Leigh Paterson
Senior Editor & ReporterAs KUNC's Senior Editor and Reporter, my job is to find out what鈥檚 important to northern Colorado residents and why. I seek to create a deeper sense of urgency and understanding around these issues through in-depth, character driven daily reporting and series work.
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Once known as the Hate State, Colorado has become more accepting of LGBTQ+ people. Now, heated exchanges over gender identity are playing out in school districts across the state. Some are adopting gender inclusive guidelines, outlining how to support transgender and non-binary students. How and when to involve parents is up for debate. -
Larimer County鈥檚 largest safety-net behavioral health provider laid off 10 percent of its staff last week. Executives say this was necessary because of financial issues, including a new Medicaid reimbursement structure. -
Backers of a proposed ballot initiative are up against the clock to gather over 100,000 signatures before next week鈥檚 deadline. The measure they hope to get on the ballot this November would require schools to inform parents about gender identity issues. -
Social studies standards in Colorado schools are changing to incorporate more diverse stories, including those of LGBTQ people. Now, communities across the state, including Summit County, are preparing for these updates to take effect. -
Since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism in the nation's K-12 schools has skyrocketed. These teens are working to get their attendance back on track. -
In 2023, about one in four students was chronically absent. Schools are going above and beyond to turn those numbers around. That often means having difficult conversations with students and families.
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During the pandemic, teens across Colorado reported alarming levels of depression, anxiety and thoughts of self-harm. Now, new numbers out of Summit County show that young people are starting to feel a lot better. -
Young people in Summit County say they need more indoor spaces to hang out in and feel safe. Today on In The NoCo, KUNC鈥檚 Leigh Paterson tells us more about what these students want and why their requests are important. -
Teens in Summit County are weighing in on the future of their community as the local government prepares a new strategic plan. One of the teens' top requests: more places to spend time outside of school and sports. -
Teen mental health rates are improving in Summit County, according to new data from the Healthy Kids Colorado survey.
