Today on Colorado Edition: We get the latest on Poudre School District’s vote to keep school resource officers in schools for the upcoming year. We also take a look at how places in Colorado get their names, and we hear about environmental concerns near the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Lastly, we’ll learn about why hospitals in Colorado are hurting financially.
PSD Keeps SROs
Poudre School District will keep school resource officers, or SROs, in schools this upcoming year. The Board of Education voted 6-1 to renew its contracts with three Larimer County law enforcement agencies at Tuesday’s meeting. The original vote was postponed after hundreds of community members called for the district to end the contracts because of disproportionate disciplinary action against students of color. KUNC’s Stephanie Daniel attended the virtual meeting and joined us with an update.
Who Picks The Name?
The recent protests against police brutality and systemic racism across the country have led to a lot of soul-searching, including here in Colorado, about common blind spots when it comes to how white supremacy has been embedded in the culture. This includes reconsidering memorials and place names honoring controversial legacies.
Last week in Denver, community leaders announced they would be renaming the Stapleton neighborhood, which currently bears the name of a former mayor who belonged to the Ku Klux Klan. And, later in the week, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced an advisory board to identify city properties named for people associated with racism so they could be considered for renaming.
In this moment of collective reflection about the cultural significance of the names in our landscape, we asked KUNC’s Rae Solomon to look into an iconic Colorado landmark that’s also been the subject of renaming campaigns: Mount Evans.
U.S.-Mexico Border Wall
Contractors continue to install new barriers across the U.S.-Mexico border, including many across sensitive landscapes, like riverbeds. As Arizona Public Media’s Ariana Brocious reports, while many nearby residents are disturbed by the wall’s environmental effects, they say being ignored during the process has been equally disheartening.
This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River basin, produced in partnership with Arizona Public Media.
Hospitals Face Financial Hardship
In addition to the strain that medical facilities have been facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of staffing and supplies, some Colorado hospitals are also facing financial hardship. Dan Mika from BizWest joined us to discuss his reporting on declining hospital revenues. You can read his latest story here.
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 in the show by Blue Dot Sessions:
- “UpUpUp And Over” by The Balloonist
- "A Rush Of Clear Water" by Glacier Quartet - Araby
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 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., with a rebroadcast of the previous evening's show Tuesday through Friday at 8:30 a.m.