In this week's Colorado Edition, we explore the last hundred miles of the Colorado River and the challenges of bringing life back to the dried out delta, look into the struggle over police transparency at the state Capitol and hear a review of the movie Ramen Shop from Howie Movshovitz.
Police departments and the media don't always agree on what kind of information should be made public, and the fight over police records often goes to court. Some of these debates have landed at the state Capitol this year. Scott Franz has more on two bills that could have big implications for the press, the public and the police.
Next, we're going to take a trip down to northern Mexico, to the endpoint of the Colorado River. Millions of people in seven states depend on water from this 1,400-mile river, and so much water is used here in the U.S. that its last hundred miles runs dry. The river hasn't regularly reached the Pacific Ocean for more than 50 years. Luke Runyon explores the past, present and uncertain future of the Colorado River Delta in this KUNC special report, "Where The River Ends."
A new movie from Japan and Singapore called Ramen Shop is like a broth — a blend of food and family history. But KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teaches film and television at CU-Denver, says the seasonings aren't quite right.
In the headlines:
- Colorado got hit this week by a big spring snowstorm – the second one in a month. Meteorologists aren't fully on board with officially calling this one a bomb cyclone, but it sure felt similar with strong winds, lots of snow and the same 20-degree temperature drop.
- An ambitious paid family leave bill continues to make its way through the state Legislature. It would create a state-run paid family and medical leave program, which would require employer and employee contributions. Business groups say small companies should be exempt.
- A bill to fund full-day kindergarten in Colorado has passed a legislative hurdle at the state Capitol. Chalkbeat Colorado reports the House Education Committee passed the bill with a unanimous vote. School districts don't have to adopt a full-day program and parents won't be required to enroll their children for an entire day. The program is expected to cost $175 million next year — less than the $227 million originally requested by Gov. Polis.
Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!
Our intro music is "Remember Me" by Colorado musician Kalatana. The midshow break is "Bling Bong" by Robbie Reverb. Other music this week by Blue Dot Sessions:
- "Lamplist"
- "Lobo Lobo"
- "Coulis Coulis"
This episode was hosted and produced by assistant news director Erin O'Toole and Karlie Huckels. Digital editor Jackie Hai handled the web. News director Catherine Welch and managing editor Brian Larson contributed to this episode.
KUNC's Colorado Edition is a weekly look at the top stories from our newsroom. It's available every Friday on our website, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever (RSS) you get your podcasts. You can hear it on the air every Sunday at 9 p.m. on KUNC.