Rae Solomon
Reporter, Rural and Small CommunitiesEmail: rae.solomon@kunc.org
I am the Rural and Small Communities Reporter at KUNC. That means my focus is building relationships and telling stories from under-covered pockets of Colorado.
Working in public radio is a huge passion that dates back to my youth in the suburbs of NYC, where I was surrounded by a wealth of great public and free-form radio stations. I love the immediacy of radio and I pride myself on quickly gathering information and finding ways to frame stories for maximum impact and engagement.
Before coming to the radio light, I was a licensed architect, practicing in Los Angeles, New York and Colorado. I launched my radio career as an avid volunteer KGNU, community radio for Denver/Boulder.
When I’m not at work, you can find me hiking, camping, fussing over my houseplants and doing strange art projects with my kids.
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An electric utility serving Northern Colorado has pledged to reduce climate warming emissions by going all in on renewable energy. So why is Platte River Power Authority still investing in new gas-fired power plants? -
What does it take to grow wine grapes in Colorado — and is the industry here to stay? Today on In The NoCo, we uncork the state’s blossoming wine culture. -
A farmer in Keenesburg, Colorado, won first place in the 2023 National Wheat Yield Contest. -
Kernza is seed grain scientists have been selectively breeding, hoping to develop into a food crop that's more climate friendly than wheat and corn. Liquor distillers are interested.
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A lack of affordable housing is causing a severe staffing crisis in schools in Eagle County, prompting the school district to break into the affordable housing development business. -
Kernza is the new, perennial grain trying to win over Colorado's craft beverage industry. -
Some school meal programs buy fruit and veggies from local farms, improving kids' diets and supporting the agricultural economy. A boost in federal funds to expand these efforts runs out next year. -
Federal funding is helping school cafeterias buy food from local farms. That's reshaping nutrition programs, but the funding runs out soon.
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The farm-to-school movement is out to revolutionize the humble school lunch with fresh food grown on local farms. But the path from cropland to cafeteria is full of complicated twists and turns. A new wave of federal funding is trying to smooth the way. -
In an overwhelming vote Friday, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names made it official: Mount Evans will be renamed Mount Blue Sky, a name significant to some area tribes.
