Colorado Matters

Colorado's putting a lot of stock into the idea of ADUs, Accessory Dwelling Units, to help ease the housing crunch. We'll talk about the potential impact and how similar programs are working in other states. Then, Denver native Karlya Shelton-Benjamin is among a pioneering group of ballerinas known as the Swans of Harlem. Plus, how one Pueblo educator is making sure students don't get left behind when it comes to technology.

They're known as the Swans of Harlem and they've performed for the Queen of England, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder, at the White House, and beyond. Karlya Shelton-Benjamin, a Denver native, was among them, and she's featured in a new book about this pioneering group of ballerinas.

He's spent 50 years at the University of Colorado Boulder, including the last 15 as chancellor. Now Phil DiStefano is stepping down. He discusses how to add more value to a liberal arts degree, the challenges facing higher education, and the importance of what he calls, "humble leadership." Then, we remember a champion for pedestrian safety in Denver, Phyllis Mack.

Daily life has been disrupted in Gunnison by the ongoing closure of an important bridge, from high school athletics, to timber, to health care. What might a fix look like? And what's the timeline? Then, geomagnetic storms test Boulder's Space Weather Prediction Center. Plus, Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple, speaks at the commencement for CU Boulder, where he once was a student. Plus, words to live by from 102-year-old Bill Powell of Fort Collins.

It's a state law that's supposed to weed out police officers and sheriff's deputies who are dishonest. But is it working? We'll discuss the results of a special investigation through the Colorado News Collaborative. Then, as Colorado gets older, what are the changing needs and resources? And the first KlezKolorado Festival hopes to find harmony in music.

In a warehouse in north Denver, students of all ages are learning the construction trades. The Build Strong Academy served as something of a backdrop to a bill signing– legislation that lets folks up and down the Front Range build ADUs – Accessory Dwelling Units – on their property. It’s also where Ryan Warner met Governor Jared Polis for their regular interview to talk about everything from housing to transit to taxes.

Did you know that If you're critically ill and can't make decisions for yourself, your family can't automatically step into help? We'll talk through what to know for our series, Aging Matters on Colorado Matters. Then, Colorado Wonders, where was the state's first public library? Later, former Broncos players Terrell Davis and Brian Griese share their own stories of loss as they work to help children coping with grief.

Grief wasn't a topic that came up very often in their NFL locker rooms, but Brian Griese and Terrell Davis both have experience with loss. Recently the former Denver Broncos teammates got together to discuss their journeys as part of a fundraiser for Judi's House. Founded in 2002 by Griese and his wife Brooke, a clinical psychologist, the Aurora-based facility helps provide support for children grieving a death loss.

The Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind now has a superintendent who's deaf. Then, Broncos football asseses potential starting quarterbacks.

The Denver Broncos have gone through more than dozen quarterbacks --with very little success to show for it -- since Peyton Manning retired eight years ago. But one of the Hall of Famer's teammates, offensive tackle Ryan Harris, thinks the team has finally found an answer in 2024 first-round draft pick Bo Nix. Harris talked about Nix' debut last weekend at the Broncos' rookie camp.