Adam Rayes
Reporter, Rural and Small CommunitiesEmail: adam.rayes@kunc.org
As KUNC鈥檚 rural and small communities reporter, I help further the newsroom鈥檚 efforts to ensure that all of Northern Colorado鈥檚 communities are heard. These communities have so much to tell us about themselves and Colorado as a whole. They鈥檙e all unique and simultaneously a crucial part of a bigger picture. Many of these communities exist in a news desert; their stories aren鈥檛 being told and they鈥檙e disconnected from each other and the rest of the region. I hope to bring more stories and voices from these places to elevate the conversation.
Before coming to KUNC, I worked at Michigan Radio where I was a production assistant for the statewide newsmagazine, Stateside. I graduated after just three years at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which is where I fell in love with journalism.
I love cooking my dad鈥檚 traditional Syrian recipes, even though my attempts are never up to his standards. I enjoy gaming, running, tasting new beers, watching anything Sam Esmail makes and I hope to gain new hobbies here in Colorado, like skiing.
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Colorado's independent redistricting commissions are off to a rocky start, as local census population data needed to draw voting districts has been delayed. State lawmakers have proposed a bill to help them continue their work, but commissioners don鈥檛 want the legislature鈥檚 help. -
The Table Mesa King Soopers in Boulder where a gunman killed 10 people on March 22 will reopen by late fall after a complete interior and exterior renovation, parent company Kroger announced during a press conference. The company offered no specifics for the plan, but pledged it would listen to community members鈥� input for the redesign. -
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan will end next week, on May 12. This is the second time Muslims have observed this month during the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Last time, many mosques closed their doors to ensure the safety of their community. KUNC spoke to mosque leaders to find out more about how their congregations are handling the unique observance of Ramadan this year. -
The number released by the U.S. Census Bureau today will be the official total population count of Colorado. That number will confirm whether the state gets an eighth representative in congress. But there is a lot that number won鈥檛 be able to show, like the population of the state's cities, towns and counties. -
KUNC is checking back in with members of the South Boulder community to see how they, and the community around them, have been processing this tragedy. -
Within weeks of coming together, the chair of Colorado鈥檚 Congressional Independent Commission, Danny Moore, was forced out of his position on Monday. Three Republican, four unaffiliated and four Democratic commissioners all voted for the removal. Moore, a Republican from the Sixth Congressional District, was the only one to not vote, abstaining instead. He will remain on the commission in a non-leadership role. -
Correctional staff have been able to get a COVID-19 vaccine since January, but less than half of the more than 6,000 workers have gotten one dose of the vaccine so far. As vaccination opens up to everyone in the general public, including all incarcerated people, the department is offering staff a $500 incentive to get vaccinated. -
In Boulder, residents are still reeling from Monday鈥檚 shooting at King Soopers that left 10 people dead. Social workers and counselors in Boulder organized a virtual support group for people traumatized by the shooting. Several other community groups are working to support people affected by the tragedy, including the victim鈥檚 families. -
Congressional redistricting commissioners convened for the first time last week to hear about each other鈥檚 political backgrounds, learn more about the process ahead of them and the unique challenges they may face in this once-a-decade task. Commissioners are responsible for redrawing the state鈥檚 districts after the decennial census results are released. -
Six Colorado grocery workers have been fighting a legal battle with King Soopers and Safeway over disability pay. An arbitrator sided with all but one of them last week, according to one of the workers and the United Food and Commercial Workers union, Local 7. Grocery workers younger than 65 just began qualifying to get the coronavirus vaccine on March 5 under Colorado's phase system.
