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Colorado Edition: Go Climb A Rock

Nate Hegyi
/
Mountain West News Bureau
U.S. national climbing team member Kyra Condie practices bouldering at a training facility in downtown Salt Lake City.

Today on Colorado Edition: we'll discuss the state of local journalism after an announcement of layoffs at The Greeley Tribune. Plus, a look at what's going on in the town of Nederland. We'll also learn about climbing's Olympic debut, and talk with the founder of a fantasy climbing league.

News of The Day:

 

  • Mental Health Services - New data from a healthcare nonprofit shows many Coloradans are visiting hospital emergency rooms for mental health services. In 2018, mental illness was the primary diagnosis for nearly 17,000 visitors, a quarter of which were children. The most frequent visits are for anxiety, panic and major depressive disorders. The Center for Improving Value in Healthcare says the report reflects a lack of access to comprehensive mental health care services in the state. In Greeley and Fort Collins more than 2,000 mental health emergency room visits were reported in 2018. 
     
  • Invasive Species - A new study shows that invasive animals are a major problem throughout the National Park Service. After hearing back from 81% of parks, the report concluded there are more than 300 invasive animal species across the country, with only 11% under control. In the Mountain West region, the top invaders are the European Starling, Rainbow Trout and the Eurasian Collared-Dove.   
  • Gondola - After a week of being shut down for repairs, Steamboat's new gondola has reopened. The $15 million gondola broke down a day after it opened, stranding several employees. No one was injured. The Steamboat Pilot and Today reports repairs have been made to the main gearbox, the part of the gondola that failed. Crews have also taken steps to improve the design flaw that was causing a constant vibration. 

Local Journalism in Colorado

Credit Michael Hicks / Flickr
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Flickr

Earlier this week, the Greeley Tribune announced it would be letting go of two sports reporters in a move to switch up their sports coverage. The paper's publisher wrote in an op-ed on Wednesday afternoon that the changes are based on data from things like reader surveys. But there's been pushback from the community about the future of local sports coverage. 

Corey Hutchins, journalism instructor at Colorado College, joins us to discuss the impact of these changes. 

What's Going On In Nederland?

Credit katriG / CC BY-NC 2.0
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CC BY-NC 2.0

Southwest of Boulder, the small mountain town of Nederland can appear quaint and idyllic. But as small as it is — its population is around 1,500 — the community has faced its share of political conflict in recent months, from a recall campaign to the sudden resignation of a town trustee. 

Charlie Brennan, a reporter for The Boulder Daily Camera, reported on how the town is grappling with these issues

Climbing In The Olympics

The eight-member, U.S. national climbing team is training in downtown Salt Lake City.
Credit Nate Hegyi / Mountain West News Bureau

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Rock climbing will make its debut in the Tokyo Summer Olympics next year, and the U.S. team is training right here in the Mountain West. For those climbers competing, the games represent a high point in their career. But not everyone is a fan of making it an Olympic sport. 

Nate Hegyi reports for KUNC.  

Fantasy Climbing

Credit Paul Hamilton / CC BY-SA 2.0
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CC BY-SA 2.0

If you're not officially part of any climbing team, like that Olympic one, but still want to get involved in the sport, why not join a fantasy league?

Ari Schneider, the founder of Fantasy Sport Climbing, joins us to explain how the league works. 

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.

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 iTunesGoogle PlayStitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can hear the show on KUNC's air, Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Stories written by KUNC newsroom staff.