Hi everybody.

I'm Kyle Dyer.

Every week on Colorado Inside Out, we bring togethe a rotating collection of people with different perspectives, opinions and experiences.

But how did they find their way to the table?

What is it about their connection to this communit and the way they see the world that leads to the thoughtful and sometimes unexpected conversations you hear every week?

You may already kno their takes on the big issues, so we thought we'd take you a little bit deeper and hav a little fun while we're at it.

In these interviews, you will get to know the individual behind their Go-To viewpoints, all while we attemp to draw portraits of each other.

So settle in.

This is Colorado inside out a little more inside.

Patty Calhoun is a Colorado legend and icon, one of our most respected journalists.

If something is happenin in Denver, Patty knows about it.

She knows the people behind the story, the history behind the moment, and the conversations happening around town because she totally knows everyone and everythin that's happening in this city.

Patty co-founded Westword bac in 1977 as the paper's editor.

She's been inducted to many halls of fame and led the paper to prominence and Indy paper to prominence when other newspapers have been hit very hard, and for more than 30 years, Patty Calhoun has sat at the table of Colorado inside ou pretty much every single week.

Our longest running panelist, working here with Patty on CIO has been a real privilege.

Patty's love for Colorado and for the people who call this stat home is absolutely contagious.

Patty, what is it about what you do that keeps you so motivated?

I get to paint with words rather than pencils is part of it.

It's there always are interesting new things to do in Denver every day.

New scandals, bu also really interesting things that people are trying.

People come out to Denver or they stay in Denver because it's a city that seems makes things seem possible.

You talked about, you like to be colorful with your writing rather than drawing, but yeah.

How does this feel to be doing this assignmen of drawing each other's faces?

It's just hard to get it right.

I know I want to do justice.

Oh, okay.

All right.

Now, can I ask you who inspired you first to get into journalism?

So reading as a kid and then, I went to Cornell and I thought I was going to be a doctor, but everybody else was.

I wanted to be a doctor.

So I thought, maybe I really want to be a journalist.

And I work on the independent daily paper there, and it was certainly the most interesting thing I did at Cornell.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, now it looks like you have a mustache.

I'm really sorry about that.

What inspired you to move out west?

I've been coming out here skiing.

I grew up in Illinois.

We came out and skied when we were kids.

We'd come out our families on the train and stay up all night.

And then you'd see you'd get to the eastern plains and you'd see the mountains in the distance.

And just the romance of the West was always really fun.

What inspired you to start a newspaper?

An independent newspaper.

I worked as a secretarial pool.

Some people remember what that was.

Oh, Cornell.

Okay.

I typed so many lying Ivy League, resumes.

And I did typed their essays about why they wanted to go to some job or some college.

Like, I'm never typing a resume.

I'm going to start a newspaper instead.

What do you think it is about Westword that has kept it going for so many years, when other papers have not fared well?

I think it's definitely the writers who like to tell stories, and it's the connection of community.

So I'll tell you use an example today, Benny's restaurant, many people know Benny's and just yesterday it went on the market.

So it's closed forever.

And I wrote a story about Benny's closing and some of the things I kne from the owner over the years.

Benny Amos.

And it was our most read story for three months, just a Mexican restaurant closing because it meant a lot to people across town.

You just are in the community, the people we care, the people we wear, right?

We're writing for the people who want to get out and use the city and use the state, and they're here by choice, whether they were born here or whether they stay here.

They want to get ou and experience things they want.

They like to know about the good, and they definitely would like to know about the bad.

So when you're Covid editing dealing with that kind of stuff as well, leading the troops, hiring new people, why is it been so important for you to make the time every week to be on Call Our Inside Out?

You got a lot going on.

Well, it' the same as doing the stories, and it's even better in some ways because it gives you a chance to, really comment on what's going on that day, which certainly in the early days of Colorado inside out, we were a weekly paper that went to press.

And you didn't come out for two days?

We weren't online until the early 90s, and we didn't really start doing a lot of stories online until ten years ago.

So it gives you an opportunit to comment on what's going on.

How do you think this show has evolved?

It changes, obviously, with the personalities.

When it first started, it was really interesting.

People on it.

It was so O'Brien and Al Night and Pierre Jiménez and me, and I wish we could have talked more because, I mean, Sue and al had seen so much in the political and the journalism world.

Then we had Peter Boyle.

For a long time, everyone thought I was Peter Boyle secretary, because they'd always call and ask me to do things.

So Peter Boyle's and then, Raj Callahan, who was great because he was such a TV pros at such a journalist, Dominick, who was great.

And you.

So it changes because of the hosts.

But what's consistent is you talk about local issues and everyone in town who watches watch because it connects them to the community and they feel like it's so accessible and that we they know u and that we care and they care and we speak to them and people love that.

And that's really fun.

Which is so important now more than ever.

I feel like I say that a lot but I feel like that knowing who where you're getting your ideas, your perspectives from is helpful because there's so much out there that you don't know who's saying what, right?

It's critical.

What do you think is underrated right now in Colorado society, USA?

I think in Colorado we underrate how many interesting cultural things are going on.

Yeah, how many really great cultural things are going on.

And we need to pay more attention to that.

You are very good about that, about Westword.

I mean, you are like the list maker.

Do you make the list of what's happening, like the great things to do in Colorado, Denver, humiliatingly, I will say at four in the morning.

Sometimes if I can't sleep, I am typing listings of free things to do this weekend.

You are an early person.

You send out emails like at five something, don't you?

I try to, I try not to do it too early.

Yeah, but I have.

But otherwise I forget.

So are you ready to show?

Yes.

All right, all right.

Well it doesn't look like you, but.

Oh my gosh, I think it's great that it's really good.

I try to get your boots in.

So.

Yeah, let's show the camera.

So they can see you.

Patty, you're very good at art.

You're more interesting looking than this.

I hope so, just about the poster board.

I'm impressed that people would be happy to be poster board.

Oh my gosh.

Well, thank you so much for being such a fabulous cohort.

I love sitting next to you every week in college and it's always a blast.

It is really fun.

It's a highlight.

You're the best!

Thanks.

Tyrone Glover is always collected and mindful, and he's passionate about people and about the law.

In civil rights, he protects those who need someone in their corner and in criminal defense.

He listens to those who need to be heard.

He is a fighter in more ways than one and we will get to that in a minute.

But first, Tyrone, what sparked your interest in going into law?

Because that's not something that was in your family.

Like a lot of kids, if you're kind of an argumentative, like opinionated kid with a real sense of social justice, your parents start directin you, you know, towards the law.

But I think I come from a real family of, I think, activists and, you know, trailblazers.

You know, my grandfather was sort of, you know, received, you know, metals in the Navy and then went on to have like a franchise for Texaco, where it was like a real entrepreneurial sort of guy.

My grandmother you know, was a school teacher and really an activist in the South for integrating schools and advocating for students.

And then my other grandfather on my father's side was a black farmer that no one can quite figure out how, but he was able to buy up all of this land despite being a black man in Virginia and like the 1920s, but he became one of the most prominent sort of farmer in our little town in Virginia.

Really standing up and fighting for what's right is just something, I think that's in my DNA.

And I saw the law a a great tool to accomplish that.

I was mentioning earlier how you are a fighter for people, but you literally have bee a fighter and a really good one.

How did you ever end up as an MMA fighter?

My little brother was going to karate at like one of our local karate school, and I would, you know, as kind of the sibling would go there and sometimes would sit and watch him.

And I was like, this is kind of cool.

So like, you know, my parents had to take a free class.

I tried it, I really, really had like a lot of fun with it.

And then, you know, was wrestling in high school and middle school and was getting good at that then, you know, went to college and was going down to L.A.

and was competing and doing well in these Brazilian jiu jitsu competitions.

And then I linked up with a good friend of mine from high school, Urijah Faber, who's now, UFC Hall of Famer.

And then we just started fighting in M&A shows like on the kind of Indian reservations, because it wasn't legal anywhere else.

I strung together a few wins an then ended up quitting my job.

Moving to San Diego, I got signed with an organization called Parents Say, kind of a funny story.

My dad, I wasn't I was hiding it from my parents for like a while.

And my dad is a an eye surgeon, right.

He's an ocular plastic surgeon.

So he does actual, like orbital repairs and stuff like that.

So one of his patients is, you know, getting, you know, seeing him and he's done surgery and he's asking to get cleared to go back and fight.

My dad's office clears.

I'm gonna go back and fight.

And he's like, Doctor Glover, you should come to my fight.

And so he gives them a fight poster you know, and I'm on the poster.

And so he comes in an he's like, what you is this you?

And I was like, oh yeah.

He's like you're fighting in these things.

I was like oh yeah, do you want a ticket?

Oh my gosh.

So that' kind of how I got outed on that.

Yeah.

So what?

So you were retired from that, but you were undefeated for a while.

What kind of skills from that part of your life do you feel like you stil tap into today as an attorney?

I think you know, the preparation, right, is a big part of it.

Right?

The sort of fight is, kind of lost.

And I think one on your preparation and then I think execution.

Right.

Which is kind of the second piece of it going in, being focused on, you know, really executing at every single turn, being calm, being sort of just like, yeah, unflappable and sort of the face of the stor and being able to like, execute on your game plan the entire time you are calm.

I always noticed that.

Why is it important for you to be on color inside out?

You're so bus with your having your own firm, taking cases not only here in Colorado, but take you're going into courtrooms outside the city, the state, but you're a regular on this show and you bring so much, you come so prepared.

Why is it important for you?

I think it's important, you know, to not only do the work, but especially as sort of person of color in space where there are not many of us to do that work in a really I think, public fashion as well.

You want I think just the community to see that there's folks like us out there doing this work.

And you also want to inspire, you know, the kids out there, you want to show them, like, you can be an attorney and you can be here and you can be on call inside out and you can fight these good fights.

Did you ever watch Color Inside Out before you cam on the show?

Yeah, I watched it.

My parents watch it like, oh, the legislature.

Oh, really?

So and especially now that I'm on.

Oh, really What did they think of the show?

Oh, they love it.

Yeah, yeah.

They're always like, oh, I was on the panel and I was telling me about other people and stuff like that.

I am so curious what you're doing over there and just kind of doing my thing.

What?

I thought I had more time.

Give me your time.

Are you just putting, like, give me a time limit?

15.

Are you just putting color just to add color, like a portrait background?

What do you do?

Don't worry about what I'm doing, but I'm letting the creative process kind of thing.

All right, well, I didn't do that.

All right, time's up.

Done.

Okay.

All right.

Ready?

Okay.

Ready?

Yeah.

Set.

Go!

Oh my gosh.

Tyra.

Oh, look at that.

What you are is I messed up on your mouth.

I'm sorry.

Wow.

Look at yours.

Looks really good.

Let's show to the camera.

Holy smoke, folks, that is amazing.

You are artistic.

I might add some backdrop Yeah, that's the fun, you know?

Yeah, that's.

That's a really good idea.

I mean, like the, the gold.

I was doing the frame because I love.

I love gold framed pictures, like old school frames.

Especially the gold ones are so dope.

Okay, I gave you a gold frame.

Yay!

Thank you, thank you.

Tyra.

Thanks so much for playing along.

Thanks for adding so much color to my portrait.

I love it well, and thank you for being.

I just think, look, you're like such a warm, vibrant person.

So I wanted everything to just sort of pop.

And then so you got like the camera and the microphone and like a little, like one of thos whatever those director thing.

Like I go to the camera.

Yeah.

And script and I don't know, just all the fun things that remind me.

Yeah.

I was like, well, I think you're fun.

I think you're amazing.

I'm sorry I gave you no life and excitement on your face.

Thank you for being a part of Color Inside Out and being my friend.

Yeah.

No.

My pleasure.

Carlos Martinez is deeply thoughtful, mindful and hopeful.

From my first conversation with him, I just knew that he would bring such great insight to the Colorado Inside-Out table and perspectives that aren't always surface, yet always needed.

He is humble and he genuinely cares about the conversations that he has with us and with so many others.

In his role as the president and CEO of the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado.

Carlos, you've been leading this organization from was 12 years now, and it's a much different organization from when you started.

Yes it is.

What is it about you taking the reins and saying, I can lead this group that has changed thing for not only the organization, but for so many people in Colorado?

Well, you know, I think for me it's the opportunity presented for me was how can an entity play a critical role throughout the stat in helping to shape a community.

And so for me, I've been fortunate of having a lot of opportunities throughout my career, and it was an opportunity t bring a lot of those experiences under one umbrella.

And be able to see if we can really look at creating some change an transformation in communities.

And you guys have made a huge difference.

We have we we really have, you know, when I took over, we, we're down to our last dollars.

But, you know, we've grown now over to, an organization right now with assets over $19 million.

We've invested over 32 million in the community, leveraged another 50 million, and have just been helping the community not just the Latino community, but also, in the Asian, the black, Native American, the LGBTQ communit as well, and rural communities, because we also have a focus on making sure our dollars go out throughout the state and that they just don't sta here in the Denver metro area.

What was your first job since you said you've been doing so many things?

What do you what did you think you first wanted to do?

God, you know, well, my ver first job was cleaning stables.

Really?

Yes.

So down the street from my house were some horse, horses and so forth.

And, you know, as an immigrant kid, we didn't have a lot of resources.

And so I would always go out and look for jobs.

And so I went there and I said, you know, you guys need help.

And they're like, sure, we can go and help cleaner around.

So that was my first job.

And from then I'd been working and I haven't stopped.

What brought you to Colorad and will you stay in Colorado?

So you seem like such wonderful addition to our state.

Yes.

Well, I love Colorado, so.

And it was my husband who brought me here.

Oh, yeah.

We met in DC, and, I was living in California.

He was living here.

I went to visit a friend.

We went out one night.

So happens that her friends were at this one lounge, and those friends were with my husband, and my husband was with them.

And so that's how we were introduced.

We exchanged email and we continued to communicate, and we just started developing a relationship.

It's a love bright to Colorado.

Yes, exactly.

And it's keeping you here?

Yes, exactly.

So, you run this fabulous organization with a wonderful group of employees.

You're a busy man.

You're crazy artists over there.

Why?

Why spend time?

Why invest time on Colorado inside out?

Because you always come prepared.

It's not like you just can come in and wing it.

You, like, put work into coming and being a part of our conversations.

Well, I think I, you know, I was brought up that when you are prepared, you know, it, it shows.

Why do you like talking about, like, some of the issues that we're facing?

Because some stuff is difficult right now.

We all have a perspective to to be able to share.

Yeah.

And I think I'm very fortunate I've been able to come into contact with so many people actually, on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, on a monthly basis.

And that contact has allowed me to really kind of like, understand a bit more what's going on in Colorado.

And I think at the en it's really about relationships.

And so when you're able to build relationships, okay, you're able to go ahead and really bring people together to take the kind of chances or the risks that you want to take.

And I think for me, when I'm able to go ahead and have the relationships, I'm even a bigger risk taker.

Are you always thinking always, always, always.

Yeah.

What?

How do you relax?

You know, by thinking, oh, you have to be, you know, honest with you.

Because I think my my mind has to be active.

Okay.

What I do like to do.

So because I didn' become an artist, I collect art.

So.

Yeah.

So I have, more painting that fit on my walls a lot more.

Yeah.

So, like, every quarter, I will rotate the artwork and just do things differently.

And when to collect when I come home from work.

Okay.

To be able to decompress, just go and visit my art pieces.

Oh, yeah, I love that.

Yeah.

And from all your travels and from all our travels, both decorative arts as well as I want to paint the house.

I want to come to my house.

Okay.

And help me figure ou where to put things on my wall.

Okay.

And so, Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

I'm coming to you.

Yeah.

So that's kind of like for me.

Oh, that's all right.

Relax.

Oh, yeah.

All right, so you about ready?

Yes.

Now, don't get scared.

Now, I told you, this is abstract.

And and don't get offended.

No, no no no no no.

All right.

Oh, look at me and look at you.

Oh that's wonderful.

Oh, no.

This is good.

Okay, shall we show the cameras?

Look at me.

Wow, Carlos, you are such a joy to have.

On what they kind of mad you have Harry Potter glasses.

They're.

Yours are a little more stylish than Harry's.

No, that's fine.

But anyhow, thank you for doing this.

Well, for sharing your story and for sharing as much as you do on color inside.

Every week we're at your fabulous member of our cast, so thank you so much.

Thank you.

Chris Rourke is curious, endlessly curious what began as a prerequisite for her days as a television reporter.

Chris, his curiosity i what makes her so well-versed on just about everything, especially issues shaping the Western Slope, where she lived for years and raised her family.

Chris once told me that she used to watch Cioe long before she ever sa at the table, and never imagined she'd become a regular voice on the show.

So, Chris, why did you think that?

Oh, I don't know that I saw the opportunity.

I didn't see mysel coming to Denver, first of all.

Okay.

And, I was starting to engage politically.

I wanted to keep up with what was going on in Denver because it affects so much of the state.

And as I watched Sio I began to, like, know people.

I mean, it's it's very ironic because I thought Patty Calhoun was such a strong character, and now she is a friend of mine, and I never imagined that would happen.

But, so I consider it a privilege.

Any time I'm invited to be on, you know, when even the weeks when you're not on, Chris has me on speed dial and she will say, hey, Kyle, you need to know about this.

Why is it so important for you to help people know what's going on?

You know, I just feel like that's been part of my DNA makeup, starting with curiosity.

And then when I learned something that I that I think is a value for other people to know, I want to be able to communicate that.

I think of myself as a messenger.

I'm not always the one originating the information, but if I can gathe the information and compile it and present it in a way that it's informative for people to know, I think that's been my whole life.

That's cool.

A messenger.

All right.

So how are you at, drawing?

I don't think it's.

We'll find out, won't we?

Yeah.

Let's get start.

And, let' talk about where it all began.

Oh, dear.

So can we talk and draw at the same time?

That's the test.

Okay, okay.

You started off with the plan of being a reporter, is that right?

What was your first job?

I was at the University o Illinois studying engineering.

My father was an engineer.

Okay.

I taught at Cornell University, later went into the private sector, and I thought because of where I was in schooling and everything, I was also supposed to be an engineer.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I kept going to class and building these models, you know, applied physics, an I'd be a quarter of an inch off.

And I swore I was going to build a bridge that would fall into the river.

So I grew up with horses, and I changed my major to animal science.

So my degree my degree is in animal science.

But while I was at the University of Illinois, I convinced the dean of journalism my last year or my last semester, I should say, to allow me to take journalism classes as my electives.

And so I took some journalism courses.

I worked for a radio station, did overnights as a DJ.

From there I started working for TV in Champaign, Illinois.

Okay.

Affiliate.

Okay.

I worked for several stations in the southeast, so I changed jobs.

I went back and I got anothe bachelor's degree in theology.

Theology, theology.

I worked for a nonprofit for a period of time.

Met my then husband, Yeah.

Yeah we ended up going to Gunnison.

You know, I wa I was a mom with two small kids.

Wanted a part time job, so I ended up.

I'm also a photographer.

I ended up taking photos for the local newspaper, which turned into a reporting position, and I ended up being the editor at the paper.

Okay.

Which paper?

The Gunnison Country Times.

Okay.

Do you, miss Gunnison?

I miss it all the time.

What is it about journalism that you love so much?

Because you still go back, even though, you still do a lot of writing?

What I love about journalism is it's supposed to.

It's supposed to represent facts.

We don't have the I don't live, in my opinion, we don't have that anymore.

I see bias all the time and I suppose some would argue that as I writ now, I'm exposing biases.

But, journalism at its best presents facts, it tells stories, it communicates in a way that I don't want to say is neutral, because not every story is neutral.

But it should be able to presen a represent the facts in a way where people can make their own informed decisions rather than being led to a decision.

How are you doing over there, by the way?

How's it going?

I'm good except for your chance to big.

So I'm using a a Sharpie to kind of notations too big.

Yeah, I made your mouth really big.

But you have a big mouth, like, why make time for CIO?

Why is it important for you to be a part of the show?

And you're always so, mindful when you come on this show and so prepared.

Why is that important to you?

I feel like in this polarized climate that we have, that the things that I have to share, I can say it in a way that might be more readily received by some.

It's a skill to be able to talk to people and not drive them away.

The best wa to get people to listen to you is not by criticizing them or condemning them.

I would say the majority of the audience doesn't necessarily share my views, which are conservative.

Okay, I'm intimating it.

They tend to be anyway.

And if I can make a case and somebody listens to m and thinks to themselves, wow, I never thought of it that way, then I've brought forth a message.

I've made somebody consider something that perhaps they might not have.

I'm giving you a turtleneck because I really just messed up your neckline.

Okay, well, I gave you really bright red cheeks so that's going to be a problem.

Well, good.

No, I mean, like, clown like.

Anyway, are we about ready to show each others?

I should have done a light pencil shading and then made your lips well, I the pencil doesn't show up as nice as the marker, so I kind of did both.

Okay.

You ready?

All right.

Oh, my God, look at me.

Oh, I love the gold hair.

Oh, how golden hair.

Thank you.

Yes.

Oh my gosh.

Look at that.

You did a good job I love it I love my pink cheeks.

Do I have too much rouge on there?

Pretty bright I know.

It was just that.

The marker was really bright.

I didn't anticipate it being that bright.

So see?

And then I totally messed up your neck.

And I made.

So I made you, I want.

And then your black jacket.

Black leathe that you always wear.

Oh yeah.

All right.

Well Chris thank you for all your preparedness you bring to us.

Thank you for your friendshi and your insight and for sharing all that you love about Colorado with all of us city dwellers.

Well, thanks for always having me again.

It's a privilege to be on the show.

It's a privilege to talk to your audience, our audience, our audience.

All right.

We hope you've enjoyed this deeper look at our insiders.

Each one is invaluable to me.

I can count on them to help all of us make sense of the issues shaping Colorado, and to do it with a level of civility that's really hard to find these days.

We may not always agree, but we all care deeply about this state.

And that mix of viewpoints is what makes this show work.

And, you know, getting to draw eac other's portraits for this show gave us a chance to see each other literally from a new angle.

I hope you agree.

And I look forward to the next time we're all together at the table.

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