Shannon Young

The Colorado state legislature passed a measure this session to prohibit state and local governments within Colorado from participating in the immigrant detention industry as a business partner or subcontractor. While this new law may provide a measure of relief to undocumented or temporarily authorized immigrants residing in Colorado, lawmakers in other states are challenging hard-won gains. That includes Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) whose future is being considered by a federal court in Texas.

November 29 marks the 158th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre, the mass murder of at least 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people by U.S. troops that took place on November 29 1864. There are increasing calls to teach the true story of the massacre in schools.

America Recycles Week runs through November 18. This year's week of awareness comes on the heels of electoral wins for a nationwide smattering of ballot initiatives on recycling. One of those successful initiatives was Denver's Ordinance 306, also known as The Waste No More Measure. It will expand curbside recycling and composting in Denver, from single family residences to multi-family housing, apartment buildings, and to businesses that produce food.

Ballots are arriving in Colorado mailboxes and the language within can vary depending on jurisdictional lines. Keeping up with what’s on local ballots can get confusing, especially in areas where municipalities and counties are right up against each other. A new tool from The Colorado Health Foundation could help with that.

Holiday celebrations can produce a lot of trash. Think gift wrapping on Christmas or those plastic Easter eggs or balloons on Valentines Day. The aftermath of the next annual celebration heading to a landfill near you is Halloween. From plastic candy wrappers to styrofoam decorations, not much is recyclable. But some organizations launched efforts this year to at least reuse key elements of the holiday.

A public memorial and reflection takes place Sunday, October 9, in Boulder to explore the truth of Boulder’s role in The Sand Creek Massacre. The event comes days after the announcement of a significant expansion of the national historic site that commemorates the massacre.

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final determination to downgrade air quality in the Denver Metro and Northern Front Range area to “severe” non-attainment for ground level ozone. The effects of poor air quality on cardio-respiratory health are well documented, but recent studies show bad air may also affect the gut microbiome in people as young as infants.

Firefighters continue to battle a blaze near a national research facility in Boulder. The so-called NCAR Fire is now 80 percent contained and has burned about 190 acres of open space since it started Saturday afternoon. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KGNU’s Shannon Young reports.