Podcast appearances and mentions of leslie herod

The state is launching a racial equity study to research whether systemic harm has been done to Black Coloradans. We hear from state Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, who co-sponsored the bill to create a new commission to carry out that work, and from advocate Sade Cooper, executive director of C.H.I.C., the Collaborative Healing Initiative within Communities. Then, the debate continues after voters allow the sale of recreational cannabis in Colorado Springs. Plus, the benefits, and pressure, of the Michelin guide. And the Swans of Harlem on their dancing legacy. 

Rundown -    Scott Levin in Craig's Lawyers' Lounge Inner Sanctum - 14:19   Leslie Herod - 44:49   Troubadour Dave Gunders - 01:19:51   "Hole in the Head" by Dave Gunders - 01:26:14   Scott Levin enters the Inner Sanctum of Craig's Lawyers lounge to discuss the latest pronouncements of Donald Trump regarding the Jewish people. Trump's statement was repulsive, bigoted, and disgusting as we point out in fine detail. It was also thought-provoking.   Rocky Mountain Regional ADL Director Scott Levin discusses the Anti-Defamation League's reaction to Trump's incendiary statement that Jews who vote for Democrats hate their religion and everything about the country of Israel. Jared Kushner‘s sound talking about Palestinians moving out of Gaza to free up seafront real estate gets critiqued. So does Kushner's speaking at ADL. But we play the Kushner speech at ADL so you can decide.   Representative Leslie Herod comes on to vindicate her reputation after her exoneration in Denver Court following a false accusation by a fellow Democrat. Leslie Herod, calls for her false accuser's resignation and you will find out why.   The Feb. 12 ruling from Judge Clarisse Gonzales, released by Herod's attorney to the media a month later, came after two days of testimony and evidence that looked at a romantic encounter between Herod and Sheena Kadi that occurred four years ago. Kadi now works for Dem State Treasurer Dave Young and is Vice-chair of the Colorado State Democratic Party. She's being urged to step down.   Representative Herod speaks out against the overly boisterous and non-substantive opponents of the  proposed assault weapon ban. The troubling and dispiriting mood at the Colorado Capitol right now is reviewed.   Troubadour Dave Gunders brings us his song "Hole in the Head" which is what Donald Trump‘s statements remind the Jewish people right now. We need Donald Trump like a hole in the head and we discuss why. We also talk about Trump and Kushner's statements taken together.   Also reviewed is the rise of the University of Colorado in basketball (great 102-100 win over Florida in the NCAA tourney) and otherwise. We talk about the bad bombing in Moscow reportedly perpetrated by ISIS.   The Craig Silverman Show - Every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Colorado time

Magic Mushrooms are legal in Colorado! Here's what you need to know | $1.7MM Biden Administration grant will support expansion of in-home behavioral therapy across Colorado | Auon'tai Anderson and 4 other Democrats are running for Rep. Leslie Herod's CO House seat in District 8 | Rebirth Brass Band is playing 5 Colorado shows in the next 5 daysSong playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: COLORADO SUN:Colorado decriminalized psilocybin. Here's your guided trip through what happens next.What's the timeline? Is natural medicine right for you? Should you microdose? We answer these questions and more.Chryss Cada4:28 AM MDT on Jun 18, 2023Four moms gather around a Saturday morning breakfast table exchanging the obsessive anxieties that come from raising teenagers in today's society.  They share the usual concerns: Does their daughter have enough friends? Is their son being bullied at school? Are their child's frequent dark moods typical teenage emotions, or does their angst cross over into depression? As they talk, it becomes clear that the constant stress of worry for their teens is spiraling them down into anxiety and depressive disorders of their own. Right down to steaming mugs of coffee and plates of avocado toast, the scene is quintessential suburban life in the early 2020s. But this meeting of the moms will likely produce more answers, more insight and more empathy than most. Because the night before these moms consumed some natural medicine known for helping to see things in a new light, bringing clarity to stubborn, problematic patterns. These women, along with thousands of others across Colorado, have found psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) useful in bringing relief from the anxiety and depression so prevalent in today's society. Now, after Colorado voters approved Proposition 122 in November, they no longer have to risk state criminal penalties for their use of this indigenous medicine.The dramatic efficiency of mushrooms to ease mental health disorders that haven't been helped by traditional medicines and therapies isn't just anecdotal. Recent studies from respected institutions like Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have shown psilocybin is helpful in treating everything from alcohol dependence to major depressive disorder. However, those experienced with this medicine suggest that it be approached with intention, reverence and most importantly understanding.Under Proposition 122, The Natural Medicine Health Act, Coloradans 21 and older are allowed to possess and use psilocybin, the psychedelic fungi commonly known as “magic mushrooms.” In addition it proposes the eventual decriminalization of the substances dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, ibogaine and mescaline (excluding peyote). The law allows the state to immediately begin the process of the “medicalization” of psilocybin mushrooms by creating a framework for state-regulated “healing centers,” where people can receive medically guided psilocybin treatments. Although decriminalized in Colorado, psilocybin and the other medicines named in the Health Act remain illegal under federal law. “The measure is therapeutically oriented, so recreational and retail sales are not allowed,” explained Kevin Matthews, one of the authors of Proposition 122. “You can share these medicines with family and friends or in religious uses, but we didn't want this to become a for-profit industry.”A veteran, Matthews found relief from depression during a single psilocybin journey in 2011 and has since worked for increased access to psychedelics for the treatment of trauma. While at a legalization rally he saw a T-shirt slogan that summed up the idea behind The Natural Medicine Health Act in three words: “Healers, Not Dealers.”“We were very careful in the writing of the proposition to put forth a healing model,” he said. “We know that people will still use these medicines recreationally, as they were before this passed. It's not always a clear distinction: for some people taking mushrooms with friends and going to see a show at Red Rocks is therapeutic.”The proposition laid out the problem it was hoping to alleviate, reading in part:COLORADANS ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMATIC MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SUICIDALITY, ADDICTION, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY. COLORADO'S CURRENT APPROACH TO MENTAL HEALTH HAS FAILED TO FULFILL ITS PROMISE. COLORADANS DESERVE MORE TOOLS TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING APPROACHES SUCH AS NATURAL MEDICINES THAT ARE GROUNDED IN TREATMENT, RECOVERY, HEALTH, AND WELLNESS RATHER THAN CRIMINALIZATION, STIGMA, SUFFERING, AND PUNISHMENT.  In November, 53% of Colorado voters agreed with that wording.  Denver attorney Sean McCallister's phone started ringing as soon as the votes were counted and hasn't really stopped since. Primarily working with those in the cannabis industry since the sale and recreational use of weed was legalized in 2012 in Colorado, McAllister is now a pioneer in the emerging field of psychedelics law. One of the most frequent questions he is asked by those outside the psychedelic community is, “When will mushrooms become legal?” His answer: They already have. “No, you don't have to wait for decriminalization provisions,” he said. “People can cultivate, possess and give away mushrooms, as well as share them and be paid for bonafide harm-reduction therapy and support services.” In an interesting twist, those without licensure will be the first to be able to legally offer natural medicine to clients. “Right now those who don't have a therapy license are able to work with these medicines because they are not bound by the rules of a regulatory agency,” McCallister said. “We are about two years away from the regulations being in place for doctors and therapists to be able to offer this medicine to their patients.” In the meantime, a movement of mushroom guides who have worked underground for years or even decades is starting to push into the daylight.In the first three months following passage of Proposition 122, McCallister wrote up more than a hundred disclaimers for guides to use with their clients. Alexandra Jenkins believes so deeply in the medicine's powers to process and release trauma that she was willing to put herself at risk of prosecution to guide medicine ceremonies underground for the past eight years. Now before the ceremonies she holds with one or two other facilitators she passes out a waiver that spells out what can happen when “sitting with the medicine.” The waiver explains that the effects of psilocybin mushrooms include altered perception of time and space and intense changes in mood and feeling. Other possible effects of psilocybin include everything from euphoria and peacefulness to confusion and frightening hallucinations. The effects of psilocybin vary from person to person, based on the user's mental state, personality and immediate environment. Those who have spent time with the medicine will tell you it's all these emotions and so many more, a roller coaster of a voyage through time and space that can fit what feels like a lifetime into four to six hours.“When this (Prop 122) passed I felt a release of stress I wasn't even aware I had been holding,” Jenkins said. “It feels like an open door to give more people access to this medicine.” She has seen the medicine ground previously malfunctioning nervous systems, help people connect to their higher selves, and in doing so feel more compassion toward themselves and others and tap into creativity and the interconnectedness of life. “There is this plant that grows in the ground, is free and helps us see ourselves and others differently,” Jenkins said. “It's cool to be able to believe in miracles.”The timelineIn addition to decriminalizing the four natural medicines, for mushrooms the new law is retroactive. McCallister had several pending cases that were dismissed as soon as Proposition 122 passed. Among them was the case of Ben Gorelick, a Denver rabbi who was facing prosecution after integrating psychedelic use as part of spiritual practice.When this (Prop 122) passed I felt a release of stress I wasn't even aware I had been holding.— Alexandra Jenkins, a guide“The dismissal of that case was especially meaningful because it highlighted the ways this medicine is used,” McCallister said. A representative of traditional and indigenous use and religious use of natural medicine was one of 15 appointees to the Natural Medicine Advisory Board announced earlier this year. The board, which will advise the Department of Regulatory Agencies on the implementation of the regulated natural medicine access program, also includes representatives from law enforcement, veterans, criminal justice reform, mycology, emergency medical services, health care policy, natural medicine and mental health providers.Colorado Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, is drafting a bill that would clarify who would be implementing Proposition 122. He is considering adding Department of Revenue or Department of Public Health and Environment involvement in the rollout of the program.   Proposition 122 says the state must issue rules for things like drug testing standards, license requirements, and health and safety warnings by Jan. 1, 2024, and the state must begin accepting applications for licensed facilities to administer psilocybin by Sept. 30, 2024.The law stipulates that decisions be made on all licensing applications within 60 days of receiving them.After June 1, 2026, the TNMHA board can decide on the medicalization of the additional substances, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline. This may include “healing centers,” like the ones being established for psilocybin, or some similar system with medical oversight for the use of these three substances.Is natural medicine right for you?For years, psychiatrist Craig Heacock has had patients come through his office he knew could benefit from psilocybin, but he was unable to recommend it because it was illegal.Heacock has been able to provide therapy utilizing ketamine, which works in the brain in ways similar to psilocybin. That said, different psychedelics seem to work better for different conditions. “Ketamine is best for endogenous conditions, such as bi-polar depression that has been present throughout the family history,” he said. These are conditions that are caused by factors inside the person's system.“I'm most excited about the use of psilocybin in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder,” he said. “There's been cases of people having remission from OCD for weeks or even months following a single dose of psilocybin.”OCD is one of many anxiety disorders that can develop in response to trauma. It is a coping mechanism your mind develops to try to control the possibility of something traumatic happening to you again. The amount of research on psilocybin has been limited by its legal status, leaving practitioners like Heacock eager to explore its possibilities.   “Psilocybin has a rich and broad palette,” he said. “It connects us with self in a way that can alleviate anxiety, depression and a lack of love.”His podcast, “Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories,” has been a pioneering voice in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. He and his guests often share their hopes that the healing power of psilocybin can help with society's big issues, such as the communal depression lingering from the COVID-19 pandemic. “With the pandemic we have a whole group of people who are left demoralized and spiritually wounded,” he said. “Psilocybin can help with the big things, like alleviating existential despair.”Although there isn't a strict definition, those in the natural medicine community consider a transformative dose  — one in which emotional breakthroughs are likely to occur — of mushrooms to be 3 grams or more.By disconnecting parts of the brain that form what we call our ego, psilocybin allows you to step back and look at your patterns from a different perspective. It puts you in the audience to watch your life play out on the stage and then whispers in your ear that you could do things a different way.  It allows you to not only rethink who you are, but also who you want to be. Jenkins has seen people shed deep-seated trauma through use of the medicine. “People might have something they've been holding for so long they may not even know it's there,” she said. “The medicine shows them that pain and then helps them process it so they can begin to let it go. There is a lot of strength, strength to change, that comes with the love and self-acceptance of this medicine.”Where do I start?Hearing of possible relief from anxiety, depression and even existential despair has Coloradans (and people from around the world) wondering how to get their hands on some mushrooms — and they don't want to wait.“We were prepared for an increase in interest in psilocybin if the proposition passed,” said Daniel McQueen of Boulder's Center for Medicinal Mindfulness. “But the sheer size of the wave of interest actually took me by surprise.”Although he doesn't want to be specific, given the amount of competition cropping up, McQueen said calls to the center from people interested in trying psilocybin-therapy have “at least doubled” since passage of the law. The center, one of the first legal psychedelic therapy clinics in North America, has led thousands of people through cannabis-assisted and ketamine-assisted psychedelic therapy sessions since its founding in 2014, as well as providing training for psychedelic “sitters,” (guides and psychedelic therapists). The training is done by a team of 15, including a medical doctor, nurse and nurse practitioner, four licensed psychotherapists, four pre-licensed psychotherapists, two ministers and two traditional psychedelic guides. People lay down on mats in a circle. A woman sits crossed legged at the top of the group with candles and a laptop with music.The Center for Medicinal Mindfulness & Psychedelic Sitters School. (Britt Nemeth, Contributed)“Because people are in a very vulnerable state while on a psychedelic journey it is very important that they work with a guide who is well-trained,” McQueen said. “A guide should have professional boundaries, the ability to handle a mental health or medical crisis and work in an environment with oversight and accountability.”Accountability is one of the reasons Heacock is looking forward to having mushroom guiding moving out of the dark and into the light.“On the black market it has been ‘buyer beware,'” he said. “There were no checks and balances, it's not like if someone had a bad experience with a guide they could post a bad review on Yelp.”In Heacock's view another advantage of legalization will be testing of the potency of the medicine. “Even if you take the same amount as you had previously, the strength of the medicine could be substantially different,” he said. “With legalization you will know what you are getting every time.”Jenkins, who classifies her work with psilocybin as “harm-reduction services,” stresses the importance of finding a guide who is experienced with the medicine.“I've always had the energy to be a holder of liminal space,” she said. “Being able to create a safe container for someone to have a psychedelic journey is crucial.”Jenkins has spent extensive time in that psychedelic space, including journeys with ayahuasca, referred to as the “grandmother” of all psychedelics. “You have to know what they will be experiencing by having experienced it yourself, it's not something you can learn from a book,” she said.Jenkins is also trained in a spectrum of holistic healing from yoga to breathwork to somatic experiencing. “All the things I trained in up to the point in my life led naturally to holding medicine space,” she said.Despite helping outline the suggested credentials for mushroom guides, Matthews, the Proposition 122 co-author, still puts the most weight in personal recommendations. “Ask people you know, love and respect if they know someone who would be a good match to guide you,” he said. “It's also important to get a facilitator who can relate to your personal experiences.“If you struggle with depression, find a facilitator who has also experienced depression and can have compassion for what you are going through.” An altar with the sculpture of a woman and child, crystals and a variety of other objects.A primary part of guidance at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness is helping individuals explore their spirituality, said Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)Plunging in The “come up” of a psilocybin trip takes about 15 minutes, slowly clicking you up that first big hill of a roller coaster. When the cable lets you go, the plunge down is a little different for everybody. Some people hold on for dear life, regretting their choice to get on the ride in the first place. Others put their hands up in the air and enjoy the ride. Some people alternate between the two.  Either way, there is usually a lot of noise when the medicine “kicks in.” In order to “hold the container,” and keep individuals in their own experience, guides will often request quiet in a group setting.Sometimes people find it impossible to not let out a squeal, a moan, a cry, a retching, a giggle or a choice expletive.  “This is an intense experience, sometimes someone gets too loud and there's the risk that they will compromise everyone in the group's experience,” Jenkins said. “An experienced guide can maintain the container through this by going to that person and helping them through.”  While one facilitator tends to the individual who is struggling by taking him or her to another room, the other facilitator sings to the remainder of the group, her voice soaring above the chaos. Trippers have a choice to go on the wings of the medicine to a peaceful supportive place and have their own experience. “Rather than saying it was a bad trip, I would say there are moments in every journey that are challenging,” said Matthews, who has found psychedelics helpful in processing trauma from earlier in his life. “Unresolved trauma comes to the surface, and you can witness with clarity how something that has been buried deeply is influencing the way you are in the world.”Psychiatrist Heacock agrees.“We don't learn when things are going well,” Heacock said of difficult ketamine sessions. “It's the hard sessions, when you feel like you can't stand another second, that can be the real game changers.”Single doseLicensed clinical social worker Michelle Landon, like many in healing professions, has faced her own struggles with mental health. She often tries healing modalities out herself before prescribing them to her clients.“A couple years ago I began hearing a lot about the science of psychedelics and how they can help people heal,” she said. “I wanted to help others with their trauma and disordered thinking patterns, but first I knew I needed to help myself.”People might have something they've been holding for so long they may not even know it's there. The medicine shows them that pain and then helps them process it so they can begin to let it go.— Alexandra Jenkins, a guideLandon, who has been a therapist in northern Colorado since 2004, found psychedelics helpful in coming to terms with the death of her father in 2021.“The last two weeks of my dad's life he started telling my sister he was going on a trip and wanted to say goodbye to everyone,” she said. “I was with him, watching him go in and out of this world.”Psychedelics lightened the impact and pain of the moment. “I mean sure it sucked, but it wasn't traumatic,” she said of her father's final days and the grief that followed his death. “There were moments of beauty and connection. I saw him through the lens of the medicine and he didn't look like he was suffering. He was ready to go.” Through ketamine-assisted therapy, Landon has brought similar relief to clients dealing with a range of mental health challenges from persistent depression to acute post-traumatic stress disorder.“Some people processing trauma find it so hard to shift things and let go with traditional therapy and prescriptions,” she said. “With psychedelics some people have direct access to knowing they are loved and are able to finally let go of their past trauma.”MicrodoseWhile a single-dose psilocybin journey can have profound, lasting effects, many people are beginning to take mushrooms as a daily medication — and a lot of those people, at least anecdotally, are moms. “People are discovering microdosing to be a good alternative to the pharmaceutical approach that is so prevalent in our culture,” Jenkins said. “It gives your serotonin a bit of a boost and puts you more in tune with yourself.  It can really help people with anxiety without a lot of side effects.” Microdosing mushrooms involves taking such small amounts of the medicine (roughly 0.05 to 0.25 grams) that a person doesn't feel the effects outright. People can take a microdose every day or work in days off to integrate the insights gained on days they do take the medicine.“When I've had a microdose I feel so much more confident in the choices I'm making for my family,” said one mom over post-trip avocado toast. “It's like the mushrooms are a little cheerleader in my head telling me I'm doing a great job.” Another mom had been on prescription antidepressants for a little more than a decade before recently switching to microdosing psilocybin to rein in the ruminating, spiraling, obsessive thoughts she has contended without throughout her life.  She wanted to find a more natural way to access what her brain needs.“It was rough going off them (antidepressants),” she recalls. “I was dizzy, nauseous, felt trapped and was really, really, really depressed. Then I started microdosing and it was like my whole brain lit up again.” Those who work with psychedelics caution that they aren't an instant cure, but rather one resource that has been helpful to many in their healing. “It (psilocybin) is a reminder that we hold the answers inside of ourselves,” Landon said.  “It gets the BS out of the way so you can see your true self and your true potential for happiness.”COLORADO NEWSLINE:A new family therapy program in Colorado will meet you wherever you are — even if that's Costco An in-home mental health program for kids that began in January has served 200 people in 20 Colorado counties and has plans to expandJennifer Brown4:00 AM MDT on Jun 15, 2023A 15-year-old boy is sitting cross-legged on his couch in red flannel pajama pants, his hair looking like he just rolled out of bed. Because he did just get out of bed, about three minutes ago. Now, he's sitting across from his therapist, who had to knock on the door for several minutes before the teenager's mom answered via Ring doorbell from the grocery store. “It's open,” she told Bobby Tyman, a family therapist and clinical program coordinator with Paragon Behavioral Health Connections. It's not the first time Tyman has had to rouse the boy from sleep for his 10 a.m. therapy appointment.This is what in-home mental health treatment for adolescents looks like. The teenager, who recently stole and crashed his mother's car and has been using drugs to cope with depression, is groggy and shy, but tells Tyman that he applied for three summer jobs and is choosing a new high school for the fall. The new in-home therapy program, which has served 200 kids and their parents since it began in January, is an extension of the Colorado Boys Ranch. The ranch opened in 1959 as an orphanage in La Junta, then closed its residential program about a decade ago. But its foundation — Colorado Boys Ranch Youth Connect — has continued, pouring its resources into behavioral health care for kids in their homes. The evolution of the program is a reflection of what's changed in the child welfare system in the past decade — Colorado is sending fewer kids to institutions in favor of homes, and has increased efforts to provide in-home mental health care to cut down on the number of children removed from their homes and placed in foster care in the first place. Several youth treatment centers, including Tennyson Center for Children in Denver, have shifted in recent years from residential care to day treatment and in-home therapy.Some of the children are referred by the juvenile justice system as part of pretrial rehabilitation programs, and by the Medicaid program. Parents can also call for help directly, without a referral from a government program. A staff of 40 works in 20 counties, including the entire Denver metro area and throughout the entire state. Camille Harding, Paragon's CEO says “The point is to help kids and teens get better on their terms, as well as to provide a step-down program for adolescents who have visited a hospital emergency room in crisis or been admitted on a mental health hold. The program aims to schedule the first appointment within 24 hours of receiving a call for help.”Kids who are “trying to have their own personality and a say in who they are” can accomplish that better at home, not in an unfamiliar office with a therapist staring at them.“Having it on their own terms is so much more empowering. You get to decide what we do. We can go for a walk. We can go to the park down the street. Developmentally, it just makes more sense.” Some kids in the program have such intense needs that someone from Paragon is in their home 10 hours a week. A therapist helps work on their mental health. A care manager can help enroll in school, sign up for a GED program, or help the family find housing or food assistance. A specialist can teach interventions specifically for kids who have intellectual disabilities along with behavioral health issues. The team approach means kids get better help and staff are less likely to burn out. The program's technology is unique, too. Paragon is installing geo locations on its staff, many of whom are social workers or case managers with bachelor's degrees, and can send reinforcements quickly. That means that if a teenager is threatening suicide or having a violent outburst, a more experienced counselor can assist in person or virtually.A $1.7 million grant, part of Colorado's federal pandemic relief aid, is helping the program build the technology and hire a psychiatrist. Therapy beside someone's bed or in a Costco aisleTyman prefers standing on a client's doorstep to sitting in an office waiting for a client who doesn't show up. He's done therapy on the floor next to someone's bed because the person was too depressed to get up. And one mom is so overwhelmed by her life that the only time she finds for therapy with Tyman is when she's at the park with her kids or walking through Costco. Tyman tells her she can say he's a neighbor or a friend if they run into someone she knows. “It's OK if we start 15 minutes late because you had to get up and make coffee and put on clothes, or whatever it is you had to do to deal,” he said. “If your mental capacity isn't super high, and you're not functioning well, and you're not getting out of bed on time, and you're not able to manage your appointments, you're never going to make it to therapy.COLORADO NEWSLINE:Auon'tai Anderson, vice president of the Denver Public Schools board of education, announced he will end his run for reelection to instead go for a seat in the Colorado Legislature. Anderson, a Democrat who has been vocal against police in schools, announced his campaign to replace Democratic Rep. Leslie Herod in House District 8. As of Monday, five candidates have filed with the secretary of state's office looking to take the District 8 seat, including Anderson, Victor Bencomo, Christi Devoe, Lindsay Gilchrist and Sharron Pettiford. All candidates so far are Democrats. Gilchrist filed her candidacy the same day as Anderson. Anderson told Colorado Newsline his decision was influenced by the recent shootings at East High School in Denver, when a student asked Anderson what he was going to do about gun reform.“We need Democrats that are going to be Democrats 24/7, not Democrats when it's convenient,” Anderson said. “I feel like we've had some very convenient Democrats in the Legislature when it comes to these heavy issues like rent control, or our assault weapons ban that was killed by Dems. So, for me, this was an opportunity to stand up and say ‘I'm going to run.'” As he wraps up his time on the Denver school board, Anderson touted newly enacted board policies that make dyslexia screenings accessible for DPS students, as well as a 90% reduction in tickets and citations for students in the district, during his time on the board.Anderson said “We can't regress into an era where we're going back to criminalizing Black and brown children” If elected to the Colorado House, Anderson said he would prioritize four areas in his first legislative session: banning assault weapons, enshrining access to reproductive health care in the state Constitution, expanding protections for LGBTQ students, and increasing the state minimum wage. And your unsolicited concert pick of the week, Rebirth Brass Band! A New Orleans Institution since 1983 - Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers says “UNBELIEVABLE. HARD AS HELL, FREE AS A RAY OF LIGHT, THERE IS NOT A BAND ON EARTH THAT IS BETTER. STUNNING."Stunning and hardworking too, with Colorado shows tonight and the following 4 nights- Cleland Park in Delta, Ophelia's Electric Soapbox in Denver, Stoke in Salida, Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins, and finally the Durant Street VIP Tent in Aspen. Welp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Sun and Colorado Newsline.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

Magic Mushrooms are legal in Colorado! Here's what you need to know | $1.7MM Biden Administration grant will support expansion of in-home behavioral therapy across Colorado | Auon'tai Anderson and 4 other Democrats are running for Rep. Leslie Herod's CO House seat in District 8 | Rebirth Brass Band is playing 5 Colorado shows in the next 5 daysSong playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: COLORADO SUN:Colorado decriminalized psilocybin. Here's your guided trip through what happens next.What's the timeline? Is natural medicine right for you? Should you microdose? We answer these questions and more.Chryss Cada4:28 AM MDT on Jun 18, 2023Four moms gather around a Saturday morning breakfast table exchanging the obsessive anxieties that come from raising teenagers in today's society.  They share the usual concerns: Does their daughter have enough friends? Is their son being bullied at school? Are their child's frequent dark moods typical teenage emotions, or does their angst cross over into depression? As they talk, it becomes clear that the constant stress of worry for their teens is spiraling them down into anxiety and depressive disorders of their own. Right down to steaming mugs of coffee and plates of avocado toast, the scene is quintessential suburban life in the early 2020s. But this meeting of the moms will likely produce more answers, more insight and more empathy than most. Because the night before these moms consumed some natural medicine known for helping to see things in a new light, bringing clarity to stubborn, problematic patterns. These women, along with thousands of others across Colorado, have found psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) useful in bringing relief from the anxiety and depression so prevalent in today's society. Now, after Colorado voters approved Proposition 122 in November, they no longer have to risk state criminal penalties for their use of this indigenous medicine.The dramatic efficiency of mushrooms to ease mental health disorders that haven't been helped by traditional medicines and therapies isn't just anecdotal. Recent studies from respected institutions like Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have shown psilocybin is helpful in treating everything from alcohol dependence to major depressive disorder. However, those experienced with this medicine suggest that it be approached with intention, reverence and most importantly understanding.Under Proposition 122, The Natural Medicine Health Act, Coloradans 21 and older are allowed to possess and use psilocybin, the psychedelic fungi commonly known as “magic mushrooms.” In addition it proposes the eventual decriminalization of the substances dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, ibogaine and mescaline (excluding peyote). The law allows the state to immediately begin the process of the “medicalization” of psilocybin mushrooms by creating a framework for state-regulated “healing centers,” where people can receive medically guided psilocybin treatments. Although decriminalized in Colorado, psilocybin and the other medicines named in the Health Act remain illegal under federal law. “The measure is therapeutically oriented, so recreational and retail sales are not allowed,” explained Kevin Matthews, one of the authors of Proposition 122. “You can share these medicines with family and friends or in religious uses, but we didn't want this to become a for-profit industry.”A veteran, Matthews found relief from depression during a single psilocybin journey in 2011 and has since worked for increased access to psychedelics for the treatment of trauma. While at a legalization rally he saw a T-shirt slogan that summed up the idea behind The Natural Medicine Health Act in three words: “Healers, Not Dealers.”“We were very careful in the writing of the proposition to put forth a healing model,” he said. “We know that people will still use these medicines recreationally, as they were before this passed. It's not always a clear distinction: for some people taking mushrooms with friends and going to see a show at Red Rocks is therapeutic.”The proposition laid out the problem it was hoping to alleviate, reading in part:COLORADANS ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMATIC MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SUICIDALITY, ADDICTION, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY. COLORADO'S CURRENT APPROACH TO MENTAL HEALTH HAS FAILED TO FULFILL ITS PROMISE. COLORADANS DESERVE MORE TOOLS TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING APPROACHES SUCH AS NATURAL MEDICINES THAT ARE GROUNDED IN TREATMENT, RECOVERY, HEALTH, AND WELLNESS RATHER THAN CRIMINALIZATION, STIGMA, SUFFERING, AND PUNISHMENT.  In November, 53% of Colorado voters agreed with that wording.  Denver attorney Sean McCallister's phone started ringing as soon as the votes were counted and hasn't really stopped since. Primarily working with those in the cannabis industry since the sale and recreational use of weed was legalized in 2012 in Colorado, McAllister is now a pioneer in the emerging field of psychedelics law. One of the most frequent questions he is asked by those outside the psychedelic community is, “When will mushrooms become legal?” His answer: They already have. “No, you don't have to wait for decriminalization provisions,” he said. “People can cultivate, possess and give away mushrooms, as well as share them and be paid for bonafide harm-reduction therapy and support services.” In an interesting twist, those without licensure will be the first to be able to legally offer natural medicine to clients. “Right now those who don't have a therapy license are able to work with these medicines because they are not bound by the rules of a regulatory agency,” McCallister said. “We are about two years away from the regulations being in place for doctors and therapists to be able to offer this medicine to their patients.” In the meantime, a movement of mushroom guides who have worked underground for years or even decades is starting to push into the daylight.In the first three months following passage of Proposition 122, McCallister wrote up more than a hundred disclaimers for guides to use with their clients. Alexandra Jenkins believes so deeply in the medicine's powers to process and release trauma that she was willing to put herself at risk of prosecution to guide medicine ceremonies underground for the past eight years. Now before the ceremonies she holds with one or two other facilitators she passes out a waiver that spells out what can happen when “sitting with the medicine.” The waiver explains that the effects of psilocybin mushrooms include altered perception of time and space and intense changes in mood and feeling. Other possible effects of psilocybin include everything from euphoria and peacefulness to confusion and frightening hallucinations. The effects of psilocybin vary from person to person, based on the user's mental state, personality and immediate environment. Those who have spent time with the medicine will tell you it's all these emotions and so many more, a roller coaster of a voyage through time and space that can fit what feels like a lifetime into four to six hours.“When this (Prop 122) passed I felt a release of stress I wasn't even aware I had been holding,” Jenkins said. “It feels like an open door to give more people access to this medicine.” She has seen the medicine ground previously malfunctioning nervous systems, help people connect to their higher selves, and in doing so feel more compassion toward themselves and others and tap into creativity and the interconnectedness of life. “There is this plant that grows in the ground, is free and helps us see ourselves and others differently,” Jenkins said. “It's cool to be able to believe in miracles.”The timelineIn addition to decriminalizing the four natural medicines, for mushrooms the new law is retroactive. McCallister had several pending cases that were dismissed as soon as Proposition 122 passed. Among them was the case of Ben Gorelick, a Denver rabbi who was facing prosecution after integrating psychedelic use as part of spiritual practice.When this (Prop 122) passed I felt a release of stress I wasn't even aware I had been holding.— Alexandra Jenkins, a guide“The dismissal of that case was especially meaningful because it highlighted the ways this medicine is used,” McCallister said. A representative of traditional and indigenous use and religious use of natural medicine was one of 15 appointees to the Natural Medicine Advisory Board announced earlier this year. The board, which will advise the Department of Regulatory Agencies on the implementation of the regulated natural medicine access program, also includes representatives from law enforcement, veterans, criminal justice reform, mycology, emergency medical services, health care policy, natural medicine and mental health providers.Colorado Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, is drafting a bill that would clarify who would be implementing Proposition 122. He is considering adding Department of Revenue or Department of Public Health and Environment involvement in the rollout of the program.   Proposition 122 says the state must issue rules for things like drug testing standards, license requirements, and health and safety warnings by Jan. 1, 2024, and the state must begin accepting applications for licensed facilities to administer psilocybin by Sept. 30, 2024.The law stipulates that decisions be made on all licensing applications within 60 days of receiving them.After June 1, 2026, the TNMHA board can decide on the medicalization of the additional substances, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline. This may include “healing centers,” like the ones being established for psilocybin, or some similar system with medical oversight for the use of these three substances.Is natural medicine right for you?For years, psychiatrist Craig Heacock has had patients come through his office he knew could benefit from psilocybin, but he was unable to recommend it because it was illegal.Heacock has been able to provide therapy utilizing ketamine, which works in the brain in ways similar to psilocybin. That said, different psychedelics seem to work better for different conditions. “Ketamine is best for endogenous conditions, such as bi-polar depression that has been present throughout the family history,” he said. These are conditions that are caused by factors inside the person's system.“I'm most excited about the use of psilocybin in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder,” he said. “There's been cases of people having remission from OCD for weeks or even months following a single dose of psilocybin.”OCD is one of many anxiety disorders that can develop in response to trauma. It is a coping mechanism your mind develops to try to control the possibility of something traumatic happening to you again. The amount of research on psilocybin has been limited by its legal status, leaving practitioners like Heacock eager to explore its possibilities.   “Psilocybin has a rich and broad palette,” he said. “It connects us with self in a way that can alleviate anxiety, depression and a lack of love.”His podcast, “Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories,” has been a pioneering voice in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. He and his guests often share their hopes that the healing power of psilocybin can help with society's big issues, such as the communal depression lingering from the COVID-19 pandemic. “With the pandemic we have a whole group of people who are left demoralized and spiritually wounded,” he said. “Psilocybin can help with the big things, like alleviating existential despair.”Although there isn't a strict definition, those in the natural medicine community consider a transformative dose  — one in which emotional breakthroughs are likely to occur — of mushrooms to be 3 grams or more.By disconnecting parts of the brain that form what we call our ego, psilocybin allows you to step back and look at your patterns from a different perspective. It puts you in the audience to watch your life play out on the stage and then whispers in your ear that you could do things a different way.  It allows you to not only rethink who you are, but also who you want to be. Jenkins has seen people shed deep-seated trauma through use of the medicine. “People might have something they've been holding for so long they may not even know it's there,” she said. “The medicine shows them that pain and then helps them process it so they can begin to let it go. There is a lot of strength, strength to change, that comes with the love and self-acceptance of this medicine.”Where do I start?Hearing of possible relief from anxiety, depression and even existential despair has Coloradans (and people from around the world) wondering how to get their hands on some mushrooms — and they don't want to wait.“We were prepared for an increase in interest in psilocybin if the proposition passed,” said Daniel McQueen of Boulder's Center for Medicinal Mindfulness. “But the sheer size of the wave of interest actually took me by surprise.”Although he doesn't want to be specific, given the amount of competition cropping up, McQueen said calls to the center from people interested in trying psilocybin-therapy have “at least doubled” since passage of the law. The center, one of the first legal psychedelic therapy clinics in North America, has led thousands of people through cannabis-assisted and ketamine-assisted psychedelic therapy sessions since its founding in 2014, as well as providing training for psychedelic “sitters,” (guides and psychedelic therapists). The training is done by a team of 15, including a medical doctor, nurse and nurse practitioner, four licensed psychotherapists, four pre-licensed psychotherapists, two ministers and two traditional psychedelic guides. People lay down on mats in a circle. A woman sits crossed legged at the top of the group with candles and a laptop with music.The Center for Medicinal Mindfulness & Psychedelic Sitters School. (Britt Nemeth, Contributed)“Because people are in a very vulnerable state while on a psychedelic journey it is very important that they work with a guide who is well-trained,” McQueen said. “A guide should have professional boundaries, the ability to handle a mental health or medical crisis and work in an environment with oversight and accountability.”Accountability is one of the reasons Heacock is looking forward to having mushroom guiding moving out of the dark and into the light.“On the black market it has been ‘buyer beware,'” he said. “There were no checks and balances, it's not like if someone had a bad experience with a guide they could post a bad review on Yelp.”In Heacock's view another advantage of legalization will be testing of the potency of the medicine. “Even if you take the same amount as you had previously, the strength of the medicine could be substantially different,” he said. “With legalization you will know what you are getting every time.”Jenkins, who classifies her work with psilocybin as “harm-reduction services,” stresses the importance of finding a guide who is experienced with the medicine.“I've always had the energy to be a holder of liminal space,” she said. “Being able to create a safe container for someone to have a psychedelic journey is crucial.”Jenkins has spent extensive time in that psychedelic space, including journeys with ayahuasca, referred to as the “grandmother” of all psychedelics. “You have to know what they will be experiencing by having experienced it yourself, it's not something you can learn from a book,” she said.Jenkins is also trained in a spectrum of holistic healing from yoga to breathwork to somatic experiencing. “All the things I trained in up to the point in my life led naturally to holding medicine space,” she said.Despite helping outline the suggested credentials for mushroom guides, Matthews, the Proposition 122 co-author, still puts the most weight in personal recommendations. “Ask people you know, love and respect if they know someone who would be a good match to guide you,” he said. “It's also important to get a facilitator who can relate to your personal experiences.“If you struggle with depression, find a facilitator who has also experienced depression and can have compassion for what you are going through.” An altar with the sculpture of a woman and child, crystals and a variety of other objects.A primary part of guidance at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness is helping individuals explore their spirituality, said Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)Plunging in The “come up” of a psilocybin trip takes about 15 minutes, slowly clicking you up that first big hill of a roller coaster. When the cable lets you go, the plunge down is a little different for everybody. Some people hold on for dear life, regretting their choice to get on the ride in the first place. Others put their hands up in the air and enjoy the ride. Some people alternate between the two.  Either way, there is usually a lot of noise when the medicine “kicks in.” In order to “hold the container,” and keep individuals in their own experience, guides will often request quiet in a group setting.Sometimes people find it impossible to not let out a squeal, a moan, a cry, a retching, a giggle or a choice expletive.  “This is an intense experience, sometimes someone gets too loud and there's the risk that they will compromise everyone in the group's experience,” Jenkins said. “An experienced guide can maintain the container through this by going to that person and helping them through.”  While one facilitator tends to the individual who is struggling by taking him or her to another room, the other facilitator sings to the remainder of the group, her voice soaring above the chaos. Trippers have a choice to go on the wings of the medicine to a peaceful supportive place and have their own experience. “Rather than saying it was a bad trip, I would say there are moments in every journey that are challenging,” said Matthews, who has found psychedelics helpful in processing trauma from earlier in his life. “Unresolved trauma comes to the surface, and you can witness with clarity how something that has been buried deeply is influencing the way you are in the world.”Psychiatrist Heacock agrees.“We don't learn when things are going well,” Heacock said of difficult ketamine sessions. “It's the hard sessions, when you feel like you can't stand another second, that can be the real game changers.”Single doseLicensed clinical social worker Michelle Landon, like many in healing professions, has faced her own struggles with mental health. She often tries healing modalities out herself before prescribing them to her clients.“A couple years ago I began hearing a lot about the science of psychedelics and how they can help people heal,” she said. “I wanted to help others with their trauma and disordered thinking patterns, but first I knew I needed to help myself.”People might have something they've been holding for so long they may not even know it's there. The medicine shows them that pain and then helps them process it so they can begin to let it go.— Alexandra Jenkins, a guideLandon, who has been a therapist in northern Colorado since 2004, found psychedelics helpful in coming to terms with the death of her father in 2021.“The last two weeks of my dad's life he started telling my sister he was going on a trip and wanted to say goodbye to everyone,” she said. “I was with him, watching him go in and out of this world.”Psychedelics lightened the impact and pain of the moment. “I mean sure it sucked, but it wasn't traumatic,” she said of her father's final days and the grief that followed his death. “There were moments of beauty and connection. I saw him through the lens of the medicine and he didn't look like he was suffering. He was ready to go.” Through ketamine-assisted therapy, Landon has brought similar relief to clients dealing with a range of mental health challenges from persistent depression to acute post-traumatic stress disorder.“Some people processing trauma find it so hard to shift things and let go with traditional therapy and prescriptions,” she said. “With psychedelics some people have direct access to knowing they are loved and are able to finally let go of their past trauma.”MicrodoseWhile a single-dose psilocybin journey can have profound, lasting effects, many people are beginning to take mushrooms as a daily medication — and a lot of those people, at least anecdotally, are moms. “People are discovering microdosing to be a good alternative to the pharmaceutical approach that is so prevalent in our culture,” Jenkins said. “It gives your serotonin a bit of a boost and puts you more in tune with yourself.  It can really help people with anxiety without a lot of side effects.” Microdosing mushrooms involves taking such small amounts of the medicine (roughly 0.05 to 0.25 grams) that a person doesn't feel the effects outright. People can take a microdose every day or work in days off to integrate the insights gained on days they do take the medicine.“When I've had a microdose I feel so much more confident in the choices I'm making for my family,” said one mom over post-trip avocado toast. “It's like the mushrooms are a little cheerleader in my head telling me I'm doing a great job.” Another mom had been on prescription antidepressants for a little more than a decade before recently switching to microdosing psilocybin to rein in the ruminating, spiraling, obsessive thoughts she has contended without throughout her life.  She wanted to find a more natural way to access what her brain needs.“It was rough going off them (antidepressants),” she recalls. “I was dizzy, nauseous, felt trapped and was really, really, really depressed. Then I started microdosing and it was like my whole brain lit up again.” Those who work with psychedelics caution that they aren't an instant cure, but rather one resource that has been helpful to many in their healing. “It (psilocybin) is a reminder that we hold the answers inside of ourselves,” Landon said.  “It gets the BS out of the way so you can see your true self and your true potential for happiness.”COLORADO NEWSLINE:A new family therapy program in Colorado will meet you wherever you are — even if that's Costco An in-home mental health program for kids that began in January has served 200 people in 20 Colorado counties and has plans to expandJennifer Brown4:00 AM MDT on Jun 15, 2023A 15-year-old boy is sitting cross-legged on his couch in red flannel pajama pants, his hair looking like he just rolled out of bed. Because he did just get out of bed, about three minutes ago. Now, he's sitting across from his therapist, who had to knock on the door for several minutes before the teenager's mom answered via Ring doorbell from the grocery store. “It's open,” she told Bobby Tyman, a family therapist and clinical program coordinator with Paragon Behavioral Health Connections. It's not the first time Tyman has had to rouse the boy from sleep for his 10 a.m. therapy appointment.This is what in-home mental health treatment for adolescents looks like. The teenager, who recently stole and crashed his mother's car and has been using drugs to cope with depression, is groggy and shy, but tells Tyman that he applied for three summer jobs and is choosing a new high school for the fall. The new in-home therapy program, which has served 200 kids and their parents since it began in January, is an extension of the Colorado Boys Ranch. The ranch opened in 1959 as an orphanage in La Junta, then closed its residential program about a decade ago. But its foundation — Colorado Boys Ranch Youth Connect — has continued, pouring its resources into behavioral health care for kids in their homes. The evolution of the program is a reflection of what's changed in the child welfare system in the past decade — Colorado is sending fewer kids to institutions in favor of homes, and has increased efforts to provide in-home mental health care to cut down on the number of children removed from their homes and placed in foster care in the first place. Several youth treatment centers, including Tennyson Center for Children in Denver, have shifted in recent years from residential care to day treatment and in-home therapy.Some of the children are referred by the juvenile justice system as part of pretrial rehabilitation programs, and by the Medicaid program. Parents can also call for help directly, without a referral from a government program. A staff of 40 works in 20 counties, including the entire Denver metro area and throughout the entire state. Camille Harding, Paragon's CEO says “The point is to help kids and teens get better on their terms, as well as to provide a step-down program for adolescents who have visited a hospital emergency room in crisis or been admitted on a mental health hold. The program aims to schedule the first appointment within 24 hours of receiving a call for help.”Kids who are “trying to have their own personality and a say in who they are” can accomplish that better at home, not in an unfamiliar office with a therapist staring at them.“Having it on their own terms is so much more empowering. You get to decide what we do. We can go for a walk. We can go to the park down the street. Developmentally, it just makes more sense.” Some kids in the program have such intense needs that someone from Paragon is in their home 10 hours a week. A therapist helps work on their mental health. A care manager can help enroll in school, sign up for a GED program, or help the family find housing or food assistance. A specialist can teach interventions specifically for kids who have intellectual disabilities along with behavioral health issues. The team approach means kids get better help and staff are less likely to burn out. The program's technology is unique, too. Paragon is installing geo locations on its staff, many of whom are social workers or case managers with bachelor's degrees, and can send reinforcements quickly. That means that if a teenager is threatening suicide or having a violent outburst, a more experienced counselor can assist in person or virtually.A $1.7 million grant, part of Colorado's federal pandemic relief aid, is helping the program build the technology and hire a psychiatrist. Therapy beside someone's bed or in a Costco aisleTyman prefers standing on a client's doorstep to sitting in an office waiting for a client who doesn't show up. He's done therapy on the floor next to someone's bed because the person was too depressed to get up. And one mom is so overwhelmed by her life that the only time she finds for therapy with Tyman is when she's at the park with her kids or walking through Costco. Tyman tells her she can say he's a neighbor or a friend if they run into someone she knows. “It's OK if we start 15 minutes late because you had to get up and make coffee and put on clothes, or whatever it is you had to do to deal,” he said. “If your mental capacity isn't super high, and you're not functioning well, and you're not getting out of bed on time, and you're not able to manage your appointments, you're never going to make it to therapy.COLORADO NEWSLINE:Auon'tai Anderson, vice president of the Denver Public Schools board of education, announced he will end his run for reelection to instead go for a seat in the Colorado Legislature. Anderson, a Democrat who has been vocal against police in schools, announced his campaign to replace Democratic Rep. Leslie Herod in House District 8. As of Monday, five candidates have filed with the secretary of state's office looking to take the District 8 seat, including Anderson, Victor Bencomo, Christi Devoe, Lindsay Gilchrist and Sharron Pettiford. All candidates so far are Democrats. Gilchrist filed her candidacy the same day as Anderson. Anderson told Colorado Newsline his decision was influenced by the recent shootings at East High School in Denver, when a student asked Anderson what he was going to do about gun reform.“We need Democrats that are going to be Democrats 24/7, not Democrats when it's convenient,” Anderson said. “I feel like we've had some very convenient Democrats in the Legislature when it comes to these heavy issues like rent control, or our assault weapons ban that was killed by Dems. So, for me, this was an opportunity to stand up and say ‘I'm going to run.'” As he wraps up his time on the Denver school board, Anderson touted newly enacted board policies that make dyslexia screenings accessible for DPS students, as well as a 90% reduction in tickets and citations for students in the district, during his time on the board.Anderson said “We can't regress into an era where we're going back to criminalizing Black and brown children” If elected to the Colorado House, Anderson said he would prioritize four areas in his first legislative session: banning assault weapons, enshrining access to reproductive health care in the state Constitution, expanding protections for LGBTQ students, and increasing the state minimum wage. And your unsolicited concert pick of the week, Rebirth Brass Band! A New Orleans Institution since 1983 - Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers says “UNBELIEVABLE. HARD AS HELL, FREE AS A RAY OF LIGHT, THERE IS NOT A BAND ON EARTH THAT IS BETTER. STUNNING."Stunning and hardworking too, with Colorado shows tonight and the following 4 nights- Cleland Park in Delta, Ophelia's Electric Soapbox in Denver, Stoke in Salida, Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins, and finally the Durant Street VIP Tent in Aspen. Welp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Sun and Colorado Newsline.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

It's Tuesday and we're breaking down all the local stories that matter. First, the Aurora Police Department released bodycam footage of the killing of 14-year-old Jor'Dell Richardson, but questions still remain as to what happened. Also, Denver School Board director Auon'tai Anderson announced that he won't be running for re-election; instead, he'll be running for House District 8, where Democratic representative Leslie Herod is term-limited. Speaking of politicians, a new Colorado law says your elected officials can block you from their personal accounts on social media if they want to — but legal or not, the ACLU still thinks it's a free speech issue. Plus, producer Paul Karolyi tells host Bree Davies about a new brunch spot in LoHi that he's excited about, which comes from Denver celeb chef (who beat Bobby Flay!), Carrie Baird.  We mentioned the GoFundMe for Jor'Dell Richardson's family, as well as a community gathering and memorial for Jor'Dell on the steps of the capitol.  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866 Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬ Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, we're unpacking something that's become increasingly—and distressingly—mainstream in the wake of the Trump presidency: political violence. This kind of violence overwhelmingly impacts women, particularly women of color. There was an unprecedented spike of threats of political violence in 2020–according to the Brennan Center, one third of poll workers surveyed said that they felt unsafe and 79 percent wanted government-provided security. This troubling trend has  continued, from the January 6 attack, to the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and so much more. Ideas that were once fringe have made their way into the mainstream. In the face of these very real and dangerous threats, how can we support women and minority candidates—not just through their candidacies, but throughout their tenures in office and beyond? Helping us to sort out these questions and set the record straight is a very special guest:Rep. Leslie Herod. Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod was elected in 2016 and received the highest number of votes of any candidate running in a contested election. She is the first LGBTQ African American in the General Assembly. She serves on the House Appropriations Committee and chairs the Colorado Black Democratic Legislative Caucus. Check out this episode's landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.Tips, suggestions, pitches? Get in touch with us at ontheissues@msmagazine.com. Support the show

Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor's race | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy bills | $11B in federal funds allocated for rural clean energy projects | Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis commission meets in Flagstaff, AZ (WARNING: contains graphic descriptions of violence) | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs nation's first Right-to-Repair law | Violent Femmes perform their self-titled debut in Denver, Austin and Houston this week.  Song playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: COLORADO NEWSLINE: Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor's raceBY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 15, 2023 4:00 AMAs ballots begin to hit mailboxes for Denver's June 6th runoff election, Johnston and Kelly Brough, the other top-two finisher in April's first round of voting - have rolled out a veritable smorgasbord of endorsement announcements.Former mayoral candidates Ean Thomas Tafoya, Terrance Roberts, Jim Walsh, Al Gardner and Leslie Herod all endorsed Mike Johnston. Rep Herod (who was my preferred choice for mayor) said “Having shared countless debate and forum stages with Mike over the past months, I know that he has the passion, commitment, and vision to tackle Denver's toughest problems. Mike and I share the value of public service, hard work, and doing right by our communities, and I am excited to work with him to deliver on our progressive vision for Denver.”Meanwhile, Brough, the former Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce head who secured her spot in the runoff with just over 20% of the first-round vote, has picked up endorsements from Democratic state Sen. Chris Hansen as well as Thomas Wolf, an investment banker who campaigned on harsh anti-homelessness policies and received 1% of the vote for Mayor in April.Sen. Hansen said “Denver needs a proven executive — Kelly Brough is the leader we can trust to deliver results. It's going to take all of us to tackle Denver's biggest challenges, and I'm proud to join Kelly's team.”Brough also picked up endorsements from Democratic state Rep. Alex Valdez and former Tattered Cover CEO Kwame Spearman, both of whom entered the mayor's race but later withdrew. Brough and Johnston emerged from the crowded field of mayoral candidates after becoming by far the race's two best-funded candidates, each raising about $1MM in direct contributions and benefiting from millions more in outside super PAC expenditures from billionaires and real-estate interests.After a first round that featured a wide range of perspectives and ideologies, the runoff campaign has featured few stark disagreements on policy between the two candidates, both of whom are veteran figures in Colorado's centrist political establishment.Brough served as then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's chief of staff from 2006 to 2009, then led the conservative-leaning Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for 12 years before stepping down ahead of her mayoral run. Some of her top endorsers include former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, both Democrats.On Friday, she touted the endorsement of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, a coalition of clergy and civil rights leaders in the city's Black community. Pastor Paul Burleson, the Alliance's vice president of political affairs, said that Brough's experience is key to her appeal.Brough has also picked up endorsements from the Denver Police Protective Association and other unions representing law enforcement officers and firefighters. She was one of the only candidates in the mayor's race to endorse a return of “qualified immunity,” a legal doctrine that bars people from suing law enforcement officers in their individual capacity. Colorado lawmakers, led by Herod, passed a landmark police reform bill that abolished qualified immunity in the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020. - Just one reason I love Leslie Herod.During his time in the state Senate, Mike Johnston became one of the state's leading champions of education reform, a movement that has galled teachers' unions and progressives who've accused him of undermining public education. From 2020 to 2022 he was the CEO of Gary Community Ventures, a Denver-based philanthropic organization founded by oil tycoon Sam Gary.Though hardly a progressive firebrand himself, Johnston spoke at Wednesday's event of the coalition he hopes to build as mayor. Along with former mayoral rivals, he received endorsements from Democratic state Sens. Julie Gonzales (another legislator I have tremendous respect for) and James Coleman (who is my state senator but someone whom I don't know much about), adding to a list of supporters that also includes former Mayor Federico Peña and former Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll.Rep. Leslie Herod said “Make no mistake: We are the progressives in this race, and we have chosen to back Mike. We are the candidates who have consistently spoken about putting people over structures, putting people over businesses — people always first.”So for my part I'll be following State Sen. Julie Gonzales and Rep. Leslie Herod, voting for Mike Johnston.Final thought: Johnston might not be seen as progressive, but if he wins this election assembling a progressive coalition to bear a developer/business-backed candidate in Kelly Brough, then progressives should absolutely have a strong voice in the Johnston administration if he wants to keep his job. But first he's got to win.COLORADO NEWSLINE: Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy measures, utility regulation billBY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 11, 2023 5:36 PMGov. Jared Polis has signed into law a bill that commits Colorado for the first time to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target, along with other measures to address spiking utility rates and the state's long-term energy future.Flanked by Democratic lawmakers and state energy officials, Polis signed Senate Bill 23-16 at an event at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The bill, a wide-ranging package of reforms aimed at boosting clean energy efforts in a variety of industries, was approved on party-line votes by Democratic majorities in the General Assembly just before its adjournment on May 8.SB-16 sets a statutory goal of a 100% reduction in Colorado's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, revising that target upwards from a 90% goal set by the Legislature in 2019. It's the first time the state has formally established the net-zero goal that scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have said is necessary to avert the most catastrophic impacts of global warming.To get there, the bill contains what sponsors called a “potpourri” of measures to accelerate the transition to clean energy, including sections that streamline the process for the installation of electric transmission lines and rooftop solar panels; stricter requirements on large insurance companies to assess climate risk; tax credits for the purchase of electric-powered lawn equipment; and more authority for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to regulate carbon capture projects.COGCC chair Jeff Robbins applauded the bill's efforts to encourage carbon capture, which he called “critical as a tool in addressing climate change.”“The COGCC is well poised with its resources and regulatory understanding to now help carbon storage be deployed safely and responsibly in Colorado,” Robbins said in a press release.Gov. Polis also signed House Bill 23-1252, which establishes a new state grant program for geothermal energy projects and requires large natural-gas utilities to develop emissions-reducing “clean heat plans.”Senate Bill 23-291, a package of reforms to state utility regulations, and House Bill 23-1234, a bipartisan measure aimed at streamlining permitting and inspection processes for solar projects were also both signed into law. SB-291 emerged from hearings held earlier this year by the Joint Select Committee on Rising Utility Rates, a special panel of lawmakers convened by Democratic leaders following sharp increases in many Coloradans' utility bills in 2022.It directs the state's Public Utilities Commission to more closely scrutinize how privately-owned utilities manage volatility in natural-gas prices, the main culprit in rate increases that caused the average monthly payment for customers of Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest utility, to rise by more than 50% last year. Other provisions in the bill are aimed at assessing the long-term future of natural gas infrastructure as more homes and businesses transition to all-electric heating and cooking appliances.In a press release, Advanced Energy United, an industry group representing clean energy companies, said the legislation creates a “national model” for dealing with volatility in the natural gas market.“This bill will help make Colorado's energy system more affordable long-term, and should be seen as a model for states across the country on how to manage high gas prices and a transition to cost-saving alternatives to gas, like high-efficiency heat pumps, rooftop solar and battery storage,” said Emilie Olson, a senior principal at Advanced Energy United.House Bill 23-1272, creates or extends a variety of clean energy tax credits, including incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, e-bikes, electric heat pumps, industrial decarbonization technologies and more.Gov. Polis said “These exciting money-saving changes for Coloradans mean reliable, lower energy costs and good-paying jobs, as we continue to fuel the innovation that makes Colorado a national leader in clean energy. We are cutting red tape, creating good paying jobs and improving air quality as we continue to make bold progress towards achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040.”ARIZONA MIRROR: Rural electric co-ops to get $10.7B in USDA funds for clean energy grants, loansBY: JACOB FISCHLER - MAY 16, 2023 7:11 AMThe U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin to administer two loan and grant programs worth nearly $11 billion to boost clean energy systems in rural areas, administration officials said Tuesday. The programs are the New ERA program for rural electric cooperatives, and the PACE program for other energy providers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the funding “continues an ongoing effort to ensure that rural America is a full participant in this clean energy economy.”White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said, “Rural areas can have more difficulty than more urban ones in attracting private sector investment. The programs are intended to allow those rural areas to take advantage of an industry-wide trend to invest in clean energy production.He said, “There's a favorable wind blowing here. This allows rural communities to put up a sail.”The programs are meant to put rural electric cooperatives on equal footing with larger privately owned companies that have already put major funding into clean energy deployment.The programs represent the largest single funding effort for rural electrification since President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936.The money is meant not only to address the climate impacts of fossil fuel energy and reduce home energy costs, but to act as an economic engine for rural areas.Rural electric cooperatives are eligible for the New ERA program, and up to 25% of the funding in that program can be in the form of direct grants. Utilities can use the money to build renewable energy systems, zero-emission systems and carbon capture facilities.The USDA will begin to accept initial applications for funding on July 31. Applicants are expected to write more detailed proposals for funding after the USDA accepts their initial applications.The PACE program provides loans to renewable energy developers and electric service providers “to help finance large-scale solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower projects and energy storage in support of renewable energy systems,” the release said. The program is targeted to “vulnerable, disadvantaged, Tribal and energy communities,” the release said. It's in line with a Biden administration goal to allocate at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal spending to disadvantaged communities.The USDA can forgive up to 40% of most of the loans in the program. Up to 60% of loans to applicants in some U.S. territories and tribal communities can be forgiven.Initial applications for that program will open June 30.ARIZONA MIRROR:National commission on the MMIP crisis meets in Arizona to hear testimony, recommendationsBY: SHONDIIN SILVERSMITH - MAY 15, 2023 1:50 PMFive empty chairs sat at the front of the Not Invisible Act Commission hearing, each wrapped in a shawl, blanket or quilt representing a different group of individuals impacted by human trafficking or with a loved one who is missing or murdered.“We want to allow space for representing our relatives,” commission member Grace Bulltail said, noting the traditions in many Indigenous families to always preserve a space for absent loved ones. “We're doing that to honor our loved ones,” Bulltail said, explaining that, by putting the chairs there, the commission hearing was holding space for them.The chair wrapped in a red shawl with white and yellow handprints honored the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The chair wrapped in a red, orange, bridge, and white Native design shawl with a black blazer draped over it was to honor the missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. Another chair was wrapped in a light blue, white and purple quilt. Pinned to the quilt was a picture of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, a Navajo girl who was abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. This chair honored Indigenous children.The chair wrapped in a maroon shawl with floral designs honored the LGBTQI and two-spirit Indigenous community. The chair wrapped in a brown Pendleton honored Indigenous veterans.The Not Invisible Act Commission, organized by the U.S. Department of the Interior,  held a public hearing at the Twin Arrows Casino near Flagstaff to hear testimony and recommendations from victims and families impacted by human trafficking and the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis. The commission also heard from local tribal leaders and advocates. The Not Invisible Act was passed into law in October 2020, establishing the commission as a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee of federal and non-federal members, including law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors.The meeting at Twin Arrows was the commission's third public hearing. This summer, it has four more planned in Minnesota, northern California, New Mexico and Montana. The hearings are being held in communities impacted most by the MMIP crisis.Commissioners heard emotional testimony from Seraphine Warren and Pamela Foster as they shared their experiences of losing a loved one and advocated for change.Ms. Warren is the niece of Ella Mae Begay, a Navajo woman who went missing from her home in Sweetwater, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation on June 15, 2021. Warren continued to advocate for not only her aunt but all Indigenous people.Speaking through tears, she told her aunt's story. “I know it wasn't her legacy to be stolen or to be murdered,” Warren said. “Just because she isn't here doesn't mean she can't be part of change.”Begay is still missing, but there have been developments in her case. In March, Preston Henry Tolth, 23, of New Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix for assault and carjacking.The indictment alleges that, on June 15, 2021, Tolth assaulted Begay, resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Tolth then took her Ford F-150 pickup truck and drove it from Arizona to New Mexico with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury to Begay.Warren said during Tolth's arraignment hearing on April 7 in Flagstaff that she heard details about the night her aunt went missing that she was not ready for.Warren, in tears, told the commission that Tolth told federal agents that he “snapped” and struck her in the face multiple times, causing her to bleed from the nose and mouth. Tolth told authorities that he wasn't sure if she was dead, Warren said, and when he drove away, he said he regretted hitting her, since all he wanted was the truck.Tolth is being held in custody and is expected to go to trial later in May.Pamela Foster is the mother of Ashlynne Mike, the 11-year-old Navajo girl abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. Foster has been at the forefront of advocacy efforts for Indigenous children and people since she lost her daughter. On the afternoon of May 2, 2016, Ashlynne Mike and her 9-year-old brother, Ian Mike, didn't make it home from school. When they got off the school bus in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, a predator tricked them into getting into his van by promising them a ride home.Hours later, passersby found Ian Mike wandering alone in the area. Police located Ashlynne Mike's body on May 3, 2016, and discovered she had been sexually assaulted, strangled, and bludgeoned repeatedly with a tire iron.She said, “I miss my daughter every single day. I became a voice for my daughter the moment I received word that her life was taken from her.”She talked about how the system failed when her children were missing in 2016. She said that May 1 to May 6 is a nightmare for her every year, because she relives what happened to her children.Foster talked about the hours from when her children disappeared to when they found her daughter's body; she ran into countless obstacles that left her without support.“It was very hard to sit there and know that there were no resources available for my children,” Foster said. “I absolutely had nothing.”She said local law enforcement was not adequately trained to handle child abductions. There was no clear communication between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Instead of searching for her children, Foster said they were trying to figure out exactly what protocols were needed to start looking.“Time was lost,” Foster said, and they did not send out an AMBER Alert until the following day. Foster recalled the alert went out at 2 a.m., and she said that helped no one because not many people were awake then. She remembers hearing officers from the neighboring jurisdictions tell her they couldn't go out to look for her daughter until they were given the clearance to do so by the Navajo Nation Police Department. Foster said it frustrated her how long it took for that to happen. She said the anger and hurt about what happened to Ashlynne led her to be a voice for her daughter.“I promised her I would do something for all of our other Indigenous children. To give them the protection that they need so they don't go through the same thing.”Foster has led many grassroots efforts to support Indigenous children, including advocating and petitioning for the AMBER Alert system to include Indian Country.Foster said she wanted to change, and she knew the justice system in Indian Country needed to be updated, so she focused her efforts on the AMBER Alert system. Her advocacy resulted in the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018, which makes tribes eligible for AMBER Alert grants to integrate into state and regional AMBER Alert communication plans.“I always say that I've never received justice for what happened to my daughter because nothing can bring her back,” Foster said. “There will never be justice, but we can learn how to move forward in changing laws to make things better for our people.”The goal of the hearing was for the federal commissioners to listen and hear recommendations on the best course of action for the MMIP crisis. Commissioners will use the suggestions to develop their final report for the Department of Interior.Foster's big recommendation was not only geared at the commissioners, but other attendees of the hearing. She encouraged them to tell their tribal leaders to receive the AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act training. “It is free,” she said, adding that it is a vital program for Indigenous communities because it will train police officers and social workers from the tribe. Because tribes are sovereign nations, the Department of Justice has to receive a request in order to run the training on tribal land: “Have your tribal leaders request this training for your community because the children are our next generation,” Foster said. “There's still a lot of tribes that need to be trained.”When Seraphine Warren was finished sharing her aunt's story, she laid out her recommendations. “Transparency and swift action is key,” she said, “which means that when a person is missing, law enforcement should immediately inform all jurisdictions and issue press releases to media channels to inform the public.”“Family members need to be regularly and constantly updated with the progress of the investigation, and families should be prioritized if any remains are found in any jurisdiction.” Some of the other recommendations included allowing families to hire private investigators, providing them access to case files, supporting families in organizing their task force, providing families with constant and reliable access to grief counseling services, medical attention, financial and legal assistance, and safe housing for families of missing or murdered loved ones. ASSOCIATED PRESS: If you're not first, you're last. DENVER (AP) — Sitting in front of a hulking red tractor, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Tuesday making Colorado the first state to ensure farmers can fix their own tractors and combines with a “right to repair” law — which compels manufacturers to provide the necessary manuals, tools, parts and software farmers would need.Colorado, home to high desert ranches and sweeping farms on the plains, took the lead on the issue following a nationwide outcry from farmers that manufacturers blocked them from making fixes and forced them to wait precious days or even weeks for an official servicer to arrive — delays that hurt profits.While farmers wait and their increasingly high-tech tractors or combines sit idle, a hailstorm could decimate an entire crop. Or, a farmer could miss the ideal planting window for their crops to grow.Lawmakers in at least 10 other states have introduced similar legislation, including in Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont. But Colorado has taken the lead. At the signing ceremony Tuesday afternoon, under a light drizzle of rain, Gov. Polis said: “This bill will save farmers and ranchers time and money and support the free market in repair” before exclaiming, “first in the nation!”Behind the governor and arrayed farmers and lawmakers sat a red Steiger 370 tractor owned by a farmer named Danny Wood. Wood's tractor has flown an American flag reading “Farmers First,” and it has been one of two of his machines to break down, requiring long waits before servicers arrived to enter a few lines of computer code, or make a fix that Wood could have made himself.As the signing ceremony ended, Gov. Polis and Rep. Brianna Titone, who ran the bill in the state House, climbed inside the tractor for a photo as the ceremony ended.Great job, Rep. Titone! Huge win for this up-and-coming legislator. When I first saw her speak announcing her initial candidacy in 2017, I didn't know what to expect. Honestly, I didn't expect a lot, and I didn't particularly expect her to even win. And then, winning that seat was just the first of many instances where I've seen her demonstrate a level of depth, grit, and smarts that rival any of her peers. Great job Rep. Titone, you rock. CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: Violent Femmes - performing their self-titled album - Levitt Pavilion in Denver on Sunday May 21. The cult favorite folk punk band from Milwaukee is celebrating 40 years since the release of their first album in 1983. More info at vfemmes.comWelp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Newsline, Arizona Mirror, Denver Post, Associated Press and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor's race | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy bills | $11B in federal funds allocated for rural clean energy projects | Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis commission meets in Flagstaff, AZ (WARNING: contains graphic descriptions of violence) | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs nation's first Right-to-Repair law | Violent Femmes perform their self-titled debut in Denver, Austin and Houston this week.  Song playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: COLORADO NEWSLINE: Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor's raceBY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 15, 2023 4:00 AMAs ballots begin to hit mailboxes for Denver's June 6th runoff election, Johnston and Kelly Brough, the other top-two finisher in April's first round of voting - have rolled out a veritable smorgasbord of endorsement announcements.Former mayoral candidates Ean Thomas Tafoya, Terrance Roberts, Jim Walsh, Al Gardner and Leslie Herod all endorsed Mike Johnston. Rep Herod (who was my preferred choice for mayor) said “Having shared countless debate and forum stages with Mike over the past months, I know that he has the passion, commitment, and vision to tackle Denver's toughest problems. Mike and I share the value of public service, hard work, and doing right by our communities, and I am excited to work with him to deliver on our progressive vision for Denver.”Meanwhile, Brough, the former Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce head who secured her spot in the runoff with just over 20% of the first-round vote, has picked up endorsements from Democratic state Sen. Chris Hansen as well as Thomas Wolf, an investment banker who campaigned on harsh anti-homelessness policies and received 1% of the vote for Mayor in April.Sen. Hansen said “Denver needs a proven executive — Kelly Brough is the leader we can trust to deliver results. It's going to take all of us to tackle Denver's biggest challenges, and I'm proud to join Kelly's team.”Brough also picked up endorsements from Democratic state Rep. Alex Valdez and former Tattered Cover CEO Kwame Spearman, both of whom entered the mayor's race but later withdrew. Brough and Johnston emerged from the crowded field of mayoral candidates after becoming by far the race's two best-funded candidates, each raising about $1MM in direct contributions and benefiting from millions more in outside super PAC expenditures from billionaires and real-estate interests.After a first round that featured a wide range of perspectives and ideologies, the runoff campaign has featured few stark disagreements on policy between the two candidates, both of whom are veteran figures in Colorado's centrist political establishment.Brough served as then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's chief of staff from 2006 to 2009, then led the conservative-leaning Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for 12 years before stepping down ahead of her mayoral run. Some of her top endorsers include former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, both Democrats.On Friday, she touted the endorsement of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, a coalition of clergy and civil rights leaders in the city's Black community. Pastor Paul Burleson, the Alliance's vice president of political affairs, said that Brough's experience is key to her appeal.Brough has also picked up endorsements from the Denver Police Protective Association and other unions representing law enforcement officers and firefighters. She was one of the only candidates in the mayor's race to endorse a return of “qualified immunity,” a legal doctrine that bars people from suing law enforcement officers in their individual capacity. Colorado lawmakers, led by Herod, passed a landmark police reform bill that abolished qualified immunity in the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020. - Just one reason I love Leslie Herod.During his time in the state Senate, Mike Johnston became one of the state's leading champions of education reform, a movement that has galled teachers' unions and progressives who've accused him of undermining public education. From 2020 to 2022 he was the CEO of Gary Community Ventures, a Denver-based philanthropic organization founded by oil tycoon Sam Gary.Though hardly a progressive firebrand himself, Johnston spoke at Wednesday's event of the coalition he hopes to build as mayor. Along with former mayoral rivals, he received endorsements from Democratic state Sens. Julie Gonzales (another legislator I have tremendous respect for) and James Coleman (who is my state senator but someone whom I don't know much about), adding to a list of supporters that also includes former Mayor Federico Peña and former Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll.Rep. Leslie Herod said “Make no mistake: We are the progressives in this race, and we have chosen to back Mike. We are the candidates who have consistently spoken about putting people over structures, putting people over businesses — people always first.”So for my part I'll be following State Sen. Julie Gonzales and Rep. Leslie Herod, voting for Mike Johnston.Final thought: Johnston might not be seen as progressive, but if he wins this election assembling a progressive coalition to bear a developer/business-backed candidate in Kelly Brough, then progressives should absolutely have a strong voice in the Johnston administration if he wants to keep his job. But first he's got to win.COLORADO NEWSLINE: Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy measures, utility regulation billBY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 11, 2023 5:36 PMGov. Jared Polis has signed into law a bill that commits Colorado for the first time to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target, along with other measures to address spiking utility rates and the state's long-term energy future.Flanked by Democratic lawmakers and state energy officials, Polis signed Senate Bill 23-16 at an event at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The bill, a wide-ranging package of reforms aimed at boosting clean energy efforts in a variety of industries, was approved on party-line votes by Democratic majorities in the General Assembly just before its adjournment on May 8.SB-16 sets a statutory goal of a 100% reduction in Colorado's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, revising that target upwards from a 90% goal set by the Legislature in 2019. It's the first time the state has formally established the net-zero goal that scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have said is necessary to avert the most catastrophic impacts of global warming.To get there, the bill contains what sponsors called a “potpourri” of measures to accelerate the transition to clean energy, including sections that streamline the process for the installation of electric transmission lines and rooftop solar panels; stricter requirements on large insurance companies to assess climate risk; tax credits for the purchase of electric-powered lawn equipment; and more authority for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to regulate carbon capture projects.COGCC chair Jeff Robbins applauded the bill's efforts to encourage carbon capture, which he called “critical as a tool in addressing climate change.”“The COGCC is well poised with its resources and regulatory understanding to now help carbon storage be deployed safely and responsibly in Colorado,” Robbins said in a press release.Gov. Polis also signed House Bill 23-1252, which establishes a new state grant program for geothermal energy projects and requires large natural-gas utilities to develop emissions-reducing “clean heat plans.”Senate Bill 23-291, a package of reforms to state utility regulations, and House Bill 23-1234, a bipartisan measure aimed at streamlining permitting and inspection processes for solar projects were also both signed into law. SB-291 emerged from hearings held earlier this year by the Joint Select Committee on Rising Utility Rates, a special panel of lawmakers convened by Democratic leaders following sharp increases in many Coloradans' utility bills in 2022.It directs the state's Public Utilities Commission to more closely scrutinize how privately-owned utilities manage volatility in natural-gas prices, the main culprit in rate increases that caused the average monthly payment for customers of Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest utility, to rise by more than 50% last year. Other provisions in the bill are aimed at assessing the long-term future of natural gas infrastructure as more homes and businesses transition to all-electric heating and cooking appliances.In a press release, Advanced Energy United, an industry group representing clean energy companies, said the legislation creates a “national model” for dealing with volatility in the natural gas market.“This bill will help make Colorado's energy system more affordable long-term, and should be seen as a model for states across the country on how to manage high gas prices and a transition to cost-saving alternatives to gas, like high-efficiency heat pumps, rooftop solar and battery storage,” said Emilie Olson, a senior principal at Advanced Energy United.House Bill 23-1272, creates or extends a variety of clean energy tax credits, including incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, e-bikes, electric heat pumps, industrial decarbonization technologies and more.Gov. Polis said “These exciting money-saving changes for Coloradans mean reliable, lower energy costs and good-paying jobs, as we continue to fuel the innovation that makes Colorado a national leader in clean energy. We are cutting red tape, creating good paying jobs and improving air quality as we continue to make bold progress towards achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040.”ARIZONA MIRROR: Rural electric co-ops to get $10.7B in USDA funds for clean energy grants, loansBY: JACOB FISCHLER - MAY 16, 2023 7:11 AMThe U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin to administer two loan and grant programs worth nearly $11 billion to boost clean energy systems in rural areas, administration officials said Tuesday. The programs are the New ERA program for rural electric cooperatives, and the PACE program for other energy providers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the funding “continues an ongoing effort to ensure that rural America is a full participant in this clean energy economy.”White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said, “Rural areas can have more difficulty than more urban ones in attracting private sector investment. The programs are intended to allow those rural areas to take advantage of an industry-wide trend to invest in clean energy production.He said, “There's a favorable wind blowing here. This allows rural communities to put up a sail.”The programs are meant to put rural electric cooperatives on equal footing with larger privately owned companies that have already put major funding into clean energy deployment.The programs represent the largest single funding effort for rural electrification since President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936.The money is meant not only to address the climate impacts of fossil fuel energy and reduce home energy costs, but to act as an economic engine for rural areas.Rural electric cooperatives are eligible for the New ERA program, and up to 25% of the funding in that program can be in the form of direct grants. Utilities can use the money to build renewable energy systems, zero-emission systems and carbon capture facilities.The USDA will begin to accept initial applications for funding on July 31. Applicants are expected to write more detailed proposals for funding after the USDA accepts their initial applications.The PACE program provides loans to renewable energy developers and electric service providers “to help finance large-scale solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower projects and energy storage in support of renewable energy systems,” the release said. The program is targeted to “vulnerable, disadvantaged, Tribal and energy communities,” the release said. It's in line with a Biden administration goal to allocate at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal spending to disadvantaged communities.The USDA can forgive up to 40% of most of the loans in the program. Up to 60% of loans to applicants in some U.S. territories and tribal communities can be forgiven.Initial applications for that program will open June 30.ARIZONA MIRROR:National commission on the MMIP crisis meets in Arizona to hear testimony, recommendationsBY: SHONDIIN SILVERSMITH - MAY 15, 2023 1:50 PMFive empty chairs sat at the front of the Not Invisible Act Commission hearing, each wrapped in a shawl, blanket or quilt representing a different group of individuals impacted by human trafficking or with a loved one who is missing or murdered.“We want to allow space for representing our relatives,” commission member Grace Bulltail said, noting the traditions in many Indigenous families to always preserve a space for absent loved ones. “We're doing that to honor our loved ones,” Bulltail said, explaining that, by putting the chairs there, the commission hearing was holding space for them.The chair wrapped in a red shawl with white and yellow handprints honored the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The chair wrapped in a red, orange, bridge, and white Native design shawl with a black blazer draped over it was to honor the missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. Another chair was wrapped in a light blue, white and purple quilt. Pinned to the quilt was a picture of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, a Navajo girl who was abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. This chair honored Indigenous children.The chair wrapped in a maroon shawl with floral designs honored the LGBTQI and two-spirit Indigenous community. The chair wrapped in a brown Pendleton honored Indigenous veterans.The Not Invisible Act Commission, organized by the U.S. Department of the Interior,  held a public hearing at the Twin Arrows Casino near Flagstaff to hear testimony and recommendations from victims and families impacted by human trafficking and the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis. The commission also heard from local tribal leaders and advocates. The Not Invisible Act was passed into law in October 2020, establishing the commission as a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee of federal and non-federal members, including law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors.The meeting at Twin Arrows was the commission's third public hearing. This summer, it has four more planned in Minnesota, northern California, New Mexico and Montana. The hearings are being held in communities impacted most by the MMIP crisis.Commissioners heard emotional testimony from Seraphine Warren and Pamela Foster as they shared their experiences of losing a loved one and advocated for change.Ms. Warren is the niece of Ella Mae Begay, a Navajo woman who went missing from her home in Sweetwater, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation on June 15, 2021. Warren continued to advocate for not only her aunt but all Indigenous people.Speaking through tears, she told her aunt's story. “I know it wasn't her legacy to be stolen or to be murdered,” Warren said. “Just because she isn't here doesn't mean she can't be part of change.”Begay is still missing, but there have been developments in her case. In March, Preston Henry Tolth, 23, of New Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix for assault and carjacking.The indictment alleges that, on June 15, 2021, Tolth assaulted Begay, resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Tolth then took her Ford F-150 pickup truck and drove it from Arizona to New Mexico with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury to Begay.Warren said during Tolth's arraignment hearing on April 7 in Flagstaff that she heard details about the night her aunt went missing that she was not ready for.Warren, in tears, told the commission that Tolth told federal agents that he “snapped” and struck her in the face multiple times, causing her to bleed from the nose and mouth. Tolth told authorities that he wasn't sure if she was dead, Warren said, and when he drove away, he said he regretted hitting her, since all he wanted was the truck.Tolth is being held in custody and is expected to go to trial later in May.Pamela Foster is the mother of Ashlynne Mike, the 11-year-old Navajo girl abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. Foster has been at the forefront of advocacy efforts for Indigenous children and people since she lost her daughter. On the afternoon of May 2, 2016, Ashlynne Mike and her 9-year-old brother, Ian Mike, didn't make it home from school. When they got off the school bus in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, a predator tricked them into getting into his van by promising them a ride home.Hours later, passersby found Ian Mike wandering alone in the area. Police located Ashlynne Mike's body on May 3, 2016, and discovered she had been sexually assaulted, strangled, and bludgeoned repeatedly with a tire iron.She said, “I miss my daughter every single day. I became a voice for my daughter the moment I received word that her life was taken from her.”She talked about how the system failed when her children were missing in 2016. She said that May 1 to May 6 is a nightmare for her every year, because she relives what happened to her children.Foster talked about the hours from when her children disappeared to when they found her daughter's body; she ran into countless obstacles that left her without support.“It was very hard to sit there and know that there were no resources available for my children,” Foster said. “I absolutely had nothing.”She said local law enforcement was not adequately trained to handle child abductions. There was no clear communication between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Instead of searching for her children, Foster said they were trying to figure out exactly what protocols were needed to start looking.“Time was lost,” Foster said, and they did not send out an AMBER Alert until the following day. Foster recalled the alert went out at 2 a.m., and she said that helped no one because not many people were awake then. She remembers hearing officers from the neighboring jurisdictions tell her they couldn't go out to look for her daughter until they were given the clearance to do so by the Navajo Nation Police Department. Foster said it frustrated her how long it took for that to happen. She said the anger and hurt about what happened to Ashlynne led her to be a voice for her daughter.“I promised her I would do something for all of our other Indigenous children. To give them the protection that they need so they don't go through the same thing.”Foster has led many grassroots efforts to support Indigenous children, including advocating and petitioning for the AMBER Alert system to include Indian Country.Foster said she wanted to change, and she knew the justice system in Indian Country needed to be updated, so she focused her efforts on the AMBER Alert system. Her advocacy resulted in the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018, which makes tribes eligible for AMBER Alert grants to integrate into state and regional AMBER Alert communication plans.“I always say that I've never received justice for what happened to my daughter because nothing can bring her back,” Foster said. “There will never be justice, but we can learn how to move forward in changing laws to make things better for our people.”The goal of the hearing was for the federal commissioners to listen and hear recommendations on the best course of action for the MMIP crisis. Commissioners will use the suggestions to develop their final report for the Department of Interior.Foster's big recommendation was not only geared at the commissioners, but other attendees of the hearing. She encouraged them to tell their tribal leaders to receive the AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act training. “It is free,” she said, adding that it is a vital program for Indigenous communities because it will train police officers and social workers from the tribe. Because tribes are sovereign nations, the Department of Justice has to receive a request in order to run the training on tribal land: “Have your tribal leaders request this training for your community because the children are our next generation,” Foster said. “There's still a lot of tribes that need to be trained.”When Seraphine Warren was finished sharing her aunt's story, she laid out her recommendations. “Transparency and swift action is key,” she said, “which means that when a person is missing, law enforcement should immediately inform all jurisdictions and issue press releases to media channels to inform the public.”“Family members need to be regularly and constantly updated with the progress of the investigation, and families should be prioritized if any remains are found in any jurisdiction.” Some of the other recommendations included allowing families to hire private investigators, providing them access to case files, supporting families in organizing their task force, providing families with constant and reliable access to grief counseling services, medical attention, financial and legal assistance, and safe housing for families of missing or murdered loved ones. ASSOCIATED PRESS: If you're not first, you're last. DENVER (AP) — Sitting in front of a hulking red tractor, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Tuesday making Colorado the first state to ensure farmers can fix their own tractors and combines with a “right to repair” law — which compels manufacturers to provide the necessary manuals, tools, parts and software farmers would need.Colorado, home to high desert ranches and sweeping farms on the plains, took the lead on the issue following a nationwide outcry from farmers that manufacturers blocked them from making fixes and forced them to wait precious days or even weeks for an official servicer to arrive — delays that hurt profits.While farmers wait and their increasingly high-tech tractors or combines sit idle, a hailstorm could decimate an entire crop. Or, a farmer could miss the ideal planting window for their crops to grow.Lawmakers in at least 10 other states have introduced similar legislation, including in Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont. But Colorado has taken the lead. At the signing ceremony Tuesday afternoon, under a light drizzle of rain, Gov. Polis said: “This bill will save farmers and ranchers time and money and support the free market in repair” before exclaiming, “first in the nation!”Behind the governor and arrayed farmers and lawmakers sat a red Steiger 370 tractor owned by a farmer named Danny Wood. Wood's tractor has flown an American flag reading “Farmers First,” and it has been one of two of his machines to break down, requiring long waits before servicers arrived to enter a few lines of computer code, or make a fix that Wood could have made himself.As the signing ceremony ended, Gov. Polis and Rep. Brianna Titone, who ran the bill in the state House, climbed inside the tractor for a photo as the ceremony ended.Great job, Rep. Titone! Huge win for this up-and-coming legislator. When I first saw her speak announcing her initial candidacy in 2017, I didn't know what to expect. Honestly, I didn't expect a lot, and I didn't particularly expect her to even win. And then, winning that seat was just the first of many instances where I've seen her demonstrate a level of depth, grit, and smarts that rival any of her peers. Great job Rep. Titone, you rock. CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: Violent Femmes - performing their self-titled album - Levitt Pavilion in Denver on Sunday May 21. The cult favorite folk punk band from Milwaukee is celebrating 40 years since the release of their first album in 1983. More info at vfemmes.comWelp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Newsline, Arizona Mirror, Denver Post, Associated Press and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

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Rundown -    Craig reads Probable Cause Affidavit - 03:26   Mario Nicolais in Craig's Lawyers' Lounge - 25:36   Troubadour Dave Gunders - 01:55:36   "Too Many Drivers" by Dave Gunders - 02:18:06   Mario Nicolais, Colorado Sun columnist and attorney colleague of host, explains his vehement reaction against the three eighteen year olds arrested and charged with the murder of Alexa Bartell. She was killed April 19, 2023 when a huge landscaping “river rock” was thrown from a passing pick-up through her windshield.   Nicolais wrote: Alexa Bartell died a needless and terrible death when a landscaping rock thrown by three 18-year-old men crashed through her windshield and struck her in the head. Nicolais on first weekend following arrests and reports of them taking photo: The men accused of killing her had no regard for her life — or apparently most other human life — and should spend the rest of theirs in prison. https://coloradosun.com/2023/04/30/alexa-bartell-opinion-nicolais/   But can Nicolais' position soften? And should it? What is the proper penalty? What will happen next in this tragic case? Learn about evidence as host reads most of the probable cause affidavit so you will know how the defendants identified and what they told Jeffco homicide investigators.   Host was in Jeffco Ctrm 520 for arraignment of Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik, Joseph “Joe” Koenig and Zachary “Zach” Kwak, all 18, charged with first degree murder of Bartell, age 20. For attacking other innocent passing cars in many other vehicles that night, the trio face additional counts of assault and attempted assault.   To refresh ourselves from such sad stories of lives ruined, we discuss sports and agree that Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are special. An NBA championship is anticipated. Nicolais likes sports and writes about them frequently, showing off here his knowledge of the Joker.   Next discussed is  the Denver mayor's race. Nicolais was a big backer of Leslie Herod. He explains here how she got screwed for lack of big outside money and for being a black female. Now, Nicolais is backing former state senator Mike Johnston for the big job of Denver Mayor.   We discuss the legal walls closing in on Trump. Carroll v Trump for the Bergdorf rape is the civil case of century and is well dissected here. Host predicts a big plaintiff's verdict. Jack Smith ready to prove Trump stole secret docs and why. Follow the (Saudi) money. Follow the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers convictions for seditious conspiracy.   Troubadour Dave Gunders brings his special song and delightful sister Joan Gunders this episode. Siblings discuss happy occasions and we learn more about our Troubadour. Alas, the sad Bartell murder brings to mind the lament of this brilliant Gunders' blues song titled, Too Many Drivers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nA0NAXa39o

Jimmy fills in on the Deborah Flora Show. He talks about Thursday's Denver schools board meeting, why Leslie Herod lost her race for mayor, and Biden's "mortgage redistribution of wealth" scheme.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jimmy fills in on the Deborah Flora Show. He talks about Thursday's Denver schools board meeting, why Leslie Herod lost her race for mayor, and Biden's "mortgage redistribution of wealth" scheme.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jimmy Sengenberger fills in for Deborah. He talks about Thursday's Denver schools board meeting, why Leslie Herod lost her race for mayor, and Biden's "mortgage redistribution of wealth" scheme.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rundown -   Leslie Herod - 04:59   Cole Wist and Mario Nicolais in Craig's Lawyers' Lounge - 53:00   Troubadour Dave Gunders - 01:20:52   "Come Down Miss Lizzie" by Dave Gunders - 01:40:46   Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod makes a strong case for becoming Denver 46th Mayor. She would also be Denver's first female mayor and Denver's first queer chief executive. Rep. Herod uses that word about herself which gives rise to fascinating conversation.   Find out who Rep. Herod's friends and influencers are. Endorsed by Wellington Webb and Dottie Lamm, Herod had law enforcement and military as part of her upbringing in Colorado Springs. Learn how and why she fell in love with Denver.   Size up Rep. Herod's capacity to be a leader as she responds to harsh criticism in an Axios report. Learn about her poodle mix pet named Clinton and what it was like when she worked for Barack Obama.   Rep. Leslie Herod shows her smarts and sense of humor when asked about Lauren Boebert becoming a grandmother at age 36. Hear her wise responses regarding Ron DeSantis. Learn about Rep. Herod's roles at major non-profits. Size up her politics and leadership skills.   Rep. Herod brought an entourage who were then welcomed into Craig's Lawyers' Lounge. Past guests (and friends of show) Cole Wist and Mario Nicolais came to support their mayoral choice. Afterward, they stick around for a lively discussion about what makes Leslie Herod special.   Cole Wist was a rising Republican legislator and superstar several years ago. That all changed when he refused to go along with MAGA and RMGO. Wist is a proven person of principle who detests bigotry and incompetence. His support of Herod could be a difference maker.   The same could be said of Colorado Sun columnist Mario Nicolais who'd likely still be a Republican but for Donald Trump's malign GOP takeover. These two lawyers respect the rule of law and won't be confused for progressives. They see rare qualities in Rep. Herod.   Mario Nicolais entertains as he also discusses attorney Jenna Ellis, who just got censured by the Colorado Supreme Court for her part in Donald Trump‘s big election lie. Was the penalty too slight or just right? Listen to these Colorado lawyer/columnists discuss.   Troubadour Dave Gunders joins in on the Jenna Ellis discussion and other current events. Dave also brings us his beautiful song, Come Down, Miss Lizzie, which  tells the story of a different kind of love back in 1799. Upcoming NYC prosecution of 45 also batted around.

Jimmy started the hour out with information that Leslie Herod's leadership led to toxic workplace culture. Her management style is emerging as an issue in the mayor's race, where Herod, a Democrat, is considered one of the leading candidates. A Latino advocacy organization confirmed it no longer assigns interns to work in Herod's legislative office after two of its fellows reported experiencing an unhealthy work environment. Jimmy also touched on the shooting at East High School. Gary Rossington the last original founder of Lynard Skynard passed on the 3rd of March. May he rest in peace.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democratic Colorado Representative Leslie Herod joins us for our series Black Queer Rising. Herod has held down the 8 district in Colorado since her victory in the 2016 – and is the first openly queer Black woman in the Colorado House of Representatives elected in the state's history.  Herod has made a name for herself by tackling and securing sweeping changes with a police reform bill signed into Colorado law in June 2020. Her efforts have de-felonized drug possession and introduced bail reform. As a representative she supported and guided the passage of a voter supported tax to fund mental health and drug rehabilitation centers in the city of Denver. She turns to the city with her eyes on the coveted prize of Mayor. The Mayoral election is set to take place in early April of this year.  Representative Herod joins us to explain the reasoning behind her focus on criminal justice reform, and her plans for the future of Colorado. For full transcript, see above.

Democratic Colorado Representative Leslie Herod joins us for our series Black Queer Rising. Herod has held down the 8 district in Colorado since her victory in the 2016 – and is the first openly queer Black woman in the Colorado House of Representatives elected in the state's history.  Herod has made a name for herself by tackling and securing sweeping changes with a police reform bill signed into Colorado law in June 2020. Her efforts have de-felonized drug possession and introduced bail reform. As a representative she supported and guided the passage of a voter supported tax to fund mental health and drug rehabilitation centers in the city of Denver. She turns to the city with her eyes on the coveted prize of Mayor. The Mayoral election is set to take place in early April of this year.  Representative Herod joins us to explain the reasoning behind her focus on criminal justice reform, and her plans for the future of Colorado. For full transcript, see above.

Leslie HerodThe first openly gay, Black person elected to the Colorado state legislature. She was first elected in 2016 and most recently re-elected for a fourth and final term to the Colorado State House of Representatives - representing House district eight. During the 2021 legislative session, Herod was appointed to the state's coveted Joint Budget Committee. During the previous session, Herod was vice-chair of the Judiciary Committee. She's now a mayoral candidate in Denver. The election is on April 4, 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Herod is a state representative serving parts of Denver, and she wants to be Denver's next mayor. Host Bree Davies speaks with her about the rising cost of energy, public transportation, the Park Hill Golf Course, and Casa Bonita.  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866 Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬ Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State Rep. Leslie Herod is Denver's political scofflaw, reminiscent of Newman on Seinfeld! Why? Jimmy explains what's going on with the Denver mayoral candidate. The show opens with things that are coming up. Jimmy will sit in for Deborah Flora and George Brauchler this coming week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State Rep. Leslie Herod is Denver's political scofflaw, reminiscent of Newman on Seinfeld! Why? Jimmy explains what's going on with the Denver mayoral candidate. The show opens with things that are coming up. Jimmy will sit in for Deborah Flora and George Brauchler this coming week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you're celebrating Cyber Monday today or thinking about a wardrobe refresh for the new year, it's time to talk fashion. Do Denverites have style? Do Crocs, cargo pants, a puffer jacket, and a cowboy hat count as fashion? LA-based designer Lil Fresh Sam grew up in Denver and now styles superstars like Doja Cat and Method Man. She sits down with host Bree Davies to talk about about finding her style in a fashion-challenged Denver, how she's styling mayoral candidate Leslie Herod, and whether or not Denverites have style.  Looking for great local charities and nonprofits to support on Giving Tuesday tomorrow? We rounded up a list of our favorites in today's edition of our newsletter Hey Denver, which you can subscribe to by texting “Denver” to 66866 Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬ Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of legal fights, the Supreme Court is allowing the release of Trump's tax records to House Democrats. Meantime, a federal appeals court signals it's likely to end the special master review of the documents found at Mar-a-Lago. New accounts from inside Club Q amid rising anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Plus, an inside look at how radio became a megaphone for the right wing. Carol Leonnig, Shannon Pettypiece, Tali Farhadian Weinstein, Leslie Herod, Katie Thorton, Charlie Sykes, and Amb. William Taylor join.

Everyone agrees that the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a serious threat to the health and well-being of Coloradans — but the question of what to do about fentanyl has sparked one of the hottest debates of this year's legislative session. Lawmakers are reaching across the aisle in both directions. Harm reduction advocates are rallying on the steps of the Capitol. Law enforcement officers are calling for stiffer penalties. Rep. Leslie Herod has been at the center of it all, and today on the show, she takes Bree inside the “political hell” around the fentanyl issue at the Capitol. For more on the new e-bike and other green rebates offered by Denver's new Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency Office, check out their website and see what you'd be eligible to save. A shooting at La Alma Lincoln Park upset plans to celebrate Denver's Chicano murals this week. Peyton's got the story in today's City Cast Denver newsletter, alongside all the other news you need to know today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ With less than two weeks left in the Colorado legislature's session, what do you hope they get done? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we take our program to the community: We are on the ground with the American Constitution Society (ACS) for a show with Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford. Along with host Michele Goodwin, Herod and Ford discuss being Black in public office: namely, how they deal with the challenges and demands while staying true to themselves. (This program is the final in a four-part series elevating Black lives in the wake of the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery,  Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.)     Joining us are very special guests: Attorney General Aaron D. Ford, Nevada's 34th attorney general, who took office on January 7, 2019, making him the first African American to hold statewide constitutional office in Nevada. A former state senator, Ford previously served as both the majority leader and minority leader in the Nevada Legislature.  He started his career of public service as a public school math teacher, shaping hundreds of lives. Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod was elected in 2016 as the first LGBTQ African American in the General Assembly, while receiving the highest number of votes of any candidate running in a contested election. She serves as the chair of the House Finance Committee, vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee and Chair of the Committee on Legal Services. Herod also chairs the Colorado Black Democratic Legislative Caucus. Rate and review “On the Issues with Michele Goodwin" to let us know what you think of the show! Let's show the power of independent feminist media. Check out this episode's landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.Tips, suggestions, pitches? Get in touch with us at ontheissues@msmagazine.com. Support the show (http://msmagazine.com)

“Forget political stereotypes: This history-making legislator is unapologetically progressive, is insistent that state government can be bipartisan (even now), and wants to transform the criminal justice system.“ - 5280 Magazine. Leslie Herod is the first LGBTQ African American in Colorado's General Assembly. Her Dad works in law enforcement. When George Floyd was murdered, her leadership resulted in Colorado passing the most far reaching, bipartisan, police reform in the country. Others say it could be a model for other states. We talk with Rep. Herod about what Colorado did, why she cares so much about criminal justice reform, and what comes next.

Our American States The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 sparked a cascade of state legislation affecting policing policy. There were more than 3,000 bills that were considered in legislatures, and more than 400 were signed into law. The legislation came from both sides of the aisle. For this podcast, we spoke with Rep. Leslie Herod, a Democract from Colorado, and Sen. Whitney Westerfield, a Republican from Kentucky. Herod discusses legislation she sponsored shortly after Floyd’s death that was one of the first pieces of legislation enacted in the nation. She also talks about how the death of Elijah McClain in Colorado galvanized efforts to pass legislation. Westerfield is a leader in criminal justice issues in Kentucky, where the death of Breonna Taylor helped spur action around no-knock warrants. He discusses how bringing all the parties together was critical to passing good legislation. Also on this episode is Amber Widgery, who tracks a number of criminal justice issues for NCSL. Amber talks about the trends in legislation, the bipartisan nature of the efforts in many places and the surprising fact that legislatures are addressing policies that affect law enforcement at the local level. She’s also putting together a session on this topic for NCSL’s Legislative Summit Nov. 3-5 in Tampa, Fla.       Resources NCSL Policing Legislation Database NCSL Statutory Database OAS Episode 143 Transcription Rep. Leslie Herod’s website Sen. Whitney Westerfield’s website

When you report an emergency in the US, police, firefighters or paramedics answer the call. What if mental health professionals responded, too? Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod shares a straightforward and research-backed approach that brings heart and humanity to criminal justice rather than unnecessary fines and arrests -- and keeps crises from escalating into traumatic, or even deadly, events.

Get Tix to see FANTI Live at the London Podcasting FestivalSunday, September 5th8:30 PM in London3:30 PM ET12:30 PM PSThttps://bit.ly/FANTI-London DIS/HONORABLE MENTIONSHM – Reservation Dogs on HuluDM  Nicki Minaj lawsuitDM: AfghanistanHM: Nicole Ari Parker, as Lisa Todd Wexley on the new Sex and the City spin-offFANTI Listener DiscountsHello FreshUse code FANTI14 for up to 14 free meals, including free shipping!LumiLabsGet 30% off your first order, plus free shipping. Use code: FANTI.Go ahead and @ usEmail: FANTI@maximumfun.org @FANTIpodcast@Jarrett Hill@rayzon (Tre'Vell) @FANTIpodcast@TreVellAnderson@JarrettHill@Swish (Producer Laura Swisher) FANTI is produced and distributed by MaximumFun.orgLaura Swisher is the senior producer. 

What does independence mean for the rest of us? Women have long asked this question—as have groups that have felt or experienced being shut out, excluded, colonized or enslaved. On July 5, 1852—a time in which the U.S. reaped benefit from the enslavement of kidnapped and trafficked Black people from the shores of Africa—Frederick Douglass put it this way: “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?” That was long ago, before the Emancipation Proclamation, Civil War and ratification of the 13th Amendment. However, the question—what does it mean to be free, equal and a citizen?—remains a vital point of discussion not only in the United States, but around the world. We dive into freedom, the 4th of July, and what it means to be represented in this episode.  What does liberty mean to and for you, your family, your communities?  To answer that, we are talking to folks making a difference at the local level:  Colorado state Rep. Leslie Herod was elected in 2016 as the first LGBTQ African American in the General Assembly, after receiving the highest number of votes of any candidate running in a contested election. She serves as the chair of the House Finance Committee, vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and chair of the Committee on Legal Services. Herod also chairs the Colorado Black Democratic Legislative Caucus and the Arts Caucus. Since her election in 2016, Herod has sent 68 bills to the governor's desk, marshaling through numerous pieces of legislation addressing criminal justice reform, mental health and substance abuse, renewable energy, youth homelessness, and civil rights protections. Kentucky state Rep. Attica Scott serves in the Kentucky legislature, representing House District 41. In 2016, Scott defeated a 34-year incumbent to become the first Black woman in nearly 20 years to serve in the state legislature. She serves on critical committees, including Education; Local Government; Elections; Constitutional Amendments; and others. Before becoming a state rep, she served as an English immersion teacher in China, as well as an adjunct faculty member at both Bellarmine University and Jefferson Community and Technical College.Heather Lende, a former elected local official and member of the Haines, Alaska Borough Assembly, was one of the thousands of women inspired to take a more active role in politics during the Trump presidency. Lende is also New York Times bestselling author; a contributor to NPR, the New York Times, and National Geographic Traveler, among other newspapers and magazines; and a former contributing editor at Woman's Day. A columnist for the Alaska Dispatch News, she is the obituary writer for the Chilkat Valley News in Haines and the recipient of the Suzan Nightingale McKay Best Columnist Award from the Alaska Press Club. Recently, Lende was named the Alaska State Writer Laureate for 2021-2023. Her most recent book, Of Bears and Ballots, was released in paperback in May 2021.  Rate and review “On the Issues with Michele Goodwin" to let us know what you think of the show! Let's show the power of independent feminist media.Check out this episode's landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.Tips, suggestions, pitches? Get in touch with us at ontheissues@msmagazine.com.Support the show (http://msmagazine.com)

For more than half a century, so-called qualified immunity has shielded police officers from lawsuits. Now, Congress and some state houses are considering changing that. We discuss how reforming qualified immunity could transform policing in America. Joanna Schwartz and Rep. Leslie Herod join Meghna Chakrabarti.

Derek Chauvin is guilty of murdering George Floyd. With the verdict yesterday, the country exhaled after holding its collective breath through weeks of trial and 10 hours of jury deliberations. Here in Colorado, legislators gathered to share their reactions, their grief, and their plans to advance police accountability in our state. On the show today, some of their comments, some context, and a memory from last year's uprisings in Civic Center Park.  For more on the legislation mentioned in this episode, here is Bree's interview with State Rep. Leslie Herod from last week. 

CheckIn by GovSight. This week, GovSight Reporter Jackie O'Neil checks in with State Representative Leslie Herold of Colorado's 8th District on the coronavirus pandemic's impact on Denver, her civic engagement roots as the founder of New Era Colorado, and her legislative work on social and criminal justice reform. 

As the world watches the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis and protests continue over this week's police killing of Daunte Wright in another Minnesota town, Colorado lawmakers are building on the major police accountability reform they passed last year. Democratic State Rep. Leslie Herod chats with Bree today about the new bill she's sponsoring that would further limit the police's ability to use lethal force in Colorado.  Have strong feelings about the bill? Make your voice heard! You can find your representative and how to get in contact with them here.  Hey, let's take this relationship to the next level! Subscribe to the podcast and our newsletter at citycast.fm/denver. 

Dan is set to testify before the Colorado General Assembly Education Committee a week from now, and he revisits his telling conversation with one of the co-authors of Senate Bill 21-182 - Democratic Representative Leslie Herod.

La policía, los bomberos o los paramédicos son quienes responden a las llamadas de emergencia en EE.UU. Pero, ¿qué pasaría si también respondieran los profesionales del área de la salud mental? La representante del estado de Colorado, Leslie Herod, comparte un enfoque directo y respaldado por una investigación que aporta corazón y humanidad a la justicia penal en lugar de las actuales multas y detenciones innecesarias, y pretende evitar que las crisis se conviertan en sucesos traumáticos o incluso mortales.

미국에서는 응급 전화번호를 누르면, 경찰관이나 소방관 또는 구급 요원들이 응답합니다. 하지만 정신 건강 전문가들이 거기에 대응할 수 있다면 어떨까요? 콜로라도 주 하원의원인 레슬리 헤로드는 솔직하며 연구에 기반한 접근법을 소개했습니다. 불필요한 벌금이나 구금보다는 사법제도에 인간성과 배려를 가져와야 하며, 위기 상황이 외상이나 사망으로 이어지지 않도록 막아야 한다고 합니다.

Quando comunicamos uma emergência nos EUA, policiais, bombeiros ou paramédicos atendem às chamadas. E se profissionais de saúde mental também atendessem a elas? Leslie Herod, representante do estado do Colorado, compartilha uma abordagem simples, com respaldo em pesquisas, que leva humanidade ao sistema de justiça criminal, em vez de multas e prisões desnecessárias, e impede que crises terminem em situações traumáticas ou até mesmo fatais.

Quand vous signalez une urgence aux États-Unis, la police, les pompiers ou les ambulanciers répondent à votre appel. Et si les professionnels de la santé mentale y répondaient, eux aussi ? Leslie Herod est représentante de l'état de Colorado. Elle partage une approche directe et appuyée par des recherches qui rend la justice pénale plus compatissante et humaine au lieu d'un système d'amendes et détentions inutiles, et qui empêche les crises de s'aggraver pour devenir traumatiques ou même fatales.

When you report an emergency in the US, police, firefighters or paramedics answer the call. What if mental health professionals responded, too? Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod shares a straightforward and research-backed approach that brings heart and humanity to criminal justice rather than unnecessary fines and arrests -- and keeps crises from escalating into traumatic, or even deadly, events.

When you report an emergency in the US, police, firefighters or paramedics answer the call. What if mental health professionals responded, too? Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod shares a straightforward and research-backed approach that brings heart and humanity to criminal justice rather than unnecessary fines and arrests -- and keeps crises from escalating into traumatic, or even deadly, events.

When you report an emergency in the US, police, firefighters or paramedics answer the call. What if mental health professionals responded, too? Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod shares a straightforward and research-backed approach that brings heart and humanity to criminal justice rather than unnecessary fines and arrests -- and keeps crises from escalating into traumatic, or even deadly, events.

When you report an emergency in the US, police, firefighters or paramedics answer the call. What if mental health professionals responded, too? Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod shares a straightforward and research-backed approach that brings heart and humanity to criminal justice rather than unnecessary fines and arrests -- and keeps crises from escalating into traumatic, or even deadly, events.

Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod saw a gap in mental health services in Denver and decided to do something about it. With the help of a van, a mental health professional, and an EMT, the Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) program was born – and six months in, it has proved effective at fielding mental health calls received by the Denver Police Department. Rep. Herod joins us to talk about STAR’s success, her personal stake in it, and other state-level measures being taken to modernize the current system of policing.    Keep up with Julián on twitter @JulianCastro and Instagram @JulianCastroTX.    Resources from the episode: Caring for Denver, the foundation helping to fund STAR STAR 6-month evaluation Servicios de la Raza, community services for Denverites  SB 217 explained, courtesy of Colorado Public Radio Eugene, Oregon’s CAHOOTS, the program that started it all   If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 anytime, or chat with them online. The Crisis Text Line also provides support over text at 741741. For people who identify as LGBTQ, the Trevor Project's Lifeline can be reached at 1-866-488-7386.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows.   To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to https://www.lemonadamedia.com/show/our-america shortly after the air date.   Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Thursday February 4th, and even though there’s a lot of turmoil right now we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Today - In Denver, overdoses involving fentanyl more than doubled in 2020 compared with the year before. Steve Kotecki, the public affairs specialist with the Denver field office of the DEA spoke with The Colorado Sun about what’s contributing to this rise. But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”: Today, we’re going back to February 4th, 1954 when William, or Billy, Adams, the first Colorado Governor elected to three consecutive terms, passed away. He was a political force for decades and offered an effective voice for rural Coloradans. Now, our feature story. For the past several years, law enforcement and public health officials have warned that fentanyl -- a potent, synthetic opioid powder causing a spike in overdoses on the coasts -- would soon arrive in Colorado.  And based on the latest statistics, it’s clearly here. Statewide, overdose deaths involving fentanyl more than doubled, rising 111% to 452 deaths last year from 214 in 2019.  Health officials worried that the coronavirus pandemic, which kept people isolated and led to increased rates of anxiety and depression, would also lead to more drug deaths. Data released at the close of 2020 proved those fears true. Colorado Sun reporter Jennifer Brown spoke with Steve Kotecki, the public affairs specialist with the Denver field office of the DEA, to find out how fentanyl arrived in Colorado. Kotecki and Brown also discussed the counterfeit oxycodone that’s sold on the streets, and why it’s so dangerous.  State Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat, said Colorado is already behind in addressing fentanyl overdoses, but she does not have plans to introduce legislation that would allow a supervised drug consumption site.  Herod, who traveled to Vancouver a couple of years ago to visit a government-sanctioned drug injection site, said there is plenty of evidence showing the sites save lives. She said she would support one here if that’s what the community wants. Such a site could warn people about fentanyl, help detect it in the drugs brought on site, and coordinate with law enforcement to make sure dealers are caught. To learn more about this story visit us at Coloradosun.com. Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today: The three men killed in an avalanche on Monday near Silverton have been identified as prominent Eagle County community members. One of the victims, Adam Palmer, was a newly elected Town of Eagle trustee. Another was Andy Jessen, who co-founded Bonfire Brewing in Eagle. Seth Bossung was the third man who died in the avalanche. He managed projects for the county’s energy efficiency department. State Senator Kerry Donovan has filed paperwork launching her campaign to unseat Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert next year. Donovan is a Vail Democrat. She is citing Boebert’s tumultuous start in Washington, D.C. She joins a Democratic primary field that includes Gregg Smith, a businessman and rancher who lives in Westcliffe, and Colin Wilhelm, a Glenwood Springs lawyer. For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor. The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you. Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rep. Diana DeGette is one of the sponsors of an article of impeachment against President Trump. She talks about next steps. Then, state Rep. Leslie Herod reflects on her friend and mentor, Kamala Harris, who will be the first Black and South Asian woman inaugurated vice president. Plus, do health guidelines accurately convey the risks of indoor dining as restaurants struggle to stay in business? And a return to the now-historic Zephyr View cabin.

Rep. Diana DeGette is one of the sponsors of an article of impeachment against President Trump. She talks about next steps. Then, state Rep. Leslie Herod reflects on her friend and mentor, Kamala Harris, who will be the first Black and South Asian woman inaugurated vice president. Plus, do health guidelines accurately convey the risks of indoor dining as restaurants struggle to stay in business? And a return to the now-historic Zephyr View cabin.

In the first part of a two-episode look at the nation’s two main political parties, Nikki Rojas and Maria Elena Perez speak to state Democrats and voting organization leaders about how well the Democratic Party is living up to its mission to “maximize voter participation for all Americans.” We hear from Colorado state Rep. Leslie Herod, Massachusetts state Sen. Becca Rausch, New Georgia Project executive director Nse Ufot and Center for Election Innovation & Research executive director David Becker. ---- While the team at The North Star takes a holiday break, we are using this week to run the top episodes from our other podcasts. We hope you enjoy and give our other shows a listen!

Leslie Herod, Colorad State RepRecorded on location at Honey Hill Café in Denver, CO"The best of us looks out for each of us." - Leslie HerodFollow Leslie on the socials! You will be glad you did.Twitter: @LeslieHerodInstagram: @LeslieHerodFollow US for more local democracy info around the country and bts shots:Twitter: @LocalSelectionInstagram: @localselectionpodcastFollow our host for his v feisty political thoughts and/or videos of him eating pastries:Twitter: @bhastertInstagram: @bhastert

After the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Department officers on Memorial Day weekend, a wave of law enforcement reform proposals flooded city halls and legislative chambers in cities and states across the country. State Representative Leslie Herod has spearheaded those efforts in the Colorado. Our very first guest on this podcast returns to discuss qualified immunity, the limitations of public policy, and the ongoing struggle for the liberation of Black people. Leslie Herod was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2016 where she represents the 8th district and is the first gay African-American to be elected to Colorado's General Assembly.Show Notes:Bill 217Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) on Denver Justice ProjectCaring for Denveriwillvote.comIf you enjoy Mile High Theology and want to see similar programming, support Saint John's Cathedral by giving at sjcathedral.org/give.If you don't know your status as a voter in the United States, please visit iwillvote.com to check your registration status and make a voting plan.This podcast was recorded on Araphao land.

In the first part of a two-episode look at the nation’s two main political parties, Nikki Rojas and Maria Elena Perez speak to state Democrats and voting organization leaders about how well the Democratic Party is living up to its mission to “maximize voter participation for all Americans.” We hear from Colorado state Rep. Leslie Herod, Massachusetts state Sen. Becca Rausch, New Georgia Project executive director Nse Ufot and Center for Election Innovation & Research executive director David Becker. 

Ken Felts, of Arvada, described himself as a “closet gay” for most of his life. But at age 90, he's come out. Then, Rep. Leslie Herod co-chaired Kamala Harris' Colorado presidential campaign — her reaction to Harris' nomination as vice president. And, a look back on the first woman nominated to the position. Plus, why sunsets seem more vivid during wildfires.

Ken Felts, of Arvada, described himself as a “closet gay” for most of his life. But at age 90, he’s come out. Then, Rep. Leslie Herod co-chaired Kamala Harris’ Colorado presidential campaign — her reaction to Harris’ nomination as vice president. And, a look back on the first woman nominated to the position. Plus, why sunsets seem more vivid during wildfires.

Congress has yet to make clear changes of policy with respect to police brutality, but Colorado has moved in a big way. Leslie Herod is a Democratic state representative in Colorado. Her proposals to reform use of force and liability for police officers is now law in Colorado. She describes how states can replicate Colorado’s efforts to hold police accountable to the public. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colorado Representative Leslie Herod speaks with hosts Jordan Wellington and Andrew Livingston about the current state of police reform activism and how Colorado’s state legislature is approaching it. Produced by Shea Gunther.

full AM Show Highlights ac17f310-849a-45ef-b6f8-abcd016e622c ac17f310-849a-45ef-b6f8-abcd016e622c Mon, 01 Jun 2020 07:45:00 +0000 499 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AmShowHighlights/~3/StTb85Vv9cI/kqks-interview-with-colorado-state-rep-leslie-hero noHighlights from the KS1075 AM Show

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Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod (District 8) chairs two committees and two caucuses. Her hot-button issues include criminal justice reform, mental health & substance abuse interventions, and increasing civil rights protections, among others. So it caught us a bit off guard when one of her surprise questions for Mackenzie was about breaking the law! Lawmaking (and breaking) is nothing but fun in this rowdy and rollicking interview with one of our local heroes.Recorded December 18, 2019https://www.leslieherodforcolorado.com/https://leg.colorado.gov/legislators/leslie-herod See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today's guest is Senator Stephen Fenberg, a Democrat who serves as state Senator in the 18th District in Colorado where he's served since 2017. He also serves as the Senate Majority Leader.A few years after graduating from CU, Senator Fenberg founded New Era Colorado, a nonprofit organization dedicated engaging, educating, and training young people in the political process. The organization has registered hundreds of thousands of young people to vote in Colorado and successfully passed several pieces of legislation related to election reform, student debt, and climate.He has also served on the Board of Directors for ProgressNow, One Colorado Political Committee, and INVST Community Studies as well as the Boulder Housing Working Group and the city of Boulder Capital Improvement Taskforce. Senator Fenberg now serves as an Advisory Board member for the dZi Foundation, an international nonprofit providing development work in remote areas of Nepal.Senator Fenberg is part-owner of the Bread Bar, a cocktail bar in the historic town of Silver Plume. Bread Bar resides at the site of a historic bakery from the 1800's.In today’s episode, we cover:Senator Fenberg’s history prior to holding officeNew Era Colorado, a nonprofit organization founded by Senator Fenberg, dedicated to engaging, educating, and training young people in the political processHis decision to run for office and whyHis early work in office to gain Democratic majorityHis assessment of the state of the Federal government, and the role of the statesHow he thinks about the climate problemHis assessment of Republicans and the climate change problemImportance of going after coal plantsOne benefit of regulated monopoly utilityHow to not just get policy done, but durable policyWhat the oil and gas industry wantsSenator Fenberg’s advice to those that want to helpHis advice for the future incoming President in 2021How Senator Fenberg is thinking about his futureLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Senator Fenberg: https://leg.colorado.gov/legislators/stephen-fenbergNew Era Colorado: https://neweracolorado.org/Joe Neguse: https://neguse.house.gov/Leslie Herod: https://leg.colorado.gov/legislators/leslie-herodLisa Kaufmann: https://www.denverpost.com/2018/11/09/jared-polis-chief-staff-lisa-kaufmann/Xcel Energy: https://www.xcelenergy.com/Senate bill 181: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/environment_energy_resources/publications/trends/2019-2020/november-december-2019/senate-bill/Enjoy the show!

The Brown Girls Guide to Politics Podcast is all about amplifying the voices of women who are too often forgotten in media coverage. Host A'shanti Gholar leads conversations with women changing the face of politics. In the BGG to Politics blog, A'shanti created a space for women of color to learn about the current state of women in politics, to support others breaking into the political sphere, and to celebrate incredible people changing the course of the country. A'shanti founded the blog last year and Wonder Media Network is thrilled to extend her platform to audio. This episode of The Brown Girls Guide was produced by Jenny Kaplan, Andi Kristins, and Alli Lindenberg. Original music was composed by Elisheba Ittoop. Follow The BGG: Website Twitter Instagram Follow Wonder Media Network: Website Twitter Instagram

Nearly 12 million U.S. women and girls aged 12 to 52 are living in poverty. This 40-year age range spans the average American's menstruating years. If most of these females are struggling to afford food, how can they be expected to buy tampons? For low-income menstruators, the financial burden of menstruating makes the monthly occurrence even worse. The American College of Obstetrics estimates two-thirds of low-income women don't have enough money to buy menstrual products at least one time per year. Nadya Okamoto of PERIOD. The Menstrual Movement and Kate Sanetra-Butler of Dignity Matters, two leaders working to end period poverty, break down why it should be a right to health for every woman to have access to menstrual products. Colorado Rep. Leslie Herod fills us in what it's like to get your period in prison and the bill she sponsored to better those conditions.

In this episode, Matt and Rick interview Representative Leslie Herod at the Capitol Building in downtown Denver. Rep. Herod is the first LGBTQ African American in the General Assembly, and has been fighting for crucial new legislation to better the community she comes form, and Denver as a whole.

Tangia Renee and guest, Representative Leslie Herod, of Colorado House District 8 discuss being the first openly LGBTQ representative in the Colorado legislature, how we eventually end up with more prisons than apartments, and the Caring 4 Denver ballot initiative - an initiative that aims to raise $45 million per year to fund mental health and addiction services.  This week I cover Woman of Impact, Christina Pumphrey, a Florida state prosecutor who uncovered deputy misconduct and exposed the planting of drug evidence on innocent people during routine traffic stops. As a result, the county had to dismiss 120 active cases.     Continue Your Learning: Connect with Representative Leslie Herod Learn about the Caring 4 Colorado Ballot Initiative  How to Vote in Colorado  Find out how to vote in your state Woman of Impact: Read Christina Pumphrey's Story Other Links Mentioned: Shontel Lewis: RTD Dist. B Candidate The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

For the inaugural Mile High Theology, Canon Broderick Greer intrviews Leslie Herod, the first LGBT African-American to be elected to Colorado's state legislature. They discussed her journey to politics and how her Episcopal faith informs her perspective.

Meet a woman who's changing the face of politics in Colorado and beyond. Leslie Herod was recently elected to the State House of Representatives representing House District 8, which includes neighborhoods in northeast Denver such as Cheesman Park and Five Points. Leslie landed over 38,000 votes and is the first African American LGBT candidate elected to the state legislature.

This week’s featured guest is Leslie Herod, a candidate for the Colorado House of Representatives. A millennial with extensive policy experience, Leslie won her June 2016 primary with an impressive 61% of the vote and will now face a republican challenger on November 8th. In this week’s episode of Changing the Face of Power, Leslie shares her story of starting as a student leader and how she is now paving the way for others.