Public Affairs

On this week's Regional Roundup, we bring you voices from Pride celebrations across the Rocky Mountain West. We also hear about a new app that connects LGBTQIA+ community members with volunteer opportunities in Utah and beyond.As drought conditions persist across the region, Trout Unlimited is urging anglers to give stressed fish a break by reducing fishing on rivers with low flows and warm water temperatures. We also hear from southwest Colorado, where dry conditions are affecting irrigators, growers and gardeners. With drought comes increased wildfire risk. We visit a firehouse in Salida that is looking to lessons from past fire seasons as they prepare for what could be another challenging summer. And in south-central Colorado, we visit a jazz group that is building community through music. Tune into the Regional Roundup on KDNK every Thursday at 4:30 pm.

On this episode of Everything Under the Sun, hosts Arthur and James dive deeper into this week's Sopris Sun article about Crown Mountain Park being host to various sports tournaments. They talk with Becky Wagner, Executive Director of Crown Mountain Park, following the Shoot Out Lacrosse Tournament held over Mother's Day weekend. Tune in to Everything Under the Sun on KDNK.org every Thursday at 4pm.

On today's Valley Voices, we highlight a recent episode of Purplish from the Colorado Capital News Alliance on domestic violence. A bill advancing through Colorado's statehouse would require law enforcement officers to ask a set of 11 questions — 11 very specific questions, meant to measure someone’s risk of dying at the hands of their abuser. Backers say the change is especially urgent now, because even though homicides in Colorado have gone down in recent years, domestic violence killings have gone up.

This episode brings you updates on two multi-million dollar projects in the Roaring Fork Valley. Over in Silt, the town is wrestling with brown water and building a new water plant for $28 million. In Basalt, town staff is seeking residents' feedback on a proposed public works facility that would cost $25 million to build.

The Soldner Center for the Arts and Innovation was founded to honor Paul and Ginny Soldner, Stephanie's own parents. The center is comprised of five unique buildings, handcrafted by Paul and Ginny over forty years, and showcases a variety of works and practices. Later this month, the Soldner Center will host its very first music therapy for veterans event.

Outgoing New Castle Mayor Art Riddile recounts what’s kept them busy at town hall, including new housing under construction, an e-bike ordinance on the brink of passage,a canceled election, a toppled construction crane, as well as his own 20 years of elected service for the town.

Last year, President Trump signed an executive order that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting stop allocating federal money to NPR, PBS, and their local member stations like KDNK. In response, NPR and several Colorado stations including Aspen Public Radio took the order to court, and last month, brought home a landmark victory.

Flock cameras, and other license plate reader systems, are installed all over Colorado. The technology gives law enforcement access to a new level of tracking, a reach they say has helped them solve all kinds of terrible crimes and made the state safer. But community fears that law enforcement could misuse the data and invade people’s privacy, and share it with federal immigration authorities, are mounting — and getting the attention of state lawmakers.

The six lawmakers tasked with writing Colorado’s budget have an excruciating job this year — they must find about $1.5 billion in savings to keep the budget in balance, and understand that many of their cuts will have direct, human consequences. That’s because the state's Medicaid program, which provides health coverage to low-income Coloradans, accounts for a significant part of Colorado’s budget, and costs have ballooned in recent years.

This episode of Municipal Matters is the entire recording of the CoWest Noticias Collaborative's Local Mayors Forum from March 19th. The Local Mayors Forum in collaboration with Colorado Mountain College included mayors from Aspen to Rifle, excluding GWS due to scheduling issues, to deepen the connection between elected officials and their constituents.