This is a milestone weekend in Colorado as we celebrate 150 years of statehood, the 38th state to join the Union.

But it's also a time to remember another anniversary.

50 years ago this weekend, the Big Thompson Canyon flood claimed 144 lives.

Though our state's history hasn't always been easy, we have a story of resilience and of coming together when challenges arise.

The spirit of listening to one another and also learning from different perspectives is something we've been proud to do here in Colorado, inside out for 34 years, and we're honored to do that yet again on a weekend that celebrates where we've been and also invites us to think about where we're headed.

So let's get started with this week's Colorado Inside Out.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Kyle Dyer.

Let me get right to introducing you to this week's insider panel.

We start with Patty Calhoun, founder and editor emeritus of westward, Alton Dillard, consultant with The Diller Group, Rockford Gray, and political analyst, a Denver seven and former election spokesperson for the City and County of Denver.

And then we have in Thomas Tafoya, community leader and environmental advocate and a past candidate for mayor of Denver.

And Cali West, the executive director of the Colorado Office of the American Petroleum Institute.

As Colorado marks its 150th birthday, there's a reason to celebrate.

Well, we have talked about the state slipping in some national rankings.

There is one report where Colorado stands at the very top.

U.S.

News and World Report ranks Colorado at the top for education.

Patty, no one would say that we've got it all figured out, but this is a notable recognition.

Notable recognition in a list where Colorado didn't fare as well in other issues.

But what we have to remember.

So when people are looking to relocate, education is really important.

Any families, any one who really is excited about what is connected with education, a good workforce culture.

So posted a victory lap with good reason.

I mean, he has spent eight years working on early childhood education.

He's worked on the financing, so it's not done yet.

But for Colorado to be number one and this is great.

It also ignores so many of the challenges facing education.

Jefferson County's lawsuit with the feds over the really mistaken transgender report with the Athletics.

We've got the DPS shenanigans still going on, but the superintendent now staying.

So it's not like our education system stone faced face challenges and couldn't be improved.

But this number one is a good placement.

I agree.

And you know you have to think of it's sort of wall to wall as Patty mentioned all the way from early childhood, all the way through higher education.

And see I come from a family that really values education.

I'm a fourth generation college graduate.

And as someone who's been coaching basketball in the community for 25 years, we always talk about making sure that you are a student athlete.

I had a player a couple of years ago who literally was carrying a 4.8 GPA, and even where I coach now at Martin Luther King, we make sure once a week we have a study table moving that you come, you bring your laptop and we're checking those grades.

We're checking to make sure those assignments are in.

But the other thing that I think is so interesting about this is I think one of the reasons is Colorado is turning the corner is because of the recognition in the difference in how people learn.

A lot of us are of the generation where you just looked at the textbook and studied to the test.

Now people understand that people are expeditionary learners, they're visual learners, they're tactile learners.

And I just think that combination is what puts Colorado on that number one track.

That's a really good point.

All right Ian.

There are a lot of things in there that didn't make sense to me, in particular on the environment and pollution.

Like the top state, Utah ranked very high in pollution yet ranked number one for business, a state that really just voted to allow, new data center that would use twice as much power as a whole population combined, if that's what it means to be number one.

I'm not sure.

Back to education.

What I'll say is, as a former teacher myself, I think there's been a lot of progress from early childhood education.

Education still not enough pay for the people, do after school, move for school services.

We've made advancements in food in DPS, for example.

We finally have air conditioning is coming in to all the schools.

I mean, all of these things are critically important at a time in which have been tax on the budgets from the federal government.

Reading that we're losing more resources for mental health is really challenging.

And when we look at the amount of suicides and gun violence that is occurring in our school system, it's hard for me to, you know, see that progress happening because I've seen the students march, I've marched with them, and we're not getting the kind of thing that's leading to end of that.

Okay.

I think, Carly.

we have to recognize that in order to have great schools, we have to have a great, thriving economy to make sure that we are supporting those schools.

But not only are the funds from taxes flowing to those institutions, but that there's a thriving economy for those kids when they come out as graduates from high school or college, that they're great jobs for them to step into.

So while number one in education is great, we did see Colorado stumble in our economic competitiveness in a couple of different surveys and landing at 25 in the middle of the pack.

In one of those, after bouncing around in the top five for a lot of years, not that long ago.

So as we think about how we make sure we actually support those schools and stay high ranking in education, it means we have to be supporting a thriving business community.

And for my industry alone, when we look at it, in 2022, $432 million that flowed into Colorado, the schools out of oil and gas, operations that generated those funds think about all of the different industries in the state, and we need to make sure that they stay healthy and thriving so that we're able to continue that great education system.

Okay.

All right.

With fewer than 100 days until Election Day, there are questions about both how Coloradans vote and how candidates are running their campaigns.

Colorado has long been viewed as a national model for elections, especially when it comes to mail in voting.

But all ten that model is again being challenged at the federal level.

And then some of the candidates in the race here in Colorado are kind of trying to rewrite the traditional playbook for campaigns.

quick show of hands, who knows where their certified birth certificate is.

No.

Certified.

I don't know actually.

So I thought about it is getting ready to be August.

The election's not until November.

So if you need to shore that kind of stuff up with voting rights being under attack, make sure you have what you need.

And then the other real quick thing I want to talk about is unaffiliated versus independent.

Independent is actually a party.

Think of Ross Perot.

That is the independent party.

Unaffiliated don't have conventions.

They don't have caucuses.

You're just voters like myself who are not affiliated with a political party.

So this belief that because Lopez is running as unaffiliated is going to somehow siphon any kind of votes or keep November from being a Democratic coronation is, I think, misguided.

Okay.

I am continuing to question our efficacy of our ballots is just so disappointing and sad.

And it just keeps making you feel like we're on this slow decline to an effort to overturn another set of elections, which was probably one of the darkest days in American history without a doubt.

Here's what I'll say about Lopez, his, attorney, lieutenant governor.

Excuse me?

She's been online.

I forget her name right now.

She's a Latina, but she, had been battling with, attorney general, for Weezer's pick for lieutenant governor, so perhaps maybe that'll get some airtime.

I see them on air talking about lazy Dog camper.

You know, with Lopez, I don't think he stands a chance.

Certainly he's been discredited with the abuse that he, you know, the allegations the last time that he ran for a Republican seat.

Here's all I'll say about Mark's.

I've said this before, too.

Why was he good at show business?

If you watch his call out of the debate, he starts out he's so charming.

And then as he starts to announce how he's going to play his playbook, it starts with the Avengers music behind him.

And again, it is about the show business that he has from being a like, you know, a telethon pastor for so long that I think it's playing out in the way that he believes he needs to run his campaign now.

All right, Carly.

I'm hoping that voters keep in mind actual priorities that they see past all the showmanship and think about priorities and who is actually representing their community and how they're doing it.

One of the places I'm thinking about that is in CD8, where represent for it now has had some pretty hard line anti agony and high energy positions in the past.

And those have softened in this campaign.

And I love the idea that as we learn more about different things that our opinions shift on those and they change and grow over time.

But as we're looking at, an area that has predominantly agriculture and oil and gas supporting the economy and holding up, jobs for a lot of workers, a lot of tax revenue, the general health of the economy.

It's a question of even if he has changed a little bit in terms of how he's thinking about that, is he going to be an advocate for those workers and those jobs and the economic success of that community?

All right, Patty.

It's a two parter.

So one is we have a president who voted by mail and now decries that which is just ridiculous.

We know we do not have issues with our mail in system.

It's great.

It's been going 13 years here in Colorado.

We have more involvement.

We do not have corruption.

And I would argue the same is true mostly throughout the rest of the country.

And the problems are very small.

So we've got a lot of issues for how do we get candidates who are unaffiliated or with the minor parties, give them more power, more ability to talk to people beyond those debates, because right now, the Republican Party, it's not quite 2010, with Dan Maes and Tom Tancredo running as a third party candidate and John Hickenlooper as the Democrat.

But it's pretty close in the sense that there is no way the Republicans are going to be able to win.

But we would like to hear from another party.

Do you think there will be a debate?

Since marks came out and said this week he'd be happy to debate?

Phil Wiser didn't mention Lopez, but with no moderator is that I. Would hope so.

I think we should volunteer to have them sit here.

Oh, I agree, yes, because.

We have to hear from and there's some gamesmanship going on with that.

But again, he's talking about not trying to do politics as usual.

That would be unusual.

Sit down, have a fireside chat about the issues.

Can you imagine his dog being the moderator and he's like, oh wait, the dog wants to say something.

No I can't.

Well Phil Weiser has a dog.

The dogs could care.

Everyone could bring their dogs okay.

All right.

As Colorado celebrates its big anniversary this weekend, we're not only looking back, but we're also asking what the next 150 years should look like, right?

Growth has brought opportunity to us, but has also created difficult choices, from proposed changes to historic preservation rules to debates over protecting places like Glenwood Hot Springs, to questions about like how communities attract investment and really shaped development.

There's a lot going on Colorado's are wrestling with, what should stay the same.

What needs to change.

And you used to work on the board of Historic Denver.

You're big into preservation.

So as we move forward, as Colorado continues on this path, what how do we decide what stays, what needs to go and change?

And it's a tough decision.

It's a tough thing.

Yeah.

And I also grew up in a neighborhood here that was zoned for incredible change.

The where we are now in the Five Points district is a place that has changed fundamentally just in my lifetime.

I think at the heart of it, when we're going through larger long term planning processes, city and county of Denver recently has enacted several of these larger area plans.

That's when we should have conversations about historic preservation and also about where we want to put our infrastructure.

And should we have a bike lane here?

I think a lot of that needs to be talked at the same time as you're talking about density, because they're all interrelated to each other.

Yes.

The federal government right now has had a reversal.

They are attacking our national parks and lots of our federal land in these processes that are regulated by them.

I think the future what you're seeing is we are now absorbing some of those responsibilities in the state to take responsibility ourselves, to review projects for historic preservation or for air quality or water quality.

There are a lot of examples, about protecting stormwater management and, you know, where do we want to develop farmland or get rid of arroyos?

But again, it all starts with you and you finding the time to attend community meetings because honestly, there are a lot of people putting a lot of effort into it.

We've changed the way we're doing community engagement.

Unless you show up, there's no change to be made.

Good point.

All right, Carl, your thoughts.

So Colorado has experienced so much growth, and a lot of that has meant that in rural areas of our state, we've seen those become much more dense.

But as we think about growth and how we protect Colorado, I think one thing we need to keep in mind is protecting Colorado does not always mean new restrictions.

It can mean protecting, our economic viability.

It means ensuring that we are able to continue doing the things that are important in our state.

As I think about that, you know, I really think a lot about downtown Denver and how we make sure that we protect downtown Denver and see that, come back to the thriving community that it once was.

There are a lot of regulations that have passed in recent years that have made it just significantly more expensive and difficult for a business to locate in downtown Denver, as opposed to other areas of the state or even other states.

And I think we need to think about how we use that regulatory burden, how we simplify, and how companies can have regulatory certainty and know that they can invest in Denver.

They can can be downtown here and know that that can be a long term investment that will pay off.

Patty, I'll start with the local, which is downtown in.

And I were just talking before this started, most people, but I think we would like the, carrot that is being held out to El Tara to not only move within Denver, but also not leave for Utah.

And I think with downtown's money right now with the Downtown Development Authority, you can see a pattern coming.

And there have been flaws, but you see that creativity, entrepreneurial ship and the outdoor recreation world, those are three real, those are three things to really balance downtown's economic development on.

And we're seeing almost incubators for all three being set up.

If Altera indeed stays here and works on the whole outdoor recreation thing.

So, yes, sometimes I like incentives being given to different governments.

We're also patient nationally, not on the local level, despite with Historic Preservation 106 that right now was approved by the council.

They're taking comments.

It would decimate so much of what has been done to save historic places, find historic places.

I mean, in the case of the Sand Creek massacre, we might not know where that site even was if this legislation passes.

And I'm going to take a slightly different lens here.

And we need to get out in front of the growth by having better roads.

we have one of the janky is transit systems for major city in the country.

So think about things like the fact that we've outgrown Pena Boulevard already.

Can you imagine already outgrown Payne Boulevard?

Remember the T Rex project?

It just means more lanes of traffic to city and in south Denver, the I-70 project.

Now that everyone's done gawking at the tunnels, now we're starting to get a little more movement in the park.

Over the top, which is a model that I've seen around the country.

So that part is cool.

But Colorado's no longer this great, well-kept secret that we may be used to.

And if you can't get around the state because of how bad the roads are, if you can't get around the city because of gridlock and this discussion about maybe expanding bus rapid transit down Colorado Boulevard, we've already destroyed Colfax.

Can you imagine the gridlock?

So we have to have smart growth as it comes to transit, transportation and multimodal in 150 going forward.

Okay.

Also, for 150 years, we here in Colorado have celebrated the beauty of our state and also learning to respect its power.

But the story of this land goes back far beyond statehood, with indigenous people calling this land their home for thousands of years now, 50 years ago right now, this weekend, the Big Thompson flood killed 144 people and more than 12in of rain fell in just a few hours.

Today, we are still being reminded of the risks that, wildfires posed to us here.

And then the flooding in those those burned out areas.

We're also seen in dangerous face by firefighters who are out there on the ground for us and for people, all of us who go out and try and enjoy the outdoors.

So, you know, we have to really respect what we have around us.

Carly.

Absolutely.

You know, living with nature has always required adaptation and innovation.

It is Colorado's history.

as we think about how, how the state continues to change and how we adapt to nature and changing world, we have to think about how we are innovating with technology, with standards, with changes in how we do things to make sure that we're meeting the needs for today.

For example, in 2013, we also saw some pretty significant flooding in the state.

And one of the things that came out of that for my industry was really close working relationship with local communities and regulators to figure out not just how we deal with that flood, but how we come out of that with better practices and better management styles going forward.

So, you know, change is always upon us, and there can be some really good lessons that come out of that.

But I think the key is knowing that stewardship of the state does not mean standing still.

It's continuing to innovate all the time.

Know we can't stand still, and there are a lot more people here.

Now to Patty.

And a lot more people.

Here is one of those interesting things.

When you hear people out, Colorado's not growing as fast as it used to.

It's barely growing at all.

Well, we could use a breather to catch up and to get the roads.

We need to make sure our infrastructure is strong, to support the people who are here and the natural growth that will come because Colorado boomed beyond belief over the last 2 to 3 decades.

So that's really important.

I was thinking also about with the wildfires, down at Aspen Acres, one of the things history, the amazing Horseshoe Lodge that had been built by the Works Project Administration, which burned.

I heard the governor talking about trying to see if they could help bring that back.

We want to maintain our heritage and our beautiful land, and sometimes it's at odds with each other.

Mountain I'm an admitted nature boy.

I can go sit by the creek.

I can look at rocks, I can look at bugs and trees all day, all year.

you also have to make sure to remember that the wildlife was kind of here.

First, you have to sort of recognize some boundaries.

I was up in, Genesee a few years ago with a friend of mine from, Alabama and this herd of elk walk by literally the distance from myself to Ian.

And they were just like.

But one other thing is, you know, goes back to just our climate and how Colorado was set up.

I'm still trying to figure out whose idea was to put our airport in a tornado alley.

I am the person who literally will plan their travel around not coming in or out of Colorado in the afternoon because your flight's going to get canceled.

And we've had that this week with the weather.

Yeah.

And well, I'm really glad to be talking about indigenous peoples.

I think that they've told us for a long time about the changing landscape.

We have a lot of things to learn.

My own ancestors, Mesa Verde, the Pueblo people moved and their entire culture moved isn't shifting because of drought and desertification something that we're experiencing now?

And what does it mean as we're seeing towns in Colorado who are reaching a point where they only have months worth of water?

I mean, these are real questions we have to ask ourselves, and where is our water going?

Is it going to industry or is it going to people?

Is it being polluted?

Is the industry cleaning it up?

I mean, these are questions I hear people asking.

Our air quality, of course, has been in decline and improved.

And every day, you know, you don't get to necessarily see, what you want to see, in particular with the fires of the mountains.

But, you know, fire shows us that things recover and we can come together and be strong, you know, bring up the flooding.

I think this is one that I think a lot about, because the tribal people told us that Denver would flood and it folded multiple times, destroying our, our records of our own history.

In the Cherry Creek again and, and, you know, in 1965 and the impacts that that is had.

And so when I think about where the Broncos want to go, I can't help but think about the implications of these floods and worsening because of climate change in the oil and gas industry.

Okay.

All right.

We will leave it there.

Now it's time for our insiders to bring up some of the highs and the lows that we have witnessed.

But since we are at the 150 mark for Colorado becoming a state, I'm thinking why not focus our highs and lows on things in Colorado that occurred across the last hundred 50 years, not just this last week.

So Patty, I'll start with you.

What do you think that has happened that wasn't so great, that really ended up shaping our state or taught us the lesson well.

And I'm going back more than 150 years to the Sand Creek massacre, which was in November of 1864 when troops came down.

Volunteer troops led by John Sherrington came and massacred 230 at least, members of tribes who thought they were in a safe place, who were flying the white flag.

But the Arapaho and Cheyenne wound up having to leave the state entirely after that massacre.

The disgrace is that continued where how long it took to even acknowledge it.

It happened it took until 2014 for the governor to even apologize And we are still making up for what happened at Sand Creek.

And it's a lesson everyone needs to learn about.

just the century ago, the Klu Klux Klan was heading up not only our state government, but our local government clearance morally, was the governor, Ben Stapleton was the mayor of Denver, and the KKK actually had a majority in both the chambers of the state House.

And so my thing is, and especially for I teach students, is don't treat history as ancient history.

So just remember that that is one of the wards that this beautiful state has.

Okay.

And I mean, those are both two really important ones.

And they go along in line.

And I want to bring up again the 1965 flood, which destroyed many parts of the very neighborhood, but then also led to a vote that the locals did not vote for the displaced.

The Auraria incident to totally change the landscape of that part of the South Valley.

And they were Hispanic or Latino people.

If you take I-70 again, money being spent to displace brown people take I-270 right now, occurring money to displace and harm brown people.

And so if you take brown indigenous people who went on to become brown Hispanic people who were targeted by the KKK and you, fast forward to now.

We still have issues like this, and I think it's reflected in the most recent Denver Post article, the 150 Most Famous People.

There's not even one Latino on that list.

Just a few brown men are on that list.

It's underrepresented.

We're underrepresented.

Okay.

All right.

And Carly.

So Milo is a lot more recent.

But, for me, it's Columbine.

I was in college when called by happened.

I remember being glued to the TV and had a pit in my stomach that I feel like hasn't really gone away since, because we've continued to see that same scenario play out other places in the state, in the country, and even in other countries.

So as I think back on that, it's hard to think about that.

Well, it certainly changed us as a state and a country.

I don't know if we've taken the effective lessons from it yet.

Okay.

All right.

All right, let's talk about a bright moment of achievement or a big milestone that makes you proud.

Patty.

Coloradans like being independent.

They love the great outdoors.

And that those two things came together in the 1970s when the state voted down, bringing in the Winter Olympics that had already been awarded Denver for 1976 but led by Dick Lamm and some other people working with him, they're like, who?

Who pays?

Who profits?

And they said, we cannot afford to pay the amount of money that would have to come into Colorado.

That would wind up ruining what people love about Colorado.

It was a successful citizens initiative.

It moved Lamm into the statehouse.

It was up to the governor's office.

I mean, it was a very important time to show that Coloradans can make a big difference.

Okay.

All right.

Your take and my take is history.

Colorado.

Don Prince and her team over the year.

And just the way that the when they talk about Colorado warts and all.

But just the way that they focus on indigenous people and the Chicano movement and the Black Power movement and the Owls Club of Denver and some of the parts of our history that have not been told that is a gem sitting right there in the middle of our city.

And more people need to stop through there.

Yeah, definitely.

This week can be a good time to go.

All right.

Well, I want to call it the Moffat Tunnel from the Denver Union Water Company, which went on to become Denver Water, played a critical role in the growth of the Front Range to where we are today.

And that tunnel also playing a key role in, you know, the mountain rail to bring access to the great outdoors for winter sports to people from Denver, okay.

And Granby.

There are so many things that I think of as quintessential Colorado from my youth that aren't here anymore, restaurants and landmarks.

And I know change is just part of life, but there has been so much change that when I think about, the South Park boys purchasing Casa Bonita and restoring and preserving that and that, that's the place I can still take my kids to.

I love that little piece of preservation.

Okay.

All right.

And one extra little speed round for you guys.

Most all of you have been here the bulk of your life.

Some all your lives.

So what has kept you here?

What made you never want to leave Colorado?

Patty?

I think it's eternally optimistic there.

It's large enough that you think things are still possible.

And me, it's the, what I sort of call the geo diversity.

Being able to go to the mountains, being able to go to a farm town, being able to get palisade peaches, being able to get Rocky Ford melon.

Just the things that are so homegrown here.

Yeah.

Okay.

I'd say the Four seasons and all in one day.

Sometimes.

Yeah.

And Cali.

It's really the beauty of the state for me.

I feel like I'm still seeing new things here all the time.

I went out to the Black Canyon a few years ago.

Really?

Honestly, didn't even know that was there.

And I was absolutely floored by the beauty of it.

So there's something new every day here in this area.

My high and my answer to why Colorado is my home, traces back to one of the first nights I had here in Denver.

When I moved in Denver in April of 96, I was staying at the old Berners-Lee hotel on the 10th floor, and I was looking west and I could see Light City lights as far for miles until they hit the foothills.

And then there was like this Technicolor sunset right in front of me in the sky.

And that was really the beginning of the brightness I would experience here.

There is the color of sunshine that reminds you of its strength almost every single day, and when it glistens off of the snow, it is just even brighter.

But what I found is the brightest part of Colorado is its people inquisitive, welcoming, willing to listen, eager to know one another, and incredibly generous in the way we care for our communities.

For that, I am grateful.

I have only been here for 30 of the 150 years, but I will say they have been my brightest.

So to celebrate Colorado's 150th, I. This is for you, especially Alton, since you mentioned it, I brought some card pictures for us all to share, and they are wonderful right now.

So yes, go out and enjoy taking Colorado celebrate this weekend, dress in color and seeing right around.

Yeah, and have a great week.

This weekend.

Thank you for watching this week, listening to our podcast.

Thank you, insiders, for being so thoughtful and inquisitive and really insightful.

This week.

I'm Kyle Dyer.

I will see you next week here on PBS 12.

Happy birthday.

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