In The NOCO

KUNC
  • 4.8 (40)
  • DAILY NEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

KUNC's In The NOCO is a daily look at the stories, news, people and issues important to you. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show explores the big stories of the day, bringing context and insight to issues that matter. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we explore the lighter side of news, highlighting what makes this state such an incredible place to live.

  1. 1D AGO

    Protecting plants from insects could be extra challenging for Coloradans this summer. Here’s how to approach it

    Some uninvited guests are coming for a visit.   The warm, dry weather in recent months led many insects to emerge early this spring. And for your plants, that’s bad news – because plants are especially vulnerable to damage when moisture is scarce.   So, as Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, today’s guest will introduce you to some of the bugs who are coming for your plants.  Karim Gharbi is a horticulture specialist with CSU Extension who also studies insects and how they interact with plants. And he’s a frequent In The NoCo guest. He spoke with Erin O’Toole onstage at a recent In The NoCo live episode taping, and shared a few simple strategies to help protect your plants.  CSU Extension has information and helpful resources on Japanese beetle, Emerald Ash Borer and other insects that harm trees and plants.   * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner  Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

    9 min

  2. 2D AGO

    The Pentagon wants to operate a nuclear microreactor in Colorado. Here’s what that might look like

    A small nuclear reactor proposed by the Pentagon may be a reality soon in Aurora.   The proposed microreactor would power Buckley Space Force Base and give the site a steady source of electricity.    But it would look different – and operate at a smaller scale – than the nuclear reactors built a few decades ago. Rather than a large energy plant with cooling towers that jut into the sky, this small reactor would fit inside a semi-trailer.    The Buckley project is one of three microreactors proposed for military bases around the country. Even so, nuclear energy, and the radioactive byproducts associated with it, make many people uneasy.   So we reached out to Thomas Albrecht for some context. He's a professor at Colorado School of Mines who studies the chemistry of nuclear materials and the long-term storage of nuclear waste. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about how microreactors operate, and why nearby Aurora residents shouldn’t be worried.   * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner  Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

    9 min

  3. 3D AGO

    Warren Miller’s films celebrated skiing as a way of life. A new exhibit looks at his legacy

    For decades, Warren Miller was synonymous with a very Colorado genre of film.  In Miller’s films, skiers glide across pristine winter terrain and hurtle down near-vertical slopes. Over the decades, Miller and his film crews turned those images into dozens of feature-length documentaries that celebrated the thrill of a day on the mountain – and also captured the poetry of skiing.   Miller died in 2018 at the age of 93. Now, his work and legacy are the subject of a new exhibit at the Colorado Snowsports Museum in Vail.   The museum’s executive director, Jen Mason, spoke with Erin O’Toole about how Miller's movies defined an entire genre of sports documentary known as the “stoke” film.  * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner  Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

    9 min

  4. 4D AGO

    Colorado’s craft beer scene experienced a rough patch in recent years. A CU expert sees reason for optimism

    Listeners of a certain age: Do you remember how great Colorado’s craft beer scene used to be?  The late 1990s and early 2000s saw hundreds of small breweries and taprooms spring up in communities across the state. But in the last five years, around 140 breweries, taprooms and brewpubs have closed -- including 40 that shuttered in 2025 alone.   And while that still leaves more than 400 breweries across Colorado, the trend has many wondering if the market for craft beer is going flat.   Our guest today views this as a sign of an industry maturing and settling into its next phase. Jeff York is a professor of entrepreneurship at CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business, and he co-hosts a podcast about craft beer called Creative Distillation.   He joined Erin O'Toole earlier this year to talk about how Colorado's local brewers can adapt to the changing landscape – and why it ultimately could be a good thing for beer lovers. We’re listening back to that conversation today.  * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner  Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

    9 min

  5. MAY 15

    Dry conditions make life harder for the trees in your yard. Here’s how to keep them healthy this year

    After this tough winter and dry spring we've been having, the trees around your home may be taking things especially hard.   In fact, some of the strain that your trees feel when there's a lack of moisture runs so deeply that it may not even be visible to you until a few years from now. So, it’s important to protect your trees from drought conditions now to prevent damage and illness later.  To help get ahead of these problems, we spoke with John Murgel, a horticulture expert from CSU Extension who advises the public on how to care for trees. John shared some of his best tips with Erin O’Toole during a live episode taping a few weeks back in Fort Collins.   If you’re thinking of planting new trees this spring, John mentioned that birches and maples are especially thirsty varieties that he doesn’t recommend for our increasingly dry climate. For more, check out this list of tree recommendations from CSU Extension.  Missed our earlier conversations from the In The NoCo live event? Find them here:  How to make your landscape more drought-tolerant with sustainable landscape expert Deryn Davidson.  How to help your yard through a dry spring and summer with grass and turf expert Alison O’Connor. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner  Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

    9 min

  6. MAY 14

    Why fireflies shine their lights at the same time – and why it might lead to new technologies

    Fireflies lighting up the sky on a summer night can feel magical – especially if you happen to catch them as they light up at the same time.  Which brings up one of the mysteries of the insect world: How do fireflies shine their lights in sync with one another?  A pair of computer science researchers with the University of Colorado Boulder set out to better understand how fireflies do this – and why.     Orit Peleg is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and the BioFrontiers Institute at CU Boulder.  She and fellow CU research scientist Owen Martin spent time in a South Carolina swamp to study what causes the phenomenon known as firefly synchrony.   They spoke with Erin O’Toole about what they learned about how fireflies communicate, and how that understanding might help develop new technologies.  * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner  Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

    9 min

  7. MAY 13

    Do immigration arrests and deportations help American workers? A CU economist says no

    In the second Trump administration, we've seen deportations surge, along with some very visible operations by ICE agents — nationally and in Colorado.   One argument — maybe an assumption — for deportations goes something like this: They will help American workers. Arresting and deporting workers who are in the country without legal status clears up space on the payroll for jobs that can go to American citizens instead.   A new study by a University of Colorado economist calls that assumption into question. It looked at what happens to companies who lose workers without legal status due to immigration enforcement.   The study found that not only did those companies lose the workers targeted by ICE, but they also had fewer jobs available for workers who are citizens. Because those companies affected by raids tended to contract, which actually means fewer job opportunities for US-born workers.  Chloe East, the economist who led the study at CU Joined Erin O’Toole to talk about the research.  The CU study has generated national interest — including pushback from the White House, which dismissed the research in a Washington Post story last week.   * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner  Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

    9 min

  8. MAY 12

    How a unique foster care program for pets is helping Coloradans in recovery

    When someone decides they need help with a drug or alcohol addiction, or to leave an unsafe living situation, one obstacle they often face is this: While I’m getting help, who will take care of my pets?   For many people, the bond with a dog or cat is a lifeline. But most in-patient treatment programs or domestic violence shelters can’t allow animals – which can force people to have to choose between recovery or their furry family members.   This didn't sit well with a former veterinary technician named Serena Saunders. In 2021, she started an unusual nonprofit from her home in Denver called PAWsitive Recovery. She offered foster care for a few pets of people recovering from mental health issues, addiction, or abuse.   The program has grown so popular, and the need is so great, that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International is now working to expand it across the U.S.  Serena spoke with Erin O'Toole earlier this year about what pushed her to create the PAWsitive Recovery program – and what it’s like to help people working to get their lives back. We’re listening back to their conversation today.  * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner  Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

    9 min
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4.8
out of 5
40 Ratings

About

KUNC's In The NOCO is a daily look at the stories, news, people and issues important to you. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show explores the big stories of the day, bringing context and insight to issues that matter. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we explore the lighter side of news, highlighting what makes this state such an incredible place to live.

Information

  • Creator
    KUNC
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    903
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 KUNC
  • Show Website
    In The NOCO

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