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Up to 175 skiers being rescued from Winter Park gondola after “operational malfunction”

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/21/winter-park-gondola-rescue/

Published: December 21, 2024 23:15

A Winter Park spokesperson said no injuries were reported but the ski patrol had to evacuate 150-175 skiers and snowboarders who were stranded in the resort’s 6-year-old gondola

What’s Working: Is charm an economic impact? A Denver developer with a love for historic preservation says yes.

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/21/economic-impact-historic-preservation-jobs/

Published: December 21, 2024 11:30

Also: Colorado’s unemployment rate is higher than the nation's for the first time in three years, but we’re tops for job openings. Plus: Fruition closing, see how computers are made in Denver, more!

Colorado governor issues 22 pardons and commutes sentences of 4 people, including 2 men convicted of murder

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/jared-polis-2025-clemency-power/

Published: December 20, 2024 22:18

Polis has pardoned people every year since he took office in 2019. He issued 21 pardons and commuted the sentences of seven people last year.

U.S. Senate approves historic legislation to improve access, opportunities on public lands at 11th hour

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/u-s-senate-approves-historic-legislation-to-improve-access-opportunities-on-public-lands-at-11th-hour/

Published: December 20, 2024 18:11

The bipartisan EXPLORE Act, championed by Colorado’s federal lawmakers, is hailed as groundbreaking and affirms outdoor recreation’s increasing role in the economy

The effort to prevent Colorado voters from being asked to approve tax collections over revenue projections

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/the-unaffiliated-20241220/

Published: December 20, 2024 16:04

Plus: New faces at the Colorado Capitol. What voters think of Jared Polis and Donald Trump. Crisanta Duran for … something.

An old restaurant vs. a QuikTrip just off I-70

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/the-sunriser-12202024/

Published: December 20, 2024 16:01

Plus: A new way to mine for gold, wins for climbers and mountain homeowners, a slightly less ghastly state budget deficit and more Colorado news

Overdose deaths among Denver’s homeless population declined for the first time in six years

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/homeless-deaths/

Published: December 20, 2024 16:00

The nearly 300 Denver-area homeless people who died in 2024 will be honored on the longest night of the year.

Loved restaurant vs. QuikTrip: A timeless development dilemma just off I-70

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/el-rancho-i-70-restaurant-quiktrip/

Published: December 20, 2024 11:08

Evergreen neighbors want to save a longstanding restaurant while stopping a big QuikTrip gas station at the iconic El Rancho stop

Leadville Mill owners drop cyanide from plans to process mine waste in search for gold

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/leadville-reclamation-extrakt/

Published: December 20, 2024 10:50

The CJK Milling plan for the dormant Leadville Mill now plans to use a new chemical process that eliminates the decades-old cyanide leaching process. Locals remain wary with “so many questions.”

Were outdoor Christmas lights popularized in Colorado?

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/outdoor-christmas-lights-popularized-colorado/

Published: December 20, 2024 10:45

Yes. A Denver electrician helped launch the Christmas tradition of outdoor light displays in 1914, History Colorado says.

Drew Litton: Fa-la-la-la football!

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/drew-litton-colorado-holiday-football/

Published: December 20, 2024 09:15

Cartoonist Drew Litton illustrates how, whether college or pro, the state's football teams have gifted Coloradans unexpected success this holiday season.

Jim Morrissey: Santa considers Xcel’s wish list

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/jim-morrissey-santa-considers-xcel-wish-list/

Published: December 20, 2024 09:10

Jim Morrissey imagines that Santa doesn't seem too receptive to the recent request from Xcel Energy for $5 billion for upgrades.

“What’d I Miss?”: Channeling AI into really useful tasks

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/20/whatd-i-miss-channeling-ai-tasks-we-hate/

Published: December 20, 2024 09:05

In "What'd I Miss?" Ossie's songwriting friend explains why artificial intelligence would be better directed toward the mundane than the creative.

Coyote killed near where a child was attacked in Colorado Springs had human DNA on its paws, wildlife officers say

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/19/human-dna-reveals-coyote-that-attacked-child/

Published: December 20, 2024 01:29

Two coyotes were removed after they were observed repeatedly visiting the site of the Thanksgiving attack, suggesting they were being fed

Colorado’s budget deficit is now forecast to be smaller than the $1 billion hole originally predicted

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/19/colorado-budget-deficit-new-forecast/

Published: December 19, 2024 19:11

The state budget hole will be more like $750 million, according to nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff and the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting, which presented their quarterly budget and economic forecasts Thursday to the Joint Budget…

Park Service kills proposed policy banning bolts. Climbers and wilderness advocates are cheering.

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/19/outsider-20241219/

Published: December 19, 2024 17:35

Plus: STRs dodge a bullet, Leadville gold plan nixes cyanide, Old Spice inspires National Ski Patrol revamp, White River NF closes its Glenwood HQ

Colorado’s new hands-free law explained

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/19/the-sunriser-12192024/

Published: December 19, 2024 16:06

Plus: A controversial plan to ban climbing bolts canceled, a sweet story about Enstrom’s toffee, What’s Happening this weekend and more

United Airlines will begin seasonal, nonstop flight from Denver to Rome next year

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/19/united-adds-denver-rome-flight/

Published: December 19, 2024 15:54

The Denver-Rome flight will be offered daily from May 1 to Sept. 25

Never tried Enstrom’s toffee? You’re missing out on a nearly century-long Colorado holiday tradition.

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/19/enstrom-toffee-colorado-holiday-tradition/

Published: December 19, 2024 11:22

“If you don’t give Enstrom toffee, people are asking, ‘do you not like me anymore?’”

Colorado’s new hands-free law, which bans cellphone use while driving, goes into effect Jan. 1

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/19/colorado-hands-free-law-jan-1/

Published: December 19, 2024 11:02

Driving with a phone in your hand in Colorado can get you a $75 fine and two points against your license

Congress approves continued funding for endangered fish recovery programs in Colorado, Western states

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/19/congress-funding-endangered-fish-recovery-programs-colorado-western-states/

Published: December 19, 2024 10:27

The programs, which focus on the Colorado River and San Juan River basins, aim to help rebuild endangered fish populations.

Opinion: Colorado’s legislature and governor cannot go back on their promise to our students

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/19/opinion-colorado-legislature-school-funding-budget-crisis/

Published: December 19, 2024 08:30

Gov. Jared Polis and lawmakers must make the new school funding formula their top priority in the upcoming budget process

National Park Service kills controversial plan to ban climbing bolts in wilderness areas

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/national-park-service-kills-bolt-ban-plan/

Published: December 19, 2024 01:40

NPS on Wednesday said it was ending a nearly two-year controversial plan that would have allowed local land managers to more closely regulate climbing anchors in wilderness areas

Is Medicaid eating the state budget?

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/temperature-20241218/

Published: December 18, 2024 20:26

Plus: A medical ethics expert on the UnitedHealthcare shooting

Man was under the influence when he struck, killed 2 CDOT employees along U.S. 6 in Mesa County, State Patrol says

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/us-6-fatal-crash-patrick-sneddon-arrest/

Published: December 18, 2024 20:15

Patrick Sneddon, 59, faces three counts of vehicular homicide, and other charges in the triple fatal crash Sept. 4

Sun readers show off their wordsmithing in the RMMWA’s annual 6-word Mystery Contest

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/colorado-sun-6-word-mystery-2024/

Published: December 18, 2024 19:58

Colorado Sun reader entries in the Cozy and Romance & Lust categories earned finalist recognition from a distinguished panel of judges in the RMMWA's 6-word Mystery Contest.

We haven’t seen demand like this since AC was invented

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/the-sunriser-20241218/

Published: December 18, 2024 16:06

Plus: School districts once again fear cuts, ethics complaint filed against Democratic senator and removing language barriers

Building a grid good enough to support thousands of new EVs and heat pumps will cost Colorado Xcel customers $5 billion

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/electric-grid-xcel-energy-ev-heat-pump-solar-wind-natural-gas/

Published: December 18, 2024 11:03

State’s largest utility wants new and improved substations to meet “a demand on the grid we haven’t seen since the advent of air conditioning”

After hopes of progress, some Colorado school districts fear deep cuts under Gov. Polis’ proposed budget

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/colorado-school-funding-cuts-polis-budget-proposal/

Published: December 18, 2024 10:37

Facing a $1 billion budget deficit, the state must find ways to trim spending. Polis is eyeing changes to school funding that some education leaders say would be “catastrophic.”

Ethics complaint filed against embattled state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis over alleged aide mistreatment

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/sonya-jaquez-lews-ethics-complaint/

Published: December 18, 2024 10:32

The complaint could lead to the most serious consequences yet for the Longmont Democrat who has already been stripped of her committee assignments and barred from having state-paid staffers at the Capitol

Food-focused nonprofits in Durango push for access to services in immigrants’ first languages

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/colorado-durango-food-nonprofits-language-justice/

Published: December 18, 2024 10:15

Recognizing “language justice,” there is a concerted effort to create spaces where everyone can communicate and participate without language barriers

Littwin: After another school shooting, let’s face the facts. This is who we are.

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/18/school-shooting-guns-opinion-littwin/

Published: December 18, 2024 10:05

The Madison police chief said after the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School that “enough is enough.” But history tells us it’s never enough.

The final spending number for Proposition 131 — and the interesting places the money went

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/17/unaffiliated-20241217/

Published: December 17, 2024 16:23

Plus: A 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary poll. A change at NFIB. Gabe Evans on his committee assignment.

Tug-of-war over Colorado River water

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/17/sunriser-20241217/

Published: December 17, 2024 16:18

Plus: Last-minute action on Colorado’s endangered species, bogus oil and gas data along the Front Range and more

Bogus oil and gas data filed for wells in or near 15 Front Range cities and towns, Colorado regulators say

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/17/bogus-data-oil-and-gas-colorado-weld-county/

Published: December 17, 2024 11:17

Case has been referred to prosecutors, though Energy and Carbon Management Commission investigation has found no new health risks

Colorado sees flurry of last-minute action on endangered species ahead of Trump administration

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/17/colorado-endangered-species-mixed-results/

Published: December 17, 2024 11:08

Here's a scorecard of the wins and losses for threatened species in the West

Tribal, Arizona officials are racing to push a landmark water bill through Congress. Colorado is one of the states in their way.

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/17/tribal-arizona-officials-landmark-water-bill-congress-colorado/

Published: December 17, 2024 10:29

The deal could secure water for tens of thousands of people in northeastern Arizona and provide a reservation for one tribal nation — if Upper Basin concerns can be resolved.

Opinion: Having a healthy beaver population will help restore Colorado ecosystems and watersheds

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/17/opinion-colorado-beaver-population-improve-ecosystems/

Published: December 17, 2024 08:30

Successful beaver recovery in Colorado includes engaging with agricultural and private landowners to address their concerns

Breaking a COVID pattern in Colorado

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/16/sunriser-20241216/

Published: December 16, 2024 16:06

Plus: Sports controversy tests Colorado’s pro-trans laws, Cuchara Mountain Park coming back to life, precision medicine gains and more

Colorado’s pro-transgender laws — and scientific studies — can’t solve the sports controversy

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/16/transgender-sports-fairness/

Published: December 16, 2024 11:00

Colorado is a trans-friendly state but barriers remain. We checked in with experts on the laws and science around trans women in sports.

A 10-year-old Parker girl’s disease is one in a million, and advancements in her lifetime made all the difference

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/16/clinical-trial-rare-blood-disease/

Published: December 16, 2024 11:00

Juliette is one of just 33 children in the world taking a new injectable drug to keep her rare blood disease from attacking her own organs

Can you be ticketed for driving with a phone in your hand under a new Colorado law?

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/16/new-colorado-hands-free-cellphone-law/

Published: December 16, 2024 10:45

Yes. Holding a phone while driving in Colorado becomes illegal Jan. 1, with some exceptions

Colorado’s COVID trends just broke a pattern that had occurred every fall since 2020

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/16/colorado-covid-trends-hospitalizations-2024/

Published: December 16, 2024 10:29

Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 skipped their annual late-November spike. An unusual summer wave of infections and greater immunity may be the reason.

Zornio: The new Trump administration could have huge impacts on public lands. Here’s how that might play out

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/16/trump-public-lands-opinion-zornio/

Published: December 16, 2024 10:05

From public lands to community resilience and access to data, CU professor Dr. Deserai Anderson Crow shares her thoughts on what Coloradans can expect in the coming years

Southern Colorado ski area, which has been closed for 24 years, gets $250K from state, boost from community

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/16/cuchara-grant-colorado-outdoor-recreation/

Published: December 16, 2024 07:50

The grant will help volunteers at Cuchara Mountain Park use a snowcat-pulled passenger sled to ferry skiers while they work on a chairlift

Colorado has spent $360M preserving its history since 1990. Here are some success stories.

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/15/historic-preservation-success-history-colorado-funding/

Published: December 15, 2024 10:48

History Colorado's State Historical Fund has helped breathe new life into — and keep hope alive for — many communities

Nicolais: Our health care system is a patchwork jumble no one would build

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/15/health-care-insurance-opinion-nicolais/

Published: December 15, 2024 10:03

Broad public support for Luigi Mangione exposes a broken system — not just in health care, but in populist acceptance of violence

In “Mamie’s Well,” a baby-trafficking scheme unfolds on the border

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/15/sunlit-mamies-well-daniel-ginsberg/

Published: December 15, 2024 09:15

In "Mamie's Well," shifting identity and shady transactions combine to create the illegal adoption plot at the root of book one of Daniel Ginsberg's trilogy.

Daniel Ginsberg’s N.Y. childhood, military experience led to trilogy

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/15/sunlit-daniel-ginsberg-mamies-well/

Published: December 15, 2024 09:10

When Daniel Ginsberg, the author of a crime/thriller trilogy, came across a magazine article about a doctor who trafficked in illegal adoptions, the seed of book one, "Mamie's Well," was planted.

Old Firehouse Books suggests fantasy, food and sci-fi

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/15/old-firehouse-books-december-recommendations/

Published: December 15, 2024 09:05

The staff from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins recommends the tale of an uncommon arranged marriage, a super useful cookbook and a 22nd-century saga.

Littwin: Now that we know RFK Jr.’s top aide asked FDA to ban polio vaccine, isn’t it time for Polis to admit his mistake?

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/15/polis-rfk-vaccine-opinion-littwin/

Published: December 15, 2024 07:05

When asked, a Polis spokesperson said the governor supports the polio vaccine. But Polis said nothing about his Kennedy endorsement.

A nonprofit leader, a social worker, a Denver anti-violence activist: Here are the people on Biden’s clemency list

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/14/johnnie-earl-williams-pardon-joe-biden/

Published: December 14, 2024 19:41

Johnnie Early Williams, a 58-year-old Denverite, wast among the roughly 1,540 people whose sentences were commuted or who were pardoned by President Joe Biden in the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history

What’s Working: How Colorado’s mandatory retirement plan is working out

https://coloradosun.com/2024/12/14/colorado-mandatory-retirement-plan-securesavings/

Published: December 14, 2024 11:46

SecureSavings, a plan for workers whose employers don’t offer one, has 68,500 workers enrolled, but it’s not for everyone. Plus: Denver inflation hits 2%, expanding companies and more!