On this week's Colorado Edition, an unlikely musical team-up, a nightmare future for Colorado River users (that's probably you) and a way-outside-the-box approach to teacher recruitment on the Eastern Plains.
First up: Colorado doesn't have enough foster families to meet the demand. While state officials know the shortage is there, as Bente Birkeland reports, they don't have enough data yet to solve the problem.
We hear about a story from Kyra Buckley that was popular on social media this week - that of Shauna Johnson, a Colorado woman who left a message in chalk outside her representative's office. The building manager called the police, who left her with a citation that could have resulted in a $1,000 fine or up to six months in jail - if the charges hadn't been dropped.
In the second part of our series on how the state's teacher shortage is affecting rural schools, Stephanie Daniel tells us how some schools are reaching not just outside the box, but outside borders to draw teachers to their schools.
Fourth of July has passed and that means you likely had to deal with some terrible renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner." KUNC arts and culture reporter Stacy Nick talked with a psychiatrist who has an explanation for the song's difficulty to belt out: the key. He's got a solution that is sure to get people on their feet and singing the anthem once again - without fear of croaking over the high notes.
In related news, we get the lowdown on which Colorado beers and breweries took home top honors at this year's American Homebrewers Association annual poll.
From nightmare songs to nightmare situations: For Colorado River water managers, nothing is as frightening as the prospect of the Compact Call. What is this event and is it likely to happen sooner rather than later? KUNC water reporter Luke Runyon explains.
Finally, in his weekly film review, critic Howie Movshovitz shares his thoughts on "Nancy," the debut feature film from director Grace Choe.
Our intro music is "Remember Me" by Colorado musician Kalatana. Our outro is "Good Grief" by Ryan Little. Other music this week:
- "Deluge" by Cellophane Sam
- "Pives and Flarinet" by Podington Bear
- "Jingle" by Monplaisir
- "Reunion" by Jazzhar
- "The Star-Spangeled Banner" performed by the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps
This episode is hosted by Erin O'Toole and Ashley Jefcoat, who also manages digital. Editor Brian Larson contributed to this episode. Additional production done by Karlie Huckels.
KUNC's Colorado Edition is a weekly look at the top stories from our newsroom. It's available every Friday on our website, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever (RSS) you get your podcasts.