Episoder
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Adjusting streetlamps and other exterior lights to allow the stars to shine more brilliantly â 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 Office believes the Dark Sky designation helps attract visitors.
Town leaders in Grand Lake recently took the first steps toward becoming an official Dark Sky community. They would join five other towns in Colorado that already have that designation. About two dozen more Dark Sky places are in the pipeline, including communities and parks across the state.
Aaron Watson is with the group DarkSky Colorado. He joined host Erin O'Toole to discuss the problem with light pollution, and why a growing number of Colorado towns are taking this idea of dark skies so seriously. Weâre listening back to that conversation, recorded in May.
Read more about the overview effect that Watson mentions near the end of the conversation. And check out a list of great places to stargaze in Colorado here.
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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad TurnerTheme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.
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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 doesnât think so. She just rereleased her book The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids. Itâs full of unexpected tips on things like how to curb whining, along with fun anecdotes from her own family adventures.
In The NoCo host Erin OâToole spoke with Olsson about being in the wilderness with her brood and why she thinks more families should embrace camping. -
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Not that long ago, some doctors would use lobotomies as a treatment for mental illness... or insomnia... or severe headaches. That wouldnât happen now. But modern medicine has taken some weird, often tragic turns to get to where it is now.
Author Wesley Marshall argues that thereâs a similarity between the science behind our transportation systems and these outdated practices in medicine and psychiatry. And, he says itâs time for a wakeup call.
Marshall, who teaches civil engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, thinks the way our streets and highways are designed contributes to tens of thousands of unnecessary crashes and deaths each year.
He recently published his research and ideas in a provocatively titled book, Killed By a Traffic Engineer.
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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad TurnerTheme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News
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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 after it was named Best Candy Store in the country by USA Today in June.
The independent, family-owned store has essentially made one type of candy since it opened in 1935. The original saltwater taffy recipe is a closely guarded secret -- and is still used today, said Mark Igel, who bought the business in 2014 from the original owners.
âItâs funny, because my first impression was, how can there be a saltwater taffy shop in a Colorado mountain town?â Igel recalled about his first visit to the store as a customer. âUntil you know what saltwater taffy really is, and that we can have the best saltwater taffy in the country, here in Colorado. Itâs not salt or water, it's not the ocean; it's the way that you make the candy.â
Mark Igel joined host Erin OâToole to share more about what it's been like to be recognized nationally... and why tradition is such an important ingredient in everything they do.
We mention The Taffy Shopâs online taffy cam at the end of the episode â you can find that soothing livestream here.
* * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad TurnerTheme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.
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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 â but what else should you know if youâre new to this world?
To help answer that question, we reached out to Abe Morris. Abe is a former professional bull rider who lives in Denver. He also spent nine years as a broadcast commentator for Cheyenne Frontier Days. And he encourages people who are on the fence to just go and experience the rodeo â no cowboy boots or hat needed.
âI think once you go to a rodeo and you see a good bull riding event or something like that, you're going to keep going. You're going to become a fan for life.â
Abe Morris joined host Erin OâToole to share his perspective and insights on rodeo culture.
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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad TurnerTheme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.
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For many veterans, Independence Day can be a hard day.âŻâŻ
Celebrating Americaâs birthday typically comes with booming, colorful blasts of fireworks. We donât 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.âŻ
âWe often have veterans who describe, regretfully, dreading this time of year,â says Dr. Mandy Rabenhorst-Bell, PTSD program manager with the VA healthcare system serving Eastern Colorado. âAlthough they love the celebration and maybe used to find this a very joyful time of year, now they don't -- and find that they no longer kind of approach it with the same sense of joy and wonder as they once did.â
She joins host Erin OâToole to give a glimpse at what the Fourth of July is like for those with PTSD â and how friends, family and neighbors can help support them.âŻâŻ
Find more information and resources for PTSD from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs here.
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Limiting the carbon emissions of a new home or office, long before anyone lives or works in it -- thatâs the goal of a key piece of Boulderâs 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 buildingâs carbon output. Thatâs why Boulder officials looking to fight climate change are embracing a concept called âembodied carbon.â
Embodied carbon looks at the components that make up a new building or major renovation project -- things like concrete foundations and insulation. And the concept considers the carbon emissions created by manufacturing and delivery of those materials.
Boulder City Council member Lauren Folkerts is an architect who pushed for the new guidelines. She joined Erin OâToole to discuss the impact she hopes theyâll have in Boulder â and on a larger scale.
Read more about the embodied carbon incentives from the Boulder Reporting Lab here.
Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad TurnerTheme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.
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Thereâs no getting around it: itâs really, really hot on Coloradoâs 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 thatâs when many homeowners wish for a more resilient lawn.
Allisa Linfield is a horticulturist with Colorado State University extension. She and the other lawn and garden experts there spend a lot of time researching the science of creating a more drought-tolerant yard.
A lawn makeover is a daunting project for most homeowners to tackle all at once, so Allisa joined ITNâs executive producer Brad Turner to share some guidelines for creating a more resilient yard â one small step at a time.
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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 climbing careers, but they came together to create this unprecedented route.
The route, and why it matters to the climbing community, is also explored in a new documentary called Here to Climb, focused on DiGiulian's developing career.
DiGiulian began her career in climbing gyms when she was six and quickly began winning many competitions at a young age. Lynn is a veteran climber, who became famous as the first person â male or female â to scale an area on Yosemite's El Capitan called The Nose, unassisted. -
Who is allowed to vote in a resort townâs election when a large chunk of the townâs homeowners are not full-time residents? And how does it change the equation if many of the townâs 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 these issues now.
The townâs charter already allows people who own property in Mountain Village, but donât live there year-round, to vote in municipal elections. Itâs currently the only town in Colorado that lets nonresidents have a say in local races on issues like new regulations or taxes. Now the town board is studying whether Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) â which own hundreds of homes in Mountain Village â should also get to vote.
Jason Blevins has been covering the debate for The Colorado Sun. He joined host Erin OâToole to unpack the issue â and what it says about the tension between residents in resort towns and the tourism business that traditionally shaped the local economy.
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Youâve probably seen 3D printing used to create objects out of plastic â 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. to build a lived-in 3D printed home. They use a process called concrete printing construction, meaning they build houses one thin layer of concrete at a time.
Alquist says itâs faster, and should eventually cost less, than traditional homebuilding, which makes it a potential strategy to reduce housing shortages.Alquist already has a location in Greeley. Starting in August, the company will partner with Aims Community College on a new program to train students in the design and manufacturing of concrete printing construction.
Zack Mannheimer spoke with host Erin O'Toole about his companyâs unique construction process, and how his creative background led him to think about solutions to the housing crisis. -
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 weekend, Denver PrideFest celebrates its 50th year. To help put those five decades into perspective, we spoke with Phil Nash, a longtime journalist, LGBTQ activist, and author of the new history book LGBTQ Denver.
Find a schedule of events for Denver Prideâs 50th anniversary here.
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When sheâs 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 thatâs a genuine reflection of the comedianâs perspective. So, in addition to her own standup act, Zoe focuses on booking comedy shows in Boulder that bring in comedians from all different backgrounds.
Zoe organizes the The Dairy Arts Centerâs monthly comedy performances and the annual Boulder Comedy Festival. This yearâs festival kicked off on Wednesday, June 18 and continues through Sunday, June 23. -
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 presently a candidate for Catholic sainthood.
It's about sharing the lives and stories of people who aren't necessarily in Colorado's history books, said Adrian Miller, co-Project Director and lead curator for the exhibit.
"It's important because we're in a time now, across the country, where Black history is actually being vanished, where there are laws being passed and other things to discourage giving a more comprehensive view of our history," said Miller.
The project was several years in the making, and was shaped with a lot of community input and collaboration, Miller said. It includes a variety of installations, collections of oral histories, and an art display that delves into Afrofuturism. The exhibit will be open through September 2025.
Miller joined host Erin O'Toole ahead of the exhibit's launch. We're listening back to that conversation today, in celebration of Juneteenth - also known as Freedom Day.
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like our conversation with CSU Professor Ray Black. He led a Juneteenth bike ride in Fort Collins to illuminate and celebrate the city's Black history.This is an encore of our podcast from Sept. 28, 2023.
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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 elevations. All this makes it more difficult to locate someone quickly.
But now, a new technology could give search and rescue teams a powerful new tool. It's called Lifeseeker â and it effectively turns a helicopter into a moving cell phone tower, able to detect a missing hikerâs mobile phone.
A Durango-based company, Colorado Highland Helicopters, is testing the new technology as it seeks FCC approval in the United States. Dr. Tim Durkin coordinates search and rescue programs for them. He joined host Erin O'Toole to explain how Lifeseeker works, and the potential impact it could have in Colorado. -
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 â and a state holiday since 2022 â observed on June 19.
People celebrate Juneteenth in different ways. Some head to music festivals â like this long-running celebration in Denverâs Five Points neighborhood. Some go to community gatherings â including a three-day event in Fort Collins. Others make a point to frequent Black-owned businesses.
An associate professor teaching African American studies at Colorado State University will host a unique celebration this Saturday morning. Dr. Ray Black leads a bicycle ride through a historic Black neighborhood in Fort Collins. He joined host Erin OâToole to share more about the meaning and significance of Juneteenth... and why a bike ride is a perfect way to experience history.
Professor Black says the bike ride is a relatively easy 5-mile route and open to anyone. It begins at 7:30 Saturday morning at Lee Martinez community park and ends at Foothills Mall where Fort Collinsâ Juneteenth community celebration takes place this weekend.
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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 ânarrative therapyâ 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 included veterans from the Greeley, area. Their films will be screening tonight, Thursday, June 13 at 6 p.m. in the Aims Community College Welcome Center.
The Patton Veterans Project was created by Benjamin Patton, grandson of the famous World War II General George S. Patton. Patton joined us along with Mike Leeman, Veteran Coordinator and former participant, to talk about the program. -
If you listen to music at all in 2024 itâs 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? Itâs a different story.
Statistics show only a small fraction of people in the music industry are women â not on the performing side, but in behind-the-scenes jobs like engineering and production.
A new nonprofit called Project Traction has a mission to create opportunities for women and non-binary music producers. It was founded by Jim Eno â the drummer for the band Spoon. He hopes to boost the number of women in these important industry roles by providing mentorship and hands-on studio experience.
And the latest iteration of Project Traction is focused on Northern Colorado.
Briana Harris, a singer and saxophonist in Greeley, is one of the musicians participating in Project Traction. She got to fine-tune her studio skills alongside Eno, producing a new music track from Denver-based indie rock band Barbara. She joined host Erin OâToole to discuss the project â and why itâs important to elevate women in all roles across the music industry.Project Traction Volume 2 is accepting applications until Friday, June 14, 2024.
Hear Briana Harrisâ solo work here â and check out her work with The Burroughs here.
âFor Good Measure,â the Barbara track Briana co-produced is out now. Listen here:
Barbara: "For Good Measure" (co-prod. Briana Harris) - KUTX
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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 canât 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 University of Colorado Boulder for an annual water law conference. About 300 people with an interest in the future of the Colorado River were in the audience to hear what leaders had to say.
KUNC's water reporter Alex Hager was there, too. He joined host Erin O'Toole to share some details from that conference.
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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 during the pandemic have largely gone away.
As a result, many shelters are at or near capacity. Now the people who run those shelters are turning to creative ways to help keep pets in their homes â with their owners.
To learn more about these approaches, host Erin O'Toole talked with Mouse Jewell, a client intake specialist with the Longmont Humane Society, and Judy Calhoun, CEO at NOCO Humane, which serves Larimer and Weld counties. - Se mer
