An in-depth interview with Grand Junction resident Kurtis Minder, who grew from a precocious teen working for an internet startup in the '90s to the world’s most renowned ransomware negotiator who travels the globe spreading the gospel of internet security.

Before his current stint as a world-renowned ransomware negotiator, Grand Junction resident Kurtis Minder got his internet-world start as an unassuming teen playing an integral role in piecing together an e-commerce system that allowed (at the time) "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince" to circumvent record labels through online sales long before t…

The Tower Inferno examines the increasingly fast pace of modern society and its effects on the world of journalism with Rhema Zlaten, Assistant Professor of Mass Communications at Colorado Mesa University. Zlaten's research focuses specifically on philosophy and media ethics in light of the shift to digital news dissemination. Together we touch upo…

This episode of The Daily Direct, We Gather Together, looks at the difficult task of managing wild mustangs on public lands and protecting the rangeland that sustains an array of animals both wild and domesticated, a task that involves the practice of wild horse gathers, viewed by some animal rights activists as a controversial and unnecessary proc…

An interview with former National Parks and BLM Ranger Wayne Hare about his adventures in the wilds of the American West. He expresses pride at serving on many search and rescue teams and reminisces about the difficulty of bringing home the body of one of their own. The New England native also reflects on why he calls the Colorado Plateau his home …

In this episode of The Daily Direct, in the midst of a heated midterm election season, Daily Sentinel Audience Engagement Director Gretchen Reist sits down with Tim Sarmo and Dennis Kirtland, founding members of Restore the Balance, a local non-profit made up of voters from across the political spectrum working together to combat the rising tide of…

In our continuing series on journalistic challenges in a digital environment saturated with disinformation, we profile The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel's Dan West, the paper's newly-minted editorial page editor. In addition to exploring Dan's past history in the industry, we examine the important role of the paper's dedicated Opinion section in a …

An interview with Citizens for Clean Air members Karen Sjoberg and Jerry Nelson about their organization's ongoing study into the potential use of biochar as an alternative to agricultural burning.

A conversation with 37-year Grand Junction Daily Sentinel photojournalist Christopher Tomlinson on the eve of his retirement from full time working life.

Part 2 of my conversation with Wayne Hare, founder of The Civil Conversations Project. Where Part 1 focused on Wayne's personal history and racial awakening, Part 2 focuses on some of the more over-arching themes and consequences of racial division, such as the physical and emotional toll it takes on the human body and how to reconcile the history …

Part 1 of a conversation of being black in America with Wayne Hare, founder of the Civil Conversations Project. Wayne's story is living proof that no group of people - black, white or otherwise - is monolithic and that eradicating racial inequality involves a process of recognizing the almost undetectable socialization that prolongs it.…

Travel the culinary world from the comfort of home with one of The Daily Sentinel's newest additions, Christine Gallagher, columnist of All Things Food. In addition to reflecting on the bounty offered by Grand Valley growers, vintners and brewers, Christine shares her personal relationship to food and its ability to nourish the body and soul; gives…

The 3rd installment in this podcast collaboration between the Crossing the Divide media project and The Daily Sentinel, which provides an inside look at life behind the scenes at your local newspaper. This episode, a Reader Feature, is a conversation with Sentinel reader Keith Vogt. Not a local resident, Keith reached out to the Sentinel to reconne…

On July 31st of 2020, a lightning strike in a remote area north of Grand Junction, CO sparked what would later come to be called The Pine Gulch Fire. It would eventually blow up into the largest wildfire in Colorado history until The Cameron Peak fire on Colorado's Front Range exceeded it in October of the same year. Eric Coulter, Public Affairs Sp…

The 2nd installment of Crossing the Divide's Season 4 feature, The Daily Direct, introduces Daily Sentinel Managing Editor Dale Shrull. Dale takes you inside the newsroom, tracing the journey of a local news tip as it transforms into a full-fledged news story and discusses the challenge of properly vetting facts before publication in a culture wher…

Targeted Disinformation. Social Media. Section 230. Just a few of the threats facing traditional print media outlets in the 21st century. Crossing the Divide takes you behind the scenes at a small town newspaper, The Daily Sentinel, with frank and open discussions about the difficulties and importance of keeping local journalism alive in an age of …

Transpersonal Counseling. Alchemical Hypnotherapy. Astrology. Radical Living. Part reflection, part projection. You've Crossing the Divide via Astrologer Dulce Bell-Bulley.

An in-depth discussion about climate change in the Western Slope region with former National Weather Service forecaster, Joe Ramey. Roughly a decade ago, as the Climate Liaison at the Grand Junction office, Joe undertook his own regional climate study to better understand potential changes in climate occurring here on the ground and to inform the l…

8 months into the year 2020 a global pandemic of COVID-19 continues to rage here at home and around the world. The United States, struggling to adopt a coherent national plan to combat the disease, faces another rise in cases and surmounting death toll as we enter our yearly flu season with the potential for a twindemic that could cripple our healt…

A conversation with best-selling author and Colorado Mesa University Assistant Professor of History, Timothy Winegard, whose latest book, The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator examines the dramatic impact of a pesky but seemingly unassuming creature on the course of human existence. The release of this podcast coincides with the r…

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our …

Audience members of the 2019 Grand Junction Film Festival Filmmaker Panel follow up with their own questions about how to succeed in the production world.

Your Oscar awaits! Crossing the Divide brings you exclusive access to the Filmmaker Panel hosted in October 2019 by the Grand Junction Film Festival. This discussion features professionals from the film and television industry sharing their personal journeys on the path to successful media careers along with predictions for what lies ahead for view…

Dinos and Dogma features Stephanie Lukowski, Curator of Education for Museums of Western Colorado. Stephanie details what drew her to study the strange world of prehistoric mammals and her eventual decision to pursue science education. She addresses the struggles encountered as an aspiring scientist raised in a devout religious family and explains …

A discussion with Julia McHugh, Museum of the West's Curator of Palentology, about the importance of the Western Colorado region in shaping the future of paleontological study. In addition to providing an insider's perspective on this small but intriguing area of natural science, Julia reveals details of groundbreaking work in the study of Forgotte…

This add-on to Ep 14 is a recording of the Q & A session between our live audience and panelists that followed our discussion.

In 2019, for the first time in our nation's history, power generated from renewable energy surpassed that of coal, the result of a continued downward trend in the demand for coal-fired electricity driven largely by market forces reducing the cost of renewable energy production. For rural communities built on extractive industries, the potential imp…

Open spaces open minds and soothe the soul. Yet increasing demands on our time and continued economic disparity prevent many of us from enjoying the recreational offerings of our public lands. And a population disconnected from its natural landscapes is less likely to grasp the interplay between environmental health and human well-being. In 2010 Co…

If you've been harboring thoughts of major life changes, this conversation with Grand Junction philanthropist and entrepreneur Jen Taylor will give you the kick in the pants you need to make them happen. A master of re[invention], Jen has been carving out unique niches for herself on this earth since before she left home. It's a craft she continues…

Part 2 of Development in Bloom/s/ features a conversation with Bennett Boeschenstein, who, in his former role as Community Development Director for the City of Grand Junction, was intricately involved in the planning and development of the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens. Bennett reflects on the poor state of the riverfront upon his arrival in t…

Sue and John Harris remember their mother, Elizabeth Harris, founder of Grand Junction's Western Colorado Botanical Gardens and a visionary in the movement to reclaim the Colorado Riverfront from decades of pollution and neglect. They detail her passion for promoting our unique history and riparian habitat by connecting access to the river with the…

A profile of Hilltop's Latimer House program, Safe House features Program Director Jackie Sievers detailing the critical services provided to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault throughout a four county region. Jackie sheds light on the scope and spectrum of domestic violence in our community and on the difficulties associated with leaving…

Our final, full-length podcast on the Old Spanish Trail has arrived. Put on your hiking shoes, saddle up your horse or hop on your bike to travel the arduous lengths of the Old Spanish Trail. Old Spanish Trail Association President and Grand Junction local Vicki Felmee details fascinating aspects of a historic trade route that wends its way westwar…

Long before it earned the name Old Spanish Trail, this 2700 mile trade route was one of numerous trails traversed by Native Americans moving across the western landscape. In this PopUp prelude to our full-length podcast on the history and preservation of the Old Spanish Trail, Carl Conner of the Dominguez Archaeological Research Group discusses how…

A tie-in to our upcoming full-length podcast on the Old Spanish Trail, this PopUp is one of many figurative road trips for the taking along this historic 2,700 mile trade route. It features Old Spanish Trail Association President and Grand Valley resident Vicki Felmlee discussing the global phenomenon of Culturally Modified Trees. Click play now fo…

Katherine Bedell, owner of Roan Creek Ranch, discusses mounting threats to modern day ranching and details her efforts to transform the cattle industry here on the Western Slope by utilizing sustainable practices that benefit the animal, the ecosystem and the consumer. Katherine's vision encompasses a cooperative farm-to-table effort on the part of…

While conventional rock stars are busy fighting Foo...the rock stars at Mesa County Public Health are hard at work fighting Flu. Epidemiology Program Manager Heidi Dragoo puts all that ails us under a conversational microscope in an effort to mitigate cold and flu season for Mesa County residents.

Introducing Crossing the Divide "PopUps," content quickies that quell the cravings of curious minds. These could include informal conversations with area notables; interviews with intriguing individuals; or portions of podcasts that don't make the final cut. Our first PopUp, "Just Say No(ro)" was lifted from our soon-to-be-released podcast with Mes…

Historical perspective on Coates Creek School, the last remaining example of a one-room, log cabin schoolhouse in the United States, and the center of life for ranching families on Colorado's Western Slope throughout much of the 20th century. Featuring Gateway Canyons' "Curator of Curiosity" Zebulon Miracle and members of the Roehm family, former G…

An interview with local author Heather Portenier sheds light on a writer's life in Western Colorado and the exciting opportunities - and daunting challenges - presented by emerging platforms for self-published works. Exploring the creative process through the eyes of a homegrown writer, this podcast edition contributes local flavor to the ongoing P…

A sit-down with D51 Foundation Executive Director Angela Christensen, who updates us on progress made since the passage of last year's bond measure and mill levy; provides some perspective on the recent controversy over the school district reorganization; and educates us on the Foundation's mission to support teacher development and student success…

Inspired to explore the ill effects of excess sugar in the American diet after viewing Colorado Experience's "White Gold," (written and directed by CMU Producer in Residence Dan Garrison) I sit down with Community Hospital's VP of Business Development Tawny Espinoza to discuss improving health outcomes through simple dietary and lifestyle changes.…

Part 2 of our conversation with CMU Mass Communications Instructor Elaine Venter about #MeToo and the social media impact on the fight to end sexual harassment. Here we examine how to utilize social media technology to create social movements and what, if any, continued role online media will play in the ongoing evolution of the struggle for women'…

CMU Instructor of Mass Communications Elaine Venter sits in for a discussion of how and why social media encourages expression of moral outrage and how this reality propelled the #MeToo movement into a legitimate force of change.

As the van drives over the Golden Gate Bridge, Rachel says goodbye in her last Crossing the Divide podcast. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear and "Home, Home at Last" by Blue Dot Sessions.Crossing the Divide

Rachel shared several of her favorite soundscapes from the road trip across America. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear.Crossing the Divide

As the fellowship wraps up, Rachel shared part of an interview from Minneapolis that didn't make it into the reporting project for Minnesota. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear and "Town Market" by Blue Dot Sessions.Crossing the Divide

Brittany and Qainat shared why they're going to Fresno, CA, this weekend. It involves some awesome mariachi music and flamenco dancing. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear and "Querida" by Omar Nare.Crossing the Divide

With one week left in the fellowship, Rachel turned in a draft of her radio script for the reporting in California. Part of the team headed north of San Francisco to a small beach town. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear and "Sylvester" by Blue Dot Sessions.Crossing the Divide

In an interview last night, Reverend Amos Brown discussed the role of black churches in America, and how evil in the form of racism threatens to tear apart this country. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear, "Just Below the Surface" and "Plate Synthesis" by Blue Dot Sessions.Crossing the Divide