Western Slope

Lizzy Plotkin & Natalie Spears talk with KVNF about their brand new album "Just Over The Ridge." This Western Colorado duo connected through Victor Wooten's Center for Music and Nature and have been playing music together ever since.

• Paonia's working group is closing in on a draft ordinance to regulate marijuana shops. KVNF's Kate Redmond speaks with Paonia Town Trustee Michelle Pattison to get an update.
• A Bureau of Land Management field office on the Western Slope decided to open 95% of lands under its watch to oil and gas leasing. But the State of Colorado and Western Slope conservation groups are suing to try to stop the lease sales. For the Rocky Mountain Community Radio fossil fuel reporting collaboration, Chad Reich reports.

KVNF talks with Courtney Frazier from the Colorado Agritourism Association and Executive Director of the Colorado Dude & Guest Ranch Association, Suanne Miller from Western Slope Farmstead and Creamery in Paonia, CO and Jayme Henderson and Steve Steese from The Storm Cellar in Hothckiss, CO.

The International Dark Sky Association was founded in 1988 with the intention to protect the night skies for present and future generations.

Just over a century ago there were no electric lights and no light-pollution. For millennia, anyone looking into a nighttime sky would see the Moon, 5 planets, and stars – lots and lots of stars.

For the Spring 2016 pledge drive, the production team decided to focus on local artists and the stories they tell with their medium.

So often, those stories are rooted in place. Art doesn’t come from a vacuum, and KVNF’s Jake Ryan talked to Paonia photographer Ben Lehman about how his work is shaped by the people and the nature of the North Fork Valley.

Each year, thousands of tourists flock to Crested Butte, a mountain resort town on the Western Slope. This July, saw more people recreating in and around town than ever before. But, Crested Butte is small. So small there aren’t enough houses for the town’s low­-wage workers to rent. And, short-­term vacation rentals are gobbling up whatever housing is available, forcing workers out. 

Governments and organizations across the Western Slope say slow and unreliable broadband is hindering economic development. That’s why communities across the region want voter support this fall on measures that would allow them to try and address the issue. 

Region 10 received $5.2 million grant from the state to develop better broadband access on the Western Slope. 

The latest Colorado jobs report shows some communities across the state still struggle with high unemployment. 

State economists say for the past four months, Colorado’s unemployment rate has stayed at 4.2 percent. That figure is still below the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent.

Alexandra Hall is chief economist for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. 

"The labor force in Colorado is continuing to grow and the number of people employed are continuing to grow," Hall says.  

On Friday the state released its employment outlook for November.

Colorado's unemployment rate continues to drop. In October it was 4.3 percent and has moved down to 4.1 percent. The last time it was this low was in January of 2008. 

KVNF's Laura Palmisano spoke to Joe Winter, a senior economist with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, about the report and what the economy might look like in 2015. 

Open enrollment for Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s health insurance marketplace, started Saturday. The enrollment period ends Feb. 15.

“It’s important for Coloradans to know that if they want their coverage to begin on Jan. 1, 2015, they need to enroll, select a plan and conclude the process by Dec. 15,” says Linda Gann with Connect For Health on the Western Slope. 

The state exchange, which is separate from the federal marketplace, allows people and small businesses to purchase health insurance and apply for federal subsidies. 

A lack of access to high-speed internet is an issue for rural communities on the Western Slope.

Region 10, an organization of governments that serves the area, is trying to address this problem.

The organization recently got a $100,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to make a proposal on how to improve broadband access in six counties: Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel.

On this week's Local Motion we are showcasing our news team.

Patricia Naft, the voice of KVNF's morning regional newscast, hosts the program that features six original stories by our news director Laura Palmisano and news producer Jake Ryan.

The state's unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in June. It's below the national average of 6.1 percent. 

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said the last time the state's unemployment rate was 5.5 percent or lower was October 2008 when the rate was 5.3 percent. 

Nonfarm payroll jobs increased by over 3,000 from May to June to 2,446,800 jobs, according to the department. Colorado has seen 32 consecutive months of payroll job gains. 

On this week's Local Motion we are trying something new: showcasing our news team.

Patricia Naft, the voice of KVNF's morning regional newscast, hosts the program that features six original stories by our news director Laura Palmisano and news producer Jake Ryan.