COMMENTARY: HOMAGE TO STEVE IRWIN
As conflicts over the endangered species act prove, animals, even tiny mice, can provoke strong emotions in humans. The recently deceased Steve Irwin personified that passion, and commentator Sandra Knauf is feeling the sting of his loss. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

GREENS MAKE PLEA FOR ORGANIC CEMETERIES
As the latest scare over E. Coli contamination in the food supply illustrates, even things labeled “orgainic” can be bad for you. But there’s a new organic trend that has nothing to do with you personal health, although it should be beneficial for the environment. It’s green cemeteries. The “Traditional” cemetery is filled with expensive, unnecessarily preserving caskets, which house bodies pickled in toxic embalming chemicals. Shelly Schlender takes a look at a less expensive and more eco-friendly way to go. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH IN COLORADO
Alzheimer’s disease affects some 63,000 people in Colorado, and 4 million nationwide. Last weekend the state Alzheimer’s association held three so-called “Memory Walks” in Denver, Loveland and Greeley to raise money for research. Brian Larson of KUNC in Greeley has this report on what that research is yielding here in Colorado. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

SCIENCE OR POLITICS? MUSGRAVE HOLDS ENDANGERED SPECIES HEARING
Two of the Congress’ fiercest critics of the federal endangered species act held a committee hearing on it in Greeley Monday. California Representative Richard Pombo, and Marilyn Musgrave, of Colorado’s 4th congressional district invited mostly people they agree with to call for the act to be rewritten. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

CAMPAIGN ANALYSIS WITH JASON BAIN
Jason Bain, political writer for 5280 Magazine talks over the governor’s race with KGNU’s Sam Fuqua. He says the Beauprez campaign has “hit the wall.” [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

COMMENTARY: BUSH’S “COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION” INITIATIVE IS JUST HOLLOW WORDS
The Bush administration is sending federal officials on a “listening tour” to get ideas to implement its “Cooperative Conservation Initiative.” But commentator Nancy Jacques is skeptical that the tour is much more than lip service. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR AN IMMIGRANT GIRL
Most public school students have been back in class for a week or two now, and are settling in to the routine, they’ve survived the sometimes traumatic first day of school. But the average student’s fear and apprehension pales in comparison to what students from outside the country must feel, especially those who don’t speak English. In this story, Aspen Public Radio’s Cynthia Grajeda tags along with the daughter of Mexican immigrants who recently moved to the Aspen area on her first day at Roaring Fork High School. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

SHEEP DOGS COMPETE FOR $20,000 IN MEEKER
Most of the year, Meeker, up in northwestern Colorado, is a quiet little ranching town of 2,000, but it swells to 10,000, when fans flock to the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trial. Hundreds of volunteers, a beautiful setting and $20,000 in prize money make the Meeker Classic one of the world’s most popular dog trials. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

LAWSUIT: VOTING MACHINES IMPROPERLY CERTIFIED
A state official says Secretary of State Gigi Dennis approved flawed voting machines that don’t meet state requirements. The allegation, part of a lawsuit filed in June, were just made public this week. The machines in question were used by two counties in this fall’s primary elections. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

COMMENTARY: BIG BOX SPHINX
Commentator Sandra Knauf isn’t averse to doing a little bargain hunting now and then, but, she says, context is everything. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]