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KUNC's Colorado Edition: The Rise Of The Governor

Jared Polis
Scott Franz
/
Capitol Coverage
Jared Polis takes the oath of office Tuesday morning. He is Colorado's 43rd Governor.

On this week's Colorado Edition, as Colorado's new governor takes the reins, we talk with former Gov. John Hickenlooper about his legacy — and his future plans. Other stories this week include a look at a unique program that aims to change the culture around addiction treatment and some helpful advice on how to make New Year's resolutions stick.

Colorado has a new governor. Democrat Jared Polis was sworn in at the state capitol Tuesday morning as the state's 43rd governor. Polis is a former entrepreneur, a five-term U.S. Representative — and now the first openly gay, elected governor. We recap the inauguration and some of Polis's priorities highlighted in his first State of the State address.

The rate of death from opioid overdoses along Colorado's eastern plains is quickly outpacing the statewide average. Stephanie Daniel reports on how a group at the University of Colorado has created a program that seeks to address this problem by changing the conversation around opioid addiction.

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions? If you're struggling, the problem might be the type of goal that you made for yourself. Kyra Buckley spoke with Dr. Megan Babkes Stellino, a sports and exercise professor at UNC who focuses on motivation, for tips on building healthy habits.

John Hickenlooper was known for his down-to-earth, folksy style of leadership. Scott Franz talked to the former Colorado governor about his two terms in office in an exit interview.

The new film "Mary, Queen of Scots" takes place in the 1500s, as England went through one of its more terrifying, but cinematically potent upheavals. KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teaches film and television at CU Denver, says it's closer to history than you might expect.

In the headlines:

  • The Broncos have a new head coach - Vic Fangio was the Chicago Bears Defensive Coordinator this past season. Gary Kubiak, who won a Super Bowl as head coach for the Broncos in 2016, will be returning as the team's offensive coordinator.

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"
  • "Take a Tiny Train"
  • "Origami"
  • "El Tajo"
  • "Thannoid"

This episode was hosted and produced by assistant news director Erin O'Toole and managing editor Brian Larson. Digital editor Jackie Hai handled the web. News director Catherine Welch 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.