Listen Now

8 months into the year 2020 a global pandemic of COVID-19 continues to rage here at home and around the world. The United States, struggling to adopt a coherent national plan to combat the disease, faces another rise in cases and surmounting death toll as we enter our yearly flu season with the potential for a twindemic that could cripple our health care system. Mesa County Public Health Epidemiologist Andrew Tyler joins me for a deeper look at SARS-COV-2 and the illness known as COVID-19, the reasons behind our comparatively mild local outbreak, and how we must proceed to keep this disease in check and usher in a return normalcy.

Mesa County Public Health Epidemiologist Andrew Tyler joins me at the KAFM studio for a preview of our upcoming podcast, Pandemic! with a focus on proper cleaning and hygiene to help prevent the spread of illness during a pandemic.

Former National Weather Service Meteorologist Joe Ramey joins me in the KAFM studio to preview our upcoming podcast, "Climate Talks," detailing the process and results of a Western Slope climate study he undertook analyzing 100 years of weather data in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah. In this preview, we discuss the potential impact of climate change on the region's critical winter outdoor recreation industry. Joe is an avid alpine and nordic ski enthusiast and currently serves as President of the Grand Mesa Nordic Council.

A conversation with best-selling author and Colorado Mesa University Assistant Professor of History, Timothy Winegard, whose latest book, The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator examines the dramatic impact of a pesky but seemingly unassuming creature on the course of human existence. The release of this podcast coincides with the release of the book in paperback format.

This PREVIEW to our upcoming release, Mosquito, features excerpts from our conversation with New York Times bestselling author Tim Winegard on his most recent book highlighting the dramatic impact this disease-carrying foe has had on the course of human history. Our in-studio guest for this sneak preview is Tim Moore, Director of the Grand River Mosquito Control District, who brings a local focus to the battle against a pesky predator responsible for spreading West Nile virus across Western Colorado each summer. This show originally aired live on KAFM Community Radio on June 17th.

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our realities and how will it continue to shape human existence moving forward? To keep our podcast listeners occupied while we channel efforts toward this video endeavor, we are releasing the audio track from this video, recorded via Zoom and available in video format on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. Our 6th and final installment of Life Under Lockdown, "Dining In: The Hot Tomato" looks at the effects of lockdown on the restaurant industry in a conversation with The Hot Tomato owners Jen Zeuner and Anne Keller. Since its inception 15 years ago, The Hot Tomato has elevated the funky vibe of Fruita, CO and transformed into an appetizing example of capitalism with a social conscience. Jen and Anne share insight into the internal debate of how to restructure operations under a state of new normal; their decision to stick with a take-out model for the near future despite a statewide re-opening; and the unique opportunities presented by a chance to step back from the norm and re-evaluate priorities moving forward.

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our realities and how will it continue to shape human existence moving forward? To keep our podcast listeners occupied while we channel efforts toward this video endeavor, we are releasing the audio track from this video, recorded via Zoom and available in video format on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. Episode 5, "Tensions Rising: Domestic Abuse" spotlights the increased tension of lockdown on those living with domestic abuse and features Paige Cadman of Hilltop's Latimer House. While the Colorado Governor declares a state of "Safer at Home," what is the impact on people whose homes present the threat of violence and danger? How can survivors seek out the vital services when their abusers are now a constant presence?

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our realities and how will it continue to shape human existence moving forward? To keep our podcast listeners occupied while we channel efforts toward this video endeavor, we are releasing the audio track from this video, recorded via Zoom and available in video format on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. Episode 4 examines the challenges and surprising upsides of maintaining D51 student counseling and mental health support services during the extended school closure caused by the coronavirus outbreak. How is the district pivoting internally to more seamlessly provide remote learning and services in the future? And how can school districts bear the increasing demands placed on public institutions of learning? This episode features a group conversation with D51 Counseling Coordinator Shauna Hobbs; Suicide Prevention Specialist Gen Morris; and SEL Specialist Heather O'Brien.

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our realities and how will it continue to shape human existence moving forward? To keep our podcast listeners occupied while we channel efforts toward this video endeavor, we are releasing the audio track from this video, recorded via Zoom and available in video format on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. In Episode 3, MCPLD: Enriching Lives Online, we check in with Mesa County Public Libraries' Associate Director Shana Wade, who fills us in on how and why the library moved so quickly to mitigate the spread of the infection and closed down facilities long before many other organizations. Shana details all of the services still available through the library's website and how teachers, students and workers on the hunt for new employment can rely on library services to keep life moving forward. Find out how the library will phase into in-person access and what we can expect in the months ahead.

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our realities and how will it continue to shape human existence moving forward? To keep our podcast listeners occupied while we channel efforts toward this video endeavor, we are releasing the audio track from this video, recorded via Zoom and available in video format on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. Episode 2: Pets and Pandemics features Roice-Hurst HumaneSociety Executive Director Anna Stout sharing insights into how the shelter's team mobilized for Colorado's Stay at Home order; why COVID-19 was on their radar months ago; and how the coronavirus pandemic could revolutionize the shelter system, an outdated concept designed to remove unwanted pets from city streets more so than assuring animals' long term health and well-being.

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our realities and how will it continue to shape human existence moving forward? To keep our podcast listeners occupied while we channel efforts toward this video endeavor, we are releasing the audio track from this video, recorded via Zoom and available in video format on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. In Episode 1, we chat with Colorado Mesa University's Elaine Venter - our first ever podcast guest! - whose teaching emphasizes mass and emerging media with an interest in social media, gaming and media accessibility on the internet. We discuss how social distancing has altered how we utilize and interact on social media platforms and how the shift to minimalism in media production might well continue into the future.

Audience members of the 2019 Grand Junction Film Festival Filmmaker Panel follow up with their own questions about how to succeed in the production world.

Your Oscar awaits! Crossing the Divide brings you exclusive access to the Filmmaker Panel hosted in October 2019 by the Grand Junction Film Festival. This discussion features professionals from the film and television industry sharing their personal journeys on the path to successful media careers along with predictions for what lies ahead for viewers and creatives in a world beholden to technological advances in content consumption.

A preview of our upcoming release Breaking In: The GJ Film Fest Filmmaker Panel, which features actor, writer, producer and Grand Junction Film Festival Board member and panel moderator Arielle Brachfeld. Arielle shares her journey into the world of film and television production from her early years in Denver as a teen with a flair for the stage and discusses how cultural biases often lead women with an interest in production to pursue careers in journalism rather than arts and entertainment. This show originally aired on KAFM Community Radio.

Part 2 of Going Paleo features Stephanie Lukowski, Curator of Education for Museums of Western Colorado. Stephanie details what drew her to study the strange world of prehistoric mammals and her eventual decision to pursue science education. She addresses the struggles encountered as an aspiring scientist raised in a devout religious family and explains how someone who loves the cold left the alpine winters of Snowmass for the sun-baked, high desert terrain of extreme Western Colorado.

A discussion with Julia McHugh, Museum of the West's Curator of Palentology, about the importance of the Western Colorado region in shaping the future of paleontological study. In addition to providing an insider's perspective on this small but intriguing area of natural science, Julia reveals details of groundbreaking work in the study of Forgotten Fragments led by a local team of students and experts that uncovers the complex ecosystem of prehistoric decomposition.

A sneak peek at Part 2 of our upcoming episode, Going Paleo, features Museums of Western Colorado's Curator of Education Stephanie Lukowski riffing on how to approach science education; what makes the high desert region of Western Colorado the ideal place for finding hidden paleontologic treasure; and what to do should you come across an object of interest while recreating on the land.

This add-on to Ep 14 is a recording of the Q & A session between our live audience and panelists that followed our discussion.

In 2019, for the first time in our nation's history, power generated from renewable energy surpassed that of coal, the result of a continued downward trend in the demand for coal-fired electricity driven largely by market forces reducing the cost of renewable energy production. For rural communities built on extractive industries, the potential impacts of a renewable energy future could be devastating. On July 25th of this year, Solar United Neighbors, WeOwnIt and the Craig Chamber of Commerce partnered with Crossing the Divide to hold the first of many conversations to come about the realities of restructuring local economies to survive and thrive in the face of major changes on the horizon. This is the discussion that unfolded. Since our discussion, PaciCorps announced its intention to close the Craig Station power plant in 2026 rather than its previously disclosed date of 2034. Unit 1 is scheduled to be shut down in 2025 as part of its initial plan.

A preview of our upcoming podcast Renewed Energy: A Stop on the Rural Electric Listening Tour, a panel discussion sponsored by Solar United Neighbors, WeOwnIt and The Craig Chamber of Commerce about the demise of coal and its effect on communities economically dependent on the high paying jobs and tax base provided by coal-fired power.