Scientists say they’ve identified a sort of massive dance floor that some dinosaurs used as part of their mating rituals millions of years ago.

The area is at Dinosaur Ridge, an active paleontology site in Morrison that’s also open to the public. Researchers there found dozens of places where a dinosaur species called Magnoavipes would scrape patterns into the rock – a telltale sign of the creatures’ unique mating rituals.

So, what does this discovery tell us about how dinosaurs lived 100 million years ago in what’s now Colorado? And what does it reveal about dinosaurs’ similarities to modern species like birds?

To better understand those dinosaur dance parties, Erin O’Toole talked with Amy Atwater, the Director of Paleontology at Dinosaur Ridge.

Immigration arrests in Colorado have quadrupled since President Trump returned to office in January. Under Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say they’re focused on deporting violent criminals who are in the U.S. illegally – what the President calls “the worst of the worst.”

But in Colorado, that promise doesn't line up with who is actually being detained by immigration enforcement.

A new analysis by the Colorado Sun and the Wyoming news organization WyoFile found that during the first five months of this year, about 60 percent of people arrested by ICE in Colorado and neighboring Wyoming had no criminal convictions when ICE detained them.

Of those, only a small fraction had been convicted of a violent crime such as assault.

Colorado Sun reporter Taylor Dolven has been covering politics and immigration under the Trump administration. She joined Erin O'Toole to talk about their findings, and why they wanted to take a closer look at these arrests.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Colorado has an abundance of mountains named after famous men – think Long’s Peak, Mount Wilson, or Pikes Peak.

Since childhood, Sarah Hahn Campbell has been fascinated by the people behind place names. But she discovered little to no information on peaks, lakes or trails named after women.

So, in 2017, the Denver-based author and high school teacher set out to research the mysterious women behind the names of some of Colorado’s landmarks.

That culminated in Sarah's new book, Her Place on the Map: 18 Women and the Colorado Wonders Named for Them. It’s part trail guide and part history lesson, exploring 18 Colorado trails, mountains and lakes, while highlighting the stories of the women for whom these places were named.

Sarah spoke with Erin O’Toole in May about her book, and how challenging it was to learn about the real women behind the names. To celebrate Colorado Day, which marks the day 149 years ago that Colorado became a state, we’re listening back to that conversation.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.