With Independence Day comes fireworks, loud noises and rowdy celebrations. For those with post-traumatic stress disorder, that can mean a day full of psychological triggers.

Bike to Work Day is June 26 this year. As cyclists hit the streets this summer, communities across Northern Colorado continue to work toward safer roads for all after a statewide increase in traffic-related cyclist fatalities last year.

Elk attacks have been on the rise in Colorado in recent weeks. Two of the attacks involved small children just outside Rocky Mountain National Park. The attacks have prompted state wildlife officials to increase awareness around aggressive elk and advise tourists and residents about how to stay safe. The Colorado Sun Editor Lance Benzel joined KUNC's Michael Lyle, Jr. to get more on this story.

Colorado is using a major share of its 2023 settlement with Juul Labs to fund youth mental health and wellness support services. The state is offering $20 million in grants for school and community partnerships that help decrease youth vaping and build social connections. Chalkbeat Colorado Reporter Melanie Asmar joined KUNC's Michael Lyle, Jr. to get more on the story.

Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a state mandate that requires middle and high schools to provide free period products in girls' bathrooms by 2028. The Colorado Sun Reporter Tatiana Flowers joined KUNC's Michael Lyle, Jr. to get more on this story.

The share of the U.S. population older than 65 keeps rising and more than half of older Americans will need some version of long-term health care, experts agree. But it's not always simple to access services when the need arises.

For people who can't stand the gym, working out in the fresh air might be the best option.

The White Buffalo Recovery Center is a culturally-informed outpatient treatment center that supports Native community members who are recovering from addiction and substance abuse. This June, they’re launching a new version of Mending Broken Hearts, a bimonthly, three-day workshop that provides healing around grief, loss and intergenerational trauma. In the past, the program has been just for adults, but now the workshop is expanding to include the whole family.

Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and removed federal abortion protections, a legal chess game is taking place among states. Some of these effects are being seeing in Mountain West states.