An unusual art show held each year in Cañon City displays – and sells – pieces by some of the most dangerous convicted criminals in the country.

Fremont Center for the Arts sits about 20 minutes from the highest security prison in the nation: the USP Florence ADMAX, better known as Supermax. Each year, an art show at the gallery displays work created by Supermax inmates – like Terry Nichols, who helped plan the Oklahoma City bombing.

The public can purchase any of the art, which is created through a unique program at Supermax.

Journalist Sue McMillin lives in Cañon City, and recently wrote about the prison art program for the Colorado Sun. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about why the program was developed, and the ethical concerns of selling art created by high-profile inmates.

The exhibition, titled “Art in Isolation: Creating Space,” runs through Aug. 29.

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Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Denver relationship therapist, Lindsay Hayes, has an uncommon specialty.

She’s part of a growing group of professionals who work with people who practice polyamory. These are folks who openly have more than one romantic partner. Lindsay also researches and publishes about polyamorous communities.

In her therapy practice, Lindsay promotes open communication and flexibility as the foundation for healthy relationships. She says those fundamentals also apply to monogamous couples and can strengthen any relationship.

Erin O’Toole got a few tips from Lindsay for building and keeping healthy relationships.

Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Colorado lawmakers head back to the state capitol on Thursday for a special session to fix a $750 million hole in the state budget.

If this feels like deja vu – it is, in a way. Earlier this year, state legislators addressed a $1.2 billion shortfall during the regular session -- and balanced the state budget.

But President Trump recently signed into law the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed by Republicans in Congress. That bill’s rewriting of the federal tax code punched a hole in Colorado’s budget, creating an instant, $750 million-dollar shortfall for the state.

State lawmakers now face tough decisions as they try to close this gap, while they try to minimize the impact on Coloradans’ daily lives.

KUNC state capitol reporter Lucas Brady Woods joined Erin O’Toole to explain how Colorado lawmakers got here, and how they might fix the problem.

Legislators may also try to squeeze in a few other issues to the session, which is expected to last five days. That could include a pause on Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program, or how to improve a controversial AI law set to take effect next year.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A small menace is invading the river that supplies water to 40 million people in southwestern states.

Zebra mussels are tiny freshwater shellfish. They’re about the size of your thumbnail, with a striped shell. Since the late 1980s, they’ve spread to 30 states across the country, including Colorado.

Now, Colorado Parks and Wildlife says they’ve been found in the Colorado River near towns like Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs.

Zebra mussels wreak havoc on water infrastructure and devastate ecosystems. And they are difficult – if not impossible – to eradicate from rivers.

We wanted to learn more about why this species is so damaging and what Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to do about them. Erin O’Toole spoke with Robert Walters, who oversees the agency’s Aquatic Nuisance Species Program.

If you spot a zebra mussel you can report to Colorado Parks and Wildlife using this online form. You can also email invasive.species@state.co.us or call 303-291-7295.

After several years of record-setting numbers, Colorado's mountain towns are experiencing an unexpected summer slowdown in tourism.

A drop in international visitors is a significant factor. This year, European visitors to mountain towns in Colorado and six other Western states are down 39 percent compared to 2024. Canadian visitors dropped 58 percent from last year.

The trend has state and local officials concerned about the challenges this creates for mountain communities where visitor spending drives the economy.

Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins recently wrote about the summer tourism sag. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about what’s driving the decline and how it's impacting local businesses.

For more on the Colorado economy, check out recent In The NoCo conversations with Jason about how the Trump administration’s tariffs are affecting Colorado’s outdoor businesses and how a new AI-powered commentator and referee could transform how we watch sports.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Demon rabbits. Frankenstein bunnies. Zombie cottontails.

Phrases like those went viral this week after photos were published of rabbits near Fort Collins that appeared to have horns or tentacles on or around their heads.

Wildlife officials say the unusual-looking rabbits aren't a cause for concern. The rabbits suffer from a relatively common virus that's harmless to humans, called rabbit or shope papillomavirus. And although the growths caused by the virus can look gruesome, they often clear up on their own.

All the attention got us wondering how these cottontails caught this odd disease, why it causes such spooky-looking growths, and how the condition may have inspired the myth of the “jackalope.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose joined Erin O’Toole to dispel some myths about the mostly harmless virus.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

The goo and gunk you find in your dishwasher, or in the drip tray underneath your refrigerator, could hold secrets to fighting climate change or reducing pollution.

That’s according to James Henrickson, a research scientist from Colorado State University. He says your hot water heater, washing machine, and shower are similar to hot springs or volcanic vents on the ocean floor. James studies creatures that can survive in these harsh environments.

James has traveled the world in search of these organisms, which scientists call extremophiles. Extremophiles can survive by consuming carbon dioxide or toxic chemicals.

So, James is on a search for new extremophiles that might make the planet healthier. He started a campaign with CitSci, an organization that lets citizen scientists upload their observations and share them with researchers.

Erin O’Toole spoke with James back in May, and we’re listening back to that conversation today. They discussed how the public might be able to help in the search for extremophiles and why James sees potential in these creatures.

Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

An innovative cancer therapy inspired by the gripping power of geckos might be on the horizon.

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder studied the microscopic structures on gecko toes that allow the tiny reptiles to climb walls and cling to slippery surfaces like windows.

That work inspired the development of a new material that could help chemotherapy drugs cling onto tumors, enabling less frequent and more effective treatment – potentially with less discomfort and fewer side effects for patients. The technology is described in the journal Advanced Materials.

The research began with a focus on bladder cancer, which affects about 85,000 people in the U.S. each year. It’s been in the headlines recently after CU football coach Deion Sanders announced that he’d been treated for it.

Wyatt Shields is assistant professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at CU Boulder, and part of the team that developed the gecko-inspired material.

Wyatt spoke with Erin O’Toole about the material, and its potential to change how we treat other diseases in the future.

Curious about other reptile research? Check out our interview with a scientist studying how python eating habits could one day lead to better treatment of heart disease in humans.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.