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Purplish

Colorado Public Radio

202 episodes

Purplish is a podcast about politics and policy and how they shape Coloradans’ lives, hosted by Colorado Public Radio’s public affairs reporter Bente Birkeland and reporters from the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. They break down the latest developments at the statehouse, in Congress and in local communities, to find the bigger picture behind the political headlines.

More about the show

Purplish is produced by CPR News with support from the Colorado Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Episodes page 2 of 5

  1. Some Colorado cities plan to ignore new housing density laws

    · 29 min

    Cities of a certain size in Colorado have to allow more density, because of a suite of new state development mandates. But several cities, like Westminster, Colorado Springs and Arvada, are pushing back. In some cases,…

  2. Colorado lawmakers hit halftime at the State Capitol

    · 31 min

    Colorado lawmakers are just past the halfway point of this year’s legislative session. That means it’s crunch time, with plenty of big, controversial bills still in play on guns, labor, housing and other topics. And on…

  3. The human toll of Colorado’s sexual assault evidence backlog

    · 23 min

    As of late February, 1,407 people in Colorado are waiting for DNA results from their sexual assault cases -- some of them for more than a year. Without those results, criminal investigations can stall out and victims…

  4. Vacancy appointments get lots of lawmakers to the capitol. Is it time for a change?

    · 26 min

    A lot of Colorado lawmakers got their foot in the door at the statehouse not through the ballot box, but through a side door, a vacancy committee. State lawmakers leave office early for all sorts of reasons — some get…

  5. Life as a new state lawmaker

    · 35 min

    Nearly a third of Colorado's 65 House members are new to the statehouse this year. They come from all walks of life and bring a variety of experiences to their new jobs, which, in the end, will likely shape the policy…

  6. The billion-dollar budget hole

    · 21 min

    Here's a mystery: Colorado's economy is healthy. It's unemployment rate is low and its tax collections are healthy. So why are lawmakers looking at a recession-sized budget gap? And just as importantly: where are they…

  7. An assault weapons ban by any other name...

    · 22 min

    Democratic lawmakers say they're getting serious about enforcing Colorado's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. But their solution would take a wide range of firearms off the shelves of gun stores statewide,…

  8. The embattled Labor Peace Act

    · 26 min

    Colorado was once the scene of guerilla warfare over labor organizing. This year's fight at the State Capitol isn't as bloody, but it could have far-reaching consequences for Colorado workers. At issue is an 1943 law…

  9. What are SMART Act hearings?

    · 20 min

    Before they can get to the fun stuff -- passing laws and debating policy -- Colorado's legislators spend the start of each session sitting through hours (and hours, and hours) of presentations from all the departments…

  10. New Congress, old normal (for now?)

    · 31 min

    From cute kids and ceremonial photos to the peaceful democratic transfer of power, the opening weeks of the 119th Congress have managed to avoid the drama that marked the start of the 117th and the 118th. But that's…

  11. A bipartisan tradition fades in the CO House, while Democrats preview both ambitions and fault lines

    · 21 min

    Before state lawmakers hit the gas on their new session, we look over its opening days. In the House, strains of national politics wove themselves into long-standing traditions in new ways, while in the Senate, the…

  12. Budget cuts on tap for Colorado

    · 28 min

    Colorado's General Assembly gavels in on Jan. 8 with one big issue hanging over its head: the state budget. With painful cuts looming, lawmakers have some hard choices to make. They'll also be navigating the start of…

  13. How it all went down

    · 31 min

    Election night has come and gone, but when we went to the mics, there was still one race too close to call. Hosts Bente Birkeland and Caitlyn Kim talk about what happened there, plus what the results in Lauren…

  14. What will make the difference in this election?

    · 29 min

    On the eve of the election, hosts Bente Birkeland and Caitlyn Kim discuss what they've heard from voters, volunteers and campaigns about the top races on Coloradans' ballots. From Pueblo County to Mesa and Weld, we…

  15. How Colorado secures the vote

    · 21 min

    Once again, conspiracy theories about voting fraud are front and center ahead of a presidential election. Led by their nominee, Republican voters in particular are worried about things like non-citizens voting en masse…

  16. All. The. Ballot. Questions. All of them.

    · 32 min

    Grab your ballot and follow along as hosts Bente Birkeland and Megan Verlee introduce you to the dozen-plus questions on the state ballot this fall. From protecting abortion and school choice to banning big cat hunting…

  17. The Colorado congressional races to know about

    · 35 min

    For this episode, we're doing something we never have before: recording the show in front of a live studio audience. Hosts Caitlyn Kim, Bente Birkeland and Megan Verlee discuss what's at stake for congress in the…

  18. Will ranked-choice voting rewrite Colorado's elections? Prop. 131 explained.

    · 30 min

    Voters this fall will decide whether to change how Colorado selects its leaders in the future, by doing away with partisan primaries and ranking candidates in general elections. These reforms are part of a national…

  19. Coming soon: Purplish's 2024 election season

    · 3:09 · Trailer

    Purplish is coming back to help you prepare for Colorado's 2024 election, including contentious congressional races and 14 statewide ballot measures. Tune in for the stories behind those initiatives, and to hear…

  20. Assessing the primary as the dust settles

    · 32 min

    Our hosts discuss the big themes that emerged from Republican primary results and what they mean for the future of the party, and for the general election.

  21. GOP rifts in the Congressional Districts 5 and 8 primaries

    · 29 min

    How a pair of two-man races in El Paso County and along the northern Front Range are illustrating the increasingly bitter divisions in Colorado's Republican Party.

  22. The primary fight for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District

    · 23 min

    With Rep. Lauren Boebert out of the running, which of the half dozen Republicans trying for the seat is likely to win the primary and take on Democrat Adam Frisch?

  23. In eastern Colorado, a primary and a vacancy election

    · 25 min

    What to make of the nine major party candidates -- including Rep. Lauren Boebert -- all running in Colorado's fourth congressional district? And how does the vacancy race to fill out Ken Buck's term factor into it all?

  24. What are Colorado voters worried about?

    · 29 min

    From the future of our democracy to the state of their bank accounts, Colorado voters have been telling us about their top concerns for the upcoming election.

  25. Ending on a high note

    · 27 min

    Lawmakers were in an usually good mood as they wrapped up their session this week, a marked change from recent years.

  26. Drinking at the Colorado Capitol

    · 25 min

    Lawmakers say sharing an occasional drink can build camaraderie and release stress during long days under the golden dome, but the legislature’s long tradition of social drinking comes with risks […]

  27. The new oil and gas war

    · 23 min

    Battles over air quality and the future of drilling are threatening to spill out of the state capitol and onto your ballot.

  28. Is Colorado really about to commit to passenger rail?

    · 35 min

    The state has a “train guy” for governor, and the federal government is offering billions in funding.

  29. Lawmakers’ $1.5B tax credit battle royale

    · 28 min

    Spending limits make it hard for the legislature to put new priorities in the budget. But the tax code is another matter altogether.

  30. Is Colorado’s medical aid in dying law too hard to use?

    · 31 min

    Each year, hundreds of Coloradans with terminal illnesses use medication to aid their deaths. But guardrails put in to prevent abuse can turn into major roadblocks for patients. Now lawmakers are considering some…

  31. What do all the new immigrant arrivals mean for Colorado?

    · 32 min

    Denver is cutting its budget to keep up with the cost of sheltering the steady flow of arrivals from the southern border, and that's leading to strain between cities, and questions about what role the state should play.

  32. The first month of session, down

    · 28 min

    The session started with a protest over the war in Gaza and the issue has continued to reverberate.

  33. Inside the fight to keep Space Command in Colorado

    · 35 min

    From fateful tarmac conversations to contentious committee hearings, Colorado leaders tell the inside of story of their years'-long fight to ensure the high tech command stays in the state permanently. And why it may…

  34. Tina Peters is headed to trial – how did we get here?

    · 49 min

    The Mesa County clerk is accused of breaching the security of her office's election computers in order to hunt for evidence of massive fraud. How did Peters, a political novice who ran on lowering DMV wait times,…

  35. The legislature returns: what lies ahead?

    · 18 min

    Lawmakers start their annual session Wednesday, after an off-season that contained more than the usual number of bumps and bruises.

  36. Could this Colorado case determine Trump’s political future?

    · 27 min

    We break down the electoral courtroom drama playing out in Denver right now.

  37. What’s up with Prop. II?

    · 11 min

    The state collected more money from new tobacco and nicotine taxes than it expected, and now voters must decide what to do.

  38. What’s up with Prop. HH?

    · 26 min

    Wondering what this Prop. HH measure you see on your ballot is all about? We explain what this proposal would mean for your finances, and the state's.

  39. Colorado Springs’ next mayor is a man few thought would win. What happened?

    · 29 min

    Yes, politics may be shifting in this conservative bulwark, but that's only one part of the story.

  40. Land use, property taxes and party conflicts — how the legislature wrapped up

    · 28 min

    The end of session brought dramatic developments, bruising disagreements and a few goofy moments.

  41. The legislature’s spending dance

    · 32 min

    Here’s a math problem for you: how do you get hundreds of different bills to add up to one balanced budget?

  42. The year that could change how Colorado grows

    · 31 min

    Single-family homes have ruled Colorado development for a century, but Gov. Jared Polis and his allies believe the future needs to look very different.

  43. Colorado’s blockbuster filibuster (and why it matters)

    · 30 min

    As Republican lawmakers adapt to their ‘super-minority’ in the House, they’re grappling with a big question: is it better to negotiate when they can, or dig in on delays?

  44. Xcel’s winter of discontent

    · 34 min

    Sky-high utility bills and record corporate profits have many Coloradans — and lawmakers — asking if it’s time to rethink Xcel’s business model.

  45. Disability rights at center stage

    · 32 min

    Housing, recreation, government -- advocates for people with disabilities say there are a lot of ways Colorado could be doing more to make those things accessible to all.

  46. Rent control in Colorado?

    · 34 min

    The policy has been banned in Colorado for four decades, but that could all change this year.

  47. How Colorado’s gun laws have changed from frontier days to today

    · 44 min

    From the founding of the state to modern mass shootings, we look at the forces that have driven changes to Colorado law over the years, and what it means for this year's brewing debate.

  48. The Polis Agenda

    · 21 min

    In the first State of the State speech of his second term, Gov. Polis picked a big fight with local governments, while saying little on a major priority for many in his party.

  49. The legislature is back: what do they want to do?

    · 30 min

    State lawmakers have returned to session in Denver. We cover a bit of DC-style drama on opening day, and hear from congressional reporter Caitlyn Kim how the actual DC drama went down with the many, many Speaker votes.

  50. Is Colorado a blue state now?

    · 25 min

    Yes, we know what happened Tuesday, but we're still not changing the name of the podcast.

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