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KUNC's Colorado Edition: Snow, Wind And Fire

Eric Hjermstad
Luke Runyon
/
KUNC

On this week's Colorado Edition, we take a look at the impact of wildfire risk on home insurance, dive into the science behind cloud seeding and hear a review of the film Arctic.

You may not know it, but hundreds of Colorado children are running their own businesses. They sell cotton candy in parks and hair clips in schools. And just like adults, they’re supposed to file paperwork and obtain permits. But as Scott Franz reports, lawmakers are trying to help young entrepreneurs avoid these obstacles by cutting regulations.

Across the Mountain West, more people are moving into places where the city meets the forest and beyond. An estimated 17 percent of households are now at high or extreme risk from wildfire in Colorado. While we might feel far from the heat right now, some homeowners are already getting ready for fire season. Rae Ellen Bichell has more.

A lot of the water problems in the West would go away if it just snowed more in the southern Rocky Mountains. For decades, states have invested in weather modification to do just that, despite a lack of scientific evidence that cloud seeding works. While there are still plenty of questions about the process, Luke Runyon did find some answers.

Had enough of the cold yet? The new film Arctic hasn't, and takes place where the title suggests. For KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teachers film and television at CU-Denver, the movie takes you on the adventure you'd expect, but not much more.

Finally, Feb. 23 is the one-year anniversary of when we posted the first episode of Colorado Edition online, and it's been an amazing journey so far. From scripting, to production, to the satisfaction of posting and uploading this podcast to share with the world, we've had a great time — but what show is complete without some bloopers? We end this week's episode with a few outtakes from the past year.

In the headlines:

  • Military construction projects in Colorado are possibly on the budgetary chopping block because of President Trump's declaration of a state of emergency. At Fort Carson, $77 million for a vehicle maintenance shop and $24 million for Special Ops projects for training and mountaineering are on the "potentially affected" list.

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"
  • "Palms Down"
  • "Homegrown"
  • "Horizon Liner"
  • "The Cornice"
  • "Beignet"

This episode was hosted and produced by Karlie Huckels and managing editor Brian Larson. Digital editor Jackie Hai handled the web. News director Catherine Welch and assistant news director Erin O'Toole 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 iTunesGoogle PlayStitcher or wherever (RSS) you get your podcasts. You can hear it on the air every Sunday at 9 p.m. on KUNC.