Erin O'Toole
Host & Senior Producer, In the NoCoEmail: erin.otoole@kunc.org
As the host of KUNC’s news program and podcast In The NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and fast-growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation spots. It’s a privilege to find and share the stories and voices that reflect why NoCo is such an extraordinary place to live.
One of the things I love most about public radio is that it embodies and encourages many of the values I hold dear: integrity, civility and curiosity. I’ve been with KUNC since 2009, minus a brief break where I focused exclusively on a Denver-based podcast. I’ve served in a number of roles here: Morning Edition Host, Assistant News Director, and as host and senior producer for Colorado Edition. My work has been recognized by the Associated Press, the Colorado Broadcasters Association, PRNDI, RTNDA, and the Society for Professional Journalists.
I began my career at a country radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I was a traffic reporter, newscaster, sidekick, and finally a morning show host (yes, it’s true that my name was Coyote Kim!). I later relocated to southern California where I served as Morning Edition host and reporter for KVCR in San Bernardino. I was selected as a USC/Annenberg Health Journalism fellow in 2008.
When I'm not at work, you can usually find me hiking with my two dogs, noodling around on my bass, cooking, or enjoying the sunshine and a cold brew on a patio somewhere.
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Young women are more active in sports than ever. But female athletes face different training challenges than their male counterparts. Now, a new program at Children’s Hospital Colorado aims to transform how middle and high school girls who play sports manage their physical and mental health. -
The Great Gatsby is a classic novel – and one Colorado author loves the book so much she set out to tell the story from a fresh perspective. In a new novel called Mrs. Wilson’s Affair, Broomfield resident Allyson Reedy set out to retell the story from a different character’s perspective. -
Temple Grandin is well known as an author, as an advocate for people with autism, and a pioneer in the humane treatment of livestock. And she’s about to get another honor: Her portrait will soon be on the wall of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. CSU’s Temple Grandin shares how this came about, and what it means to her. -
A man who fled Afghanistan and settled in Colorado after helping the U.S. military fight the Taliban was arrested in an immigration sweep targeting truck drivers on Oct. 10. He’s been held in ICE detention ever since, without being charged with a crime. Hear what happened – and how it’s affecting his family in Boulder County. -
There are lots of techniques people use to de-stress these days. But one unusual way to unplug is the practice of “forest bathing.” Users immerse themselves in nature and tap into all five senses as a way to slow down and reset. We get some advice for how to try this for yourself – even if you’re just getting out in your own backyard. -
A 'Goldilocks foot' designed by CSU students could offer new options for people who wear prostheticsStudents at Colorado State University have designed an innovative prosthetic foot. The design uses 3D printing technology that allows them to customize each prosthetic they make for the person who will wear it. Hear the story of the CSU engineering students who created the award-winning design. -
A struggling novelist sets off a social media firestorm in a new novel by Colorado author R.L. Maizes. "A Complete Fiction" raises sticky questions about who gets to tell someone else’s story. We talk with the author about how her own social media obsessions inspired the book. -
In 1955, a man planted a bomb in luggage aboard a United Airlines flight shortly before it took off from Denver. The plane exploded over Weld County, killing everyone on board. Now, 70 years later, a new memorial has been unveiled to commemorate the tragedy. -
A leading conservation organization says owls need a hand – and they’re rolling out a program to do it. The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies is about to launch a project to get homeowners along the Front Range to place boxes in their backyards where owls can live. -
Climate change impacts many facets of nature – including the timing of when wildflowers, bees and other species emerge in the spring. A new study out of CU Boulder finds that some plants and pollinators on Pikes Peak have fallen out of sync with each other.
