New Lives Emerge From Colo. Wildfire Ashes, Still Scarred

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

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.