
Colorado Matters
Hosted by Ryan Warner and Chandra Thomas Whitfield, CPR News' daily interview show focuses on the state's people, issues and ideas.
Latest episodes

Jun 9, 2025 • 49min
June 9, 2025: The bestselling novel 'Go As a River' weaves an engrossing tale of a watery ghost town
As a girl growing up in Gunnison, Shelley Read swam in Blue Mesa Reservoir. And she knew of the watery ghost town just beneath her. That ultimately led to her writing about it; the novel, now a global bestseller, is called "Go As A River." And it's not just about the disappearance of the town of Iola, Colorado. Then, students creating a workforce for climate resiliency. And, Colorado Wonders why some holders of annual state park passes may have to pay an extra fee to enter.

Jun 6, 2025 • 49min
June 6, 2025: The challenge of tracking federal cuts; Festival Flamboyan creates connection
"The Impact Project" is a tool to track and display cuts to federal agencies; we speak with the founding director. Then, an update on the survivors and the suspect in Sunday's firebomb attack in Boulder. Plus, a nationally renowned Colorado theater company that makes theater-going more accessible adapts in the face of canceled grants. And Festival Flamboyan is a first-of-its-kind event that hopes to connect Coloradans.

Jun 5, 2025 • 49min
June 5, 2025: Supporting Boulder attack survivors; Measles and summer travel; Reimagining fatherhood
We hear from a survivor of the firebomb attack in Boulder as the community gathers to show support and solidarity. Then, what to know about the spread of measles as the busy summer travel season begins. Plus, a summit ahead of Father's Day aims to "restore, rebuild, and reimagine" fatherhood in a supportive and inclusive way. Later, how federal cuts to arts funding is having a ripple effect on a unique exhibit in western Colorado. And singer/songwriter Kayla Marque kicks off the Cultural Caravan Festival.

Jun 4, 2025 • 49min
June 4, 2025: A Hiroshima survivor remembers; Challenges for Colorado jobseekers; Thriving with diabetes
Hiroshima survivor Tamayo Terada welcomed us into her Denver home, as her adult children gathered round. Less than a month after that gathering, Terada passed away. Then, advice for jobseekers in uncertain times. Plus, a Colorado woman's half-century journey with diabetes. And, Colorado country music, according to The Barlow.

Jun 3, 2025 • 49min
June 3, 2025: Aging Matters explores grief and ways to cope; How Colorado's policing laws have changed
Today, we explore grief and how to cope with it in Aging Matters. Plus, we visit a clothing and coffee shop in Longmont where they host weekly "grief circles." Then, how has Colorado state law about policing changed since George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis five years ago. And later, Colorado Wonders about why there aren't more fruit trees in cities like Denver.

Jun 2, 2025 • 49min
June 2, 2025: Attorney General Phil Weiser says Boulder attack is 'personal'; A shift in immigration protocols?
The Jewish holiday of Shavuot, when Jewish people celebrate the gift of the Torah – the Hebrew bible, was marred by violence as eight people were attacked Sunday in Boulder. Attorney General Phil Weiser provided an update on the latest developments. Then, have immigration protocols shifted from finding criminals to stopping those following the current guidelines? Later, oil companies aren't always complying with fracking laws. Plus, how cancelling millions of dollars in grants has impacted addressing environmental inequities. Also, a look back as Pride 2025 kicks off, and the evolution of street art.

May 30, 2025 • 49min
May 30, 2025: We are starved for stars, says outdoor writer Craig Childs
Eighty percent of the world's population can't see The Milky Way. Light pollution interferes. Author and adventurer Craig Childs, of Norwood, Colorado, writes about a trek from light to dark in his new book. "The Wild Dark" takes readers from the incandescence of Las Vegas to the spangled skies of rural Nevada. Childs spoke with Sr. Host Ryan Warner at this month's Mountain Words Festival in Crested Butte.

May 29, 2025 • 49min
May 29, 2025: The campaign to free Tina Peters; The teeth behind the benefits of fluoride
Due to President Trump's involvement and a recent high profile pardon, the governor's office has received hundreds of emails from people wanting to see former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters released from prison. Where does the effort stand? Then, it's long been shown that fluoride helps prevent tooth decay. A young dentist actually discovered it in Colorado Springs in 1901. We get some grounding amid a recent debate about its benefits. And, looking inside oneself to overcome professional barriers. And a unique end-of-the-year school project for students at Warren Tech.

May 28, 2025 • 49min
May 28, 2025:Investigating 'welfare checks' of migrant children; Colorado Symphony and Lettuce mix it up
Federal agents have been knocking on doors in Colorado; on the other side of those doors: kids who crossed the border illegally and alone. CPR Justice reporter Allison Sherry brings us her investigation, a story she broke. Then, could the BLM relocate to Colorado, again? Also, the case of a Grand Junction man convicted in deadly pipe bombings; we talk with the Innocence Project about faulty forensic science. And later, an unexpected collaboration from the Colorado Symphony, this time with Denver funk band Lettuce.

May 27, 2025 • 49min
May 27, 2025: Can psilocybin help veterans overcome PTSD? Black Lives Matters five years after George Floyd's murder
Today, the stories of two Colorado veterans who've had two different experiences with PTSD and how to treat it. Could psilocybin be the answer, and if it is, what are the challenges to getting it? We find out with "The Trip: CPR's Coverage of Colorado's Psychedelic Journey." Then, five years after the murder of George Floyd, where does the Black Lives Matters movement stand? Plus, it's the beginning of the end for the penny. And, the story of a special education teacher in Colorado, and the effort to recruit and train more.