Colorado Matters

 Our coverage of Colorado deepens today with the launch of CPR's new daily podcast, "Colorado Today." We share the inaugural episode and meet hosts Bazi Kanani and Arlo Pérez Esquivel. Plus, today is a new state holiday: "Buy Colorado Day." It elevates supporting local businesses and building Colorado's brand across the world. 

 U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, (R) answers questions about DOGE, possible Medicaid cuts, relocating the BLM, and the fact that people close to the president have made what appear to be Nazi salutes. Then, boycotts in the digital age. Also, a Colorado Wonders question about property taxes. And a Denver filmmaker is up for an Oscar for "Anuja," his film about sisterly love amid the trappings of child labor. 

Denver International Airport opened 30 years ago this week. We talk with two people who work at DIA who also worked at the old Stapleton Airport, about the big move, the iconic tent roof, the infamous automated baggage system and the ongoing construction. We also speak with former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb on this 30-year milestone. Webb was instrumental in the opening of the airport. He reflects on the challenges, the opportunities, and what the future could hold. 

 The Colorado-built Lunar Trailblazer will try to find water on the Moon. Then, a sixth-grade science teacher in Longmont's poem is displayed on the International Space Station. Plus, students in a small school district explain why they think cell phones should not be banned from the classroom. And, as DIA marks its 30th anniversary, a chance to tour the old airport's air traffic control tower which still stands and is now home to a brewery and restaurant. 

Independent living, assisted living, memory care -- the terminology alone can be overwhelming. We wade through the many senior housing options when aging in place at home is no longer an option, with our conversation from January for Aging Matters on Colorado Matters. Then, for Black History Month, we revisit an exhibit at the Museum of Boulder that showcases Colorado's Black history. It runs through September. 

Bumps for the ski industry. Or moguls as it were. Vail Resorts says for the first time, it sold fewer Epic passes than the year prior. Yet Vail's rapid expansion continues, as we'll hear from a Wall Street Journal travel reporter. Then, passionate testimony at the state legislature over what to pay people who get tips. And survivors, descendants and family of people incarcerated at Camp Amache in Colorado denounce denounce the Alien Enemies Act. 

 Colorado is going from brrr to balmy. In our regular weather and climate chat with Denver7 Chief Meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo, we also check in on the snowpack and discuss how federal cuts might affect weather data. Then, are churches a solution to affordable housing in Colorado? And, how changing DEI policies are affecting scholarships, colleges, and universities. 

Students across Colorado are getting ready to "Trash the Runway"... on purpose. They're learning about fashion and sustainability by using the stuff we throw out to create high-end design. They're also learning critical problem solving and confidence at the same time. Then, thousands of skiers and snowboarders of color are hitting the slopes of Keystone starting this weekend, to support diversity in snow sports and to support future Olympians. 

 United Airlines has a huge presence in Denver. DIA is the carrier’s second-busiest hub behind Chicago. All its pilots train here. And United bought a chunk of land near the airport last year that it plans to develop. The question is: might its headquarters move to Denver? Then, 80 years ago, the 10th Mountain Division fought a battle that was pivotal to winning World War II. Colorado was the training ground for troops. 

 State lawmakers have to close a potentially billion dollar budget gap; Purplish explores how Colorado got here and possible solutions. Then, the CEO of VENU, which built the Ford Amphitheater in Colorado Springs, answers questions about its success, and the noise complaints it's generated. Plus, we salute a 101-year-old Tuskegee airman in Colorado for Black History Month.