Local Motion

Bellow is the full recording of the State of the State address given by Governor John Hickenlooper on January 15th. 

Three public meetings to discuss the future of the Delta County School District were held in December.  Hear what community members had to say about budget cuts, standardized testing, academic standards and  charter schools in their district.   Ali Lightfoot spoke to US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about these issues as well as a student privacy law and proposed legislation to increase awareness and resources for dyslexic students.

A policy adopted by the Delta County School Board allows outside parties to distribute religious materials on school grounds.  Ali Lightfoot speaks with Kurt Clay, Assistant Superintendent for the Delta County School District who explains the policy and Andrew Seidel, an attorney  for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an organization that believes the distribution of religious materials in schools creates social pressure for students and infringes on the rights of parents to direct the religious or non-religious upbringing of their children. 

The Montrose library hosted an Open Mic in early December.  Writers  shared original poems, short stories or memories.   Some of the readers this month wrote on the theme of the evening: "Cycles."

For information about events and future open mic readings at Montrose library, visit montroselibrary.org.  

On this week's Local Motion we are showcasing the regional reporting by the KVNF news team. We'll hear stories from Laura Palmisano, Jake Ryan and Bente Birkeland. They report on the struggles volunteer fire departments face, groundwater monitoring in the North Fork Valley, Colorado's spruce beetle epidemic, the proposed physician-assisted suicide bill, domestic violence, and solar energy.

The fatal shooting of 18 year old Michael Brown and the choking death of Eric Garner by Police officers has sparked a national debate about law enforcement's relationship with African Americans, use of force  and what can appear to be a militarized police force with use of armored vehicles and military issued assault rifles.   Ali Lightfoot speaks with Delta police chief Robert Thomas about these issues.

Solar historian and author John Perlin speaks with Ali Lightfoot about his book "Let It Shine" which delves into the rich and often unknown history of solar energy dating back several millennia ago.

On this show we’re looking at new ideas about new beginnings.  Leaving a job for a new career, starting with a fresh beginning, or just expanding out in new ways, transitioning can be challenging.  There’s not always a roadmap of how to make it in the world, but there are some people who can help. 

We’ll hear from three people who run three different projects that hope to help people and businesses grow, armed with a good supply of fresh ideas themselves.

KVNF is part of Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a 16-member coalition of community radio stations in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico that share content. 

Last week, KVNF participated in a the RMCR Conference in Carbondale hosted by community radio station KDNK. 

As part of the conference, KVNF’s Laura Palmisano, RMCR's Bente Birkland, and KUNC’s Brian Larson, talked about the nitty-gritty of reporting and the effort and hurdles that aren’t heard on the radio. The program was hosted by KDNK News Director January Jones. 

Ali Lightfoot speaks with director Merrily Talbott and several young performers from the production of “Hippies and Rednecks Unite, ”  a new play that explores  culture and stereotype in the North Fork Valley. 

Ann Wenzel, Ann Brach and Elaine Brett of The Western Colorado Community Foundation speak with Ali Lightfoot.  The organization primarily serves Mesa, Garfield, Eagle, Rio Blanco, Delta, Montrose and Ouray counties and works closely with individuals, families and organizations to create charitable legacies to benefit our residents and improve the quality of life in western Colorado.

For more info, visit: http://www.wc-cf.org/index.htm

On this week's Local Motion we are observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

A special program to celebrate KVNF's 35th Birthday.  Explore the history of KVNF with station founder Campbell Stanton, former staffers Patrick Webb, Jeff Reynolds and Sally Kane, and longtime volunteers Liz Lilian and Felix Belmont. They share stories about the station's first broadcast and studio and discuss KVNF's mission to serve the community.  Explore the past and find out what these longtime supporters hope for the future.

On this week's Local Motion, we've decided to highlight political stories aired on our regional newscast. 

Physicist and environmental scientist Amory Lovins has worked in the field of energy policy for over 40 years. He speaks with  KVNF's  Jake Ryan about the changing energy landscape around the world.

KVNF's Cynthia Hines interviews the award winning humanities scholar and author, Clay Jenkinson, who portrays Thomas Jefferson on the popular program The Thomas Jefferson Hour.

Jenkinson will be in Montrose on Saturday performing as John Wesley Powell, an explorer of the American West during the 1800's. 

On Sunday Jenkison will tape a live Thomas Jefferson Hour fundraiser in Telluride. 

For more information visit: http://www.jeffersonhour.com/schedule

The Thomas Jefferson Hour airs on Sundays at 3 p.m. on KVNF. 

This week's Local Motion aired live.  

KVNF's Jake Ryan interviewed six people who are running for four open positions on the station's Board of Directors. 

Judy Briscoe, Mike Campo, Pam Ellison, Bruce Herr, Bob Pennetta, and Steve Rubick explained why they are running for a director position. 

Also on this episode, a proposed change to a KVNF bylaw was discussed. The proposed change will be on the KVNF ballot.  

AmeriCorps is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. 

On this week's episode of Local Motion we are commemorating this milestone by interviewing three locals who volunteered for the national service program. 

KVNF's Laura Palmisano speaks to Courtney Mullin who volunteered for AmeriCorps for two years. Mullin worked with Montana State Parks and at a charter school in New Hemisphere. 

The North Form Mosquito Abatement District is a small operation based out of Paonia that has to strike  a balance between keeping populations in check, while also trying to keep the citizens they’re protecting happy and safe.  It's a tricky tightrope that has been the source for debate for years.  KVNF's Jake Ryan talks to the employees about disease, fruit juice, dynamite, and more. 

Geologist Wayne Ranney knows the Colorado Plateau like no other. With a career that started accidentally at the bottom of the Grand Canyon in the early 1970's he has since scrambled his way across all corners of the Colorado Plateau to a fresh geologic vantage of this remarkable region. Wayne sat down with KVNF' s JT Thomas to talk about his rock work near and far.

For more information about Wayne' s work on the Colorado Plateau and international field programs, visit www.wayneranney.com