KSJD | Serving Southwest Colorado and the Four Corners Region

Polis Announces First Round Of Hires For New Administration

By Scott Franz • Dec 7, 2018

Gov.-elect Jared Polis is bringing a former political rival and members of his congressional staff into his new administration.

Cary Kennedy, who finished second behind Polis in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, will serve as a senior fiscal policy advisor for the new governor. Kennedy served as state treasurer from 2007 to 2011.

State Sen. Daniel Kagan, Accused Of Using Women's Restroom, Resigning In New Year

By Scott Franz • Dec 6, 2018

Democratic State Sen. Daniel Kagan announced Wednesday evening he is resigning from the legislature next month.

In a statement announcing his departure, the lawmaker from Cherry Hills Village didn't give a specific reason for stepping down. But Kagan found himself making headlines last year for using the wrong restroom at the Capitol.

For 63rd Year, NORAD Has Santa On The Radar

By Abigail Beckman • Dec 4, 2018

The Colorado Springs-based North American Aerospace Defense Command--or NORAD--has officially begun tracking Santa Claus for this holiday season.

Helping Homeless Vets In Southwest Colorado

By Tom Yoder • Nov 30, 2018

Veterans constitute about 11% of the adult homeless population in the U.S., and are particularly vulnerable due to mental health issues that can follow traumatic combat experiences. In this episode of KSJD's monthly Veteran's Affairs program, Tom Yoder talks with Rachel Bauske-Frasure, the Southwest Colorado Division Director at Volunteers of America in Durango, about why vets are at risk of becoming homeless, and what her organization is doing to help vets find homes and steady employment.

Navajo Technical University To Build Center for Advanced Manufacturing

By Tom Yoder • Nov 29, 2018

Navajo Technical University has been awarded a $3.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to build a Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

Dry And Getting Drier: Southwestern Water Scarcity The New Norm, Climate Study Says

By Luke Runyon • Nov 29, 2018

The effects of climate change are not far off problems for future generations. They are existential problems for everyone alive today.

That’s one big takeaway from the U.S. federal government’s latest roundup of climate science, the National Climate Assessment, now in its fourth iteration.

What a Mine Pollution Study Means for Lake Powell’s Future

By Daniel Rayzel • Nov 28, 2018

Vlad Bessonov / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

The effects of mining pollution are the subject of a new state and federal government-led study in Lake Powell. Sediment at the bottom of the reservoir will undergo analysis to understand what impact mining runoff, including that of the Gold King Mine spill, has on the river basin.

Colorado Transportation Commissioners Worry About The Financial Road Ahead

By Scott Franz • Nov 27, 2018

State Transportation Commissioner Rocky Scott says his lunch conversation at a Colorado Springs steakhouse took on a sobering tone Monday when the discussion turned to the state’s road funding woes.

“I don’t think we’re going to solve this before I leave the commission,” Scott said.

Three weeks after voters rejected two transportation funding measures, Scott and some of the other commissioners who oversee the state’s road improvement budget still sound resigned.

Early Season Snow Delights Skiers, But The Drought Is Far From Over

By Luke Runyon • Nov 22, 2018

Early season snowfall in some parts of the Colorado River Basin have raised hopes of a drought recovery. But that optimism is likely premature.

In Colorado, higher than average snowfall in October and early November has allowed ski resorts to open early after a dismal start to last year’s season.