On today's Valley Voices, we highlight a recent episode of Purplish from the Colorado Capital News Alliance on domestic violence. A bill advancing through Colorado's statehouse would require law enforcement officers to ask a set of 11 questions — 11 very specific questions, meant to measure someone’s risk of dying at the hands of their abuser. Backers say the change is especially urgent now, because even though homicides in Colorado have gone down in recent years, domestic violence killings have gone up.

The Soldner Center for the Arts and Innovation was founded to honor Paul and Ginny Soldner, Stephanie's own parents. The center is comprised of five unique buildings, handcrafted by Paul and Ginny over forty years, and showcases a variety of works and practices. Later this month, the Soldner Center will host its very first music therapy for veterans event.

Last year, President Trump signed an executive order that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting stop allocating federal money to NPR, PBS, and their local member stations like KDNK. In response, NPR and several Colorado stations including Aspen Public Radio took the order to court, and last month, brought home a landmark victory.

The six lawmakers tasked with writing Colorado’s budget have an excruciating job this year — they must find about $1.5 billion in savings to keep the budget in balance, and understand that many of their cuts will have direct, human consequences. That’s because the state's Medicaid program, which provides health coverage to low-income Coloradans, accounts for a significant part of Colorado’s budget, and costs have ballooned in recent years.

Auden Schendler had a long career with the Aspen Skiing Company as the Environmental Affairs Director and recently published a book called Terrible Beauty. Schendler's long experience provided him razor sharp insight on climate change, corporate blame culture, and what it is to be a human being in today's world. He joins KDNK's Marilyn Gleason for a discussion on the failure of corporate America to confront the climate crisis.

For a lot of farmers in Colorado, and across the country, insecticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, have been a game changer. But what’s been a breakthrough for some has been a nightmare for others. Neonics are being blamed for die-offs in domestic bees and native pollinators, and there’s growing concern over their potential impacts on human health as well. This year, some Democratic lawmakers proposed a bold step to reduce the chemicals’ use in Colorado; they wanted farmers to get something like a prescription to be allowed to use neonic-treated seeds.CPR’s Bente Birkeland and Rae Solomon discuss what those lawmakers tried to do, and why they faced such fierce opposition from the get go.

The American Beekeeping Federation is a national organization that supports the interests of all beekeepers and the beekeeping industry in the United States. It also runs the American Honey Queen program, a national competition with the goal to promote beekeeping, increase national honey consumption, and educate the public about the value of honey bees.Colorado does not have a Honey Queen program, but in January last year KDNK's Marilyn Gleason visited with the 2024 American Honey Queen and the three young women hoping to take her place.

KDNK's own Marilyn Gleason is abroad in Europe, enjoying the glamor and thrills of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Come along with Marilyn as she meets friends and families of athletes, captures nail-biting races, and hops all over Europe.

News Director Marilyn Gleason speaks with Rachel Perkins of the Mt Sopris Nordic Council and John Armstrong, longtime board member. Ski for SISU is coming up this very weekend, and it's the Council's largest annual fundraiser. This episode is all about love of the great outdoors and humankinds great determination to enjoy every moment.

Delia Malone is an ecologist who works with Roaring Fork Audubon and Colorado Wild. She and Marilyn discuss Colorado Parks and Wildlife's plan for better coexistence with beavers, high rates of mortality among reintroduced gray wolves, and whether the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could take control of the wolf project from CPW.