KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee

New Lives Emerge From Colo. Wildfire Ashes, Still Scarred

KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 10:11:00 +0000

West of the city of Colorado Springs, trees charred by the summer's wildfire scar the steep foothills. The Waldo Canyon fire destroyed more than 300 homes in June.

Now, that devastated neighborhood is coming back to life, with construction workers swarming over half-completed houses.

Aurora, Colo., Tries To Capitalize On Its Ethnic Riches

KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Aurora, Colo., became a familiar name this summer, in the wake of a mass shooting at a local movie theater.

But there's much more to this Denver suburb than the recent tragedy. Just ask Ethiopian immigrant Fekade Balcha. Balcha's apartment, on Aurora's north side, sits in a dense neighborhood of squat brick apartment buildings and tiny homes.

"You see, in our apartment, there are Russians, Mexicans, Africans," Balcha says. "From Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria, and something like that."

Aurora is a real mixing bowl of a city, with more than 90 languages spoken in the public schools.

Residents Struggle With Tragedy's 'Stain' On Aurora

KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 21:07:00 +0000

As investigators dig deeper into Friday's mass shootings at a movie theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora, residents also are trying to piece together what happened and what it means for their city.

Aurora is Colorado's third-largest city, but it's probably not one many people had heard of before now.

Sitting in a cafe, life-long resident Joseph Nguyen says it's unfair his city will now be associated with the tragic attack that left 12 people dead and dozens more injured.

"I mean it's definitely a stain onto our city," he says, "but there's nothing specific about this incident that says

In Fairplay, Colo., Burro Racing Packs 'Em In

KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:29:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz7EDScdakA

6 Miles Of Silver Ribbon: Locals Protest Christo

KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:24:00 +0000

Bighorn Sheep Canyon in Colorado holds a chuckling ribbon of water, with a highway running alongside. Artist Christo wants to drape sections of it — almost 6 miles' worth — with long, billowing panels of silvery fabric.

"The silver-color fabric panel will absorb the color," he says.

Blind Look To New Technology, Push Braille Aside

KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:47:00 +0000

Like a lot of smartphone users, Rolando Terrazas, 19, uses his iPhone for email, text messages and finding a decent coffee shop. But Terrazas' phone also sometimes serves as his eyes: When he waves a bill under its camera, for instance, the phone tells him how much it's worth.

Terrazas is blind, and having an app to tell bills apart can be a big help. For one thing, it means he doesn't have to trust clerks to give him correct change.

Secretaries Of State At Center Of Election Battles

KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:39:00 +0000

In his first year as Colorado's secretary of state, Republican Scott Gessler has been sued eight times.

He's outraged Democrats by rewriting the state's campaign finance rules, tangled with counties over which voters they can send mail-in ballots to, and attracted national attention for participating in a fundraiser to pay off a campaign finance fine levied by his office.

"We've definitely shaken up the status quo, and I think that's happened a bit in some other states too," he says.

Gessler came to the office from a career as one of Colorado's top Republican campaign lawyers and he does

Gator Wrestling: 'Not A Thinking Man's Sport'

KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 10:30:00 +0000

Standing in a pool full of 2-foot-long alligators, Jay Young starts teaching a class on gator wrestling.

"He who hesitates gets bit. Don't think about it," says Young, owner of Colorado Gators. "Alligator wrestling is not a thinking man's sport."

It takes a certain kind of crazy to want to pay $100 to handle animals sensible people run away from. People do sign up, however, ready to try their hands at this most extreme of sports.

The Rocky Mountain farm was originally a fish farm, founded by Young's parents in 1977.