RMCR

House District 57's Elizabeth Velasco is co-sponsoring a new immigration bill that aims to protect immigrants from data privacy concerns when accessing public services.

Under the Biden Administration, the Bureau of Land Management developed a rule that prioritized conservation as a use on its public lands, equal with other uses like mining and grazing. While lauded by public lands and environmental advocates, many in the Trump Administration oppose the policy.

Colorado's 350 sheepherders work alone in the remote forests and deserts of Colorado with minimal oversight. They're more vulnerable and abused than other farmworkers in the state.

Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon reopened on Tuesday after a semi-truck accident closed both lanes around 11:15 a.m. Monday. The Hispanic Affairs Project in Montrose received a major nod from the Community Resource Center, recently reports the Montrose Daily Press. Hotchkiss resident Samira Vetter is the new town clerk for the Town of Paonia after the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the decision at the council meeting on Jan. 24, reports the Delta County Independent.

The Delta County Library District will not ask voters for a mill levy tax increase in 2023. December 30 marked the one year anniversary of the Marshall Fire in Boulder County.

Montrose, Delta and neighboring counties will receive more than half a million dollars in opioid settlement, reports the Montrose Daily Press. Representative Matt Soper is asking the U.S District Court to impose the maximum 20 year penalty in the “body brokering” case against Sunset Mesa Funeral home in Montrose.

Today we hear from four Rocky Mountain Community Radio reporters. Governor Jared Polis visited with firefighters in Rico yesterday, as KSJD's Lucas Brady Woods reports. Demonstrators gathered at the state capitol on Sunday to call for action on rising rents, as KGNU's Luis Licon reports. A new study looks at spending in communities nearby national parks where visitation boomed last year, as KZMU's Justin Higginbottom reports. Plus, in the face of the Big Lie, pushed by disgraced former president Donald Trump and his devotees, a new documentary explores how Colorado has led the way in secure voting by mail, as RMCR's Maeve Conran reports.

In his new book, "Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau" local author Craig Childs takes readers on a journey deeply examining certain rock art panels in the region. Reporter Laura Palmisano interviews Childs, whose home is in Norwood. Plus, federal agencies and five tribes signed a historic co-management agreement for Bears Ears National Monument last month. KZMU’s Justin Higginbottom reports.

When the University of Colorado’s Spring semester ended, many students left town and also left behind tons of trash. Sam Fuqua from our Rocky Mountain Community Radio partner station KGNU in Boulder looks at what happens to all the stuff.

Dinosaur fossils usually get the limelight in southeastern Utah. But the area also has a treasure trove of Jurassic-era mammals. KZMU’s Justin Higginbottom visited a quarry to speak with archeologists excavating human’s earliest ancestors. Plus, in March, Bluecorn Cafe and Mercantile opened for the first time at the new Bluecorn beeswax candle factory in Montrose. The space features over 25,000 square feet for candle production, distribution, and retail, along with a cafe now open, and a music venue coming soon. Owner Jon Kornbluh walked me around on opening day.