COMMENTARY: WELCOME BACK RECESS
Ask any elementary school student what their favorite subject in school is, and you’ll likely get consensus that it’s recess. Commentator Caroline Vulgamore worries that the time honored tradition of running around on the playground appears to be threatened. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: KAREN CHAMBERLAIN … DESERT OF THE HEART, SOUJURN IN A COMMUNITY OF SOLITUDE
Ever just want to get away from it all? Writer Karen Chamberlain did. In her late 40s she had a successful career in Aspen, working, in her words, two more than full time jobs and living in comfort. But when a friend who owned a remote ranch in the desert of southeast Utah offered her a caretaking job at near poverty level wages, she dropped everything and took it. Chamberlain spent almost five years at Horsethief ranch and published a memoir – Desert of the Heart, Sojourn in a Community of Solitude. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

POLITICAL ANALYSIS WITH JASON BAIN
Fundamental to any election is accurately counting votes. Last week a state judge ruled that Colorado’s new electronic voting machines were not properly certified, but he said that they can be used in this fall’s election. The ruling has the potential to depress voter turnout – people may be less likely to vote if they don’t trust the new voting machines. KGNU’s Sam Fuqua talked how the ruling might affect the election with Jason Bain, political writer for 5280 Magazine in Denver: [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT RAISES TAXES TO BYPASS “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND”
Schools in the Kit Carson district, which is out on the plains in Cheyenne County about a hundred miles east of Colorado Springs aren’t adhering to the federal “No Child Left Behind” law. That means they’re giving up some federal funding. The conservative, tax averse community decided they’d rather raise local taxes than comply with the law. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

THE 65% SOLUTION? COLORADO’S SCHOOL FUNDING BALLOT MEASURES COMPARED
Two ballot measures this fall would require school districts to spend most of their operating budgets on classroom costs in an attempt to improve K – 12 education. But critics say the measures won’t help teachers or students and could have a devastating effect on schools. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH ALL PIKES PEAK READS
Every year the Pikes Peak Library District and its partners pick a book for the community to read, discuss and otherwise experience. This year, it’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and related activities include stage adaptations by Manitou Art Theater and UCCS Theaterworks. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

GONZO MOUNTAIN BIKERS, AN INTERVIEW WITH HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
Ever since they first took to the trails in the 1980s, mountain bikers have been viewed by some as out of place on certain public lands. New machines that inspire behavior more like motorcyclists are inspiring more backlash. We talk with High Country News Editor Greg Hanscom about how bikers are trying to preserve and expand their access to trails. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

PINON CANYON EXPANSION
Opponents of Ft. Carson’s plan to grow its remote Pinon Canyon training area, located between Trinidad and La Junta, made their case in Colorado Springs Tuesday. The training area, already 367 square miles in size, would grow by another 650 square miles if Ft. Carson’s plan goes through. We hear from the opponents and a Ft. Carson spokeswoman. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

VOTING MACHINES Q AND A
This fall’s election could become a lot more complicated if a group suing the state is successful in banning four different models of voting machines. We talk with our Denver Correspondent Bente Birkeland, who has been attending the trial. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

JUDGE RE-INSTATES CLINTON ROADLESS RULE
The U.S. Forest Service will have to reexamine several controversial plans for projects on roadies federal lands in Colorado and across the West, this following a landmark court ruling yesterday. A federal judge in California reinstated a Clinton administration ban on building new roads in portions of national forests nationwide.
What exactly the ruling means for Colorado is unclear at this point. Aspen Public Radio’s Kirk Siegler has this report on reaction in the White River National Forest, the most heavily used by recreationalists in the U.S.
[LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]