Today on Colorado Edition: We look at report on the state of Colorado's business economy. Plus, today is the deadline for candidates to get on Colorado's 2020 primary ballot. We learn how the process works. We'll also hear the story about a Colorado musician who lost her hearing at the height of her study and explore court-ordered gun safety courses in our state.
News Of The Day:
- New Federal Charges - A man who has been ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial in state court for the 2015 killing of three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood Clinic is now facing federal charges. Robert Dear already faces 179 state charges, including murder and attempted murder. The new charges include 68 counts, including use of a firearm during a crime resulting in death and violating a law ensuring access to clinic entrances. Dear has publicly acknowledged the killings. If convicted of the federal charges, he could face the death penalty.
- CU Independent - The University of Colorado Boulder’s student-run news outlet, the CU Independent, will have to find another source of funding. The College of Media, which oversees the publication, announced it will stop financing it at the end of the school year, in favor of a more faculty-led media enterprise. Robert Tann, the Independent’s editor-in-chief, says they plan to continue publishing, and find a new source of funding. He says in a changing media landscape, the CU Independent is vital to providing students with an independent, student voice. However, Tann says he understands the College of Media’s belief that there should be a faculty-controlled media outlet. CU’s College of Media, Communication and Information said in a press release that the move will offer students an academic experience featuring a strong faculty mentorship component. Students currently working for the Independent are being encouraged to design and join the new faculty-led media enterprise.
- Home Values - Homes located near oil and gas wells see a value decrease of about $3,000, according to a recently published study from professors at West Virginia University and Akron University of Ohio. Home sales were analyzed between 2006 to 2014 in counties with an abundance of oil and gas wells throughout Colorado. The study also notes that the surge of shale drilling in northeastern Colorado, along with the resulting population growth, have driven up land values and home prices overall.
- Wolf Reintroduction - Colorado residents trying to bring wolves back to the state say they have reached an important milestone. A conservationist group says it has gathered enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot next year. Rick Ritter, a spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund, says his group will turn in more than 195,000 signatures to the secretary of state this week. And if voters say yes next year, gray wolves could eventually return to the state for the first time since the 1940s. The reintroduction effort has sparked a debate between ranchers who fear for their livestock and residents who think wolves would benefit the environment by controlling the deer population.
A Look At Colorado's Business Economy
Today, the Leeds Business Research Division at the University of Colorado Boulder released their 55th annual Colorado Business Economic Outlook Forecast.
To walk us through the report and what’s ahead for our state’s economy in 2020, we spoke with Richard Wobbekind. He is the executive director of the Business Research Division and senior economist at the University of Colorado Boulder.
How To Get On Colorado's 2020 Primary Ballot
Although the 2020 presidential primary will not be until March 3, today is the deadline for candidates to get their names on Colorado’s ballot.
To better understand how that process works, we spoke with Judd Choate, director of elections at the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.
You can find the list of candidates on Colorado’s primary ballot here.
Court-Ordered Gun Safety Courses
Finnegan Daly, a senior at Colorado State University, died in 2018 from a gunshot wound to the head. Last week, Coleman Carver, Daly’s roommate who owned the gun, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in the case.
As John Frank reports for the Colorado Sun, Daly’s mother spoke out against the National Rifle Association at that hearing, and as part of Carver’s plea deal, the NRA might benefit financially. John Frank joined us to explain.
Mandy Harvey's Journey
As a music student at Colorado State University, Mandy Harvey suddenly lost her hearing. Devastated, she left school and took a break from music. But when she returned to the stage, Harvey found a new world that eventually led to being a finalist on the TV show “America’s Got Talent.”
KUNC arts reporter Stacy Nick caught up with her to find out what the last two years since the show have been like.
Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!
Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music this week by Blue Dot Sessions:
- “Horizon Liner” by The Pine Barrens
- "Great Great Lenghts" by The Balloonist
- "Waterbourne" by Algea Fields
Colorado Edition is hosted by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1) and Henry Zimmerman (@HWZimmerman), and produced by Lily Tyson. The web was edited by digital editor Jackie Hai. Managing editor Brian Larson contributed to this episode.
KUNC's Colorado Edition is a daily news magazine taking an in-depth look at the issues and culture of Northern Colorado. It's available on our website, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can hear the show on KUNC's air, Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m.