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The Middle Distance 5/24/13: At Their Own Hands

By On May 24, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In A Big Something, Kathryn Eastburn, Personal Essay, The Middle Distance

The Middle Distance 5.24.13: At Their Own Hands

As Memorial Day approaches, far too many American families are not thinking about what they’ll cook on the grill, but how they will remember their military dead, particularly the growing number who died at their own hands, of suicide.

I am the mother of [...]

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HSPPR Pet of the Day: Bear

On May 24, 2013 By

Hi there! I’m Bear, a 3-year-old a neutered black pit bull and Labrador retriever mix. I am one happy boy! I am very friendly, and I love getting treats for my good behavior. Plus, I appear to be housebroken, though I might need a little help learning the rules at your [...]

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Colorado Springs to Issue More Sandbags Today

On May 23, 2013 By

The Colorado Springs Office of Emergency Management is offering another round of free sandbags today to residents affected by potential flooding, starting at 5 PM.

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President Obama speaks at Ellicott Dredges in Baltimore on May 17. The trip followed a visit by the company's president to Capitol Hill to testify in support of the Keystone XL pipeline. The White House says Obama's speech had nothing to do with Keystone, but environmental groups have been frustrated with his stance on the issue.

Obama Group’s Climate Push Puts President Under Scrutiny

On May 23, 2013 By

Organizing for Action — a group that formed out of President Obama’s re-election campaign — has focused its ire on Republicans it calls “climate change deniers.” But some environmentalists are frustrated with the president himself on issues like the Keystone pipeline.

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Elysha O'Brien and her husband, Michael, with sons (left to right) Gabriel, Joseph and Michael. Elysha never learned Spanish but is determined that her children will.

Living In Two Worlds, But With Just One Language

On May 23, 2013 By

Elysha O’Brien calls herself a “Mexican white girl.” Not just because of her ethnically ambiguous appearance, she says, but also because she can’t speak Spanish. Fearing their children would experience discrimination if they spoke Spanish, her parents chose not to teach them their native tongue.

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Nearly 30 years ago, Congress gave terminally ill inmates and prisoners with extraordinary family circumstances an early way out, known as compassionate release.

Sick Inmates Dying Behind Bars Despite Release Program

On May 23, 2013 By

Federal prisoners can request compassionate release if they are terminally ill, but a recent investigation found that many die while their requests drift through the system. Now, prison leaders say they will simplify the approval process and start tracking requests electronically.

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A Nov. 2010 file image of Anwar al-Awlaki taken from video and released by SITE Intelligence Group.

Holder Acknowledges U.S. Citizens Killed In Drone Strikes

On May 23, 2013 By

For the first time, the Justice Department admits that it targeted American-born al-Qaida leader Anwar al-Awlaki and that three other U.S. citizens have died in drone strikes.

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The Low Down on Meadowgrass

On May 23, 2013 By

Today’s the very last day to buy your tickets for this weekend’s Meadowgrass Music Festival at the discounted price and, sadly for you, camping sites are all sold out. But day passes for $50 and full festival passes for $85 can still be had HERE.

If you’ve never been, let’s just say La [...]

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HSPPR Pet of the Day: Salem

On May 23, 2013 By

Hi, hi! I’m Salem, a 1-year-old neutered black kitty. Don’t worry – the only spell I’ll cast on you is one to make you love me forever! I am very, VERY friendly, and I have lived with young children before. I make a great babysitter, in fact, so long as your [...]

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Boy Scouts To Decide Whether To Admit Gay Youth

On May 22, 2013 By

The Boy Scouts of America votes in Texas this week on whether to change its century old membership policy. The proposal is to open up the scouts to allow gay youth to join and continue to ban on adults who are gay. About 1,400 voting members will decide.

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An aerial view shows an entire neighborhood destroyed by Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla.

Oklahoma’s GOP Senators Find Themselves In Tornado Aid Bind

On May 22, 2013 By

Sens. Tom Coburn and James Inhofe have become the faces of pushback on federal emergency spending. Now the deadly and devastating tornado in their home state has put them in an awkward position.

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A teddy bear sits atop some of the rubble in Moore, Okla.

In Oklahoma, Rescue Efforts Give Way To Recovery

On May 22, 2013 By

Officials think they’ve found all the survivors, and victims, of the massive tornado that devastated the community of Moore. The official death toll stands at 24. More than 230 people are said to have been injured.

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Feature Adams IDEA copy

Robert Adams: Photographs of a Changing Landscape

On May 22, 2013 By

Colorado College student Sarah Kelsey worked with Jessica Hunter-Larsen, curator of the IDEA space, and a fellow student, Jeffrey Moore, to curate an exhibit of one-time CC Professor Robert Adams’ photographs documenting the West’s changing landscape. Born in New Jersey in 1937, Adams spent part of his childhood in Denver, only returning to Colorado [...]

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HSPPR Pet of the Day: Shelby

On May 22, 2013 By

Hi, I’m Shelby. I’m a sweet older girl looking for a new home. I’m an 8-year-old a spayed Border collie beagle mix. My owner had to give me up because he couldn’t afford a dog anymore, so now I’m looking for one last home that will give me many happy years [...]

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Farmers Contemplate Hemp

On May 21, 2013 By

Industrial hemp could be Colorado’s next cash crop. But until rules are crafted for the growing and processing of the plant, state officials are telling would-be hemp farmers to wait. KUNC’s Luke Runyon has more.

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Ray Manzarek (far right) stands with fellow members of The Doors Jim Morrison (from right), Robby Krieger and John Densmore in 1968. Manzarek died Monday in Germany. He was 74.

The Doors’ Keyboard Counterpoint Goes Silent: Remembering Ray Manzarek

On May 21, 2013 By

Ray Manzarek, whose keyboard was a trademark of The Doors sound, died at the age of 74 on Monday.

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The Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington, D.C.

IRS Officials To Be On Hot Seat

On May 21, 2013 By

Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman and outgoing acting Commissioner Steven Miller will be grilled. The IRS is under fire because some conservative groups’ applications for tax-exempt status were given extra scrutiny in recent years. An inspector general has called the actions “inappropriate.”

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The destruction was wide and devastating in Moore, Okla., on Monday after a tornado roared through.

Death Toll Climbing In Oklahoma Tornado Tragedy

On May 21, 2013 By

As it roared through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, packing winds of up to 200 mph, the twister flattened buildings. Searchers continue to look for survivors and those who were killed.

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HSPPR Pet of the Day: Mia

On May 21, 2013 By

Hi there! I’m Mia, a 3-year-old spayed long-haired gray tabby. I’m a very sweet girl who loves attention and who will follow you around all day long. I was very fearful and angry when I first came to HSPPR, so they put me in the Blue Collar Barn Cat program. I [...]

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ICYMI: The CO2 in CO–iSeeChange on This American Life

On May 20, 2013 By

Reporter Julia Kumari Drapkin has spent the past year documenting stories of climate change in Colorado as part of iSeeChange, a project based at sister station KVNF in Paonia. This week’s This American Life features one of her stories.

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Q & A: Investigating the Military’s Misconduct Discharge

On May 20, 2013 By

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and traumatic brain injuries are the signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But another problem is starting to emerge after these soldiers come home and seek treatment. In a three-part series that started yesterday in the Colorado Springs Gazette, investigative reporter Dave Philipps examines the growing number [...]

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Opponents of same-sex marriage participate in the March for Marriage in Washington, D.C., on March 26, as the Supreme Court hears arguments on California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage.

Bans Of Same-Sex Marriage Can Take A Psychological Toll

On May 20, 2013 By

When several states passed laws banning same-sex marriages, researchers found that the mental health of gay residents seemed to suffer. Conversely, stress-related disorders dropped after the legalization of gay marriage in one state. Researchers say negative media portrayals and loss of safety were contributing factors.

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Healthy Conversations: Mental Health

On May 17, 2013 By

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and it’s an issue that affects one in four Americans. For this month’s Healthy Conversation, KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin is joined by Lieutenant Colonel Chuck Weber, Chief of Behavioral Health at Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, to talk about some of the programs and strategies they use [...]

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News

AP
China’s Air Pollution: Is The Government Willing To Act?
May 24, 2013 | NPR · There is some political willingness, but because China is highly decentralized politically the Communist Party has only limited influence over provincial governments and how they regulate their dirty factories. The powerful state-owned oil companies have also resisted pressure to produce cleaner-burning fuel.
 

NPR
Can This Man Bring Silicon Valley To Yangon?
May 24, 2013 | NPR · A Stanford MBA who used to work for Google returned to Myanmar to be an Internet entrepreneur. But it’s tough to start an Internet company in a country where the power goes out every day.
 

StoryCorps
Military Moms: A Bond Borne From Shared Loss
May 24, 2013 | NPR · Two mothers whose sons were killed during the first Gulf War talk about how they became friends after their sons’ death. The last 22 years would have been tough without the friendship, because, as one tells the other, “what’s in our hearts we share.”
 

Arts & Life

Universal Pictures
‘Fast 6′: Silly, Speedy, And Certain To Cash In
May 23, 2013 | NPR · Fast 6 pits Dominic’s crew against a wily terrorist in a high-tech battle royale — but it has a devil of a time explaining why everyone should hop into their cars.
 

Laemmle Zeller Films
‘Plimpton!’: A Fond Look At A Man Of Letters
May 23, 2013 | NPR · An affectionate documentary portrays the Paris Review founder as a man devoted to illuminating how talent and creativity work — both for himself, and for the rest of us.
 

Sony Pictures Classics
More Time Together, Though ‘Midnight’ Looms
May 23, 2013 | NPR · Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke return for the third in Richard Linklater’s loosely peerless Before series, and they’ve never been more persuasive — nor has the storytelling. (Recommended)
 

Music

Getty Images
Igor Stravinsky’s ‘Rite Of Spring’ Counterrevolution
May 24, 2013 | NPR · Not long after his shocking ballet, the composer branched out into a broad range of styles, ushering in new musical trends far from the violent tone of his iconic Rite of Spring.
 

Courtesy of the artist
First Listen Live: Queens Of The Stone Age, ‘…Like Clockwork’
May 23, 2013 | NPR · Josh Homme presides over a dense, textured, unpredictable sound that’s equal parts mystery, intensity, beauty and bluster. QOTSA performed …Like Clockwork in its entirety, plus an assortment of older material, in a sold-out show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
 

Getty Images
Duke Ellington: Highlights Of His Twilight
May 23, 2013 | WFIU · The great composer and bandleader was distraught over the 1967 death of Billy Strayhorn, his songwriting and arranging partner of 28 years. But Ellington took Strayhorn’s passing as an impetus, born of necessity, to increase his own productivity. Here are five examples.
 

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