Today on Colorado Edition: We look at what voters can expect from our state's presidential primary. We also check in on sports betting after Coloradans approved Prop DD last November, and find out how it may or may not fund the Colorado Water Plan. Then, we get the latest on Xerox's hostile takeover of HP, a major player in our region. Finally, we speak to a police officer who works for Fort Collins Police Department's mental health response team.
Colorado Presidential Primary
The complexity of the caucus process is one reason Colorado is going back to conducting a primary for the presidential race this year, although the state will still use a caucus for the upcoming senate primary. KUNC’s Scott Franz has more on what voters can expect from our primary on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
Laying The Groundwork For Sports Betting
Last year, Coloradans voted to legalize sports betting by passing Proposition DD. Under the new law, sports betting will begin in May, and those over 21 will have the option of betting on mobile apps or at casinos.
The state is currently in the process of approving the first group of applicants applying for sports betting licenses. To learn more, we spoke with Dan Hartman, director of the Colorado Division of Gaming.
Can Sports Betting Fund The Solution To Colorado's Water Troubles?
The state will tax 10% of casinos’ revenue from sports betting, and the money generated will go towards administrative costs of the new system, gambling addiction resources and the state’s water plan. But estimates of how much money sports betting will actually generate for the state are now much lower than the numbers given to voters in November.
For more on the updated projections, we spoke with KUNC’s Luke Runyon.
A Hostile Takeover: Xerox And HP
In November, the company Xerox offered to buy HP, but HP rejected the offer. Since then, Xerox has not given up, and instead has been trying to take over the company through other means. Dan Mika has been following this story for BizWest, and joined us to walk us through the story and why it matters in Colorado.
Mental Health Response Team
On Thursday, the ACT Human Rights Film Festival and The Lyric are presenting a screening of the film Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops, which follows two police officers with the San Antonio Texas Police Department who are diverting people away from jail and into mental health treatment. After that screening is a panel about mental health emergency response. One of the people on that panel is Chris Bland, who is part of the mental health response team at the Fort Collins Police Department. He joined us to talk about the work that team is doing.
Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!
Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions:
- “Vienna Beat” by Radiopink
- "FasterFasterBrighter" by Ray Catcher
Colorado Edition is hosted by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1) and Henry Zimmerman (@HWZimmerman), and produced by Lily Tyson. The web was edited by digital editor Jackie Hai. Managing editor Brian Larson contributed to this episode.
KUNC's Colorado Edition is a news magazine taking an in-depth look at the issues and culture of Northern Colorado. It's available on our website, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can hear the show on KUNC's air, Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m.