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Megan Verlee

U.S.
2:11 am
Sun December 23, 2012

New Lives Emerge From Colo. Wildfire Ashes, Still Scarred

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Credit Megan Verlee for NPR
Janet Wilson describes the charred hillsides above her old home as "a vast area of toothpicks." She found the scene too sad to return to.
Credit Stephen Gandy
The fire was already burning in their Waldo Canyon neighborhood when Janet Wilson and her partner Stephen Gandy finished packing their cars and joined the evacuation.
Credit Stephen Gandy
As soon as they were allowed back into the neighborhood, family members joined Janet Wilson in searching through the rubble of her house.
Credit Megan Verlee for NPR
Janet Wilson salvaged a few things from the ashes of her former house, including her mother's sugar bowl and a single, fire-scorched Christmas ornament.
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Originally published on Mon December 24, 2012 10:44 am

West of the city of Colorado Springs, trees charred by the summer's wildfire scar the steep foothills. The Waldo Canyon fire destroyed more than 300 homes in June.

Now, that devastated neighborhood is coming back to life, with construction workers swarming over half-completed houses. While many of its former residents are preparing to move back, some just want to move on.

In the days after the fire devoured their homes, shell-shocked residents tried to wrap their minds around what had just happened to them.

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NPR Cities: Urban Life In The 21st Century
2:29 pm
Thu September 27, 2012

Aurora, Colo., Tries To Capitalize On Its Ethnic Riches

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Credit Megan Verlee for NPR
Families in a predominantly Latino youth soccer league gather for matches in Aurora. Hispanics make up nearly a third of the city's population, according to the 2010 Census.
Credit Megan Verlee for NPR
With its many Latino, African and Asian businesses, Colfax Avenue in Aurora, Colo., is a central artery for the city's most diverse neighborhoods. Inexpensive housing and convenient public transportation to jobs in Denver have attracted a highly diverse population to this city.
Credit Megan Verlee for NPR
Aurora police officer Tim Jeffrey explains common procedures to a group of Bhutanese refugees. The police department organized the outreach event to help newcomers feel more at home.
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Originally published on Fri September 28, 2012 10:00 am

Aurora, Colo., became a familiar name this summer, in the wake of a mass shooting at a local movie theater.

But there's much more to this Denver suburb than the recent tragedy. Just ask Ethiopian immigrant Fekade Balcha. Balcha's apartment, on Aurora's north side, sits in a dense neighborhood of squat brick apartment buildings and tiny homes.

"You see, in our apartment, there are Russians, Mexicans, Africans," Balcha says. "From Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria, and something like that."

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