Colorado Today

The southwestern corner of the state is dealing with a second round of historic flooding, with muddy floodwaters overwhelming communities and disrupting daily life. Then, the U.S. will hear arguments Tuesday over Colorado’s Universal Preschool program, and whether the state can require religious preschools follow nondiscrimination policies in order to get funding. Plus, after more than a decade of legal wrangling, a class action lawsuit alleging forced labor at the Aurora immigrant detention center reached a deal on the eve of trial.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• How to look up ballot drop boxes and voting locations in your county
• CPR’s Haylee May on flooding in the Durango area and Stina Seig onflood damage around Pagosa Springs
• Chalkbeat’s Ann Schimke on Catholic preschools’ challenge to Colorado Universal Pre-K program rules
• CPR’s Allison Sherry on the settlement in the class action lawsuit against detainee labor at the GEO facility in Aurora

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Jackie Sedley, Arlo Pérez Esquivel, Megan Verlee and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

With less than 24 hours to go before Election Day, we get a final update on Democrats’ ambitious play to flip one or more congressional seat in Colorado. Then, how are your fellow Coloradans feeling this election season? We hear from voters across the state. And, for election professionals, this fall has been a particularly fraught time — how are they preparing for any potential election challenges?

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR's Madilyn Rose on flooding in southwestern Colorado
• Jesse Paul from the Colorado Sun on the race in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.
• CPR’s Caitlyn Kim on how voters are feeling in the 5th congressional district and in the 8th Congressional District
• CPR’s Stephanie Wolf on clerks’ preparations for any potential election interference

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Mateo Schimpf. It’s edited and produced by Arlo Pérez Esquivel, Mateo Schimpf, Madilyn Rose and Megan Verlee. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

There aren’t many trans youth participating in competitive sports in our state, and minors getting gender affirming surgery are even rarer. But voters may decide to ban both those things in Colorado. Then, federal election monitors will not be allowed inside Vote Centers on Election Day, and the man who attacked a peaceful protest in Boulder pleads guilty on federal hate crimes charges. Plus, just in time for Halloween, we share some creepy Colorado stories that might make you think twice about what’s lurking in your basement…

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s voter guide on Proposition 134 and Proposition 135
• CPR’s Bente Birkeland on the state’s requirements for federal election monitors
• CPR’s Allison Sherry on Mohamad Soliman’s guilty plea on federal hate crime charges
• CPR’s Shelby Filangi compiled listener’s ghost stories into Creepy Colorado

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Jackie Sedley, Megan Verlee and Zain Hacque Piccione. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Colorado has done a lot to make it easier to vote, but voters this fall will decide whether people should have to do a bit more to prove their ballot belongs to them. Then, as worries swirl around potential federal election interference, a familiar Colorado figure has hit the road, again sowing distrust in the vote. Plus, there’s one Halloween candy that sparks more debates than any other. We look into the science behind those strong feelings around candy corn.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Ban Markus on the arguments and spending around Amendment 84
• CPR’s Bente Birkeland, Tom Hesse and Nicole Vap on Tina Peters’ post-release travel
• CPR’s Haylee May on why people love to hate candy corn (publishes Friday morning)

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Madilyn Rose, and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros is in her final week of campaigning for Denver’s House seat — in a race that could have a wider impact on the city’s politics. Then, the head of the EPA chose Colorado to announce a new effort to find solutions to PFAS pollution. And, for the past decade, ‘Mortified’ has given Denverites a chance to share the deepest darkest thoughts of their teen years … In front of a live audience.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Dan Boyce on clean up efforts as floods recede in Southern Colorado
• Denverite’s Voter Guide to the 1st Congressional District candidates
• CPR’s Ishan Thakore on the EPA’s new effort to take on ‘forever chemicals’
• More information about Mortified’s 10th anniversary show

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Jackie Sedley, Megan Verlee and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

The impacts from last weekend’s slow moving storm keep spreading through southern Colorado. We meet a business owner in one tiny community who’s still figuring out what he lost, and hear how water company employees known as ‘ditch riders’ helped keep things from being even worse. Then, Colorado recently got federal permission to start permitting carbon sequestration projects. But the technology comes with a lot of controversy. And in Manitou Springs last weekend, the 32nd Emma Crawford Coffin Races helped keep things weird.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Tony Gorman reports on the latest with the flooding in southwestern Colorado
• CPR’s Jinny Kim on the debate over carbon capture and sequestration
• KRCC’s Jess Hazel on the history of the Emma Crawford Coffin Races (archive)
• Owen Woods from the Alamosa Citizen on flooding in southern Colorado

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Arlo Pérez Esquivel, Jackie Sedley and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Communities in southwest Colorado are cleaning up and recovering after the San Juan River crested late last week, bringing intense flooding. Then, why school districts are pinning their hopes on voters this fall. And, how 9News uncovered DIA’s little-known role in moving detained immigrants around the country. Plus, we answer some common questions about mail-in ballots and postage.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Tony Gorman on the flooding in southwest Colorado
• CPR’s Rae Solomon on Proposition NN
• 9New’s Chris Vanderveen on the increase in ICE flights out of DIA
• Handy FAQs on mail-in ballots from the Secretary of State’s office

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf and Madilyn Rose. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Adams County is in one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country, and now the Justice Department says it wants to have a closer eye on voting there. Then, a proposed amendment aims to make Colorado’s ballot language easier to understand, but some worry it would have other results. Plus, today is the grand opening of Rainbow Dome, a new roller rink built specifically with the metro area’s queer community in mind.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Tony Gorman on the coming change in the weather
• CPR’s Bente Birkeland and Caitlyn Kim on the federal plan for election monitors in Adams County
• CPR’s Ben Markus on Amendment 87 and the complexity around simplifying ballot language
• Denverite’s Camelia Heins on the grand opening of Rainbow Dome roller rink

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Arlo Pérez Esquivel, Jackie Sedley, Megan Verlee and Zain Haque-Piccione. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Denver Water implemented a strict lawn watering ban on October first. Early data suggests it's working. Then, a retired Ugandan priest had to be carried out of an ICE detention center in Aurora this week, after a judge ordered his release. The asylum-seeker claims he suffered malnutrition and pneumonia, and received minimal health care, while in federal custody. Plus, could the world’s most valuable spice become a financial lifeline for Colorado’s agriculture?

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Jinny Kim on the early results of Denver Water’s October irrigation ban
• CPR’s Allison Sherry’s earlier reporting on Edward Nalwamba and concerns over health care for detained immigrants

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Madilyn Rose, and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Five members of Colorado’s congressional delegation say their offices have received threatening letters with unidentified white powder, bringing up memories of the anthrax attacks of a quarter century ago. Then, in the attorney general’s race, the candidates are divided by their legal experience, and their approach to the Trump administration. Plus, the story of how a man serving a 30 year sentence for armed robbery convinced the prosecutor who put him there that he deserves a second chance.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Tony Gorman on the I-70 glare detours coming soon to Floyd Hill
• CPR’s Nicole Vap and NPR on threatening letters sent to members of Congress
• CPR’s Allison Sherry on the race for Attorney General
• CPR’s Ava Kian on the story of Taveuan Williams’ early release from prison

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

With two weeks until Election Day, we check in on early voting in Colorado and what turnout looks like so far. Then, downtown Denver’s late-night food scene is facing scrutiny over unlicensed hotdog vendors, including a fire that sent bystanders scrambling. Plus, a look at how History Colorado is working with tribes to steward sacred artifacts, or return them to the to the communities they were taken from.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR's Bente Birkeland on early ballot returns
• Business Den’s Max Scheinblum Exploding Hotdogs Carts
• Learn more about History Colorado's NAGPRA program

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Madilyn Rose, and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

After years of struggling to contain opioid overdose deaths, a new survey shows Colorado teens are now less likely to try fentanyl or prescription drugs. Then, a Denver man is accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of Colorado water -- but why? And, meet the Aurora teen who became Colorado’s Governor for a day.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• Rae Solomon on this week's free college application days
• CPR’s John Daley on Colorado teens’ shifting stance on pills and fentanyl
• CPR’s Ava Kian on the high country water theft case
• Rae Solomon on the Aurora teen who was Governor for a day

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted, edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf and Madilyn Rose. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Voters will decide this fall whether police and sheriffs departments should be involved in immigration enforcement. Then, a Parker high school is in hot water for alleged racist behavior by its fans. Plus, we talk film festivals, and no, not that one.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Allison Sherry on Amendment 81
• CPR’s Tony Gorman on the racism accusations around Lutheran High School’s sports teams
• CPR’s Elaine Tassy on the upcoming (non-Sundance) film festivals around Colorado

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Mateo Schimpf. It’s edited and produced by Jackie Sedley, Madilyn Rose, and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Polls suggest this election could deliver a blue wave for Democrats nationally. But in Colorado’s most closely divided district, it still looks like anyone’s race. Then, a massive solar farm proposed for just outside of Mesa Verde National Park has some locals up in arms. Plus, after years of planning, the first element of the state Capitol’s Sand Creek Massacre memorial was unveiled this week.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul on the race for Congressional District Eight.
• CPR’s Haylee May on the planned solar farm near Mesa Verde National Park
• Denverite’s Camelia Heins on the unveiling of the Sand Creek Massacre memorial

Editor's Note: History Colorado is a financial sponsor of Colorado Public Radio. Financial sponsors have no editorial influence.

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Mateo Schimpf. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Arlo Pérez Esquivel, Megan Verlee, and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

The candidates running to represent Colorado’s reddest district traded accusations at a debate this week. Did we learn anything new about the race? Then, schools are being forced to close around the state. How are parents and principals coping?. Plus, we check out one man’s route for a hike that spans the entire state.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Caitlyn Kim on the debate to represent Colorado’s 4th Congressional District
• CPR’s Rae Solomon on what to know about school closures and consolidations
• CPR’s Havalin Haskell on the Great Colorado Route

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Madilyn Rose. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Madilyn Rose, and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Editor's note: The mRNA influenza vaccine, mFLUSIVA, will only be available to adults 50 years and older in Colorado this fall. More information can be found at Immunize Colorado.

Nearly a million Coloradans received ballots with a measure that wasn't meant for them. How did so many people end up with the wrong question about a railroad? Then, this year’s flu season may come earlier than usual. Plus, a look at Denver International Airport’s latest security breach. And, we get down and dirty with the algorithm behind Denver’s port-a-potty landscape.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Shanna Lewis on the Front Range Passenger Rail measure controversy
• Denverite’s Paolo Zialcita on Denver’s porta-potty algorithm
• CPR’s Andrea Dukakis on the upcoming COVID and flu season
• CPR’s Ben Markus on the lawsuit filed against Denver airport officials

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Madilyn Rose, and FLOAT ENGINEER. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Colorado’s gubernatorial candidates faced off in a forum last week. Was there anything to sway Colorado voters? Then, the federal government is suing Denver for its restrictions on immigration agents. And, a Coloradan takes his music on the road and across the sea.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Benete Birkeland on the forum with gubernatorial candidates Victor Marx and Phil Weiser
• Denverite’s Kyle Harris on the Department of Justice suing Denver over its law enforcement mask policies
• Hear more of Avourneen’s music here

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Mateo Schimpf. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Madilyn Rose, Stephanie Wolf and Alejandro A. Alonso Galva. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Colorado’s Republican candidate for governor is in hot water for accepting more in donations than the law allows, but where is all that money going? Then, it’s been two years since Aurora was dragged into the infamous Tren de Aragua headlines by President Trump. A new podcast from CPR and Latino USA follows the story of one Venezuelan migrant caught in the crossfire. Plus, a lot of people use dating apps to find that special someone. Some are trying out the Soulmate Booth.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Ben Markus on the Marx campaign’s unusual spending
• CPR’s Mateo Schimpf and Futuro Media’s Maria Hinojosa’s new podcast, The Whisper Game
• Denverite’s Camelia Heins on the Soulmate Booth

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Madilyn Rose, Arlo Pérez Esquivel, Alejandro A. Alonso Galva, Jack Armstrong and Tyler Bender. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

Douglas County is facing a growing demand for water as development continues. Then, the families of six dairy workers who died when pipes to exploded at their worksite are suing, and the investigation is turning up new details o what happened. Plus, we dive into the history of one of Colorado’s signature accessories: the bolo tie.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• CPR’s Havalin Haskell onDouglas County's water plan
• CPR's Elaine Tassy onthe lawsuit over the dairy workers' deaths in Weld County
• Vogue onWilliam Matthews' 'Bolo: Design, Style, Heritage'

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Arlo Pérez Esquivel and Jackie Sedley. It’s edited and produced by Mateo Schimpf, Madilyn Rose, and Michael Hughes. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.

The federal government no longer wants the expense of managing the scenic — and incredibly popular — Maroon Bells, so it’s looking to turn that responsibility over to Pitkin County. But the arrangement is raising some concerns. Then, voters will see two questions on their ballots about income taxes, with very different implications. And delivery drones could be coming to Denver skies soon, thanks to Walmart.

Email us at coloradotoday@cpr.org. Colorado Today is supported by CPR’s members.

Read more on the stories in today’s show:

• Colorado Parks and Wildlife's information about the kokanee salmon giveaway
• CPR’s Stina Seig and Caitlyn Kim on the proposal to shift Maroon Bells to local management
• CPR’s Voter Guide explains Amendment 87 and Proposition 136
• CPR’s Havalin Haskell on Walmart’s plan to bring delivery drones to Denver

This episode of Colorado Today is hosted by Jackie Sedley and Arlo Pérez Esquivel. It’s edited and produced by Jackie Sedley, Arlo Pérez Esquivel, Megan Verlee and Tyler Bender. The executive producer is Megan Verlee. Theme music by Pedro Lumbraño.