Tonight.

Do you nee someone who's a good listener?

Grandma Catherine can help.

Just stop by her grandma stand.

We'll explain.

And it's a road trip you won't soon forget.

A unique alligator experience in the middle of the San Luis Valley.

We're taking you there.

Plus we go inside one of Colorado's fastest growing hubs for innovation.

Also, we hear from Westword founder Patty Calhoun as she reflects on her caree after announcing her retirement.

And we'll show you how the next generation of storytellers is finding their voice through PBS Twelve's creator Academy.

It all starts right now on studio 12 from the Five Points Media Center in the heart of Denver, Colorado.

This is studio 12.

Good evening.

Thanks for joining us here on studio 12.

I'm Ryan Hare and I'm bossy Kanani.

You never know what you'll find on a Colorado road trip.

Yeah.

Like alligators in the middle of the San Luis Valley.

PBS Twelve's Erica McLarty was driving through the area on a recent family trip when they all saw a sig that said next Exit, Alligators.

What she thought might be a silly roadside hoax turned into a story.

She went running back to the car to grab her camera for if you had also never heard of this place where hundreds of alligators and other reptiles live.

Well we'll give you an introduction as Erica takes us along on her surprising journey.

You never know where the road can take you.

We were driving on a family road trip through the San Luis Valley.

When a very unexpected find on our trip.

We stopped in Alamosa to find alligators.

What looks like a roadside curiosity in Alamosa turns out to be something much bigger.

I mean, lots of peopl are very surprised to find that there are alligators out here.

Lots of people are very curious as to why they're alligators out here.

And honestly, there's lots of people who think that it's some sort of joke.

It's definitely not a joke.

It's a rescue.

Alligators are brought her to Colorado by the young family.

They were operating a tilapia farm in 1977, and, they brought alligators here to eat the waste, right?

They were, cutting the meat off the fish, and that left the carcass of the fish.

And so they brought th alligators to dispose of that.

You know, time went on.

People realized, oh, you know, you have alligators here.

That's really cool.

They wanted to come see it.

And then slowly from there, it turned into, you know, the police calling, saying, well, we had to confiscate an alligator over the zoo saying, hey, we got alligators.

We can't handle anymore.

Private owners saying hey, I've got alligators that I don't want to handle anymore.

They're too big.

They're too mean.

Whatever the case might be, over time, unwanted and confiscated animals began showing up, transforming this plac into a sanctuary for reptiles.

People tend to to show up and get really excited to see the animals.

Especially having those hands on, educational moments where they can learn little bit about these animals.

Some of these animals are very mistaken, very misunderstood.

This is a American alligator right here.

He's a year and a half old.

You can have him.

You can touch him anywhere except for the face.

This is one of the reasons people buy alligators.

They are kind of cute when they're small.

They're, you know, eight inches long, an ounce and a half out of the eggs.

They grow up to 8 or 10ft long.

And for a girl, ten up to 15ft for the boys.

And so people get rid of them.

And that education is part of the mission, changing how people see animals that are often feared.

But it's not just alligators.

There's a whole world of animals here.

This is a African species of snake.

It's sub-Saharan Africa, from Atlantic Ocean to the Nile River, south of the Sahara Desert.

They don't get very big maybe three foot long for a boy twice that size.

Up to six foot long for a girl.

Whoa.

And that's what they'r normally found like in Africa.

Brown, black and tan on, good camouflage.

And I get to say whatever.

Yeah.

Very friendly, very fun.

And hands down, my favorite is these turtles.

You can actually feed them.

And let's just say my kids were all in.

It's eat it.

So, you know, when you put them.

In you you're hungry.

Ooh.

Favorite part of my job is actually the alligators themselves.

I get in with these guys all the time.

I do feedings with them.

I work on training some of them.

And honestly, I just get in there for fun, and you get inside with them?

Yes, I do, all the time.

All right.

Yeah.

And you've been there before?

Many times.

You can see scarring right along there, but it was worth it.

Crossed here.

Absolutely worth it.

No, I am not afraid of the alligators at all.

The crocodiles I'm not afraid of it.

Is the caiman the terrifying it.

Why the human?

So alligators are the mos placid out of the three of them.

And they're very easy to predict as to what they're going to do next.

I've been around them enough.

I have enough experience with them that it's very eas for me to look at and go, okay, I can kind of see what's going on.

I can read that body language.

And so it's a little bit easier to kind of predict, okay, I can see you're thinking about things and there's a little bi more purpose in their movement where came.

And I find they just explode.

These animals were never meant to be pets.

Oh, it is potentially incredibly dangerous for these animals to be released back into the wild.

They can't go anywhere else.

So people showing up, people seeing the animals, people paying that admission price, that's what keeps them alive.

That's what keeps them fed.

That's what keeps the lights on here so that we can continue to operate as a rescue.

Every ticket, every visit helps keep the rescue running, because once these animals are domesticated once, they are pets once.

They've been fed by people, they can't go back into the wild.

They pose a very real threat to human lives at that point in time.

This is their home now.

And now I'm wondering, who's the favorite?

Elvis is a particular favorite of mine.

He's our biggest alligator, about 13ft long by 800 pounds.

He actually made me a littl famous my first year on the job.

We had a little mishap when we were trying to feed him a turkey that had slipped i the back, was taking my leg off.

That video went viral.

My overall favorite, unfortunately, did pass away earlier this year or, last year back in May.

Yeah.

Unfortunately just got really old.

And, you know, life happens passed away on us.

That was a heartbreaking moment for us.

The alligator.

But, life goes on because beyond the shock factor, beyond the roadside surprise, this is a place built on care.

From an unexpected stop to a deeper understanding of rescue, responsibility and respect for wildlife, this place in Alamosa proves there's always more to the story.

But for.

For PBS 12 I'm Erica McClary.

My favorite part is when the kids are holding those snakes and one of them says, can I have a snake?

And you can hear the parent voice say, no, absolutely not.

Not happening.

You're not taking that thing home.

We'll come back, but you're not taking it home right here.

Yeah, Erica said it's something you definitely do not want to miss taking your kids to if you can.

It's full of hands on education and of course, the marvel of being so up close and personal with those huge gator with just a fence between you.

Pretty incredible and also a bit scary.

You can find more information on visiting the Sanctuary at Colorado gators.com.

In tonight's The Business of Colorado, we take a closer look at one of Colorado's most dynamic centers for innovation, brandy Matthew sat down with Kelly Brief, president and CEO of the Fitzsimons Innovation community, to explore how a former Army medical post has evolved into a thriving ecosystem for bioscience research and entrepreneurship.

From breakthrough medical discoveries to the power of community driven innovation, their conversation highlights how collaboration, creativity and connection are shaping the future of health care right here in Colorado.

Take a look.

I'm here with Kelly Brothe, president and CEO of Fitzsimons Innovation Community.

Welcome, Kelly.

Thanks so much for having me.

So let's talk a little bit about Fitzsimons innovation community and how it got started and where it is and how it relates to the and shoots medical campus.

This is such a great story.

It starts 30 years ago.

This was an Army pos and it was a medical hospital.

And 30 years ago the federal government said we're going to close this down.

And at that time, see, you and the city of Aurora said, okay, let's form this authority who manages the transformation of this army post.

And we really want to make it a bio life science campus.

And 30 years ago, that was a pretty creative, innovative idea.

And it has, persisted strongly for those 30 years.

And in that time frame, three hospitals have located on that campus.

You have the University of Colorado hospital system, you have Children's hospital, the VA, all nationally ranked hospitals.

And then you had see, you brin its Anschutz campus out there.

So it's medical schools, and then you have us in Fitzsimons, who we, really focus on building labs where early, early, early stage companies can do research, for life changing health care.

And we'll tal I know more about that, Frannie.

And so it's exciting to see such a long period of time that we've all been at it.

And this last year, we really shifted our understanding of what it takes to build a vibrant, dynamic, innovative campus, that we all envision.

And we started to, you know, approve increased densities.

So we'll have way more housing on the campus in the future.

Now, more labs, more research happening.

And we're probably, I don't know, maybe half wa there in terms of development.

So we have over 60 acres of greenfield to go and lots of opportunity for our future.

Well, and what I, I love about this is that it's not the innovation hub, it is a community.

So tell me a little bit about how you look at that from building an ecosystem that really thrives and helps innovation flourish.

Yeah, I love this because our secret sauce are really those hospitals and, faculty at those medical schools and the work they're doing.

So not only will they be researchers and transferring their tech and their ideas to research on our campus, but they also can really support early stage companies, from clinical trials in the hospitals to docs and faculty serving as advisers to the, students going to school.

They're the graduate students, working in our labs that it becomes this really integrated system of clinical practice on one end to brand spanking new ideas that have never been tested on the other.

And it is a wonderful combination.

A lot of times you know, if you think of, like, Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins as kind of a vertical integration, this is not what you're talking about.

It's really building a community of disparate, groups all coming together.

There are shared needs that they all have from how do I access funding to support, my new company and the research we're trying to do.

How do I find the talent to support the work?

How do I find the advisors?

How do I create a pitch deck?

What does it look like to market and to meet people in the industry throughout the world, in the nation?

And those are the pieces that we really work hard to make sure we're bringing.

Right now we have about 80 companies doing that work in our buildings.

And we try to support them on those kind of across, you know horizontal needs that they have that have nothing to d with a specific area of study.

What are some of the lessons that you have learned in the past that you're taking into this role to say, here are the components to make this really flourish?

Yeah, it' just like any brand new startup, you know, or small business, often you don' even know what you don't know.

And so what we really try to spend time doing is help them understand, you know, how important their IP their intellectual property is, where they can get support to lock that IP down?

Introductions that can help them.

But it's almost helping them see the pieces in the gaps in kind of their thinking.

These are experts in selling gene therapies.

They're not experts in how do you build a business and bring these therapies to patients to save lives?

So that's the piece we really try to focus on.

But what's interesting to me, Franny, is it's really not that different than the work I did in the pas at the Chamber of Commerce or, really supporting those early stage companies.

You and I have talked a lot about how business has operated over the years.

What are you seeing that's kind of different now than than how we've operated in the industrial age?

Yeah I love this question.

I think, particularly since the pandemic.

Right.

The world really changed.

Research still happens in person.

And, and so one of the differences I'm absolutely seeing on our campus is, you know, hospital care still happens in person.

The even the school, you know, really is still in person because so much of it is you know, the learning by doing.

And so we're a campus where people are still there.

I think this is a huge competitive advantage for our industry and for our campus in particular, because I really recognize that being together i where the creative work comes, that people are bumping into each other who are doing completely different areas of study.

But that's where some of the craziest ideas are born.

Some of the light bulbs go off.

And I feel like we're trying to make sure we're creating a communit that takes, you know, really has is able to take advantage of that.

So, for example, we have a local coffee shop we actually host once a month community gatherings there, and we buy all the coffee and pastries so that they can come together.

But that's where we see people saying, you're studying what?

Oh my gosh, that may be related.

Or the gene that you've discovered actually might help me with the work I'm doing.

And I think that's kind of the secret of figuring out how do you really thrive in today's market and kind of being on the cutting edge in the front to edge?

Not in the background.

Well, you know, it's interesting because the industrial age, we came up with a great idea.

We figured out how to standardize it, and then we scaled it.

And inherently what that does is it creates these silos.

And what you just describe is that human beings, to human beings in these spontaneous collisions in a coffee shop, find the interconnections by themselves.

So you have to bring them together.

Yeah, you have to de silo.

Yeah.

There's no question about it.

And, and I think it's hard to figure out what does that look like and how do you do that effectively we continue to experiment with different ideas.

The other thing I think we're trying to figure out is how do we provide the programing that really helps you find ou if your idea is going to work.

And that includes getting you to know as fast as we can or getting you to.

Yes.

And I, I think that's a, an elusive, challenge, but one we're up for.

And I think a big part of that is the creativity.

The path absolutely looks different.

Right?

You had talked about the industrial age.

And, you know, lots of folks on our campus are engaged in personalized medicine.

This is medicine that basically works for you, Franny, and nobody else.

And it's amazingly cool.

You know, it's things like reprograming your genes when you have cancer to put them back in your body to kill the cancer.

And it's way effective.

It's also super expensive.

And part of industrializatio was to say, can you reduce cost by, you know, having this simple same process?

We're challenged now to figure out we have these ideas that really work but are super expensive.

What does it look like?

Because you can't I can't industrialize your genes, but what does it look like to make it more affordable?

That's a really cool thing.

Well it it makes me think immediately to emerging technologies like AI to be able to reduce the cost of that.

Yeah, not replacing humans.

It's just doing something new in enabling humans.

Yeah.

Like digital twins, where we could test the idea on your digital twin and be like, okay that totally works.

Send it in.

The Gates Institute and Biomanufacturing actually does with Car-T cells and puts them back into your body after it reprograms them.

They've, helped their 50th patient in 2025.

It really works.

It's amazing.

And it doesn't have all the side effects, particularly for our kiddos.

That chemotherap has of killing the good cells.

We have a company room again, who they believe at this point have identified the gene.

You know, the body sometimes attacks itself.

And when the immune system doe that, they're trying to figure out, rheumatoid arthritis as an example, sickle cell, they're trying to figure out, is there a gateway gene that they could click on and off that actually could stop the body from attacking itself when those things happen?

That is so amazin because it doesn't just address rheumatoid arthritis anymore.

Now you could start to address, a range of diseases that people struggle with.

It's really cool.

What are the key players and the key aspects that you need to be looking at to have the ecosystem really function?

Yeah, I really this is a space I you know, I've only been there 15 months.

And when I first got there, that is exactly the question I was asking myself.

But frankly, it's probably been a question most of us have been asking throughout our careers o how do you create an environment where creativity and innovation are rewarded?

You know, part of the culture.

And I read this book by Rick Rubin.

He's, you know, like a songwriter for Johnny Cash.

So I'm a huge Johnny Cash fan, but he wrot a book called The Creative Act.

And and it's titled, I think, a Way of Being.

I share this with yo because I think at a young age, most of us were told, hey, listen, you're not a good artist You can't sing.

You really have.

You're not You have no right brain.

Kelly.

So you should focus on math and science and and what he's arguing, and I think he's right is we all have a huge creativity component to us, and it needs to be unleashed and unlocked.

And you have to be pretty intentional, I think, about doing that in the workplace.

So I really looked at you know, what are his stages of creativity and how do I create a community that really unlocks those.

And so in his book, he talks about things like the seeds is the beginning.

This is how you creat the ideas, the collisions, the what are all the things I need to do.

But I think there's a safety component to seeds as well.

And that is there's not a punishment.

When your seed was a bad one, right.

And it didn't grow.

And, you know, and I think you got to figure out what that looks like.

And I think it's harder than we probably acknowledge in the workplace.

Then he talk about you experiment with those.

This is our sweet spot on the campus.

We've created actual space where that experiment is supposed to occur.

And by experimenting you start to get a sense of, is my idea going to g somewhere or not go somewhere?

And with the right support, you can get to that answer way faster.

To me, that's part of what our community tries to do really well.

And then you hone that idea.

You reall I think he calls it crafting it.

And it's really starting to figure out, oh, turn here, do this.

Not that the adjustments to your experimenting.

So you start to figure out what might really work, and then you conclude it and you start the process all over again.

And for me, I thought about each of those stages of what do I do on that campus and with our community that allows each of those stages to occur really naturally and to be rewarded and celebrated.

And and some of it is lifting people up to show what they're doing, make sure the world knows.

And I think when you share ideas, people are like, oh, that's inspiring.

Even if we fail on it or or we can only help, you know, a small percentag of the population, there's still something we're celebrating about that work historically, you know, always a bio life science center is what we've been going for.

But I feel like the shift in the last year has been a recognition that if you want to create a vibrant, creative, innovative, active place, you got to have a lot of people in it.

And today somewhere around 35,000 people come onto our campus every day, to work, to learn, to live.

Currently we have just over, I think, 700 approved housing units.

Our new plan allows over 7000.

Now, why is that important?

Well, because that residential population starts to create the energy and activation that makes you feel like you're in a vibrant place.

It allows people who are working there to live close by and have these great experiences.

And same with our labs.

We're really increasing the density we have two light rail stops.

Bus rapid transit to interstates like it is a good place for the city of Aurora to have more density.

And we're the first urban activation.

They have approved this in 2025.

It's really exciting to think about what are all the components that lead to innovation and creativity.

And a big part is having people there.

Thank you for all the work that you're doing.

I want you to come back.

We want to get an update an I really appreciate your time.

Thank you for any 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.

As Colorado continues t grow as a center for bioscience and health care innovation, Franny says it's clear that the future isn' just about breakthrough ideas.

It's about building communities where those ideas can take root and ultimately improve lives.

We look forward to bringing you more stories like this, highlighting the people and places driving innovation across our state.

Hello!

For the last couple of weeks, our insiders have been going through some of the ballot measures that will be decided on here in Colorado at the statewid level and local levels, as well.

Here is our latest conversation with some new items making the ballot.

Since our last show, mor measures have made the ballot, including this one we just spoke about.

On the flip side, though, on measure that we actually talked about on last week's show ha just been yanked off the ballot.

It was the proposal to protec funding for roads by enshrining in the state constitution and fill us in what happened?

So the idea behind initiative 175 was that he would use all of the sales tax revenue, from, from auto sales and tw thirds of the sales tax revenue from auto parts sale and put it to highway funding.

There was a lot of umbrage about this because it wouldn't create new funding, but it would move about $700 million in fundin that's currently in the budget.

In fact, Democrats had put forward and passed a bill that kind of undercut that many ways and said for three years, there will be no new funding movement there.

On Thursday morning, after months of really good faith negotiations, there was a deal announced where they will, in 2027, put forward a bill that would move about $12 million from state enterprises that now fund things like electric vehicles, electrification, things like that, toward highways.

And they will go back to the ballot in 2027 with another funding measure, probably dealing with bonding to get a new funding stream, state highways.

So it's a way to ensure that highway funding is crystalize and is something that is getting more money, maybe not as much as the backers of the initiative.

175 initially said, but a sure thing.

Now, assuming this gets to the legislature with the possibility of growing funding later and keeping this very high in conversation about a transportation system.

And so now that number is out, what number was it?

It was going to be, help me out with this one.

I think it was going to be 83 is going to be, amendment 8 that is no longer on the ballot.

So this affects one of the amendments you're watching.

Yes.

So, the right the constitutional right to hunt and fish has been verified by Secretary of State.

It made the ballot.

It was going to be assigned 84.

However, it may shift to 83.

I don't I don't have anything certain on that right now.

Let me disclose right now that I am a consultant for a wildlife group that supports the constitutional right to hunt and fish.

The reason we need this amendment, people have argued that that right is already in state statute.

The reason it needs to be in the Constitution is because we have extremists who are trying to reshape how wildlife management occurs.

The Constitution was designed to protect our rights, and hunting and fishing has long been a part of Colorado's heritage.

However, there's a guy named Eric Washburn.

He was writing a bunch of op eds in opposition.

This is the guy that brought you Wolf reintroduction.

He was a leading voice on wolf reintroduction, and we have seen how that program has failed.

17 wolves are died.

It's millions of dollars over budget.

And I think that people are realizing, hey, maybe these issue shouldn't be left to the voters.

What it does this amendment does is it puts in place, which is currently legal in ou state, to, to manage wildlife.

This amendment protects wildlife management, and it does so within current law.

So we'll see where this goes.

Okay.

What are you watching.

So I'm watching 232 and seeing the 495 goes through or not the, tax so 232 has gotten the signatures.

So right now that caps it up 4.4%, for both individuals and corporations.

And 195 could be a gradual tax where if you make $100,000 or less, you'll be taxed less.

If you make $500,000 or more, you will be taxed more.

If they both make it on the ballot, I think it's going to be confusing for a lot of folks.

Where do I go?

My feelin is that both of them will pass if they both make it on the ballot, because I think people are going to say, well, 232 kind of like gives me that security blanket that I won't go up more than 4.4%.

But 195 I' not one of those wealthy people.

Those wealthy people should g ahead and pay their fair share.

They should go.

So I probably see, you know both of them actually passing.

So if there is confusion, if both passed, we'll probably be talking about it November 6th.

You're you to.

Yeah.

All right.

Pen, you know, all of this conversation leads me back to the point I'll make for the 900th time.

Okay, so which is the biggest injustice we as Coloradans have done to ourselves was when we passed Tabor.

Because prior to the passage of Tabor, the General Assembly did something very innovative when times were tight and core functions need to be funded, they raise taxes.

And when times were good and we had enough revenue to fund core functions, they reduced taxes.

Tabor changed all of that because you can't do these, annual or intermittent changes, because once you decrease or increase, increase takes a lot of the people decrease.

Once you d it, it's setting constitution.

So we have gone through as a society all of these political and physical and other gymnastics to try to work around tabor with ref A ref cit ref D, ref 200.

All of this stuff.

When we left the fundamental premise of representative democracy and elect people to make decisions.

The key to your argument, however, is funding core functions, and we fund far more than core function in our government and the legislature does not adhere to being, you know, taxing during lean times and then giving back during abundant time.

They don't now, because Tabor precludes that.

And I agree with you, Chris.

And we have always had this debate in terms of what's a core function and what's unnecessary, but we had that before.

You know, people of different political persuasions, even within the same party, may disagree on what's a core function that needs to be be funded.

That's why you get elected.

You run for election, you talk about issues and you then vote in the chamber.

Okay, that was just one of the four conversations we had this week.

Watch our entire sho by going to our YouTube channel, the PBS passport app, or PBS 12 website.

And you can take us anywher in the car, on a walk, anywhere, because our conversation is also a podcast check it out on Spotify and Apple, and we will also see you this Friday for our next episode, premiering here, right on PBS 12 at 8:00 Friday night.

In a time when so man people are feeling disconnected, one simple idea is bringing strangers together through conversation.

It's called Grandma Stand, a grassroots movement where volunteer grandmas show up in public spaces to listen, offer support, and remind people they're not alone.

A new documentary captures these powerful unscripted moments conversations about grief, anxiety, loneliness and life's biggest transitions.

And right here in Denver, i Cheesman Park was one of those grandma stands.

PBS 12 photo journalist Rico Romer went to meet Grandma Catherine, who was creating that same space for connection in our own community here in Colorado.

Rico chatted with her to lear what it means to simply listen and why that can make all the difference for people.

She's Mark brings the, you know, people that are fearless on the weekends.

You I see all age groups.

This is my big, you know, Denver park that I that I go to.

It's a pretty good spot.

I will say if you're going to be outside this is this is the place to be.

Yeah.

This is a good spot.

I came here because I felt comfortable with with being in Cheesman.

Hi.

Well, what you're doing.

Thank you, thank you.

This Cheesman Park has been so good to me.

So.

I had no idea what it was going to be like when I came to Cheesman.

I set my little stand up, and I was.

It took five minutes befor somebody stopped to talk to me.

I don't have time, bu I appreciate what you're doing.

Oh, you're so welcome.

Yeah.

I just didn't know what to expect.

And I thought, okay, this i going to be really depressing.

If I'm sitting her and nobody starts to talk to me and, you know, they're, you know, I'm just kind of.

But again, that hasn't happened.

So I'm really, really glad.

Oh, and who is that.

Oh oh my goodness.

He's he's having a nap.

He's having a snoozer.

Yeah.

And what's your name?

Ruby.

That's a fun name.

I like that you don't.

You don't hear that very often.

When I first started, I was only answering questions about what is i that you're really doing here?

I remember one of the first ladies that walked by and she said, what kind of mannequins are you up to?

The good kind.

Well I'm glad you stopped by to chat.

Yeah.

So, if you're ever in Cheesman or if you follow me on Instagram, people also wondered if I was selling something or if, you know, if I sit down here or does this cost money?

No, it does not.

So I'm Katherine Kendall, and I started the grandma Stand in Denver in late summer of 2025.

The grandma stand started with Mike Matthews, and, he started it in New York.

My grandmother, who, was missing the social interaction with people after she had moved from New York.

And he came up with this wonderful idea of setting up a purple lemonade stand.

Hello.

I can have a conversation with somebody who's my age, and the next person is 19.

You know, you're to be commende for stopping and talking to me.

A lot of people look, but don't stop.

So thank you.

Thank you.

When I saw it and I read about it, I just it wouldn't leave my mind.

Come here and talk to me.

The grandma stand is a group of volunteers that are wise, older women who set up a stand with a question that draws people in to connect, to build community, and to have a safe place that they can feel like someone is listening and they're being heard.

Question of the day is you need to let go of.

Today's question was what you have to let go?

And I thought for a minute and she said, well, let me start.

Sometimes when people struggle, I offer up and it's okay, it's good.

So you can think, well, I'm s I one of the things that I need to let go of is my, feeling that, turning 70, is a downward slide.

I need to let go of how I sometimes, not all the time but I can get there if I really think about, you know, having a seven in front of my number or how old I am.

So the, the limiting thoughts of being in my 70s, that's how I'll say it.

I need to let go of the limiting thoughts of of what being in my 70s can be.

She absolutely nailed it.

I'm, of her age and then quite a few, and we're recently married and very compatible and and a thought of, well, this is has a finite end to it here.

It is concerning in my retirement, I really felt like it would give me some additional purpose as a 71 year old woman.

Having somebody tell you that they really value you and what you have to say means a lot.

You don't realize until you age how, invisible sometimes, you can feel.

And when people sto and they sit down, they're here because they want to talk to me as Grandma Catherine.

Thank you.

Like.

Yes.

Yes.

Okay, guys, did I, I mean, oh, I knew it, I know it, I could tell I could tell, yeah, I just got.

Oh, okay.

All right.

The joy that it gives me, I hope I can reflect that.

And with people and they get that same kind of joy and caring when they leave my grandma.

Stay at home.

This is not therapy.

This is, listening, being heard and, feeling like you have a space to do that.

It's all ages, al walks of life, all lifestyles.

And I love that.

I love that that's that's the Denver that I know.

To the the the to do list is back here.

Yeah.

While you're, while you're at least while you're walking through the park.

Right.

There you go.

What I have.

Yeah.

Good for you.

If nothing else, they can get something off their chest that's really bothering them.

To someone who's empathetic and caring and creates a space that they can feel safe to do that.

By by.

Here at PBS 12, we're proud to be investing in the next generation of storytellers.

That's right.

We recently launched our Creator Academy, welcoming a new group of interns eager to learn, create, and get real world experience in the field.

And we didn't keep them in the classroom for long.

We sent them out to the Colorado Environmental Film Festival to capture their own video and learn how to produce and edit it, too.

From interviews to behind the scenes moments, they have the chance to explore the festiva through their own creative lens.

And now we're excited to share some of the videos they brought back.

Take a look.

At the two tickets today.

Just tonight.

Yeah.

That's it.

Oh, okay.

Here.

Yes, you certainly can come on it.

It's kind of like a scene in that a scene got planted with an idea that I had, and then he and I both were in the right place at the right time.

We knew people we knew here because we had what we needed basically, to get this garden going and this little scene it up.

Stealing, righ fertilizer, right people, right places, right temperature, right.

Climate change, right?

Whatever.

And now it's a treat, called the Colorado Environmental Film Festival.

It's amazing, events and organization that we are so proud, to have here in Golden is really reflective of who we are as a community, where we can celebrate, great art filmmaking as well as, really learn and appreciate, the subject matter.

Everything about nature and the environment, which we really value and appreciate here at Golden for it.

It's so well by the community, I wonder percent volunteer organization that is managed to put on this festival for over 20 years.

We're really based in Golden, but all throughout Jefferson County.

And I really appreciate the, community, grassroots space support.

This is a time where people who tell stories, people who are creative, people who see opportunities, which is exactly what documentarians do.

It's exactly what journalists, students.

It's like what creators do.

How do we kee seeing those opportunities, how we keep sharing these critical stories, helping people to connect, to think, and ultimately to empower them to do better?

This is important stuff for people to be able to exist on this planet.

People have to know about our planet and their role and position in it.

Don't be afraid.

Be educated.

Don't be afraid to be inspired.

Don't be afraid to be motivated.

Because that's what our group does, is our whole mission is to educat the public and create, support and inspire the public to be able to sustain the environment, no matter what aspect of the environment people are passionate about.

But to get involved at the grassroots level, don't be afraid.

Be educated for things.

Don't be afraid to be educated.

Don't be afraid to be inspired.

Don't be afraid to be motivated.

Being able to be at the environmental film festival where like in the end, you're you're trying to make a difference in a way, or you're trying to help lift up people's stories who you fee are trying to make a difference.

And, and that's important to me.

I think it's important, to all the filmmakers.

And I don't think anybody is here to preach.

I think come enjoy.

I think there's going to b a lot to learn and enjoy.

And, you know, it's just a general good time and good people.

So nothing to be afraid of.

Our whole mission is to educate the public about and and create, support and inspire the public to be able to sustain the environment no matter what aspect of the environment people are passionate about.

But to get involved at the grassroots level, I can tell you we have.

We feel pretty excited after winning the award.

It's very nice to see everybody showing support and happy for me.

An incredible opportunity for those students and we love seein the next generation in action.

The academy is ru by photojournalist Rico Romero and filmmaker and educator Alan Dominguez.

And if you're intereste in being part of our next cohort of Creator Academy interns, you can email Creator Academy at PBS 12 dawg.

Next up, our Doodle Desk segment.

And in tonight's episode Kyle Dyer sits down with founder and longtime editor of Westword, Patti Calhoun.

Patti just announced her retirement after nearly five decades of helping to build Denver's media landscape.

Since co-founding Westword in 1977, Calhoun has built one of the most influential alternative weeklies in the country, known for its investigative reporting, cultural coverage, and fearless voice on the stories that define Colorado.

In this conversation, she reflects on the opportunities, challenges, and unforgettable stories that helped shape both Westwor and the City of Denver itself.

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 indie 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.

There always are interesting new things to do in Denver every day news, scandals, but 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, that you could start a restaurant, you could start a newspaper you could start a new TV show, and you could start a new public television station.

I mean, channel 12.

PBS 12 started as a second alternative TV channel for public TV, which is amazing.

Yeah, and that's all over Colorado.

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

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, if you 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 that, wha inspired you to move out west?

I've been coming out here skiing.

I grew up in Illinois.

We came out and scared 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 in a secretarial pool.

Some people will remember what that was.

Oh, Cornell.

Okay, I typed so many lying Ivy League, resumes.

And I did type 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.

They've wondered since the pandemic what was going to happen to this empty space at at Logan and the seven seven it went on the market.

Oh, so it's closed forever.

And I wrote a story about Benny's closing and some of the things I knew 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.

And this town you just are in the community.

So, you've ha you talked about the journalism.

You've had a lot of breaking news stories in-depth, investigate sessions.

You've mentioned the scandals you've uncovered, and then really, descriptive feature writing.

Right?

And you yourself are an excellent feature.

Well thank you.

Better than a dryer I can tell you that right now.

I'm not making you look old, bu you're looking a little pudgy.

Hey.

Well, don't tell that to me.

I'm just getting really started on you.

Okay.

Okay.

I get to talk about the journalism.

I mean, you're always lookin for new and budding journalists.

What do you look for these days?

Because journalism has changed a lot.

Since when you first moved to town.

The most important thing is you've got to find people who are curious about what's going on, and they have to be more curious about what they're writing there, to be more interested in what they're writing than in themselves.

Everyone who wants to use the first person, like, I'm going to go to Benny's and write about what I ate there.

When you're not even a restaurant reviewer, there are an awful lot of people who think they want to be journalists, but what they really want to do is write about themselves.

Is that a new thing?

No, no, it's gone on forever, okay.

But it is definitely something that's getting worse because of influencers.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

You know, the independence of Westword kind of speaks to the people of Colorado.

And Colorado has changed a lot over the years.

But what does, like Westword say about Coloradans and Denver rights, who love and keep this pape going, who count on this paper?

Well, and 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, where their money is being misspent, who's getting away with something bad.

They like to make a difference.

So when you're copying, 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.

What's 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, Sue O'Brie 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, who, for a long time everyone thought I was Peter Boyle's secretary because they'd always call and ask me to do things.

So Peter Boyle and then, Roger Cohen, who was great because he was such a TV pros at such a journalist, Dominic, who is 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 why, right?

It's critical.

Are you constantl I feel like being a journalist and dealing with deadlines.

You you're you're so focused on time all the time.

Could you imagine not having to worry or a day?

Will it come tha you're not waiting for articles or not copyediting or trying or not having three minutes to edit a story before I have to get in the car?

Can you imagine channel 12?

Can you imagine a life like that?

I'm not sure I'd be good at it.

It's really interesting talking to people, as I have friends who retire and people who can't figure out what to do with their time, and then the people who are fine really?

Yeah.

I don't know how that would be.

I, I'm just so used to to being curious and being like, oh, really?

Like just before our interview, I started looking up articles on Patty Calhoun.

Well, there's always so much that's interesting.

Like, I was looking at old stories in Westwood because of the new change.

We talked about this, the National Research Energy Lab, which is changing up Stan, because Trump doesn't believe any energy is clean, blah, blah, blah.

But it started as the Solar Energy Research Institute, an offshoot of, Earth Day.

And in 1977, when they announced it was going to come to Colorado, Jimmy Carter, who was then president, came here and he went to a fern bar named Rick's right in Denver.

Right.

Because they had a solar, what?

Dishwasher?

So we went and watched him there.

You've also written so much because you wrote so much about the Sand Creek massacre, right?

I think people in Colorado and beyond know what happened in that awful time in Colorado history, and that I think it's because of you.

Well, and partly it's also because tribe, people, people put me in touch for stories that they think I'll be interested in.

And in this case, there was a new exhibi that went up at History Colorado when that new building was built.

And, the tribes were really upset about it.

They didn't like it.

It was very disneyfied at the look, the depiction of Sand Creek.

They complained to the museum.

The museum didn't take it down and they were trying to go through channels, which is so amazing.

They could have complained.

Well, they complained to me for maybe six months, but they wouldn't let me write the story.

They said, we want to go to channels.

We want to see if they do the right thing and take the exhibit down.

And first fix what's wrong, then take it down.

And they never did.

So they let me go public with their story and it was down then it was down within two weeks.

Wow.

And now they have a fabulous Sand Creek Massacre exhibit that was created working with the tribes and will stay there forever.

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 i 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.

Okay.

All right.

So I think we're about done.

You're faster than me, though.

I'm not really giving you a neck.

I don't need one.

I'm just kidding.

Hey, I even accessorized.

I could go down to the apron.

Okay.

You went to the apron?

Yeah, well, no, I didn't do the apron.

I did the scarf, the jaunty scarf.

Okay.

All right, so you ready to show?

Yes.

All right, so let's undo this.

Thank you, Friday for talking with me.

All right, well it doesn't look like you, but.

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

Well, I try to get your boots in.

So here, let's show the camera so they can see I. Patty, you were very good at art.

Did you take our lessons as a child?

No.

Wow.

Again, I am an artist, though.

My.

I work with the glasses and I try to get your boots.

And you?

I didn't make you look.

Let's see your face in.

You're more interesting looking than this.

I hope so, it's just about the poster board.

I'm impressed.

Do you people would be happy to be poster board?

Oh my gosh, Patty thank you for taking my place.

And you're with your mom today, so you sent your mom away so you can come in to be with us?

Oh, no.

I leave my mom every day.

The broader.

So.

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

I love to see you next to every week and it's always a blast.

It is really fun.

It's my highlight.

You're the best.

Thanks.

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.

And as Patty Calhoun steps away from the publication she led for decades, her impact on local journalism and Colorado storytelling will continue to be felt for years to come.

The good news is she is not stepping away from being a panelist her on PBS 12 Colorado Inside Out.

We're very happy about that, so make sure to stay tuned for more with Patty on CIO.

Thanks so much for joining u for this edition of studio 12.

And don't forget that you can also check us ou on YouTube and on social media.

I'm bazi kanani and I'm Ryan here.

Until next time, have a great week!

And.

For.