Tonight on Colorado, stories from studio 12.

From regaining independence to driving a NASCAR Cup car.

How adaptive technology is helping people with spinal cord injuries.

Get back in the driver's seat.

Then we're taking you inside Firefly Autism in Lakewood, where we're exploring the power of sensory gardens.

Then we head back in time with a PBS 12 favorite, the CEO Time Machine.

Find out how this old classic was produced behind the scenes.

And it's time for the state civics competition.

Find out who won the top state title and who will be representing Colorado for nationals.

Colorado stories from studio 12 starts right now.

From the Five Points Media Center in the heart of Denver, Colorado.

This is studio 12.

Good evening.

I'm Ryan Hare.

Thanks for joining us for Colorado Stories from studio 12.

Bazi is out tonight for people living with a spinal cord injury, driving represents freedom, independence and possibility.

Now, a Colorado neurosurgeon and an engineer are helping make that possible through adaptive driving technology.

On tonight's viewfinder, PBS 12 photojournalist Rico Romero takes us to Pikes Peak International Raceway, where patients are doing something many never thought they'd do.

Drive a NASCAR Cup car.

All right, get ready.

He's going to fire it up.

All right.

Ready?

We're here at Pikes Peak International Raceway today.

Let go!

What a storm, trooper.

You look like a storm trooper.

All right.

Having a little fun behind the 850 horsepower race car.

Sounds like he's opening it up a little bit.

It's pure adrenaline.

If you go to the museum park all the time.

Right.

So some of us grow up real quick, and then others don't.

And we just.

Then we race cars.

This is a genuine NASCAR Cup car.

They said like, each lap gets a little bit faster and faster as it goes.

We're giving rides today and letting the occupants drive.

My favorite part is seeing the reaction when they come in after driving in particular belts.

A lot of the people that haven't done anything like this feel sick here.

Last November, I had surgery with Doctor Fauci.

Just through our conversations, he brought up this event that he does every year.

I'm Scott Fauci.

I'm a neurosurgeon.

So this is an event basically, Doctor Fauci, you know, developed, a race car that's adaptable, for, paraplegics like myself and even quadriplegics.

I've been doing this for 34 years and have been specially specializing in those with an injured spinal cord.

And, I learned along the way, that many of, my patients are very interested in cars.

Oh, yeah.

It's crazy.

Because it's mobility, right?

I mean, you lose mobility.

It's a way to get around.

And if you have a way to drive on the street or anywhere, it's you're kind of like everybody else.

All of a sudden, you if you can adapt the car.

So we have six patients that, varying from quadriplegic to, pairs that are driving with hand controls.

Travis.

All yours.

Phil.

I formed this foundation in 2013 when I approached, the NASCAR, Cup team, Furniture Row racing at that one, the NASCAR Cup championships.

They loved what I was doing.

And they went on and said, let me build you a car.

They're incredibly generous for doing that.

This took us to a whole different level.

So it's the original car.

But we had to put some modifications in it.

And that's where I needed an engineering team that I had had.

And that's doctor Harry.

Doreen.

It's Harry.

Doreen.

I have a PhD in, electrical engineering, so I have a doctorate of interior.

My sons and I are the ones that actually developed all the, technology for this race car so it can be driven under head control.

They said, you know, let's work on something where they can steer right, steer left, throttle, brake, but just moving their head and mouth.

So I wanted all levels of, spinal cord injury so they could use their arms.

I wanted hand controls that if they couldn't use anything, still wanted to drive.

Doctor felt you had actually asked me the following the fall before we were at at Dover and said, can you, you know, make this technology, make a car that can be controlled on head control.

And I said, as an engineer, well, sure.

How hard could it be?

So with a series of infrared cameras and gyroscope on the helmet and, little insignias on the helmet, it can gauge how much you turn your head right, left.

And then, electrical signal goes to a motor, which then turns the steering wheel with a little straw that comes out of it and into your mouth.

Yeah, you puff into it.

You, Just the pressure differential.

Another electrical signal goes to the throttle.

So the accelerator goes down.

You want to brake?

Yeah.

Set back a little bit.

Brake goes down.

So you can do, So yeah, we've had people at very high speeds, controlling it.

Of course, there's always a safety driver.

All right.

It's amazing.

It's amazing feeling.

There's nothing for an engineer like getting a system to actually work.

When, we first got this car working a few years ago with my son and I were out here at this track, I was trackside, he was driving under head control, down pit road, around the track, and you could hear the car behind you, and I as I turned around and watched that car come up, go beautifully through a turn.

Holding the line chills down my back because I felt like the Wright Brothers when thing something just came together and just worked.

It's pretty cool to watch, in particular a quad who's lost so much of their freedoms, being able to have a 850 horsepower monster underneath them because it shows, you know, accessibility, it shows freedom, shows independence.

You realize that they've got their freedom back for a few minutes.

It means the world to them.

And it makes me cry every time.

People in wheelchairs can can do, you know just as much stuff as, as a able bodied person?

It just has to be adjusted.

Adjust it a little bit.

Okay, caretakers.

Okay, let's get his chair over here.

Chair.

Come give me a ride on.

The injury sucks, but, you know, it's like, maybe there's a reason for this.

It's, led me to do, you know, some incredible stuff like this today.

You know, just, celebrated a year of marriage with my lovely wife.

We had a lady that drove in the beginning, and she came in and made a comment, something similar to this.

She said 20 years.

She's still sitting in the car.

It's like, wait, 20 years since I lost my mobility 20 years ago.

And it all just made it worth it.

Think about that.

The weight.

If you ever give some thought to what happens if you lose your mobility, the ability to run down the convenience store or do this and now you have to have a caretaker get you up in the morning that drive me, or at least me.

You know, a lot of people, they see, you know, somebody in a wheelchair and they think that, you know, they can't do anything but, you know, with, Doctor Fauci and his crew trying to make, a sport like this adaptive is just it's amazing just to show the world that, you know, we're not we're not just injured.

You know, we can we can live our lives in the fun.

Doctor Scott Fauci says his goal is to continue expanding adaptive motor sports.

So more people with spinal cord injuries can experience the freedom and independence of driving.

what if a garden could help change the way children experience food, learning and the world around them?

At Firefly Autism in Lakewood, a new sensory garden created in partnership with Denver Urban Gardens is helping researchers explore how nature may improve food acceptance, emotional health and overall well-being for neurodiverse learners.

Here's a look at how a thoughtful design and spending time outdoors are making a difference with these kids.

Let's plant.

Do you want to plant flowers or carrots?

Carrots.

Carrots.

Community gardens are amazing, of course, for growing food.

But here at Firefly and at many other spaces, there are so many additional layers that are important to pay attention to.

At Firefly, we really wanted to focus on the learners being comfortable in this safe, creating as much as possible a safe space.

So can you help me squeeze?

Squeeze.

Well, we had an amazing, very generous donor and supporter.

And her husband had passed a few years before, and he was very passionate about gardening and really believed in how gardens can support individuals and mental health and wellness.

So our garden is named after that, that gentleman.

So it's the early Evans Sensory Garden.

Hi.

So this design was a collaboration.

We worked in partnership with Skyscape Gardens, a local landscape design company, and we worked closely with the learners and Firefly staff, as well as community members, to get input on what everybody wanted to see in this space and what they wanted to do in this space.

The garden is a big outdoor classroom, and so each learner has their own individualized programing that they work on here.

And their staff members were able to incorporate all of those goals into the garden while they're in the garden, they're working on their coping skills.

They're working on communication skills, behavior regulation.

Yeah.

Good job going straight down.

Let's go to a pretty.

We decided to start with a study that looks at increasing tolerance to nutritious foods in the garden.

And learners were in the garden two times a week, one time a week they were with me and they were with a, horticultural therapist from Denver Urban Gardens.

And they did activities from planting to watering to harvesting and then finally, tasting.

And so they started from the very, very beginning of putting the seeds in the ground all the way up to then tasting the food.

Right.

I've got a hole right there.

What we saw was that while learners were in the garden, they were really engaged with the planting, with the watering, with the harvesting.

And of course, the very exciting part was the tasting.

And what we saw with the tasting was that the more time that learners spent out here, and the more opportunity, ease and exposure they had to the food items, the more likely they were to taste them in the future.

We can plant over here.

At the beginning of the study, we had caregivers answer a survey that told us if they were a selective eater or if their learner, you know, was willing to try new foods.

And what we found was that it didn't matter whether they were a selective eater or whether they weren't willing to try new foods.

All participants were equally as likely to taste, regardless of their selectivity, just by spending time in the garden.

If yeah, if you flower, show your other one.

You've got two pink flowers.

Dude, this sensory garden, you know, that's the centerpiece.

And that is really one of the, I guess, core elements of the therapeutic garden program that I run.

It dug a sensory garden doesn't just work on the five senses that we are most familiar with.

It also works on with, that vestibular, that sense of balance, the proprioception, where am I in space?

And then ultimately that interception, that calming down and centering.

I think there are a lot of spaces in our world that are designed for neurotypical individuals and creating more spaces where neurodivergent individuals feel welcomed and feel like they belong is crucial.

You can use mine in this space.

It tells our whole community that this is a space where neurodivergent individuals have their space first.

And how lucky are we that we get to be in this space with them?

The sense of awe that we can see in them just, you know, discovering a plant, planting a plant, even tasting something new is it's so heartwarming.

It's so wonderful.

I mean, it will bring you to tears just watching the kids in here, seeing how happy they are, how calm and even just get involved in something that's so therapeutic.

It's it's meant a lot to not just to our learners, but to also to our staff, to our families.

Something that's important is being able to continue this research, spending more time in the garden and looking more into how spending time in the garden helps with emotional well-being and helps with behavior regulation skills.

And that is definitely research that, I'd love to be able to continue and and move forward with because the preliminary findings are really exciting, and I'm hopeful that we'll get a keep doing this work.

Thank you.

To learn more about Firefly Autism, you can visit Firefly autism.org.

And to learn more about Sensory Gardens and how you can plant one yourself.

Visit Denver Urban gardens.org.

Colorado's next generation of civic leaders took center stage at the national Civic Be Colorado State finals.

After months of regional competitions across our state, the top students gathered to compete for a chance to represent Colorado on the national level.

But this competition isn't only about civics.

Finalists also had to think on their feet, present solutions to real issues, and answer challenging questions from the judges.

Here's a look at the competition.

It's amazing to see how many people are here today, and the passion for civic engagement is blossoming.

There would be no civic speech without our founding partner, the Daniels Fund, who has invested millions, to help scale this competition.

It's really important that our future leaders have that basic knowledge of how our systems work, so that in the future, they can take advantages of challenges and opportunities in their communities that they can be informed voters.

All the things that make our society work.

This started off in just a few states, and now the civic spirit is in all 50 states, Washington DC, and even American Samoa.

There are nine regional partners this year, so all around the state of Colorado, communities are hosting local civic speak.

The Colorado Chamber hosts the state finals, and then that winner will go on to the national final in Washington, DC.

The more communities that are participating in civics be, then the more, students that we can reach to make sure that they're armed with this important basic civic knowledge.

We are planning to expand from nine this year, which is about double what we started at 212 in the next two years, just in Colorado.

Thank you.

On behalf of every one of your fellow 6 million citizens in our great state for having a passion and a commitment to civics education, to learning more about this profoundly special country that we are also blessed to call home.

So I get the privilege and the honor of acting as a judge.

So I get to listen to the top five finalists and ask them questions about the topic that they've identified in their papers.

I have been, I will say, pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the depth of knowledge, the intellectual curiosity that's demonstrated in the essays.

And it gave me a lot of hope for the future.

Frankly, we've got a lot of engaged citizens, and somewhere among these kids is probably some next business leader.

Kids are thinking about these important issues, and they've got a lot of deep thoughts on their mind about all the things that we talk about as, as adults, the implications of artificial intelligence, how to solve homelessness, how to get more affordable housing.

You've got six seventh and eighth graders that are already thinking about excellent solutions to all these really pressing problems.

All right, everybody ready to get started?

Good, good.

Question one which founding principle is most clearly reflected in the phrase we the people from the preamble of the Constitution.

The US chambers research shows that only three out of ten Americans could answer the kinds of questions on basic civic literacy that the kids today are competing on.

And I have to say, the questions that the kids answer are really hard.

And it was humbling for me as I played along and I learned I've got to brush up on some of this too.

Congratulations to every single student.

And Kyle said it.

They all prepared to stand up here and bring a challenge and a solution.

If that doesn't inspire you and inspire you about the next generation and what they're bringing to the table, I don't know what will.

I am incredibly proud to stand here and say congratulations to each one of these young people.

It's also wonderful to welcome back last year's Colorado champion, Cameron Parker.

His idea earned him the opportunity to represent Colorado in Washington, D.C., at the National Civic Speech.

And I got to be there, and it was a very proud moment.

Civic engagement is one of the most important things to learn, and I encourage everyone to study a little bit, to learn a little bit more about America, especially as we get to the 250th celebration.

I didn't really know that I was good at public speaking until my teacher inspired me to participate here, and I think I before this, I would have never thought that I was good at speaking, and now I'm like, what can I do to speak more?

It's been giving me a ton of good opportunities.

I've met a lot of good people.

I think especially at the national championships, I saw so many students who I looked up to, and I was proud to be alongside them.

And I also met a lot of wonderful people along the way.

He's helped me.

I'm glad to have helped them to.

We are now headed into the final round of the 2026 National Civic State Finals.

Could we once more congratulate all of our state finalists?

We got to set a good example.

And if our kids are recognizing the importance of civic engagement, we should do no less.

And so as adults, we need to make sure that our kids are seeing us modeling the behaviors.

So vote in every election.

Be involved in your community.

Try to help.

Be respectful to each other as you're trying to solve problems and model the behaviors we want to see.

Get involved.

Participate.

Look around your community and find an issue that that's important to you that you feel passionately about and work with your local community to help solve that problem.

You have a bigger voice than you might imagine, and the civics bee really shows that that's the case.

Congratulations to all five of our finalists for completing round three.

And congratulations to all of our state finalists who are here.

I'm always impressed every year to think that every single young person up here was prepared to do that.

Our judges are going to go and tabulate the final scores.

It's definitely going to be stressful and you're going to need to prepare a lot.

But the fact that you're at nationals with some of the best civics students in America means that you're already prepared once you got there.

So just do what you do best.

And now the 2026 Colorado state champion is Peter Daniel.

Starting.

Peter, congratulations.

Thank you so much.

You did a dynamic job.

Thank you.

How does it feel to be the state champ?

It's otherworldly.

It's awesome.

It's something I never could have imagined, but I'm very happy with what I've done.

I use online websites to fund most or to locate most of my sources and explain all of the statistics that I would use throughout.

And it was something that took me a while.

But it was certainly rewarding.

Food security is something that I've always been passionate about because as an Eagle Scout, I've seen a lot of different impacts and the need in the community volunteering at my local food banks and pantries, and that's allowed me to see the need in the community and how I can help to make that change.

The most important thing I've learned is that people like me can have an impact.

Anybody in the world, all walks of life, anybody can do real change and make a difference and cause people to come together and really see a new light in the world.

the top three students took home cash prizes, and the Colorado state champion will advance to the National Civic Speed Championship in Washington, D.C.

this fall, where students from around the U.S.

will compete for scholarships and a national recognition.

Congratulations to Peter, Daniel and all of the students who showcase not only their knowledge of civics, history, and government, but also their poise, leadership, and commitment to making a difference.

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

You get the doodle desk.

In this episode, Kyle Dyer sits down with Colorado Inside Out panelist and president and CEO of the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado, Carlos Martinez.

They talk about leadership, service and creating opportunity across Colorado.

Plus, why building strong communities starts with listening to one another.

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

As they talk, they'll also be drawing each other's portraits so you can decide who the better artist is.

Here is the doodle desk.

Carlos Martinez is deeply thoughtful, mindful and hopeful.

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

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

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

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

Yes it is.

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

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

And so for me, I've been fortunate of having a lot of opportunities throughout my career, and it was an opportunity to bring a lot of those experiences under one umbrella and be able to see if we can really look at creating some change and transformation in communities.

And you guys have made a huge difference.

We have we we really have.

You know, when I took over, we, we're down to our last dollars.

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

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

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

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

God, you know, my very first job was cleaning stables.

Really?

Yes.

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

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

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

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

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

So that was my first job.

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

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

So you seem like such a wonderful addition to our state.

Yes.

Well, I love Colorado.

And it was my husband who brought me here.

Oh, yeah.

We met in D.C., and, I was living in California.

He was living here.

I went to visit a friend.

We went out one night.

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

And so that's how we were introduced.

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

So love bright to Colorado.

Yes, exactly.

And is keeping you here?

Yes, exactly.

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

You're a busy man.

You're crazy artists over there.

Why?

Why spend time?

Why invest time on Colorado inside out?

Because you always come prepared.

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

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

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

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

Because some stuff is difficult right now.

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

Yeah.

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

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

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

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

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

Are you always thinking?

Always.

Always.

Always.

Yeah.

What?

How do you relax?

You know, by thinking I have to be, you know, honestly, because I think my my mind has to be active.

Okay.

What I do like to do.

So.

Because I didn't become an artist, I collect art.

So.

Yeah.

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

Yeah.

So, like, every quarter, I will rotate the artwork and just do things differently and want to collect when I come home from work.

Okay.

To be able to decompress.

I just go and visit my art pieces.

Yeah, I love that.

And from all your travels and from all our travels, both decorative arts as well as painting house, I want to come to my house.

Okay.

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

Okay.

And so, okay, I'm coming to your house.

So that's kind of like for me.

Oh, that's all right.

Relax.

Oh, yeah.

All right, so, you about ready?

Yes.

Now, don't get scared.

I told you, this is abstract.

And.

And don't get offended.

No no no no no no.

All right.

Oh, look at me and look at you.

Oh.

That's wonderful.

Oh, no.

This is good.

Okay, shall we show the cameras?

Look at me.

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

Well, kind of made you have Harry Potter glasses.

They're.

Yours are a little more stylish than Harry's.

No.

That's fine.

But anyhow, thank you for doing this.

Well, for sharing your story and for sharing as much as you do on color inside every week at your fabulous member of our class.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

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.

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 Colorado Inside Out Time Machine.

The panel, dressed in costumes, used special effects and debated the news of a specific year in Colorado history.

This week, longtime panelists Patty Calhoun, David Kopel, and former CIO host Dominic to share with us how those memorable episodes came to life and why they continue to be a favorite with viewers.

Yeah.

Okay.

This is channel 12 DVD.

I on this show is proud to present our sponsor, public television, serving on the Front Range Committee, ITV 12, Broomfield, Colorado.

I was wondering about that, and I can't tell you exactly, but I have a guest for what inspired me.

And that would be Gilligan's Island, because in, on Gilligan's Island, which I watched morning daytime repeats of know.

Like a lot of people my age know that show very well.

They had a couple of there were seven castaways on an island, and so every show was was those seven doing something.

But they had a two shows were for convoluted reasons.

They ended up putting on a play on a Shakespeare play.

So they did, for example, hamlet and, skipper, an older fat guy would be singing to his son Gilligan.

Neither a borrower nor a lender.

B do not forget, stay out of debt.

And it it was fun to see those characters you know so well in the regular setting, being in a different setting.

And maybe that's what made me think that it might be fun for for us as characters and, and the audience to put us in a different setting.

Well, I don't think I ever heard the Gilligan's Island, okay.

And because I'm not sure what I've been loving.

Yeah, but, I but it's a good one.

No, we we're our history buffs.

I mean, journalism is just faster history.

Everyone is an academic and loves Denver and has lived here for so long.

So we all jumped on it immediately.

It sounded really fun.

Yeah, although I'm still not sure if I'd known about the skipper doing Shakespeare, I. I would have agreed.

David, watching Gilligan's Island every morning.

I'm a little worried about that, too.

The Time Machines show.

The whole idea, really.

It's a brilliant idea that came out of, my laziness.

We would always have a good idea to do the shows on the weeks that we didn't want to come and do a regular taping.

So Christmas week and New Year's Week, we could tape those in advance.

We did a year in review show in a year.

Look ahead.

Shows are easy to do.

Well, no one wants to do a show on July 4th week.

So what are we gonna do?

July 4th week?

We couldn't do any the other themes and as trying to solve that problem so that we could tape ahead of time and take that week off.

David had the brilliant idea of what we do this and gratefully, we had someone and Larry Patchett, our audio engineer, but really our historian, co-producer, the driving force behind all the history behind these shows that really lit a fire for him.

So the idea to take a week off while we work twice as hard for ten weeks just to get that week off.

But, it was well worth it.

That's that's where it came from.

So that we could get July 4th week off, and then we would use it for Thanksgiving week.

And it kind of bloomed from there, became this annual thing.

So there's 13 that exist that I'm going to call the when we really got serious about it.

And that would be that we did a new open and a new set and special effects and the works.

There were a handful that we did with Peter that was basically we did costumes and the idea, but everything else was the normal table and there wasn't any special open.

So we we hadn't figured it out yet.

But once we crafted once we cracked the code, the 1927 show, and that's when we brought in special effects.

It's black and white, new graphics, new open, new set.

Everybody got involved.

And that's, it also became a real labor of love for everybody.

People still love storytelling.

They like to hear a story, and it's better when it's true.

And I think this is the ultimate storytelling when we are playing for maybe real, maybe fictional characters going back in time.

But we're telling people a story about the city they live in and what it was like ten, 20, 30, 100 years earlier.

And they really enjoy it.

And they they like it every Friday because we're telling them stories, two from different viewpoints.

So they also understand there's not just one way to look at it, but they get that intimacy.

It's like the ultimate cocktail conversation without the cocktail.

I did theater in school, through college, and actually through law school to an extent.

But I'm not a great actor or anything like that.

But sure, it was.

Absolutely.

It was fun.

So this was a, for someone who has some acting skill, but not not enough to do it professionally.

These settings were were really good, a kind of controlled thing where, I think the talents of the cast matched what we were being asked to do.

we'll continue our journey through the PBS 12 archives in the weeks ahead, sharing more memories and stories about the people who helped shape Colorado's history.

With more Colorado inside Out Time Machine, so make sure to stay tuned for those.

In our latest episode of Colorado Inside Out, we had a big look back in history, as well as a look forward to what's ahead as we celebrate Colorado's 150 years of statehood.

Our CIO insiders really came prepared with historical insight and context, while also sharing their genuine personal feelings about our beautiful Centennial State.

Here's more now with Kyle Dyer.

Hi, Ryan.

You know, every week in Colorado, inside out, we end with all of our insiders talking about the highs and the lows they witnessed this week.

Well, for Colorado's 150, we did something a little different.

Here's a listen.

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 I had 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 that 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 Ku 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 what 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 variance, and to totally change the landscape of that part of the South Platte Valley.

And they were Hispanic 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 Columbine happened.

I remember being glued to the TV and had a pet 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.

While 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 the Coloradans can make a big difference.

Okay.

All right.

Your take and my take is history.

Colorado.

Don Prince and her team over there.

And just the way that the again, 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.

You know, 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 currently 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.

And Carly, 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 Barnsley Hotel on the 10th floor, and I was looking west.

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 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.

Again, Ryan, that's how we end our show.

We have four topics every week we discuss.

You can see our whole show on our YouTube channel, on the PBS passport app or the PBS 12 website.

And if you're really into podcasts, we're there for you at Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

And we're already working on this week's show, so we will see you back here on PBS 12 Friday night at 8:00.

Have a great week.

For a lot of kids, hockey is more than just a sport.

It's where they find confidence, resilience and friendships.

Hunter Murphy first stepped onto the ice when he was only three years old, inspired by his mom's love of the game.

Then, a bone cancer diagnosis in 2024 changed everything, and he thought his hockey days were over.

But one family's determination and a different way to play the game helped Hunter get back on the ice and rediscover the sport he loves.

3690961 Sam Girard.

And he signed it on the bottom right there.

Yeah, I remember getting my old, old skates on and just having my dad hold me.

And I had a mini red stick that I would shoot.

Hi, I'm Heather Torbett, and I am Hunter Murphy's mom.

This one is Zach for easy.

He didn't sign this one.

Sammy just kind of gave me this one because he was trying out his curve.

When the Avs came, I. My dad took me to a game and it was violent and fast and super competitive.

And I was like, this is the greatest thing ever.

This is actually like, I think this one's my favorite.

This is Matt Davis.

I completely fell in love with the game and, all the things about hockey.

And then when we won the championship the first year that they were here, it just I was, I was done.

That was.

That was going to be my thing.

So it just it's my whole soul.

I love hockey, so I have like all these old player Wayne Gretzky.

This is one of my favorite ones.

I thought I knew hockey and then here comes Hunter who knows far more than I ever could.

I'm Hunter Murphy.

I'm in seventh grade.

My mom, she was, huge fan when she was growing up.

And I think I kind of, like, got into that when I was, like, three years old.

And then I started skating around that time, and I just really liked it.

Then I played it several of three.

He's he's a hockey geek for sure.

To his core, he loves everything.

The game, the stats, the players.

And I've skated and I think shooting and I love it all and it's just really fun to play it.

While I was in Leadville.

My dad was teaching me.

He started skating with his dad, and when I saw how easily he took to skating, I was like, oh my gosh, we should do a learn to play.

And I'll just get on the pond, like after school.

And it would be late when I saw how much he loved the first one.

We got him into the second and third, and we were living up in Leadville at the time, but we were driving to Du and driving to monument and we just he loved it so much and he took to it and he genuinely wanted to get better every single time.

So his drive, he's just very driven and very smart and pay close attention to things.

I was also going to try to get into a sled today.

But so it all started from a wagon.

2020 4th May I got diagnosed with osteosarcoma.

That was a tumor growing on my tibia.

So I found a wagon.

We were up at my mom's mom's place in South Dakota, and I found a wagon.

And I thought this would be cool to go down it.

So I get my youngest brother and we hit a rock, and then we go like I fall.

The wagon falls on us and I fall onto a rock.

My leg hits a rock.

And so I'm like, it hurts so bad I did not.

It wasn't.

I didn't even hit that hard.

It hurt so bad.

I was just sitting on the couch, laying down like I had Advil.

When I was looking at it, it all of a sudden was swollen.

But the problem was, is it was swollen in a really weird place.

It was not the knee joint, it was just below it.

So I got in touch with, you know, people I knew from Sky Ridge at the, orthopedics place and got them in on Tuesday morning when we got back and Zack, the PA pulled me out of the room and he was like, I need you to look at this.

And I'm like, oh, that can't be good.

I have a biopsy on Thursday morning, and then the next day on method, we found out that at osteosarcoma and it was an aggressive tumor.

And then I started chemo the week after that.

My name is Daniel Lerman.

I'm an orthopedic oncologist at Health one Presbyterian Saint Luke's.

I see sarcoma is a cancerous process that starts in the bones.

We most commonly see it in the adolescent population after people have had their growth spurts.

We also see it in young adults.

And then another peak incidence occurs as we age.

It was actively eating away at the bone when I had the tumor.

Osteosarcoma is a typically an aggressive cancer that requires really aggressive treatment to manage it and eradicate it.

It's usually a combination of chemotherapy and surgery to remove the primary tumor.

What's going through your head during all of this?

I don't want to die.

I think that was a bigger one.

And I think it was a lot of confusion.

And it all happened, like, really fast.

I had never taken an MRI before.

Hunter went through kind of a wave of emotions at first.

He was like, I don't want to die, mom.

Then I'm like, that's not an option.

We're going to figure this out and trying to be strong for him.

And he was laying on the couch watching TV, and he paused the TV and he grabbed my hand and he was like, mom, what if I die?

And I'm like, like, I have no idea how to answer that question, but I just I looked at him and I was like, well, you have to promise to be my guardian angel for the rest of my life then.

And he looked at me and he goes, okay.

And then I would get a metal in my leg, have a rotation policy where they cut this off, have your foot and put it on your knee.

Hunter and I had a long talk and I said, you know, with the rotation plasti, he was more confident that Hunter could play hockey again with the titanium rod.

He's like, more than likely you'll never play again.

He's like, mom, I just really want to keep my leg.

And we kind of talked about the likelihood of him ever getting into the NHL anyway, and but the likelihood of him becoming a coach or becoming a broadcaster or journalist, even and athletic training or something like that had a higher likelihood and he could still be part of the game of hockey.

I chose for the metal because I think I wanted to keep my leg and they said, I can play hockey.

So let me.

Sparing surgery is removing the cancerous process while keeping the limb intact and trying to optimize the function.

Hunter has a tremendous spirit and Hunter was totally committed to returning to the ice.

Just trust yourself and pull your tummy.

One of the most challenging conferences I had with Hunter and his parents is when I told him the playing contact hockey was probably not realistic long term for a hunter in the future.

Losing hockey like I'm like, we could fight cancer.

There are remedies to this that's curable.

Losing hockey is really when I get choked up because it's so much a part of his soul and so much a part of who he is, and he's so intelligent about it.

And that's not just the NHL or stats or anything like that.

Like he really loves the game.

So for Hunter specifically, we put an implant that allows for growing to occur.

I think that seeing his limb salvage doctor, really changed our perspective, both of us.

And then I had my surgery, July 30th and I ring the bell December 29th, 2024.

It was shortly thereafter that I actually got a text from, J.P.

Huber, who I went to high school with, hadn't really talked to him.

We were, you know, the quintessential Facebook friends and knew each other in high school.

And he was like, hey, I saw your story about Hunter, and I just want you to know that I'm the VP of Colorado Youth Sled Hockey.

We'd love to have him try it out and see if he likes it, and see if he wants to be on the team.

Yeah, back in sled hockey is the parent version of ice hockey.

And instead of skating, you are sitting in a sled and propelling yourself with two different sticks on a set of skates.

Yeah, we're gonna kind of tag.

We're gonna go, yeah, it's a variant of ice hockey.

It's actually the same game, typically for players with disabilities.

I was told I couldn't play, and now I found sled hockey.

And I've been told I can play go.

Okay.

Yeah, but they sit in a bucket that's close to the ice.

Yeah.

Holding my hand.

Oh.

It's sad when.

And we got him in a sled and within five minutes it was like he had been doing it for years and he just loved it.

Nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh.

So we have kids who can't skate normally or shoot like with a stick.

Normally.

Hunter has been a great addition to Colorado sled hockey.

He's been a great addition to the club.

As far as he's brought a whole bunch of hockey knowledge, it was.

I mean, I definitely teared up and it was heartwarming because you can just see that competitiveness come right back to him.

So kind of going right.

Oh, oh.

And he was like, I'm going to figure this out.

And he was like paying attention to the other kids and like just taking notes, mentally watching how they did, coming for you knew he was just like, this is this is my thing.

I went into the locker room right after the the game and he goes, mom, this is my thing.

And, side over last year at the dog Bowl and decided, hey, this is my future and hockey is I can go play sled hockey instead.

And join full time this season.

I got to get it up to make sure that we've gotten Hunter back on the ice.

The sled hockey, which may not be exactly his passion initially, but I think he's really become a part of him.

And as his doc, it really protects the limb.

On happiness.

It's hard to shoot, though.

You don't have a curve at all.

I think it's just I'm relieved.

I think a little bit.

I'm definitely happy and excited for the fall season.

He's just a charming, good kid and he's just got a good heart.

Yeah.

When I have dinner at your house sometime soon.

He's just a very sweet, determined kid.

I think a great support system is a big part of the healing process.

Hunter.

Yeah.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

You're doing great out here.

Thank you.

It's really fun watching this.

Thank you.

For every patient.

There's a tremendous community behind them and around them that empowers them to be as good as they can be after their cancer journey.

I think when the whole hockey community can come together and do something like Dog Nation does, I think it's just it's a really fun thing to see and help out in, and it's a great community to be in.

He's skating at Old Foothills.

The owner there really took the hunter.

He holds, you know, times that he doesn't have anybody else on the ice for Hunter so that he can get out there and just build that strength back.

When people are diagnosed with cancer, it's a total whirlwind.

And, you know, one, the future that you think you have.

So our goal in health care is to try to help the patient get to be the person who they envision themselves being in the future, to get them back to who they want to be, who they identify with.

He is just my my twin in every way.

And I mean, we were close before and definitely bonded over hockey before, but I mean, when you're spending days and sometimes weeks in the hospital together, like I've, I've grown to love him for more reasons.

And him just being my kid, he doesn't mess up the ice.

I'm really appreciating every moment that I get with him, even when he's being a teenager and I, can't stand him.

It's very brief because I'm just I don't I don't know what I would do without him around.

Hunter continues to recover from treatment while competing in sled hockey, and he hopes that one day he'll also be able to return to playing stand up hockey to.

That's our show for tonight.

Thanks for joining us.

As we shared stories of resilience, discovery and the people working to make a difference across Colorado from all of us here at PBS, 12.

Thanks for watching Colorado stories from studio 12.

I'm Ryan here.

We'll see you next week.