This Is Berthoud

When a sudden job loss, medical diagnosis, divorce, or mental health crisis threatens the stability of you and your family, who is there to help you? Here in Berthoud, it's House of Neighborly Service.

Through their programs such as utility assistance and food distribution, as well as partnerships with other agencies for services like mental health care and tutoring, HNS has been helping our community navigate and recover from crises for decades. If you need some help, if you can give some help, or if you just want to understand what HNS is all about, Diane and Cherri share everything you need to know in this episode.

We may take for granted that we can simply open a faucet for water, but there's a lot of engineering that goes into getting clean water to our homes and treating what goes down our drains. Staff from the Town of Berthoud's water and wastewater department join us to talk through the intricacies of this vital service.

The impacts of light pollution range widely, disrupting bird migration, scientific research, and even human health. Town staff members join us to talk about the Dark Skies initiative in Berthoud, why it matters for our community, and simple ways you can help. (Close your curtains.)

If you love books, and you love dogs, and you love books that feature dogs, these authors are writing for you.

Margaret Mizushima and Kathleen Donnelly share all the details of their writing and publishing lives in this joint episode.

Margaret's latest: Dying Cry: a Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

Kathleen's latest: Colorado K-9 Rescue

In and around the Berthoud community, land has been set aside for your use in designated Open Spaces. Learn about the spots currently available for recreation, what's coming soon, and the unique features of our Open Spaces with Amie and Berthoud Town Administrator Chris Kirk.

Edward Hamlin, author of the novel Sonata in Wax, joins us to discuss writing, creative pursuits, and the literary scene in Colorado.

Brian and Chris from the Town of Berthoud join us to discuss what attracts a business to Berthoud, which types of businesses are likely never coming to town, and how economic development works in our community.

Anne Johnson, Community Development Director, and Chris Kirk, Town Administrator, both from the Town of Berthoud staff, join us to talk through community development processes, challenges, and opportunities.

Find out what happens and why before new neighborhoods and businesses are built in our community.

Did you know the Larimer County Sherriff's Office has a mental health co-responder unit? The unit's teams consist of a deputy and a mental health clinician. Hear directly from a deputy about how these teams work and the difference they're making by helping people who are facing a mental health crisis.

Barbara Bennett, Chief ScamBuster with the LCSO, joins us to discuss how to avoid being the victim of a scam, what to do if you do get caught up in a case of fraud, and how to help your friends and family members stay safe.

For the most updated information on scams targeting our community, and information on how to report and recover from these crimes, visit their webpage here: https://www.larimer.gov/sheriff/services/information/frauds-scams

While it's impossible to be completely safe in the online world, there are things that you can do to protect yourself. In this episode we'll discuss some tips for understanding your own online behavior, evaluating the information you're seeing, and interacting in ways that can help mitigate some of the risks.

It may be winter, but it's the right time to prepare for a spectacular summer of gardening. Jon Weiss, a Larimer County Master Gardener, shares all the things you should (and shouldn't) do now to set yourself up for success.

Corrina Marshall from the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative explains to us what a fireshed is, what projects are taking place in our fireshed, and why community is important to preventing catastrophic wildfires.

For more info, see their website: https://nocofireshed.org/

Kate Gaddis, the Executive Director of the local nonprofit organization A Woman's Work, joins us to explain how the organization helps women in need in our community, and how you can help as well.

We bet you don't think much about the logistics that happen when you call 911 in an emergency. Kimberly Culp from the Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority (LETA 911) tells us all about the technology, personnel, and tactics that go into getting the proper emergency response to you. Learn how to help the 911 operators help you, what new technology is available to the 911 operators, and how you can get alerts when there's a imminent emergency threat in our area.

Amie takes a few minutes to answer some recent questions about what the library deselects and removes from the collection, why it's necessary to weed items out, and what happens to those items once they're removed from the catalog.

Made in Colorado: a Berthoud Literary Festival will take place September 20 to 22, 2024. Get a sneak peek at what's coming in this short episode, and get ready to welcome great authors to the Berthoud community.

If you've voted in an election, applied for a marriage license, or registered a vehicle in Larimer County, you've interacted with the Clerk and Recorder's office. Tina Harris, our very own Larimer County Clerk and Recorder, joins us to talk about her job and all the things her office does in and for the community.

Cherri and Jinger from House of Neighborly Service (HNS) join us to talk about what services exist for those who need a boost, how to get connected to receive assistance, and how all of our community members can help keep our local families local.

Rhonda Solis, Colorado State Board of Education Representative for the 8th Congressional District, joins us to talk about the different challenges and opportunities ahead of our students and educators. Listen to hear more about education in Colorado from a state-wide perspective.

Camille and Ricardo from the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management join us to talk about how to prepare for emergencies, how to know when a disaster is imminent, and how our community can best recover after a disaster.

A short take on what goes into the decision about whether or not to close for a snow day.

Andrew Wayland, Museums Manager for the Berthoud Historical Society, joins us to discuss his work at the museum, some favorite Berthoud history tidbits, and how we can all learn more about the history of this community we call home.

Tiffany Brodie, Executive Director at Berthoud Habitat for Humanity, explains how Habitat works, what you can do if you need help with housing, and how you can help others in the community be at home.

Jillian from local organization Alternatives to Violence joins us to share what they do to help those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Learn how you can receive help if you need it or give help if you're able.

Tough Topic Alert: Suicide Prevention

We talk with Kim from the Alliance For Suicide Prevention of Larimer County about the various resources available to the community to help prevent suicide. Suicide prevention is a full-community effort, and everyone can help and can receive help.

For free, confidential, and immediate support, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988.

Rick, owner of RCom Computer Services, shares with us best practices for protecting all of your personal information while you're online.

Paul Furnas, the Town Forester and Open Space Manager with the Town of Berthoud, discusses what it takes to maintain Berthoud's nearly 9,000 trees, what makes Berthoud a Tree City USA, and how you can best maintain your own trees too.

Erin and Mark from the Larimer County Office on Aging share with us all the resources available to help you or your loved ones age well right here in Berthoud.

https://www.larimer.gov/humanservices/aging/ooa

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office is testing new equipment-- license plate cameras stationed along strategic roads throughout the county. Deputy Anderson explains to us what this new equipment allows the LCSO to do, how they're addressing any public concerns about the equipment, and what we can expect as the demo period comes to a close.

Meegan and Justin from the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources visited to help us understand Conservation Easements—what they are, how they work, and why they are important for the Berthoud community.

Does my recycling actually get recycled?  Who uses it?  How do I understand all the numbers on my plastics?  What new recycling innovation is coming to Northern Colorado?  Becca Walkinshaw from Republic Services answers all these questions and more.

Kathleen Donnelly shares her experience with working dogs who detect alcohol and narcotics in schools and private businesses in Northern Colorado, and how that experience plays into her book series.  Book one, Chasing Justice, is available for checkout or purchase now.

We get to chat with Amanda Thorstensen, owner of Joyful Brews right here in Berthoud.

Today we're covering the basic terms and math behind Colorado property taxes, so that you can understand how your property tax bills are calculated and make confident decisions regarding your property taxes.

Our Summer Learning Initiative is for everyone, so listen in as Library CEO Amie Pilla and Youth Services Librarian Christy Headrick explain how you can participate (and maybe even net some big prizes).

Today’s topic hits close to home for us here at the library, because today we’re talking about what items do or do not make it onto the library shelves and how that relates to banning books.

Berthoud Town Administrator Chris Kirk, Berthoud Fire Protection District Chief Steve Charles, and Berthoud Community Library CEO Amie Pilla get together to discuss how their organizations work together and how they're different.

Special guests Patrick Dillon and Will Karspeck join us to talk about affordable housing, housing authorities, and what is happening with housing in Berthoud.

Chief Steve Charles (BFPD) and Sergeant Jim Anderson (LCSO) join us to talk about how to be prepared for possible emergencies. 

Trigger warning: We talk about hypothetical car accidents, house fires, and active shooter incidents in this episode.

An interview about Berthoud real estate with local realtor and resident Joanna Rallo.

In this episode, we’re going to talk about cognitive biases. Different than preferences, cognitive biases are ways that our brains simplify the process of thinking for us. Take a listen and let us know what you think! 

In this episode we'll talk about happened with the Dr. Seuss books, censorship, and cultural conversation. 

Today we’re going to answer definitively, once and for all, no more discussion needed, that all important question we’ve all debated before: is Berthoud a small town?