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When there's poor air quality in Colorado, it can be a nuisance for residents. But for some, the bad air cancels plans and changes lives.

Residents in Superior say an airport in Jefferson County where hundreds of planes still use leaded gasoline is the source of lead they are finding on their homes. The airport director is skeptical of the claims.

We caught up with our colleagues at the Colorado Sun this week to find out what stories are crossing their reporting desks. Sun editor Larry Rickman joined KUNC's Beau Baker to talk through some of the news they're following.

With a warming climate and drought throughout our region, Colorado’s fire season is getting longer. More smoke, as well as emissions and smog, is contributing to Colorado’s already bad air quality. Add allergies to that, and it can be hard for people to breathe.

One initiative will spend $25 million to help factories and other big polluters buy the equipment they need to capture methane and reduce other emissions. Another will invest $65 million to help school districts purchase school buses.

Today on Colorado Edition, we learn why one species of fish native to the Colorado River is no longer on the endangered list. We also learn about a new set of policy recommendations aimed at protecting Colorado’ big game populations, and hear why many Western cities are recording some of the worst air quality levels on the planet.

Multiple cities across the United States are seeing lower levels of ozone in the atmosphere – but Denver isn’t one of them.

Environmentalists say that some of the largest methane polluters in the state are benefiting from a sleight of hand built into a deeply flawed emissions reporting system. They say those large-scale polluters might not be who you expect, pointing to a little-known natural gas producer called Terra Energy Partners. According to federal greenhouse gas emissions data, this small, privately owned company – headquartered in Texas, but operating exclusively on Colorado’s Western Slope - was the fourth largest source of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry in the entire United States in 2019.

On today’s episode of Colorado Edition, we revisit some of our favorite stories. We hear how wildfire smoke is impacting air quality and learn about recently unearthed documents at a former tuberculosis treatment center in Colorado Springs. We also check in with activist Buck Adams to learn about his artistic approach in calling for prison reform.

Concerns about sending kids back to school have revolved around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But as the wildfire season has become longer, smoke finding its way into the classroom is also a problem. The Mountain West °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ Bureau's Maggie Mullen reports on the battle to keep children safe.