KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler

A total of 21 groups have spent almost $20 million on 18,956 ads in the Denver market airing between July 30 and Nov. 6, an analysis shows. It found that President Obama and his allies are outspending Republican Mitt Romney and conservative groups allied with him, at least for now.

The deadly movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., is starting to play out in two tight congressional races in that battleground state. The shootings left twelve dead and injured 58 more. In the weeks since, the two Democratic candidates running in districts in and around Aurora have called for stricter gun laws. But conservatives have accused them of trying to politicize the tragedy.

As conservative advocacy groups ike Americans for Prosperity shuffle their ad dollars, they are focusing on key swing states like Colorado. Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips says states like Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico "haven't seen the results from the president's policies."

In one House race, a conservative group is accusing a Democrat of politicizing the shootings after he called for stricter gun control laws. And in a newly redrawn district that includes Aurora, the tragedy could permeate the general election campaign.

Outside the movie theater in Aurora, Colo, where Friday's deadly shooting occurred, there's a makeshift memorial at the edge of a hot and dusty lot. There are hundreds of candles and flowers, American flags and signs memorializing the victims. There are also some signs around town that life is starting to return to normal.

Crews are struggling to get the upper hand on several large, destructive wildfires burning across the parched southern Rockies. In Colorado, the High Park Fire that sparked over the weekend has quickly grown to the second largest wildfire in that state's history. From member station KUNC, Kirk Siegler reports from Fort Collins.

New drilling technologies and rising fuel prices have generated a boom in U.S. oil and gas drilling. It is also creating many high-paying jobs for young people. The average starting salary for petroleum engineering grads is nearly $79,000.

The Denver police are asking taxi drivers to help them catch criminals with a new bulletin alert system. In the months since the Taxis on Patrol program started, cabbies have helped police arrest hundreds of criminals, from carjackers to drunken drivers.

Colorado holds its Republican caucuses on Tuesday. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have focused their attention there recently. The state will also be a key battleground in the general election contest. From Denver, Kirk Siegler of member station KUNC reports.

The National Western Stock Show going on this month in the Mile High City is now in its 106th year. The show is considered the marquee event for all things livestock. But every year, thousands of people flock to an old coliseum on the outskirts of town to see a lot more than just cows.