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The Marshall Fire was, in many ways, precipitated by a perfect storm of climate threats we’ve experienced for decades in our region, primarily extreme drought we’ve seen since 2000. For many climate researchers, watching dramatic disasters like the Marshall Fire unfold reveals the effects of climate change in real time.

Today on Colorado Edition, we preview what state lawmakers are planning to pursue in the new legislative session that kicks on tomorrow. We also learn about the possibility of new technology to help farms use less water. And, we hear why more highly populated communities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to wildfire.

In the aftermath of the Marshall Fire, many experts contend that urban and suburban neighborhoods are vulnerable as the climate grows warmer. We hear from Jennifer Balch, a fire scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder, about what made the fire such a catastrophic event, and how communities should plan for more fires in the future.

Today on Colorado Edition: We examine the connection between devastating wildfires in our region and the climate crisis happening on a global scale. We also hear from a Marshall Fire survivor about how her family is navigating recovery with a home that’s still standing, but uninhabitable due to smoke and soot damage.

Colorado Edition’s Erin O’Toole moderated a keynote discussion on politics, polarization and the state of journalism, here and abroad, with former NPR journalist and Weekend Edition Sunday host Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

Today on Colorado Edition, we hear why Colorado kindergarten enrollment is increasing after plummeting due to the pandemic last year. We also learn why the way we understand the impact of snow totals on drought is changing. And, we listen back to a conversation with Wilma Webb, the first Black first lady of Denver, as her husband and former mayor Wellington Webb is set to be honored with a sculpture.

In the first year of the pandemic, Colorado’s kindergarten enrollment plummeted. A year later, many young students are back in public schools, with statewide kindergarten enrollment trending back up.

Today on Colorado Edition, we hear how a volunteer for a nonprofit that helps people navigate insurance after disaster is working with Marshall Fire survivors. We also listen back to a conversation about the history of avocados.

The process of recovering from the Marshall Fire looks different for each person affected. For those who were insured, working with their provider to file claims and compile detailed inventories of belongings has become part of day-to-day life. But not all insured residents have enough coverage to make up for the costs of losing a home.

New building permits are on hold in the fast-growing town of Severance, after the North Weld County Water District imposed a moratorium on new water taps. Uncertainties over construction delays for a small pipeline project appear to be behind the move, which is also affecting other nearby communities, including Eaton. We take a closer look at the impact of this freeze on residential and commercial construction.