Kyle Cooke

2 weeks ago | rmpbs.org | Kyle Cooke

DENVER — Jose Barco, a decorated war veteran, walked out of the Buena Vista Correctional Complex January 21, 2025, after spending 15 years — a vast majority of his adult life — behind bars. He planned to reunite with his wife, Tia, and their teenage daughter, and travel to Florida for a family reunion. He never got the chance. Federal immigration officers met Barco, who was born in Venezuela to Cuban parents and moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 4 years old, outside of the prison.

3 weeks ago | rmpbs.org | Chase McCleary |Peter D. Vo |Alec Berg |Kyle Cooke

BOULDER, Colo. — To beer or not to beer? That is hardly a question in the mind of Coloradans frequenting some of the state’s 400+ breweries. Colorado has the fourth-most breweries per capita in the United States and boasts barrels of home-brewed talent, many of whom took home medals at the U.S. Open Beer Championship last year.

1 month ago | rmpbs.org | Alec Berg |Kyle Cooke

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — On a bright Thursday afternoon, Sarah Lesyinski warmly welcomed customers to Café 180, a nonprofit restaurant with a mission to feed those in need. Once one of Colorado’s few pay-what-you-can cafés, Café 180 shifted its model in 2024, introducing set menu prices while dedicating all profits to providing free meals for those in need. As the café’s executive director, Lesyinski is determined to keep the nonprofit restaurant thriving for years to come.

1 month ago | rmpbs.org | Kyle Cooke |Alec Berg

DENVER — The leaders of NPR and PBS will testify before Congress Wednesday in what is expected to be a confrontational hearing over an alleged liberal bias at the two public media giants. PBS CEO Paula Kerger and NPR CEO Katherine Maher will appear before the House DOGE subcommittee, which is chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican.

1 month ago | rmpbs.org | Cormac McCrimmon |Carly Rose |Alec Berg |Kyle Cooke

GOLDEN, Colo. — The first time Maggie Martin pointed her camera towards the night sky, she captured a meteor. It was 2011, and Martin — a special education teacher at the time — had decided to take an astrophotography class at Rocky Mountain National Park. “My focus was off, but I had this blurry picture that I was infatuated with. It blew my mind,” said Martin.  For the 25 seconds she exposed her camera, Martin felt fully present. “I was a school teacher doing 6,000 things a minute.