KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler

LA Mayor Candidates Try To Persuade Voters To Pay Attention

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:02:00 +0000

The candidates have spent a record amount of money.

On Southern California Cruise, A Splash Of 'Urban Ocean'

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Sun, 05 May 2013 10:32:00 +0000

A cruise run by the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif., sounds like a picturesque summer outing. But the Urban Ocean boat cruise highlights the juxtaposition of a powerful port with a fragile ecosystem: You're just as likely to see trash as you are to see marine life.

In front of the aquarium, school kids are running around, eager to go inside and pet the sharks and see the penguins.

Why An Immigration Deal Won't Solve The Farmworker Shortage

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:11:00 +0000

The Salinas Valley in Northern California grows about 80 percent of the country's lettuce, and it takes a lot of people to pick and pack it. In a field owned by Duda Farm Fresh Foods, a dozen lechugueros, or lettuce pickers, are bent at the waist, cutting heads of iceberg lettuce. They work frantically to stay in front of a line of 12 more packers, who seal them with tape and toss them onto a conveyor belt.

"There's a lot more going on here than meets the eye," says Sammy Duda, the company's vice president.

Looking To Broaden Appeal, RNC Heads To Hollywood

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:13:00 +0000

The Republican National Committee is holding its spring meeting in the Democratic stronghold of Hollywood this week — part of an effort to broaden the party's appeal.

So far, there are sharp divisions among RNC delegates about the future direction of the GOP. But there's general agreement that the party isn't effectively communicating its message.

At a sometimes raucous afternoon meeting Wednesday, speaker after speaker walked up to the microphone and made pleas about the future of the GOP. "We need to multiply, not divide," one said.

L.A. Schools Hire Security Aides To Watch For Threats

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:21:00 +0000

Tenth Street Elementary is in the Pico-Union district of Los Angeles, a few blocks west of the Staples Center and downtown skyscrapers.

In Gun State, Suicide Prevention Aims For Firearm Safety

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 09:33:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgPjT88ZfaE

A Turning Point For Talking About Suicide And Guns In Wyoming

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:58:00 +0000

Guns are a big part of everyday life in Wyoming, and many residents have been directly impacted by a suicide in which a gun was used. The state has the highest suicide rate in the nation, and three-quarters of Wyoming's suicides are by firearm.

The rural state's relationship with guns has long made suicide prevention efforts challenging.

Owens Valley Salty As Los Angeles Water Battle Flows Into Court

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:09:00 +0000

In the West, fights over water last a long time.

It's been almost 100 years since William Mulholland stood atop an aqueduct along the Owens River and said, "There it is, take it." He was referring to a diversion channel that started piping water to Los Angeles from 200 miles away. That water allowed L.A.

Sequestered Spring Means Fewer Rangers, Services At National Parks

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 20:20:00 +0000

Spring has come early to the Yosemite Valley, and the melting snow makes for a spectacular rush of water off the granite face of Yosemite Falls, the tallest in North America.

Early March is when park officials would normally be gearing up for the busy tourist season. Instead, they're figuring out how to cut $1.5 million from their budget. Without a budget deal, the sequestration has forced the Park Service to cut a total of $134 million from sites around the country.

"Do we close a visitor center for the entire season, or do we just cut back hours?" says Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman.

Fitness Boot Camps May Get The Boot In Santa Monica

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 22:47:00 +0000

If you haven't been to Palisades Park — the famous oceanfront park in Santa Monica, Calif. — chances are you have seen its swaying palm trees and sweeping ocean vistas in movies and commercials.

Running up the wooden stairs that plunge to the beach is the workout to do in this city where it seems like you have to be fit to fit in. In fact, most early mornings before work hours, this park seems more like an outdoor gym than anything else, with running clubs, weight training and kickboxing classes.

But it appears that even in Southern California, the fitness craze has its limits.

Beyond Hot Air: Political Blimps Take To Swing-State Skies

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:03:00 +0000

How do you reach an audience of more than 200,000 people a day in an important swing state without buying an expensive TV ad?

If you're Sid Overton, you build a blimp and fly it alongside one of Colorado's busiest freeways.

"It says, 'Romney For President.

Being 'Better Off' May Not Be Enough To Win Colo.

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:43:00 +0000

Colorado is a good venue for a presidential debate focusing on domestic issues. The first of three highly anticipated debates between President Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, will take place Wednesday at the University of Denver.

The state is known for its independent voting streak, and much like the rest of the country, there are sharp political divides about the role of government in the economy.

Obama Backers Battle For Dominance On Denver Airwaves

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:54:00 +0000

Watching the first 20 minutes of Saturday Night Live's season premiere in Denver, I counted at least four ads by the Obama campaign and liberal groups backing the president.

New Politics Emerge In Aurora, Colo., After Shooting

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 21:58:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

The deadly movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado has become a key issue in at least two tight congressional races in that battleground state. Since the attacks, two Democratic candidates - running in districts in and around Aurora - have called for stricter gun laws.

Pro-Romney SuperPAC: 'Enormous Opportunity' In Western Swing States

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:44:00 +0000

Some well-funded pro-Mitt Romney superPACs and other advocacy groups are pulling their TV ad dollars in Pennsylvania and Michigan and are doubling down on efforts in what they consider to be more crucial swing states — such as Florida, Ohio, Iowa and Colorado.

Those are states where President Obama has also been spending considerable time campaigning lately, but where he's facing a barrage of attack ads from his Republican rival and the conservative superPACs, such as American Crossroads, and nonprofit advocacy groups, like Americans for Prosperity.

In Compass Colorado this week announced it's beginning a slate of automated calls highlighting what the organization says is Democratic Rep.

In Colorado Wildfires' Wake, Survivors Live In Limbo

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:51:00 +0000

When the Waldo Canyon Fire roared over the hill behind the Mountain Shadows neighborhood in Colorado Springs, Colo., in June, nearly 350 homes were destroyed. The blaze reduced this affluent neighborhood at the foot of the mountains to rubble.

C.J. Moore's home on Mirror Lake Court was among the casualties. The inferno was so hot, her stone driveway exploded. Only a few blackened trees sway eerily in the wind where her home used to stand.

"That's my freezer curled up over there," Moore gestures. "Looks like it's just curled up. Under here is a furnace ...

After Shooting Rampage, A Community Looks To Heal

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 20:30:00 +0000

President Obama is in Aurora, Colo., on Sunday, meeting with the families of the victims of the deadly theater shootings that killed 12 people and injured 58 more. He'll also attend a memorial service and meet briefly with local officials.

Outside the movie theater where Friday's rampage occurred, there's a makeshift memorial at the edge of a hot and dusty lot.

Massive Wildfire Burns Out Of Control In Colo.

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 09:53:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

In the southern Rocky Mountains, several destructive wildfires are burning across a vast stretch of parched land and firefighters are struggling to gain control. In Colorado, the High Park Fire which flared up this past weekend is huge, even for a region where wildfires are common. The fires quickly engulfed more than 41,000 acres, destroying dozens of homes and buildings. And there's no end in sight.

Drilling Boom Strains State Regulatory Agencies

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:34:00 +0000

Cash-strapped states are embracing the millions of dollars in new tax revenue coming from shale oil and gas development. But there aren't enough inspectors to make sure the sites aren't polluting. The problem seems especially apparent in Colorado, which now has more than 47,000 active oil and gas wells but the state employs just 17 inspectors.

Jobs Abound In Energy Industry's New Boom Time

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Part of a series

Economists say many industries are looking up this year. But perhaps none has a better outlook than the energy sector.

New drilling technologies and rising fuel prices have generated a boom in drilling — and lots of high-paying jobs for people with the skills to work in the oil patch.

In Denver Taxis, Extra Eyes On The Street For Police

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Some days, it would be easy to mistake the Metro Taxi dispatch center in Denver for a police station. Traffic and crime incidents are recorded in a special logbook, as drivers call in descriptions and locations to police.

It's part of a program called Taxis on Patrol. Just a day after the program began, a cab driver helped police make an arrest for a fatal hit-and-run.

Curtain Rises On Colorado Caucuses

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Colorado holds its Republican caucuses on Tuesday. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have focused their attention there recently. The state will also be a key battleground in the general election contest. From Denver, Kirk Siegler of member station KUNC reports.

The Oscars Of Livestock In The Mile High City

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:27:00 +0000

The single largest cattle show in the United States, the National Western Stock Show, is now under way in Denver. Fans roar overhead, keeping the air cool and the odors at bay, as Jeanette Fuller spiffs up her Black Angus — with product.

"High-strength hairspray, basically, just trying to get the hair to accentuate the good things about her and kind of cover up the bad things about her," Fuller says.

The barn is like a dressing room backstage at the Oscars, except it is the country's premier Angus show.

The Thinnest State Loosens Its Belt

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:01:00 +0000

Part of an ongoing series on obesity in America.

The obesity crisis is catching up with Colorado, the nation's thinnest state.

Being fit is part of the culture in Colorado: there are biking trails and hiking trails and ski slopes and even the high altitude itself helps burn off calories. But waistlines are widening, especially among children.

And in 2010, Colorado lost its status as the only state with an obesity rate lower than 20 percent. It's rate is 21 percent.

Brewers And Beer-Lovers Tap Into Craft Beer Craze

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:15:00 +0000

Thousands of craft beer makers, distributors and just plain beer fans are descending on downtown Denver Thursday for the start of the annual Great American Beer Festival.

The event's 40,000 public tickets sold out in just a few days — an indication of how well this growing industry is doing even in a poor economy.

Nearly 150 small craft breweries have opened their doors in the U.S. this year, including Pateros Creek Brewing Co.