Rae Solomon

Dec. 1, 2025: Green energy jobs in demand, mass shooting suspect’s death ends the fight for justice, World AIDS Day | Colorado Public Radio First, we remember State Sen. Faith Winter, who has died in a car wreck. Then, for the first time, the state has a list of what specific jobs will be needed to meet climate goals. Plus, in the case of...

Happy December! My adventures in freelance & job searching continue. Exciting news this week:

I spoke w/ @cprnews.bsky.social's @hayleemay.bsky.social for the most recent ep of Colorado Today about the state's first ever accounting of our climate workforce needs.

www.cpr.org/podcast-epis...

A new state report takes stock of Colorado’s climate workforce The Colorado Climate Workforce Analysis & Plan is the first comprehensive accounting of the workforce needed to carry out the state’s climate action plans.

Hitting Colorado's ambitious climate goals is going to take a lot of work over the next decade-plus... and it's going to take a lot of workers, too. My latest story, reported for @cprnews.bsky.social unpacks a new state report on this emerging climate workforce.

www.cpr.org/2025/11/19/c...

A new state report takes stock of Colorado’s climate workforce The Colorado Climate Workforce Analysis & Plan is the first comprehensive accounting of the workforce needed to carry out the state’s climate action plans.

My latest story is about Colorado's newly released Climate Workforce study, reported for @coloradopublic.bsky.social. An interesting follow up to my recent series on the rural climate workforce. Check it out!

www.cpr.org/2025/11/19/c...

Geothermal energy networks are gaining heat. But are there enough workers to build them? A Colorado coal town’s big geothermal dreams say a lot about the shifting energy job market.

My story on the growing interest in geothermal energy networks – and the workforce we’ll need to build them - is on marketplace tech today!

www.marketplace.org/episode/2025...

The layoffs were announced in September, but I was still there, working on this last project until Friday. My heart is still hurting. But I'm proud of this final effort, and hope there will be more stories to share in the future, when I land in a new professional home.

Ta for now!

I've worked at KUNC for more than 5 years, first as a producer/reporter for the daily news show, and then as a reporter on the rural beat. That run officially came to an end last week, when KUNC eliminated the rural beat, and my job, from the newsroom, a result of termination of CPB funding.

Greener Pastures is my 3-part series about building the climate workforce in rural Colorado. This project is my very last set of stories for KUNC.

www.kunc.org/greener-past...

Colorado wants to build more geothermal energy networks. But it needs to build the workforce first A Colorado coal town’s big geothermal dreams say a lot about the region's shifting job market.

The third and final story in my series about building the climate workforce in rural Colorado explores growing interest in geothermal energy networks and whether we have a ready workforce capable of building them.
www.kunc.org/news/2025-11...

Climate adaptation is on the curriculum for future farmers and ranchers in Colorado and beyond An apprenticeship program in Colorado and the Mountain West teaches agriculture students to farm and ranch for more extreme weather.

The 2nd story in my series on building the climate workforce in rural Colorado zooms in on an apprenticeship teaching aspiring ranchers to work in a hotter drier climate, and explores how climate adaptation is taught in agricultural education across the country.
www.kunc.org/news/2025-11...

The latest climate solution for rural Colorado? Career education in the skilled trades Higher education is teaming up with skilled trade industries in Colorado’s High Country to grow the rural climate workforce of tomorrow.

Greener Pastures, my 3-part series about building the climate workforce in rural Colorado, is out now.

The first story explains why skilled tradespeople are some of the most vital and in-demand climate workers in Colorado's mountain towns.
www.kunc.org/news/2025-11...

Colorado apprenticeship program teaches ag students climate adaptation skills Adapting to a changing climate is now an essential skill for ranchers and farmers.

My 2nd story on educating the rural climate workforce aired on @marketplace.org Morning Report today. It looks at how we're preparing future ag producers to farm and ranch in a hotter, drier climate.

Regenerative ranching apprenticeship? Indeed!
www.marketplace.org/story/2025/1...

(Seriously though… is that for real? Or is it AI generated? I have to know!!)

Wowza! Cherry blossom welding helmet. 😍

I’m sure the guys in the shop won’t blink an eye at that.

So... yes, thoroughly appreciating the irony that my last set of stories before I officially become a job seeker myself focuses on.... workforce development!!

(And by the way, based on my reporting... the skilled trades are looking real good to me right now)

Sadly, the series is also the last set of stories I'll report for KUNC before my job officially falls victim to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding elimination at the end of this month 😭😭😭

This story is the first of a three-part series on the climate workforce and career education in rural Colorado, produced as part of the Higher Ed Media Fellowship with the Institute for Citizens & Scholars and the ECMC Foundation.

What a great experience! 💜

Skilled tradespeople are the climate workforce rural areas need most In Colorado, industry and higher ed are teaming up to grow the rural climate workforce of tomorrow.

Hi! 👋

My latest story digs into the high demand for skilled tradespeople in the rural mountain towns of Colorado... and why these jobs are a crucial part of the climate workforce of the future. It aired on Marketplace by APM yesterday afternoon.

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/1...

Sadly, this series will also be the last set of stories I'll report for KUNC and The Colorado Sound before my job officially falls victim to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding elimination at the end of this month😭😭

This story is the first of a three-part series on the climate workforce and career education in rural Colorado, produced as part of the Higher Ed Media Fellowship with the Institute for Citizens & Scholars and the ECMC Foundation.

It's been such an extreme privilege to bring rural Colorado to life on the airways.

Oh, and, if you know of any interesting opportunities for a multi-talented creative journalist/audio producer, don't be shy. ✌

I'm experiencing all kinds of feelings right now. Grief. Anger. Pain. Confusion. Maybe even a little hope that there's something even better for me out there. Although today's climate, that's a little hard to see.

Working at KUNC has easily been the best 5 years of my professional life.

This job brought me so much joy, pride and growth. I'm devastated for myself and for the KUNC newsroom, which took the brunt of yesterday's deep layoffs.

Wow. I can't believe it's over. Yesterday I was told that my job as rural and small communities reporter at KUNC is being eliminated because of the federal government's cuts to the CPB.

USDA ends decades-long push to address discrimination. What that means for Colorado farmers The USDA abruptly ended policies to address the long history of discrimination against minority and women farmers last month.

Last month the USDA ended all efforts to level the playing field for minorities & women in agriculture, declaring they've already "sufficiently addressed" discrimination. Mission accomplished.

BIPOC farmers in Colorado might have a bone to pick. My latest for KUNC.

www.kunc.org/news/2025-08...

Trump EPA cuts massive Solar For All program that had $156 million for clean energy in Colorado The Trump administration signaled its intention to terminate a major solar grant program last week.

The EPA under President Trump wants to scrap the $7 billion Solar For All program that makes solar accessible for moderate-to-low-income families. In Colorado, the $156 million grant would have expanded solar to 20K families in the next 5 years.

My latest for KUNC.

www.kunc.org/news/2025-08...

We often think of extreme heat as a problem in our cities - seethe "urban heat island effect." But a new study points out the risks are just as relevant - maybe just a little different - in rural areas.

My latest story for KUNC.

www.kunc.org/news/2025-08...

Wildfire burn scar mushrooms delight foragers... and elude scientists Burn morel mushrooms are coveted for their tastiness. They're enigmatic and finicky. And they love a good wildfire.

Burn scar mushrooms cause a craze among foragers in the mountains of the West. They're prolific. They're delicious. And they only pop up after wildfires burn through a forest.

My latest story for KUNC:
www.kunc.org/news/2025-07...

Boulder public radio station KGNU braces for loss in federal funds KGNU expects to lose 15.5% of its operating budget, after congress narrowly approved a measure that includes the total elimination of federal funding for public media for the next two years. For KG…

KGNU, Boulder’s flagship public radio station for more than 40 years, expects to lose 15.5% of its operating budget after Congressional Republicans eliminated federal funding for public media for the next two years // Story by @bamesjurky.bsky.social

Researchers scramble to find money for sustainable agriculture after cuts Billions in funding President Biden awarded to reduce the 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that come from agriculture is being called a "slush fund," and clawed back by the Trump administration.

Public Media will thrive despite the rescission vote because we provide a unique, beloved and vital public service.

To wit:
My story about federal cuts to sustainable ag research airs on @npr.org this afternoon.

Take time to love on your local public media today!

www.npr.org/2025/07/21/n...

Federal climate spending cuts mean big losses for ag science and the future of farming in Colorado The federal government abruptly canceled funding for Climate Smart Agriculture in April. The move cut millions of dollars for important scientific research into how farmers can adapt to climate change...

Farmers and ranchers are feeling the cuts to federal climate spending. One of the most long-reaching impacts might be the cancelation of funding for ag science research into how producers can most effectively adapt to the changing climate.

My latest story for KUNC.

www.kunc.org/news/2025-07...