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KUNC's Colorado Edition: A Song Of Fire And Water

Luke Runyon
/
KUNC

On this week's Colorado Edition: I see fire, I see rain — and are those tears on your face from StoryCorps? Probably.

First, Michael de Yoanna fills us in on a bill that would limit access to the autopsy records of children under the age of 18. Proponents say it will prevent "copycat suicides," but opponents say it will prevent the public from learning about child abuse. 

Stephanie Daniel reports on a $2 million statewide awareness campaign to prevent opioid addiction that includes a memorial wall made up of prescription pill bottles. 

Then we meet one of the faces behind the fire as part of a series from the Mountain West News Bureau. Wildfire season is ramping up across the West. When you think about who's on the front line of fighting or preventing those fires, there are all sorts of people involved — some of whom you might not expect. Rae Ellen Bichell introduces us to a fire weather forecaster.

We move from fire to water with Luke Runyon where he introduces us to a unique spring cleaning ritual common in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. On farms there, farmers spend their weekends banding together to clean out irrigation ditches known as "acequias." As Luke reports, there's a struggle to pass on these traditions to the next generation.

This week we have another story from the Fort Collins stop of the StoryCorps MobileBooth Tour, this time with mother Sara Frazier, who came to record stories for her two daughters, Amy and Jenny. She shares the story of a dream she had after the death of her husband that reassured her all would be well.

The mobile booth has moved on, but you can still record your interview using the StoryCorps mobile app. When you do, tag it with the keyword #FoCoStories to have it added to the Fort Collins collection in the StoryCorps archive.

Last but not least, we hear from KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teaches film and television at CU Denver. He says the new biopic Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami is an electrifying, unexpected documentary — just like the performer.

Music this week:

  • "Remember Me" by Kalatana
  • "Awestruck" by Cellophane Sam
  • "Things To Come" by Broke for Free
  • "Taoudella" by Blue Dot Sessions
  • "Memories of Thailand (Beat Doctors Stuck in Britain remix)" by Risey
  • "Good Grief" by Ryan Little

StoryCorps is sponsored locally by Kaiser Permanente.

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.