Tonight on Colorado.

Stories from studio 12.

When you think about Colorado's economy, you might think about tourism or technology.

But what about filmmaking and the arts?

Coming up, we'll show you how our state's creative industries are becoming a bigger economic force than you might realize.

And Kyle Dyer and Chris Walk talk journalism, curiosit and life on the Western Slope, all whil drawing each other's portraits.

Who did it better?

You decid in our next Doodle Desk segment, and then we head back in time with a PBS 12 favorite, the CIO Time Machine.

Discover all the behind the scenes moments that made this throwback show so unique.

Stay with us.

We've got all of thi and more right here on Colorado.

Stories from studio 12, from the Five Points Media Center in the heart of Denver, Colorado.

This is studio 12.

Good evening, I'm Bob Kainani, and thanks for joining us.

This is Colorado stories from studio 12.

Ryan Hair is out tonight.

When we think about the forces powering Colorado's economy, tourism and technology may be the first things that come to mind.

But there's another industry that's a big economic boost, one that's creating job and drawing people to our state, from filmmaking t the performing arts and beyond.

Colorado' creative industries are growing.

At this year's Colorado Creativ Industries Summit in Trinidad.

PBS Twelve's Bobby Springer sat down with Lauren Slone, Colorado's new film commissioner, with the Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

Here's their conversation.

All right, Lauren, so this is your first CCI as film commissioner, correct?

Right.

Yeah.

How's it been so far?

It's been so great.

I think that CCI does a really good job because they travel around.

The last one I went to was in Pueblo.

The one before tha that I attended was in Salida.

And this is my first time in Trinidad.

So it's really exciting.

So help us understand, you know, I mean, obviously we're talking about a lot of different organizations.

You got you got the film commission, you got, you got CCI.

It's all sort of like product of the fruit.

Same tree.

Correct?

Sure.

Yeah.

So the Office of Economic Development and International Trade or what it, is within the governor's office.

And then from there there's several departments.

But there's tourism, there is outdoor recreation.

And then film has traditionally been separate from creative industries, and we are now coming under the same umbrella.

You've had a pretty amazing career yourself.

Like, prior to this, I mean, just looking at some of the film project you've been associated with and, you kno how is that those experiences, you know, how they inform what you're doing now?

Yeah.

Great question.

I really cut my teeth in New York doing independent film.

So I worked at an independent film production company where we did everything from, finding material to option to, adapt into films.

We handled the finance overseeing production, taking it to festivals, and understanding what distribution looks like.

So I really have kind of a great background in terms of what a filmmaker goes through and what they look for when they're coming to shoot here.

So and then that paired with my recent festival experience, festivals are obviously a very hot topic right now and something that we're really focusing on with in Colorado.

So, I just think that my background between the festival experience and being a filmmaker and knowing what you're looking for as you're state shopping or country shopping for a location is really, a powerful too that I've been able to utilize in this role.

No, I think that's phenomenal.

How are you trying to bring some of those experiences to sort of shape what we're going?

Good question.

Trying to shape where we're going.

I'm really excited for Sundance to come in January of 2027.

But with that it's an opportunity.

It's an opportunity for Colorado to meet this moment.

They're all eyes are on us at the moment.

So how are we going to capitalize on that to bring more production to Colorado?

Because that's really what was important to us as a film office to make sure we're using our production tax incentive.

Luring production to Colorado means more economic impact in towns.

More jobs being created for our industry here.

So using that as a springboard for us is really what this is all about.

And utilizing the network that I've built over the past 20 years and saying, hey, I heard you're working on a Western.

Oh, we've got a horror movie that might be really good for Estes Park.

Just trying to activate everybody to know so that they know that Colorado is open for business.

Well, look, I think what you're doing is getting noticed.

One of the things I love is I love that Sundance is coming to Colorado, but I love that that's not the only thing we're talking about.

Absolutely not.

Yeah.

Because it's like, if you're a filmmaker and you're going out and you're pitching and you pitch a project to a studio, say, and they say, you know what?

We already have something that's similar to that.

What else do you have to go?

What's it?

You need a slate.

You can't just work on one project.

You can't focus on one thing.

You have to make sure that you are working on a whole slate of different projects that are elevating the opportunity of Colorado, the ecosystem.

So in the process of doin the research, I think we did a sort of a research project and all the people we knew were going to be talking to.

And one of the things that kind of synthesized out of that was this idea that the state is almost acting in the role of an executive producer, like the executive producer who's clearing the way, trying to make things possible isn't getting in, getting their hands in the da to day projects, doing the work we're doing that.

You think that's an apt description?

I do think that's an apt description.

I think that as an executive producer in this analogy, we're just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together to make it easier for folks to film in Colorado and.

Yeah, and, and deploy our film incentive program.

So and then also create that opportunity for our Colorado industry employees as well.

So what kind of things need to continue to happen for this to be, to become what it needs to become?

You mentioned festivals earlier.

Do we have enough to have too many?

You know what's what is what is all that look like?

I think, you know, yo don't have to answer that one.

I don't want to put you on the spot on that one, but I think, you know, obviously getting a look at all these things, holistically and having that big picture of you because I think that that's really, I think is hard because every everybody's project, you get myopic on it.

Yeah.

And you've got the challenge o looking at the entirety of it, looking at the entirety of it.

What's what are some of the things, what are some of the behaviors?

What are some of the, the action we need to take as a community, a creative communit to be successful going forward?

That.

Yeah, absolutely.

But I will talk about the film festival thing on on one side is that we have ove 100 film festivals in Colorado.

It's a lot.

It's a lot.

But I don't think I thin Colorado again, is a state that, embraces more is more i terms of the creative community.

Right.

So it's like the more film festivals, more creative opportunities we have, the more it shines a spotligh on Colorado as a creative hub.

So I welcome any other festival or creative endeavor.

I think that we're really trailblazin because we have a film festival tax incentive, which to my knowledge is the only one in the country.

Yeah.

Not only is it for big festivals, but for smaller festivals as well.

We're about to open applications for that in the next couple of months.

So that's showing not only our film festivals important for the creative community, but really the state of Colorado believes that it's an economic driver as well, because again, they're coming and they're shopping and and shopping and stores and they're eating in restaurants and they're booking hotels, and it's a tourist destination, right?

When you create a film festival and it's promotin film in the, state and hopefully that that trickles out to more production as well.

Well, also, I imagine to have you coming into it is is the film community larger than you might have been aware of?

I mean, I mean, I, I'm learning as I go.

I've been very impressed with just the sheer amount of things going on.

I'll be I'll be the first to admit that sometimes it's easy to get a little Denver centric or yes, you're there.

You see all sorts of that.

I'm it's been very refreshing and inspiring to see how much work is going on in the entire state.

Is it more or less tha you thought it was going to be?

Certainly more.

Certainly more than I thought it was going to be.

I think one of the things that people don't realize is a lot of folks live here, but they don't necessarily work here.

We have cinematographers that work on Marvel films that live in the mountains, and then they have to travel when they go work and go to Georgia or go to Budapest or wherever they're goin for the tax incentive, for sure.

So I think we have a lot of folks that are living here that are in the creative space that are in the film industry, but I really have tasked myself to make sure to bring them more opportunities so they can live here and work here.

I think that's a wonderful goal.

I love that.

I imagine you'll get there.

I have no doubt about that.

Last question.

So one year from now will be a CCI again.

And we'll have, we'll have had Sundance will have occurred and we will have ha all the other amazing festivals that will happen over the course of a period of time.

Will of this, but a little bit more development of this new, this new tax and, this new business structure.

What what do you want to see happen?

What would be your vision for walking into this, this environment in a year?

Like, what kind of evolutions do you hope to see?

Great question.

So a year from now, after we have gone through our first Sundance Film Festival, I am hoping that I have a slew of filmmakers that want to film in Colorado and that have applied to use the tax incentive and are lining up their productions, because I want to make sure that we are showcasing all that we have in Colorado, you know, from the plains to the mountains to the urban areas, we have everything.

So I want to make sure that folks are shooting throughou the state, crews are employed, and that once we meet them at Sundance and they see how great it is here, that they continu to come here time and time again to build that infrastructure and then ultimately, spark chang within our production incentive, when it expires in 2029.

Well, I appreciate the time today.

And, look, I also just want to say, as a member of the creative committee, I appreciate the enthusiasm.

And I, you know, I like the momentum.

I like to see that things are happening is creative.

It can also get stuck sometimes.

And so I appreciate tha we're seeing this real momentum.

And, I believ that we're going to get there.

And thanks for the leadership to lear more about the Creative Industry Summit, to be sure to head to our YouTube channel.

And for more information about Colorado Creative Industries, it's programs, grants, and creative districts, visit the state's website at.

Oh edit.colorado.gov.

We're opening up the PBS 12 archives to revisit some of Colorado's most memorable moments and the stories behind them.

They were featured on Colorado Inside Out in the early 2000 on a unique series we produced here at PBS 12 called the CIO Time Machine.

The panel, dressed up in costumes, used special effects and debated the news of a certain time in Colorado's history.

This week, longtime panelists Patty Calhoun, David Kopel, and former CIO host Dominic Desirae share with us how researching Colorado's historical moments and key players became a big part of the show's appeal.

Okay, this is channel 12 DVD.

Our coverage of this sho is proud to present our sponsor, Public Television, serving on the Front Range KBI TV 12 Broomfield, Colorado.

Once David discovere the program could travel through time.

My colleague Larry Patchett took it from there.

The time machine gives u the opportunity to share often forgotten stories from Colorado's vibrant past that can provide our viewers with a different perspective on the issues we face today.

It all begins with hours of microfilm research in order to uncover some of these stories.

Then the talented crew of channel 12 begin the process of designing and building period looking sets, complete with working vintage microphones.

Whenever possible, they will get kicked off early by Larry Patchett or our historian, the co-producer, because he would do.

And what I love about very old school research or talking about microfiche at Denver Public Library, old school research, getting actual news articles and would create basically, a, a really good compendium of here's all the different issues we could possibly talk about throughout the year.

Then he and I would then settle on.

Okay, but what are the four topics so that we could.

Well, people might reference those other things.

Here' what will stick with the show.

And there's usually kind of a year in review to let everyone kind of go where they wanted to.

Then we would hand it off to the panel to know that this is the material we're working from, but then they could somewhat freelance from there.

The topics we try to make the topics of, okay, it's it's focused enoug where it's not just everything, but gives them a good, springboard for whereve their character wants to go and whatever pieces from the year they want to bring into it.

It would start with Larr and then hand off to the panel, who did all their own wor connecting what their character was going to do with the proposed topics of the show.

Are we finally done with the Old Cowtown image?

Are we a big city now?

Now, with these developments we've seen with, the conflict in Vietnam and the reports on the government, do you big do you believe that the public is going to begin to doubt what we're hearing from the government?

And should they, are you at al worried about this rapid growth?

It may come crashing down at any moment her in the great state of Colorado.

Police have blamed the activists for the explosion, but Gonzales insists the police have thrown the grenades.

Judy, as you look at this we have issues and wounded knee issues here in Denver.

What do you think's going on?

We'd get these huge packets from Larry of, you know, Versions of, like, Dominic was saying microfilm or microfiche from old issues, the Denver Post or the Rocky Mountain News that he'd gotten at the main branch of the Denver Public Library.

And, of course we also had the responsibility to work on our costumes.

So there was there was a lot of study beforehand because he'd have that base of history.

But then when you have a particular character, well, what's that?

How is my character going to be in specific?

Well, we'd here the year I think, and then we would start looking to see who was around in that year.

You could play.

And as I said, sometimes har to find a woman you could play.

But I always wanted to do a real person because the history wa so interesting to look through.

So sometimes it was a little tangential, trying to figure out what that one person would really have thought about that incident because they weren't involved.

But it was always fun just looking through the history.

You'd have to study Denver, study the world, and then figure out how your character would play in it.

I know exactly how much air travel has improved.

It's one of the few topics I really do know about that.

But, you know, my kids go to Greenland, they ride a bus every day.

A lot of kids who go to Greenland, Kate, come from way in south Denver or the suburbs.

They have a pretty long bus ride.

So I think it's okay to to take a bus trip to help a good education.

A year ago, Walter Chapman had his home bombed for darin to live across the color line.

I tell you, if Benjamin Stapleton is elected mayor, Denver will rue the day it allowed its seal to be stolen by Benjamin Staple.

The legislature appointing our electors is the right thing to do.

Those three votes will go to Rutherford Hayes.

One of the things that I think was interesting, there was never any kind of for the cast, the group, any group meeting.

So we'd come into the shows and it would be fresh, and I would see for the first time, you know, what Danny Newsom would be looking like.

And, you know, even if I'd heard what Patty had said, what she was going to be, I, you know, I didn't really know who Molly Mayfield was in much depth.

And so we just all show up.

And I think that gave us gave it a freshness of the 4 or 5 of us encountering each other for the first time while the show was filming, it was once the birthplace of one of America's greatest aviation innovations, a factory where the jet ejection seat was invented and tested.

Today, that same historic building has been transformed into one of Colorado' most vibrant gathering places.

As Stanley Marketplac celebrates its 10th anniversary.

It's proving that preserving history and investing in local businesses can create something much bigger than retail.

On tonight's Business of Colorado for Annie Mathews takes us inside the remarkable evolution of this aurora landmark.

And you see Bob Stanley here.

You know, he was a fighter pilot.

You know, in World War Two.

He was?

Yeah, World War two.

The first person to fly.

The first.

The first jet.

America's first jet.

Wow.

Which is crazy.

Well, we are here today at Stanley Marketplace, and I've been joined by Jonathan Alpert.

And Jonathan, you're with Westfield, the developer of Stanley Market.

I am, yes, we are one of the partners who came in to the origina project to to for our expertise on the development side.

Well, Stanley Marketplace is, 140,000ft of retail and restaurant space.

You walked in here ten years ago, and it looked a lot different than it does now.

Very different.

Yeah, we we got involved in the project in 2015.

And, you know, again, the founders of the project, Flightline Ventures, had been in the market looking for the right development partner to help with financing, help with development, you know, the construction component and just help with the overall eventual management of the project.

In 2015, this building looked entirely different.

It was, you know, i had been closed for some time.

It was dilapidated.

It was falling apart to a certain degree.

But I mean, the vision was established and created and ready to go.

So we knew ultimately what it would look like.

But upon first walk through, it was a bit daunting.

Well, before it was vacant.

What was it?

So the history of Stanley, yo know, it was, Stanley Aviation.

So the jet ejection sea was created here, manufactured here, tested here.

And, you know, you still see a lot of that is within the design of the property.

Those bones, though they have not been modified.

You know, we the signage is still there.

You see the you see the runway, the connection to that.

Well, here's the runway.

I'm sorry.

Right.

The hangar facing west to all of our open space, but connecting up to the old airport, the beautiful part of the building.

And the opportunity for us was to pay homage to that and the innovation and entrepreneurship that occurred here.

And it was our opportunity to carry that on.

I think about this as you walk in and you, make a commitment to this project, how you looked at this, because it's not a typical real estate transaction.

Far from it, far, far from it.

And, you know, it was it was interesting when we first got involved, you know, my my background in real estate a ten, 15 years prior to getting involved in this project, especially as retail.

You know, there are there are rules, you know, so-called laws, traffic counts, visibility, easy access.

We had none of that.

But that's also what made it so special and so opportune was that in that time, in that 201 era, the notion of market places and those kind of developments were were starting to happen.

And so this was the perfect place for it has an extraordinary community that surrounds it, has a phenomenal city with Aurora, you know, standing behind us to make sure it could happen.

So it really was timing is everything.

And it was it was the right time to to break those rules.

There was it was really a partnership with the cit wasn't a huge, huge partnership.

And it remains today.

So this is the wall of history of this building.

I just find it reall fascinating starting in 19 1912.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well and it's you know, it's what's so great about I mean, there's so many things that are amazing about this, but a big piece of it is that this is also, as we've talked about, like our collaboration in our in our partnership with the city of Aurora.

This is through the, you know, the Aurora Public Library, right.

Like they have all this information.

And so we we have a lot of the detail.

Like we wouldn't be able to pick this up ourselves.

This is supported and helped by the city and, you know, and all of their great departments to put this together and allow us to be able to showcase this stuff.

Huge draw for us was coming into this project that the the vision had been established and a lot of the tenancy had already been establishe and we fell in love with that.

Again, you come to a property that looks very different than it does today.

I mean, there's there's weeds everywhere.

There's a chain link fence that's falling apart, falling down.

And, you know, it looks you know, it looks a bit like a ghost town.

So again, a bit daunting in terms of like, yeah, I see the vision, but can it really happen?

This has something so unique that we we believe in that and we can get that done.

It's a community for the people that want to break that.

The so-called rules.

Right This is not traditional retail.

This is not a traditional community center.

It's it's everything different to that.

And again, that's what made it special.

It was filling a void for the Central Park neighborhood of, you know, local businesses and local retail, local food and beverage establishments that, you know, this, this unbelievable community was craving.

And, you know, you had to either go downtown or elsewher in the metro area to get that.

There was really nothing for them at their front door.

You know?

You.

I decided to open my own tea cafe and it's called Peach Cafe and we specialize in quality ingredients and all of our drinks.

So we don't use any artificial powders or sirups, unlike all the other tea shops in number.

So I wanted to bring something really unique to Omni.

We have tenants that have started, as you know, an employee at a restaurant and then opened their own business totally separate from that.

So again, it's that that opportunity to, I mean, change your life to fulfill those dreams.

Like, I'm just I'm so proud to be a part of that.

It's created a marketplac and a community that is beloved, so you can feel it when you're walking through the building.

If you believe in that collaboration and being a vocal part of this community and whether you kno that comes with responsibility and this is a dynamic place that changes daily, responds to the needs of the community as the world changes.

But you either buy the that or you don't.

What percentage of your curren tenants were original tenants?

We are sitting at just over 50% of the original 50 plus tenants are still here.

I mean, it speaks to the community that supports us every day.

That shows up every day without them.

Obviously we, you know, we don't exist.

Our tenants don't exist.

So we have that really, reall strong community that is always continues to show up.

But it's also speaks to those tenants.

It's they have chosen to show up every day, which is which is not easy.

You know, a lot of a lot of ou tenants are single proprietors, you know, mom and pop so-called retail tenants that, you know, thi is putting food on their table.

This is not necessarily for fun or big backing by a national corporation where this is one of many stores that has support.

Right?

This is their one and only business and they live and die by that.

And that' I mean, we take that seriously.

And so obviously we are here to support them as well.

But they have to show up every day, which, you know, we had Covid, you know, we had a couple of years of the pandemi in the middle of this project.

You know, we're sitting here at ten years at year five, you know we all show up and March of 2020 and we can't operate as expected, intended and had really no idea how to handle it.

Are we a place where people gather?

Well, maybe.

Yeah, people come to show up, but we also have individual tenants in here that need to open their doors.

So, it's been an extraordinary ride.

It's been incredible.

Incredible to watch how people not not only the community again, but those people that, you know, bring out their wallets to support us, how they showed up during th pandemic and still to this day, but how the tenants showed up.

Yeah, I mean, 2020 came out of nowher and none of us could have been prepared for it.

But I feel like Stanley really helped us and gave us avenues for support as well as meetings as well as ideas that we could make money and keep our businesses goin even during such a scary time.

I mean, we got super creative.

We had, you know, we did.

We delivered goods to the to th neighborhood, to Central Park, with the little tough talk.

You know, one of our founders was out there doing that.

We did drive thrus, you know, where, you know all right, that works for food and beverage.

But how does it drive for work for, you know, a florist or a, you know, somebody selling t shirts.

So we created and tried an tried and tried different ways to to keep businesses ope and to keep them thriving again.

That's that collaboration.

There must have been a little bit of humor through all of that, bu also just the, the understanding of of dependance between the, tenants.

And I know.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

And yeah, I mean, that's that that's so I mean, that' what the marketplace is, right?

Everyone takes care of each other.

And, you know, the restauran that gets a lot of traffic is, you know, supporting the retailer that, you know, needs that traffic and vice versa.

We're independently owned businesses here in the local community.

We help each other with our businesses rather than competing and fighting for customers.

We help each other because when we all do well, we do really well for the whole community.

Why we fell in love with Stanley early on was we had room to expand and to move, which I mean, we certainly didn't kno a pandemic pandemic was coming, but having that open space allowed us to move outside the building and put tents up and create that, you know, create those spaces for business to continue where otherwise, you know you would have been constrained.

You're dedicated to activation.

And that was absolutely critical.

Yeah.

I mean, our we always talked about it as a team internally on the operations side is our goal amongst many.

But it is is that you could show up to Stanle any day, any time, and something unique is happening and something different, something unexpected.

So yeah, I mean, you may have been here last week or a month ago or a year ago that some of those same tenants may be here.

Right?

We have consistent consistency amongst our tendency that a lot of the same tenants are here, but we are constantly responding to what does the community want.

How did they you know, and w and we are very strong in that.

We want to be a place fo the community to come together.

And and again, we have that luxury.

We have the space to do it.

That's it's it's an incredible story.

And now you're celebrating ten years but you also are under contract.

You you will be selling Stanley Marketplace and you know, I think about that and with, with innovatio and I sometimes it's just time.

Yeah.

So how did you look at that?

Yes.

We are under contract.

We still have a long way to go.

You know, these these transaction are difficult, when they're just straightforward projects.

This is not right with 50 plus tenants.

And and just the nature of Stanley, it is not a straightforward deal, which is what makes it interesting and unique.

And why the buyer that it capital is so engaged in this project and excited about it is is that it is unique.

We've done a really good job of being the steward for the community and for Stanley for a decade.

But new new ideas and new vision and new leadership is a good thing.

This was an organic conversation that evolved from a very like minded development group who is local who was also in the community.

They were and are customers here and showed up here and I'm like, wow, I love what Stanley's doing.

I'm thrilled.

Well, it's as you as you speak about it, it's obvious that it's not just a transaction, it's a relationship.

And it goes back to the fact that you build community.

Funding for the business of Colorado is provided in part by Collegiate Peaks Bank, Colorado Business Roundtable and Ibotta, and for the generous support of viewers like you.

Thank you.

To learn more, visit PBS 12 board.

Summer is winding down and Colorado is gearing up for the next season.

No, we're not talking about leaf peeping season, but one equally as colorful our election season.

Let's check in now with Kyle Dyer and the team at Colorado inside out for more.

Hey, visor, you know a lot is happening right now behind the scene to get all of our ballots ready.

We think Election Day is far from now, but it'll be here before we know it.

And our ballots are going to be very lengthy.

Our statewide questions and also local issues as well that will be deciding on.

So I ask you from around the table what ballot measures they're keeping an eye on.

Here's a listen.

Local school boards are working really hard right now to put funding measures on the November ballot.

No matter where you live, you're likely to see either bond measures or mill levy overrides.

And statewide voters will weigh in on prop nine, which would allow the state t keep more of the surplus revenue collected under Tabor for K through 12 public education.

So we have about ten days before we know exactly what will make the ballot.

But there will be plenty for voters to consider coming from financial issues to social issues.

Everything in between.

Tyrone what are you keeping an eye on?

I'm keeping my eye on this immigration measur that I think runs in opposition to one of our most sacred constitutional tenants, the presumption of innocence.

This immigration measure is essentially saying that if police and prosecutors must notify the Department of Homeland Security within 72 hours of someone being charged, not convicted of a violent crime.

So someone who is presumed innocent.

You know, cases that oftentimes either get dismissed or are pled down to something that is nonviolent prior to any sort of admission or finding of guilt.

They are now be to be reported within 72 hours.

I have just some real concerns about this because I think it does trample on the, the presumption of innocence.

And if it's enshrined in our Constitution, it's going to take a Supreme Court decision like we saw, you know, when we were the, I think the hate state right back in the 90s with Romer v Evans, it's just, I think going to be really difficult to undo this if Colorado decides to go down this path.

So that's the one that I'm watching.

Okay.

All right.

Give me, a couple things that I'm keeping an eye on.

One, of course, the big tax proposals of the graduated income tax, which Colorado abandoned back in, I think, 1988 and solidified with the taxpayer's Bill of rights in 92.

I think it would be a disaste for us to go back to that era, particularly given that we are already a state that businesses are fleeing as opposed to coming to.

And juxtaposed with that is advanced Colorado's measure to keep our flat tax at its current rate of 4.1% or wherever that is.

And I think that is a fruitful measure to ensure that we can have some competitiveness in the state.

But I'm also very interested in the measures from Protect Kid Colorado, this parent coalition that includes, one to crack down on child trafficking, another that I sort of think o as like a title nine provision, which is to protect girls sports.

When we have the debates over biological males in girls sports, I think that's of value.

But then I also look at th third provision that they have, which measure that they have, which would just guarantee something that isn't really done all that much really, but to put a guarantee in it that would forbid, sex change, surgeries for youth and that sort of thing.

I think that's, a beneficia proposal that they put forward.

But the biggest thing here is the discussion point, that there are measures whether they fail or they succeed, at least having a conversation and is valuable.

There are a lot of conversations about that, Patty, and they're going to keep going.

I wanted to talk more about the bigger picture, the citizen initiatives.

I know some people hate them.

They were introduced in 1910 here in Colorado, and I think they're big this year, partly because people do not trust the people they've elected and they're taking it to the ballot box.

It's unfortunate that people, rich people, have also figured out how to game the syste with these citizen initiatives, because we don't want that to happen.

We truly want it to be a vote of the people to see.

Where do they feel progressive or flat tax?

The ridiculous gender surgery bill, initiative or not?

I mean, there are a lo that really take the temperature of the state amendmen to which you were talking about, which made us the hate state in 1992.

And that's also when Tabor passed.

In some ways, this is such an independent state, independent voters, unaffiliated, they want their say, and it's going to keep happening.

And I would hate to se citizen initiatives going away, but we might need to fix it so they can't be bought okay.

All right.

Nurk I'm looking at a few things.

The graduated income tax.

The other one I'm looking at is the road.

The one about how all road taxes and road fees have to be dedicated to roads and can't be stopped up into other general fund expenditures or even into other quot unquote, transit related causes.

It's the road people saying, you know, to quote, a ballot initiative from a few years ago, fix our damn roads.

And I think the notion of road money going to road related expenditures could be attractive.

And then there's a hope of on additional ballot measure that I guess requires that all ballot measures in the future be awarded at an eighth grade reading level.

Well we just saw what an eighth grade reading level is, per the education scores.

And it's not that high.

That was just one of the topics we spoke about on this most recen episode of Colorado Inside Out.

You can watch the entire show on the PBS passport app on the PBS 1 website, on our YouTube channel, and you can catch us anywhere in the car or if you're on a walk, because our conversation is always on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Now, as we get ready to close out the month of August, which is really flown by, we are working on this Friday show.

So join us right here at 8:00 on PBS 12.

Have a wonderful week!

Summer may be coming to an end but your garden doesn't have to.

Jungle Judy from Denver Urban Garden shares how we can keep our plants and veggies producing and still enjoy a Bountiful harvest well into the fall.

Here's more with Jungle Judy.

So if you're thinking that summer is over and you're not supposed to be planting things for the fall, it's too late.

It is not too late.

This is Jungle Judy, and she's here to tell us why there are so many thing you can be planting right now.

So we're thinking cool season vegetables, Erica.

So if you think about our spring veggie garden, what would we grow in our spring garden?

Do you think if we're thinkin salads, kale, spinach, lettuce, I don't know, all those leafy crops?

Leafy.

I got my emergent garden expert leafy.

Absolutely.

Right.

So we've got masculine here, our salad crops that we're repeating, mixed lettuce.

Not iceberg or head lettuce, but leaf lettuce.

Then we have arugula, which, when grown in fall, is a little bit less bitter than it is in spring time.

And then we have spinach.

So for a crop like spinach that's got a hard coat on it, I soak it for a couple of hours in water and then plant small quantities salad crops, spinach, regular lettuces.

They love the cool temperatures and shortening hours.

The trick on these guys is that you need to find them soon enough.

Plant them a little bit deeper than you would in spring to account for warming soils.

Make sure you dig in, compost beforehand and mulch them after you plant them so the soil doesn' try to harvest the outer leaves.

Young salad greens and voila!

Great.

We got some other things here.

Okay, we are moving on to root vegetables am I right.

Look at these root crops that we have suc difficulty growing in the heat.

Radish you can harvest in less than 30 days or less than 30 days.

You can have a brand new radish.

You have brand new.

And you harvest any o these things when they're young.

The same thing with beets.

Make sure that you soak beet seeds and turnip seeds for a couple hours to soften that seed coat and use the package directions for the planting depth, but they're super hardy being a root crop.

Just mulch over them very often.

You might be able to harvest some of these in late fall beginning of winter.

If your soil doesn't get all the way to beginning of winter, that's amazing.

As long as you mulch over that with leaves, don't forget to mulch.

Don't forget to mulch any of this stuff.

And we have an another crop which is a super high nutrition.

Oh, I love kale.

Oh, kale hits the hot summer temperatures.

Do choose a variety like this Premier kale that says what are the days to harvest?

You read that?

Let's see, 55 to 65 days to harvest.

But probably less than that because you're harvesting the outer leaves when they're small.

Got it?

So don't look for full size.

Keep this going.

Any variety of kale actually will love the cool weather.

Soak it for an hour or so an water to soften its seed coat.

Keep harvesting those leaves.

We have an herb here, too.

Cilantro or cilantro?

It hates the spring weather because it gets too hot and lengthening days if you plant it.

I adore my garden.

Without cilantro, it does not exist.

I love making salsa.

Oh, I love making salsa with my summer vegetables.

And you need cilantro?

Yes.

So you plant it in false, soak it again for a couple hours to soften it.

Seed coat.

You use the package directions according to the depth planted a little bit deeper.

Mulch it with straw.

You know this thing.

Water it well.

Cilantro is one crop that, if you mulch it with enough leaves, will overwinter.

And you can get that first early spring cilantro.

Yeah that's a cilantro.

And we got one last one here.

All right.

Our very last which was kind of iffy time was what if we got we have some iffy peas.

If I say the are iffy because I'd like this to be in by mid-August.

Okay.

But if nothing else, peas are what we call a legume.

Choose a shorter variety.

That means one that does not requir a long tomato cage like support, and that matures in shorter days.

This has 80 days to harvest, even if you don't get a full harvest of peas.

It's a legume, so it's going to help to improve your soil.

Wonderful.

So much the selections for our seeds for fall.

Let's move on to ball.

Oh we have other things that we can do.

Bulbs and other things.

And these are things that I would suggest you not plant until second week in October.

And those are everything from our beautiful spring blooming bulbs.

Those can be a crocus and daffodil and tulips.

So those are wonderful.

Allium which are ornamental type of onion that produce big purple seed heads, onion flowers.

All of these things requir the cooling temperatures of soil and ai in order to develop deep roots, and then give you that wonderful burst of flower and spring.

The other thing that's mid-October, planted at the edges of your garden would be fall garlic.

Oh, garlic.

Garlic seed.

Garlic.

You don't want to plant garlic from the supermarket.

We have sources of garlic right now on our website, npr.org.

But these are, it comes as a bulb.

You need to break the bulb apart, and then you have the individual cloves plant.

You do not remove the skin from the from the cloves.

Take the largest cloves and plant them about 3 to 4in deep, about four inches apart.

The flat end of the bulb.

That's where the root was down.

Cover them with some nice moist compost to enrich soil.

You know what's the cover we want to use on top of the soil?

The straw, the hay straw the straw, the mold for leaves, straw, water.

It will water it well.

But don't pat it.

Don't pat.

And I don't thin they're looking for bad garlic.

You need to take a watering can at a couple of times during the winter, unless we have adequate snow cover water.

Well, and that's what produces your garlic that you harvest in late June or early July.

Well planted just in time.

Just in time.

And if you're never doing full garlic in your own home, it's far superior to supermarket garlic.

Oh, I can't wait.

My mike has fallen down.

Who knows where my germinated.

Come back.

In conclusion, there are plenty of things that you can plant right now.

It is not too late.

Correct?

That's correct.

One of the most important things is to not leave your warm season crops growing till the point where you say, I need to take every shade up from the house in order to cover them.

No, they're past their prime.

Lots of them.

Let's plant our garden to salad crops and root crops that are more important, I love that.

And what do you think about this whole we need to always be taking care of our garden.

Working on our garden all year round is not really a seasonal thing, right?

So when we garden, we're committing to following a season of regrowt and a season of sustainability.

So when I think about a garden, I don't just thin about the crops that I harvest, I think about the increased person that I'm becoming because the garden has accepted me into its very essence.

So a garden teaches us that the more we nurture it, the more we are nurtured back with it.

So what a way to learn patience and learning from other people and learning that it's not a race.

It's not a rac to put the largest tomato in it, and it's just a place of reflection and wonder.

And I am in awe.

It's a garden that is absolutely beautiful.

Thank you so much.

That is it for today.

I'm Eric McLarty and I'm Chuck Judy, and we'll see you next time.

What happens when you mix meaningful conversatio with a little bit of doodling?

You get the doodle desk.

In this episode, Kyle Dyer sits down with Colorado inside Out panelists Chris Rourke to trace her winding career from broadcast news to reporting from the Western Slope.

Chris reflects on curiosity, fairness, fait and why she makes time for CIO.

And of course, it wouldn't be the doodle desk without a little friendly competition.

As Kyle and Chris talk, they are also drawing each other's portraits.

And at the end, you get to decide whose drawing stands out the most.

Here is the doodle desk.

Chris Rourke is curious, endlessly curious.

What began as a prerequisite for her days as a television reporter?

Chris's 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 this show long before she ever sat 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 myself comin 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 ironi because I thought Patty Calhoun was such a strong characte 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, 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 gather the information and compile it and presented 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 really get to find out what way.

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.

He 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.

And 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.

The ology 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 believe 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 present 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 goo except for your chance to big.

So I'm using a a Sharpie to kind of.

Yeah.

Gin's too big.

Yeah, I made your mouth really big.

But you have a I 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 admitting 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 other's?

I should have done a light pencil shading and then made your lips well, I the pencil doesn' show up as nice as the marker, so I kind of did both.

Okay.

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 show.

I really did a good jo 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 in to.

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.

That was just a sneak peek of one of our conversations with our panelists.

For our full conversation with all of our insiders, check out the doodle desk on the passport app, PBS Twelve's YouTube channel, or on our website, PBS 12.org, or wherever you get your podcasts.

We look forward to seeing you the next time at the doodle desk.

Sometimes the biggest opportunities begin without a plan.

For Eleanor Davis it started with a cup of coffee, a dorm room, and a few TikTok videos.

What seemed like an ordinary morning routine eventually led to a coffee cart business built around connections and authenticity.

An unexpected journey that Eleanor is celebrating for her future.

This story comes to u from one of our recent Creator Academy graduates, Carmen Guerrero.

Take a look.

This whole thing kind of started.

I always had a dream of having a coffee compan and being all involved in that.

And I worked at a little bakery coffee shop for two years, and I loved it.

And it was the coffee I love.

The bakery was fun, but it was the connections more than anything, that made me fall in love with it.

There is coffee.

You found us.

What can I get for you?

Can someone your coffee or their coffee for the day?

But you're having a conversation with them and you're sending them off on their day, and everyone's having a great start.

You make these connections, and people come in again, and they recognize you and you recognize them.

And that's the whole goal behind this.

My name is Eleanor Davis.

I'm from Olympia, Washington, and I am the owner and founder of happenstance Coffee.

Hi.

Hello.

Nice to meet you.

I came to CSU.

I'm a first year student, and I was making these little TikToks in my dorm room.

And just the coffee I was making every morning.

This is what I'm doing.

Just chatting, not thinkin anyone's really going to see it.

And people started DMing me and they're like, can I come by this room?

Oh, no.

Like I'm in a dorm.

Can't really buy it.

And so I started looking on Facebook Marketplace and found this cart and it had everything I needed to get started and bough the cart in October, was doing all the prep to get everything going until January.

My first round.

All right.

We're doing stuff over here.

Yeah.

The word happenstance was dropped, and I was like, tell me more about that.

And it's the idea of everything happens, like, by chance, for a chanc and then a good cause typically, or the idea of, like, every step got you to this very moment.

So posting my TikTok videos and working at left Bank, the bakery, every little thing just kind of fell into my lap to get me here.

Finding this car on Facebook, it from the store just kind of clicked and was like, but it fits the story.

And I like the way it sounds and it's unique.

And here we have well, actually, there's a story.

Okay.

That's right.

So we have three.

Yeah.

That.

Yeah.

Like a maple honey.

But the biggest thing I think it means to me is like I've shown myself I can do it.

Like starting a business.

Business is no easy feat.

Especially being a student.

And so proving to myself that I'm able to do it.

I also grew up super introverted, and, like, I was scared to talk to people, and it made me really uncomfortable to have when I'm on conversations.

And I just kind of got anxious.

And so being able to do this, I feel like I've grown int myself of I own this business.

I have to go stand in front of people and give a presentation or do interviews, and it's helped me come out of my shell and realize, oh, this is who I am and just embracing who you are because that's what I am and that's what the businesses and that's the connections I want to build with people are authentic.

12 good.

Perfect.

True.

Yeah.

Oh.

Since going brea for one semester off of school and just really focusing on the cart of, like, dedicating each and every day to how can I make this better?

How can I make events more efficient?

How can I serve the people of Fort Collins better with happenstance?

And so the goal is to be working more events, partnering with more people, getting on CSU campus, going down to maybe Boulder and Denver, if I can, I think would be super awesome to explore there.

And then way down the road, the goal is to own a brick and mortar and make it a roaster.

And so I have this idea in my head of getting this little cozy house and making it the happenstance house, and it's a place for people to come connect.

So that's the goal long term.

But for now, more events being more efficient and just bettering the business.

There you are.

And I think that's the coolest thing I can say.

It's like I am the business and the business is me, and that's what you're going to get.

And I try to be authentic as possible.

And it's worked so far.

So.

And that's our show for tonight.

Thanks for joining us as we shared stories about the arts, business, gardening and the real people and leaders making a difference all across our stat from all of us here at PBS 12.

Thanks for watchin Colorado Stories from studio 12.

I'm Barzee Kanani.

We'll see you next time.

At.