Ariel Lavery
Producer, In The NoCoAriel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. Ariel graduated Magna Cum Laude with her BFA from the University of Colorado Boulder (2007) and received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2013).
She served as the Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Watkins College of Art Design and Film in Nashville until 2018. She left her teaching job to begin her family and quickly found her way into the podcast world. With a grant from PRX, she co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station.
Ariel won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.
-
Colorado leaders passed an unusual law in 2024: It placed polling places inside every jail, in every Colorado county, on Election Day. The results were striking: Turnout inside the state鈥檚 jails increased by a factor of 10. Today we look at the reasons why, and hear why other states may soon follow Colorado鈥檚 lead. -
Creating a garden or yard focused on native plants will help avoid water waste and other issues. Here's what you need to know to get started. -
Spring is near. And we have some tips on what to plant this year if you want to grow more native species in your yard. The experts at the CSU Extension recommend native flowers and grasses that do great in Colorado鈥檚 arid climate and look spectacular in your yard. -
Five years ago, the coronavirus pandemic upended life for millions of people around the world. And it had an impact on Colorado鈥檚 economic landscape in ways that still linger today. We talk with a CU Boulder economist about how COVID changed the state鈥檚 economy, today on In The NoCo. -
Nearly $350,000 will be paid out to Colorado ranchers whose livestock were killed or harmed by wolves last year. It鈥檚 key part of the state鈥檚 wolf reintroduction program, and KUNC investigative reporter Scott Franz has been looking into it. We'll hear from Scott on reimbursing ranchers when wolves kill their livestock, today on In the NoCo. -
Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would regulate the use of facial recognition software ... to monitor students in the state鈥檚 schools. A handful of Colorado school districts already use the technology. And there has been debate about whether it makes schools safer 鈥� or violates students鈥� civil rights. We dig into the technology and the controversy, on today鈥檚 In the NoCo. -
Immigrants without legal status account for a huge portion of Colorado鈥檚 construction workforce. So, as immigration raids become more common, what鈥檚 the effect on the state鈥檚 construction industry? A researcher from the University of Colorado-Denver says it could have negative impacts. -
A recent report from the State Forest Service finds that Colorado鈥檚 forests are releasing more carbon than they鈥檙e storing. So what鈥檚 causing it? And how worried should we be in the face of concerns about climate change? We鈥檒l dig into the report, today on In The NoCo. -
The Trump administration鈥檚 recent firings of employees with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, led to protests this week. And one scientist felt compelled to write an essay explaining why NOAA鈥檚 research is important 鈥� and often goes unappreciated. -
When a wildfire ignites, a fast response is critical. That鈥檚 why Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill to fund cameras equipped with Artificial Intelligence. They would detect plumes of smoke and help nearby firefighters decide how to respond. We hear from a fire chief who鈥檚 been using the cameras, today on In The NoCo.
