Mandy Connell

WE NEED TO STOP THE MOUNTAIN LION HUNTING BAN As it upends YEARS of carefully tuned wildlife management by the biologists at Colorado Parks and Wildlife (did you know you have to have some sort of degree to work there and that most hold degrees in wildlife biology or other related fields?). We don't need a bunch of people living in the Front Range telling the people who live in the urban-rural interface that their pets should be eaten because the mountain lion population is out of control. Dan Gates joins me to further explain why a NO on 127 is the way to go.

A HERO'S THANK YOU IS BACK! So if you know a deserving veteran who could use a check for $2,500 bucks send them this or nominate them yourself!

THERE'S A DEBATE ON RANKED CHOICE VOTING TONIGHT And I'm going to chat with Nick Troiano about it at 1:30. Two former Secretaries of State have come forward to support Proposition 131 that would change the way we vote in Colorado and one of them is now Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and he wrote about it with Bernie Buescher here. Find out more about the debate tonight by clicking here.

WE MUST CODIFY SCHOOL CHOICE And Amendment 80 does just that by putting school choice into Colorado's Constitution. That is the ONLY way the teachers unions will stop trying to destroy the robust and wildly successful charter school system we have here in Colorado. A majority of the schools in the top ten in Colorado are charter schools are private schools and the teachers unions HATE THIS because they can't control either. Kristi Burton Brown (who is also running for Board of Education and you need to vote for her if you can) is on today to talk about the union money flowing in to stop this and why it must pass.

A WEB SERIES TO TEACH KIDS ABOUT BEING ONLINE I'm very excited to have Agnes from Social Smarts with Agnes, a very new web series that helps teach kids about social media and tech usage. Inspired by real conversations with her nephew, each episode is a quick 10-minute dive into the "why" behind social media. It is intended for parents to watch with their tweens for a fresh perspective and to help open an ongoing dialogue. In the very first episode, she unpacks why age 13 is the magic number for social media sign-ups. From the legal frameworks like COPPA regulations to data privacy and content suitability, she breaks it all down in an easy-to-understand way so parents can begin a dialog with their kids. A little about Agnes: she was on the early and launch teams for companies including TikTok and Tinder. Now, with this podcast, she's blending her professional expertise with a personal mission inspired by her efforts to educate my 10-year-old nephew so he has the tools to think smartly and safely about social m

WEATHER WEDNESDAY AT 12:30 And we'll chat with Fox 31's Chief Meteorologist Dave Fraser about the glorious weather we are having right now and when it will end. Get your weather questions ready!

BODIE WAS THE WINNER TO ME If you don't watch The Voice you may have missed a young man named bodie (he doesn't capitalize his name which makes the grammarian in me scream but here we are) who came in first runner up to a country singer who was good but not AS good IMO.

VALDAMAR ARCHULETA IS MAKING WAVES IN DISTRICT 1 As he runs against a long entrenched incumbent who needs to go. He had a nice write up by The Politics Watcher here. He just faced off with Degette this weekend and you should watch it.

A NEW BOOK TO CRY OVER But only because noted psychiatrist Judith Orloff has a new book out called The Genius of Empathy:Practical Skills to Heal Your Sensitive Self, Your Relationships, and the World. In it, she is drawing on insights from neuroscience, psychology, and energy medicine, Dr. Orloff shows us how to access our sensitivities, soothe our nervous system, and stop absorbing the emotions of others. She begins with the magic of empathy to find greater self-love and healing–including from trauma. Subsequent chapters apply empathy to our relationships, communities, and the world. Exploring each chapter’s practices, you’ll learn the art of empathic listening, how to stop overthinking, and the importance of setting healthy boundaries and loving detachment to prevent overwhelm, burnout, and more. Find out more about Dr. Orloff here, she joins me at 1pm to discuss.