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Colorado Edition: Looming Battle

Scott Franz
/
Capitol Coverage
Snow covers a statue in Avon, where residents only have one health insurance option to choose from.

Today on Colorado Edition: we’ll look at the looming battle over health care in our state. Plus, we’ll hear about complaints about the Windsor post office, and look at how the town is working to solve them. We’ll also learn about how Fort Collins is attempting to diversify its boards, and see a play that teaches diversity and inclusivity.

Healthcare In Colorado

Gov. Jared Polis is blaming hospitals and their executives for the skyrocketing cost of health care. But hospitals are firing back, saying the governor’s agenda for creating a public health insurance option to lower costs will hurt patients and destabilize the market.

KUNC’s Scott Franz reported on the looming battle and the Colorado residents caught in the middle of it.

Reform At The Windsor Post Office

In Windsor, the post office has 28 workers who are responsible for delivering around 20,000 letters and packages a day. The town has grown tremendously since the post office they have now was developed, making it hard for staff to keep up. This means lost mail, neighbors getting each others’ stuff, and many, many residents filing complaints about it all.

KUNC’s Matt Bloom has been reporting on Windsor’s postal service woes and joined us to fill us in on some new developments.

Diversifying Boards In Fort Collins

The city of Fort Collins is starting work to diversify its various citizen boards and commissions to better align city leadership with city demographics. A recent analysis of these leadership positions shows under-representation for people of color, people in their 20s, and those who earn less than $50,000 a year. Meanwhile, white people, people earning six-figure salaries, and people over the age of 60 are over-represented.

Jacy Marmaduke, government accountability reporter with The Coloradoan, joined us to tell us more.

Diversity Play

While Fort Collins is working to improve diversity among its various boards, Colorado’s workforce is already becoming increasingly diverse. In December, Colorado’s unemployment rate was 2.5%, the lowest rate since 1976. With more people employed, it makes sense the workforce is changing. But not all organizations are prepared for this change.

As KUNC’s Stephanie Daniel reports, a nonprofit is providing the tools to help them attract and retain diverse employees.

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 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.