morning.  Unfortunately, some people have had a difficult time being able to keep their pets in recent years. The cost of housing is up. Inflation makes it harder to afford veterinary care , pet food and other supplies. Eviction moratoriums and financial assistance programs that helped people...

Fifty years ago, in 1974, a pair of car bombings in Boulder killed six people.  Five of the six were University of Colorado students and alumni who had been part of a Chicano student activist group on campus called UMAS .  Their names were Una Jaakola,Reyes Martínez, Neva Romero, Florencio Granado, Heriberto Terán and Francisco Dougherty. They were known as Los Seis de Boulder .  At the time, the...

When we see weeds start to pop up in the yard or the garden, the first instinct for many of us is to figure out how to get rid of them.  But here's the thing: Many plants we might regard as ugly or invasive are, in fact, edible.  Orion Aon learned this in his early years growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He would go on camping trips with family and friends – who gave him some of his first lesson...

There is a deeper link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease than doctors may have previously understood. New research at the University of Colorado could point the way to changing how, and when, doctors screen for Alzheimers. Dr Allison Shapiro , assistant professor of Pediatric Endocrinology at CU’s Anschutz Medical Campus , led a study that looked for biomarkers that are typically found in o...

The sugar beet industry began in Colorado right around 1900. Today it's only a small part of the state's economy, but through the early part of the 20th century , beets were the most significant agricultural product grown here. They were so important to the economy that people  referred to sugar beets as 'white gold.' During this time, thousands of Hispanic and Mexican people came to Northern Colo...

It was a shocking crime. In January, thieves in Wichita, Kansas allegedly stole and destroyed a bronze statue of Jackie Robinson , the trailblazing baseball player and civil rights hero. Only the statue's bronze shoes were left behind. The statue had stood near ballfields used by League 42 – a youth baseball league named after the number on Robinson’s uniform.  News of the crime generated an outpo...

A tiny parasite is an emerging threat to honeybees globally. And a scientist at the University of Colorado is sounding the alarm.  Dr. Samuel Ramsey is an entomologist, someone who studies insects. Dr. Sammy , as he is also known, is assistant professor of entomology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder and talks about science on his YouTube channel . The tropilaelops mit...

Each spring, the Front Range endures miller moth season. Even in relatively mild years like this one, the tiny winged visitors enter our homes, annoy us and even frighten us.  But they’re also fascinating. So we asked Karim Gharbi – an insect expert and horticulture specialist with Colorado State University Extension – to help us unpack the mysteries of the miller moths.  Where do they come from?...

For many of us, Memorial Day is the first day of the year we get to fire up the grill. We make hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks - all foods that taste good with a bit of a char and that added smoky flavor.  They’re also all meats.  So what if you want a plant-based Memorial Day cookout, but you don’t want that frozen veggie patty from the grocery store? Today on the show: some easy ideas for a meat-fr...

The phrase "gardening season" may bring a few images to mind: large beds of colorful wildflowers… rows of neatly staked tomato plants… big bags of mulch stacked up against the side of the house. Or perhaps your mental image of gardening looks a little more modest. As in, potted herbs growing on a windowsill.  That's the case for KUNC digital producer Natalie Skowlund. She recently decided to resea...

Adjusting street lamps 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 Off...

Danielle SeeWalker is a Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta artist living and working in Denver. Her work incorporates traditional Native American materials and themes.  This past January, SeeWalker was approached and offered a residency by the town of Vail. The residency would have included SeeWalker creating a public mural. However, on May 9, town officials backed out on that plan. They stated a concern about the...

One of the most definitive signs that spring has arrived is the sound of lawnmowers filling the neighborhood. But this month, that rumble may be a little quieter than usual. That's because of a recent trend in yard care called " No Mow May ."  The idea is simple: wait until June to mow to allow flowers like dandelions and clover to grow and support bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The con...

Just off Highway 34 outside of Greeley sits a ghost town dotted with a couple of deteriorating buildings and a sign. In the early 1900s, this area was home to Dearfield . The thriving agricultural community founded by O.T. Jackson was Colorado’s largest Black homesteading site.  At its peak there were around 300 residents, and Dearfield boasted a number of businesses including a grocery store and...

Patients in Colorado feel the brunt of a growing healthcare crisis every day. Most Colorado counties have a shortage of primary care doctors and other healthcare workers – and that has an outsized impact on low-income and rural communities. And that shortage is projected to get even worse as physicians near retirement age. About a third of doctors in the state are 60 or older, according to a recen...