What began as a tilapia farm in 1977 is now one of the San Luis Valley’s major tourist attractions. The Colorado Gator Reptile Park is full of exotic, unwanted pets who are visited by about 40,000 visitors a year. It’s also become one of the nation’s only alligator refugees outside of the South and Texas. But how did an alligator refuge end up in Colorado? Reporter Jason Blevins has the story. Sun staffer Tamara Chuang interviewed Jason for today’s podcast.

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A 20-mile stretch on the way to the hospital near Crested Butte is a communication deadzone that prevents medical crews from alerting the local hospital of an incoming patient whose condition is deteriorating. There isn’t even cellular service. Multi-billion-dollar efforts have been underway by AT&T to build the much-needed communication service and the new federal infrastructure bill could add up to another billion dollars to improve Colorado’s rural broadband coverage. But it’s not just money that’s preventing reliable broadband service in rural communities. Shannon Najmabadi took a look at what the core issues are for a new story. Sun staffer Tamara Chuang interviews Shannon in today’s podcast.

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A new website that rates businesses on their inclusiveness -- or lack of it -- is now in full operation in an effort to build data-driven economic incentives that push businesses toward understanding what it takes to be welcoming to all customers. Inclusive Journeys was started by two Colorado women who identify as Black, who wanted to create a consumer guide to businesses that are safe to all races, sexualities, disabilities and genders -- a sort of modern-day Green Book. Tatiana Flowers reported on this Yelp-like review site. Tatiana’s interviewed by Sun staffer Tamara Chuang.

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For today’s winter solstice, we hear from reporter David Gilbert, who wrote about the mysterious Sun Temple in Mesa Verde National Park, which is in the southwestern region of Colorado. Sun Temple is among the ancient structures in the park and has mesmerized archeologists and researchers for over a century because it seems to have been built with the sun, moon and stars in mind. Constructed sometime in the 13th century, it’s considered astronomically significant because the period had no known writing or numerical system -- or computers. But figuring out how Sun Temple was used has been made more difficult by the troubled history between archaeologists and the Pueblo and Hopi people, the descendants of Sun Temple’s architects. Sun staffer Tamara Chuang interviews David in today’s podcast.

Learn more at ColoradoSun.com

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There’s a new heavyweight investor buying up properties on Crested Butte’s historic Elk Avenue: Jeff Hermanson, a renowned restaurateur who shepherded Larimer Square from squalor to one of Denver’s top attractions, and who has lived in Crested Butte for 48 years. Hermanson’s recent purchase of three Elk Avenue properties comes as deep-pocketed buyers — individuals and investment firms — have expanded beyond their typical purview in dense urban settings and begun parking money in rural resort communities. Earlier this year, Mark Walter, the Chicago-based owner of the L.A. Dodgers who has had a vacation home in Crested Butte since 2009, also started buying historic buildings on Elk Avenue. Reporter Jason Blevins tells us more. 

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When Colorado cities and state agencies plan big road projects, they must now design them to cut greenhouse gas emissions and provide alternative transportation modes for the public. It’s part of a historic change of mission passed Thursday by Colorado Department of Transportation commissioners. The expected 10 to 1 vote has been hailed by conservation groups and some local officials as a key acknowledgement of auto transportation’s role in pollution. But other counties and some business groups fear it will starve safety and capacity projects for popular roadways. Reporter Mike Booth tells us more. 

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Colorado’s unemployment insurance trust fund pays benefits to laid-off workers. Employers typically replenish the trust fund through unemployment insurance premiums, and a surcharge that kicks in when the fund falls below a certain level. During the pandemic, the trust fund ran through its $1.1 billion reserve. This caused the state to borrow $1 billion from the federal government — and sparked worry among employers that they could face sizable premium increases. But while unemployment insurance costs are going up in January they will probably be far less than one would expect in an economic recovery that needs $3 billion. Tamara Chuang tells us more. 

Read more at coloradosun.com. 

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Governor Jared Polis has set aside $450 million in federal coronavirus relief aid to improve behavioral health care in the state. But that money can’t fix a broken system unless there are enough workers. After decades of low pay, Colorado’s 17 regional community health centers have 1,092 job vacancies, a dire shortage that has left therapists overburdened with patients — and patients waiting weeks or even months for appointments. A task force responsible for recommending ways to spend the $450 million has focused much of its time on the workforce crisis. Reporter Jennifer Brown explains the shortage. 

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Water speculation purely for profit is already illegal in Colorado. But water users and some lawmakers are worried about a new potential threat: investors and out-of-state private equity buying up water rights to wait for an opportune time to sell. Attempts by two private companies to buy up water rights in Grand Valley and the San Luis Valley have prompted lawmakers to look at tightening up laws against water profiteering. They’ve drafted legislation to do so, but nobody — not even the bill’s sponsors — are wholeheartedly behind the measure. a

Reporter Michael Booth explains the water speculation fight that’s being teed up for the 2022 legislative session. 

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Victims of crimes in Colorado receive a vastly different level of services depending on race, a new report by the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition found. Colorado Sun equity reporter Tatiana Flowers dug into the report this week and spoke with crime victims to learn more.

Flowers speaks with fellow Sun reporter Daniel Ducassi about the details.

Learn more at ColoradoSun.com

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