Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Friday, October 1st.

 

Today - Last year, Denver voters approved funding for a Climate Protection Fund. So what does the director of Denver’s new climate action office have to say about how they’re supporting climate-friendly projects and programs?

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to October 1st, 1991 when thousands of people flocked to Gilpin and Teller Counties lured by more than a dozen casinos that opened that day - all in hopes of reinvigorating former mining towns. 

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Denver voters last November approved funding for a Climate Protection Fund, making the Mile High City the second in the nation to direct taxpayer dollars toward climate action work. Colorado Sun reporter Michael Booth sat down with the director of Denver’s new climate action office and gives us the details of how the office is supporting a variety of climate-friendly projects and programs. 

 

Read more from Michael’s visit with Grace Rink at coloradosun.com

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

The typical fall explosion of color in Colorado’s high country is not lasting as long as usual. That’s yet another effect of climate change, with unsettled weather and a dry summer hastening the shift from green to yellow, red and orange.

 

A doctor and medical student have sued the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus over the center’s requirement for all employees and students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court challenges the medical center’s denial of their requests for religious exemptions from the vaccine mandate and marks the latest clash over the growing number of public and private vaccine mandates. 

 

The Bureau of Land Management awarded oil and gas leases on public land in northwest Colorado without adequately considering impacts to air and wilderness, a federal judge has ruled. But U.S. District Court Judge Marcia Krieger -- MAR-sha KREE-ger -- stopped sort of voiding the leases in her response to a lawsuit filed by environmental groups hoping to block oil and gas drilling on 58,000 acres of public land around Dinosaur National Monument.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again on Monday. Now, a quick message from our editor.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Thursday September 30th.

 

Today - Even as the state and federal government works to limit the environmental impacts of coal mining, Colorado has just allowed six coal mining companies to reduce their payments for access to public land.

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we’re going back to September 30th, 1873 when a remarkable visitor achieved her goal of reaching the summit of Longs Peak, one of the most challenging mountains in Colorado. Isabella Bird, a globetrotting Briton, exhausted her vocabulary in lavishing praise on Estes Park and present-day Rocky Mountain National Park.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Colorado is allowing all six companies mining coal in the state to reduce the payments they make to the federal and state government in exchange for access to public land. The annual reduction of royalty payments recently approved by Colorado means coal mining companies are paying less every year, even as both the state and federal government work to limit the impacts of coal mining. 

 

Colorado Sun reporter Michael Booth looked into why state officials approved these smaller payments from coal mining companies. 

 

Read Michael’s story at coloradosun dot com. 

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Colorado’s Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission late Tuesday approved a new eight-district congressional map. Some Democrats are not pleased, even though incumbents remain in their districts under the proposed map, which now must be approved by the Supreme Court by Nov. 1 or sent back to the commission for revisions.

 

Telluride’s Original Thinkers festival kicks off today, with an array of artists, activists, musicians and movie-makers exploring the world’s triumphs and challenges in the last year. 

 

The ACLU team that helped pass a recent slate of sweeping criminal justice reforms in Colorado resigned this month. The nonpartisan civil rights nonprofit is accused of being too aggressive in wielding its new status as one of the most influential groups in the state. Supporters say the ACLU’s hard push for the end of the death penalty and police reform led to important change. 

 

Colorado’s rental assistance program offering up to 15 months of free rent to residents struggling during the pandemic has paid out only 15% of its available funds. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program is now distributing about $6 million a week and has helped about 18,000 Coloradans. But there are still thousands more applicants waiting to be approved for help with their rent payments.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right  now you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member starting at $5 per month and if you bump it up to $20 per month you'll get access to our politics newsletter, 'The Unaffiliated,' as well as our outdoors newsletter, 'The Outsider,' and our new health and environment newsletter 'The Temperature,' -- All three exclusive newsletters delivered to your inbox every week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Wednesday September 29th.

 

Today - As the state’s behavioral health system continues to show signs of strain, new laws require the Department of Human Services to provide shelter beds for kids in crisis. But there just aren’t enough beds, so some kids are spending nights on the floors of justice centers or even the back of police cruisers. 

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to September 29th, 1879 when Ute bands in western Colorado who had been resisting the encroachment of interlopers for decades were finally faced with no alternative. They surrendered and listened to the promises of federal agents who pledged to improve their lives by transforming them into farmers. Their communal frustration and despair found an outlet on September 29th, 1879 when members of the Yamparika faction killed agent Nathan Meeker who was known as the founder of Greeley Colorado’s most prosperous farming community.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Colorado’s beleaguered behavioral health system continues to show signs of strain. New state and federal laws require the Department of Human Services to provide shelter beds for kids in crisis. But there are not enough beds for youths in the state so many juveniles who’ve been accused of less-serious crimes are spending nights on the floors of justice centers or the back of police cruisers. Nearly every District Attorney in the state has signed a letter to the head of Colorado’s Department of Human Service urging the state to quickly create shelter beds for kids. “The safety of our children and communities cannot wait,” reads the letter.

 

Colorado Sun reporter Jen Brown obtained the letter from 21 of the state’s 22 District Attorneys asking the state to create more shelter beds for kids in trouble. 

 

Read Jen Brown’s story at coloradosun dot com 

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Hundreds of homeowners have fled the Ptarmigan (TARM-again) Fire east of Silverthorne after fire officials described, quote “unprecedented fire behavior”  Monday night. The wildfire in the White River National Forest had grown to about 60 acres by Tuesday afternoon.

President Joe Biden has tapped Cole Finnegan to be Colorado’s next U.S. Attorney. Finnegan is a well-known Democrat supporter and a Denver attorney who served as former chief-of-staff for then-Mayor John Hickenlooper and chief legal counsel for then-Gov. Roy Romer.

School board members across Colorado are facing a wave of criticisms and disagreements as school districts deploy mask mandates and other COVID crackdowns. The shouting matches and social media blasts are now turning into recall efforts as angry parents seek to oust their local representatives on school boards. More Colorado school board members are finding themselves at a distressing crossroads as they listen to both parents, teachers and public health officials. 

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

Right  now you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member starting at $5 per month and if you bump it up to $20 per month you'll get access to our politics newsletter, 'The Unaffiliated,' as well as our outdoors newsletter, 'The Outsider,' and our new health and environment newsletter 'The Temperature,' -- All three exclusive newsletters delivered to your inbox every week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Tuesday September 28th,

 

Today - Glenwood Springs has had a challenging year … between the Grizzly Creek Fire, and mudslides. But businesses have largely stayed afloat thanks to federal aid. And now, they have access to federal disaster loans.

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to September 28th, 1719, when a massive expedition of Spaniards, Puebloans, and Apaches endured an early winter storm and feared for whether they had enough food. It’s little wonder that this beleaguered company at its camp near present day Trinidad Colorado, referred to a nearby river as the River of Lost Souls in Purgatory. 

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Glenwood Springs has had a rough year … the Grizzly Creek Fire in August 2020 forced a two-week shutdown of Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon, just as the tourist destination was emerging from COVID lockdown …. in August this year the hot-springed resort town again endured a two-week closure of the canyon as mudslides buried the interstate below the burn scar … Glenwood businesses have been able to stay afloat for most of 2021 thanks to COVID relief  from the federal government … and now those businesses have access to low interest federal disaster loans approved earlier this month.

 

Colorado Sun reporter David Gilbert looked into what he called Glenwood’s “cavalcade of hardships,” and how this new round of federal assistance is helping the town’s economy …

 

To read more of David’s reporting on Glenwood Springs, go to coloradosun.com  

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Nonprofit river conservation group American Whitewater is exploring a plan to adjust Colorado water law so communities can protect recreational river flows without building whitewater parks. The proposed changes to Colorado’s Recreational In-Channel Diversion water rights regulations faces stiff opposition from Western Slope water users.

The Denver Public Schools board has expanded its conflict-of-interest policy to ban employees of independent charter schools and innovation zones from serving on the board. The district’s policy already barred school district employees from serving on the seven-member school board. Last week the board unanimously approved the new rules without public discussion. The board’s next election is set for Nov. 2.

Fewer than 5,000 students — that’s less than 1% of Colorado’s K-through-12 students — have signed up for a weekly coronavirus testing program.  That is not enough kids, says Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who launched the testing plan as a way to track cases and prevent outbreaks. 

 

Schools need to test at least one in five students to make a difference, the governor says. The testing program, which is backed by $173 million in federal funding, is testing about one-in-25 kids at 200 Colorado schools. And Colorado students are catching COVID, with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment last week tracking 156 active coronavirus outbreaks in K-12 schools.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today - The latest draft of Colorado’s congressional map may turn out to be the final version. And if that’s the case, a new district would become the state’s most competitive — and its most Hispanic. 

 

Before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today we’re going back to September 27th, 1865 when a military post near Julesburg earned a new title - Fort Sedgwick. It was renamed in honor of a general killed in Virginia. The post faced challenges in the wake of the Sand Creek Massacre, and proved vital to restoring peace through force. But by the decade’s end, conflict in eastern Colorado had diminished. And in 1871 the army ordered For Sedgwick abandoned. Today, a flagpole marks the location where the fort once stood.

 

The latest draft of Colorado’s congressional map could become the final version. If it’s adopted, a new U.S. House District will become the state’s most competitive — and its most Hispanic. The map would avoid setting up contests between any of Colorado’s seven incumbent representatives. Beyond that, its implications are up for debate.  Reporter Thy Vo has the rest. 

 

For more on Colorado’s congressional redistricting process go to coloradosun.com

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

For 150 years members of the San Francisco Morada have completed the a Good Friday ritual of carrying a crucifix up the hill behind their San Luis Valley community. But the next time the ritual is performed it will be much different because a 10-foot-tall fence has been erected across their path by the owner of Cielo Vista Ranch. For decades there has been conflict between the wealthy owners of this huge ranch and descendants of the Sangre de Christo Land Grant who have birthright to access the land for certain activities. Members of the morada say the fence is unrelated to that conflict, but also say that they can’t help but feel that it is part of the long battle over property rights that continues Monday in court in Alamosa. 

 

A man police say shot and wounded a Littleton police officer was arrested Friday in Brighton after a long standoff. Rigoberto Dominguez is is accused of shooting at police officers responded to a report of gunfire early Tuesday morning. Police say he fired at the officers, hitting David Snook in his arm, leg and torso and as of Friday was still being treated in an intensive care unit.

The Small Business Administration says 267 venues in Colorado received more than $172 million from the federal government’s Shuttered Venue Operators grant program. While SBA isn’t accepting new applications for the pandemic-relief program, those concert halls, theaters and museums can apply for a supplemental grant valued at 50 percent of what they’ve already received. Those applications opened on Friday.

 

The Littleton Immigrant Resources Center is likely to lose about $150,000 in annual funding provided by the city. While the formal vote won’t come until October, the Littleton city council in a budget meeting earlier this month voted to cut the line item. The center is Littleton's only affordable resource center for immigrants seeking citizenship, providing low-cost civics and English lessons, test preparation and help filling out forms.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. Now, a quick message from our editor.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Friday, September 24th.

 

Today - In coming to terms with the changing conditions brought on by climate change, some begin to struggle with climate anxiety.

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to September 24th, 1955 when President Eisenhower suffered a heart attack in his wife’s family home on Lafayette Street in Denver. The physician called to Eisenhower’s bedside mistook the heart attack for a digestive complaint, and he did not end up going in for treatment for another twelve hours. Following the incident doctors limited Eisenhower's trips to Colorado, forbidding him from golfing or fishing in the state.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Colorado resident Jonah Siefer  is a policy analyst, recreational woodworker and year-round skier. He’s also a citizen scientist whose regular trips into the Rocky Mountains yield worrisome anecdotal evidence about climate change. He sees it in disappearing snowpacks, rocky ski runs and shrinking glaciers.  In coming to grips with the changing conditions, Siefer has been thrust into dark emotional territory, too, with his battles against climate anxiety. Sofia Stuart-Rasi has more on his story. 

 

To read more about climate change, go to coloradosun.com. 

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

A liberal Denver policy group and a Summit County commissioner are trying to keep ballots cast for one of three questions on the statewide ballot this fall from being counted. The Bell Policy Center and Commissioner Tamara Pogue on Thursday sued, claiming Colorado’s Title Board erred when it OK’d Amendment 78, which would add more legislative oversight to the way money that does not come from state tax dollars is spent. They say only questions related to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights can appear in year-elections and this one doesn’t deal with that tax-limiting measure. Amendment 78, which would amend the state constitution to add oversight to how money from legal settlements and the federal government is spent, arose after some COVID recovery money was distributed without Republican input.

 

A Loveland nurse practitioner who touted alleged cures for the coronavirus has been fined $40,000 because he did not stop marketing treatments such as an anti-parasite drug often used for farm animals after he was hit last year with a cease and desist order. The owner of Loveland Medical Clinic could have the fine cut in half if he complies with the order to stop making misleading posts about the effectiveness of treatments including Ivermectin.

 

Colorado’s school-aged children are experiencing the highest rates of coronavirus infection among any age group in the state right now. But state health officials Thursday presented new data showing that requiring kids to wear masks while in school is associated with lower rates of COVID-19. The data back up guidance from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recommending that all schools implement universal masking policies for students, staff and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. 

 

Former Colorado Republican Party chair Ryan Call will be disbarred after acknowledging he took nearly $280,000 from a super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump while Call served as the political action committee’s treasurer. The state Supreme Court’s presiding disciplinary judge issued the decision after Call reached a settlement. In it, Call admitted to entering the Rebuilding America Now PAC into a secret contract to pay himself $5,000 a month for “political strategy and fundraising support” and that he misled members of his former Denver-based law firm about his activities with the committee.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again on Monday. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Thursday September 23rd.

 

Today - The state’s system that treats children with severe mental health issues is completely overwhelmed. Some kids are staying in county office buildings given the lack of safe housing. And on top of that, nearly 70 foster kids across the state are missing.

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we’re going back to September 23rd, 1909 when President William H. Taft, standing on a stage in Montrose County, set a golden bell down on a silver plate. An electric current opened the gates holding back the Gunnison River and water flowed through a 6 mile tunnel to the Uncompahgre River valley. President Taft predicted that “this valley, with an unpronounceable name, is going to blossom like a rose”, and within a few years 470 miles of canals were built to encourage diverse agricultural products.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Colorado’s system that treats children with severe mental health issues is so stretched that kids are in jeopardy. That’s the upshot of a fiery letter sent by county health directors to state officials, and the details are bracing. Children in crisis are staying in motels and county office buildings for a lack of safe housing. Child protective workers spend hours, even days, on the phone trying to help them. And nearly 70 foster kids across the state are missing. Jennifer Brown has the details. 

 

 

To read more of Jennifer’s reporting on children in state custody, go to coloradosun.com. 

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

A Colorado State University Pueblo student who authorities say made threats towards staff and fellow students at the school has been arrested after police say they found “a large cache of loaded weapons” and nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle on campus. Robert James Killis, a 24-year-old who the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office says has military experience, is suspected of unlawful carrying/possessing a weapon on a university campus after the arrest Wednesday. The offense is a low-level felony.

 

Littleton police have named a suspect in a shooting that wounded one of their officers in the chest. Police are seeking 33-year-old Rigoberto Valles Dominguez, who remained at large Wednesday. The wounded officer, David Snook, was hit in his arm, leg and torso. He remains heavily sedated in an intensive care unit, Littleton Police Department Chief Doug Stephens said during a news conference, adding that the officer has ”a long road ahead of him.”

 

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has issued its second-largest penalty ever -- imposing a $2 million fine against oil and gas operator KP Kauffman. The company was initially hit with a $1.8 million fine but the commission raised the tab after concluding that KP Kauffman had engaged in a “pattern of violations” for leaks and spills. The largest fine, $18.25 million, was issued in 2020 to Occidental Petroleum Corp., the state’s largest operator, for a 2017 house explosion in Firestone that killed two people.  

 

Jim Sheeler, beloved for remarkably evocative obituary writing during his years as a Colorado journalist, has died in Ohio at the age of 53. In 2006, when he worked for the Rocky Mountain News, Sheeler won the  Pulitzer Prize for Feature writing for Final Salute, a long-form story that chronicled the work of Major Steve Beck and how he helped the families of Marines who lost their lives in Iraq cope with the cost of war. Sheeler later taught at the University of Colorado and at the time of his death was a professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. 

 

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Wednesday September 22nd.

 

Today - Given the affordable housing crisis, many resort towns in Colorado are attempting to limit vacation rentals like those offered on Airbnb. 

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to September 22nd, 1963 when a ceremony in El Paso County dedicated one of Colorado’s most impressive buildings, the Cadet Chapel.  The cadet chapel at the United States Air Force Academy was once described by a critic as “seventeen aluminum tetrahedrons set on end to resemble both a small Gothic cathedral and a squadron of fighter planes ready to zoom into the stratosphere.”

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Resort towns across Colorado are taking action to limit vacation rental homes like those offered through Airbnb and Vrbo. Tourists love them for the chance to stay in a house and feel like part of the community. But that luxury comes at the expense of affordable housing. The resulting pinch means that workers can’t find a place to live, and businesses can’t find workers — making it that much harder to survive. Jason Blevins has been on top of the high country housing crisis from the earliest signs of trouble. He joins us today with the latest. 

 

To read more of Jason’s reporting on mountain communities, go to coloradosun.com. 

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Colorado’s economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis remains strong, despite troubles from the more contagious delta variant and supply chain and labor shortages. State lawmakers Tuesday found a mostly rosy picture in the state’s quarterly economic forecast, which predicted they could have $3.3 billion more to spend next year compared to this year. Gov. Jared Polis called it more evidence that Colorado is “roaring back.” 

 

Criminal charges have been dropped in the death of a spiritual leader whose mummified body was found in southeastern Colorado. The body of Amy Carlson, 45, the leader of the Love Has Won group, was found in a makeshift shrine in the small, rural town of Moffat in April. Seven people were charged with tampering with her corpse as well as child abuse, presumably because there were two children living in the home. Charges against six of them were dropped at a court hearing in September. The Saguache County court clerk's office said it has no record of a case against the seventh person, but didn’t explain. It's unclear why the charges were dropped.

 

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has activated the Wyoming National Guard to help at hospitals after a surge in COVID-19 infections. Ninety-five soldiers and airmen will deploy to facilities in 16 cities. The guard members will assist with cleanup, food service, coronavirus testing and other needs, serving in rotations of 14 to 30 days. The move comes as 190 people are hospitalized with coronavirus infections in Wyoming, down from a recent high of 223 on Sept. 8.

 

Three caregivers have been charged in the death of an 86-year-old woman who investigators say was left outside a Grand Junction assisted living facility in the heat for six hours in June. The caregivers are accused of negligent death of an at-risk person and criminally negligent homicide in the June 14 death of Hazel Place. The Rifle native was a mother of three, grandmother of five and a great-grandmother of 12, an obituary said. The Colorado Attorney General’s Office helped investigate.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Tuesday September 21st,

 

Today - As rural hospitals close across the country, the historic St. Vincent hospital is back and stronger than ever with the opening of a new eight-bed facility. The city’s mayor calls it a “stunning accomplishment” for a community hospital started in the 1870s by two Kansas nuns, 

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today we’re going back to September 21st, 2012 when President Barack Obama used his authority under the Antiquities Act to declare Colorado’s Chimney Rock a National Monument. Archeologists believe that Chacoans, who dominated the region at the turn of the second millennium, used the Chimney Rock site as an astronomical calendar.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Seven years ago, the only hospital in Leadville appeared on the verge of death. But this month, the historic St. Vincent hospital surged back to life with the opening of a new eight-bed facility, now called St. Vincent Health. The city’s mayor calls it a “stunning accomplishment” for a community hospital started in the 1870s by two Kansas nuns, and it comes at a time when rural hospitals are closing across the United States. For people in Leadville -- the nation’s highest incorporated city -- new services will be available close to home, shaving what can be lengthy drives on slick mountain roads. But it also promises to pump new energy into Leadville’s economy, creating high-paying jobs and a more livable community. Shannon Najmabadi has the details.  

 

To read more of Shannon Najmabadi’s reporting on economic development initiatives across Colorado, go to coloradosun.com. 

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

A fifth teenager from the tiny Eastern Plains town of Wiley has died as a result of a car crash earlier this month. Fifteen-year-old Braden Black died on Friday. He was a passenger in a SUV that was hit by a truck when the 16-year-old driver ran a stop sign on September 8, the Colorado State Patrol says. The superintendent of schools in Wiley says his community, which had just 260 students, is reeling from the loss, but is managing with help from grief counselors dispatched by organizations in other towns.

 

Denver-based Alterra Mountain Co. lost about $200 million when its North American ski operations shut down last year because of COVID. But its insurer is refusing to pay claims Alterra made under its business interruption policy. Alterra is suing Lexington Insurance in Denver District Court, noting that the policy did not exclude losses as a result of infectious or contagious disease. Other insurers have excluded that type of loss since the SARS virus outbreak in 2003. 

 

The number of electric vehicles sold in Colorado is growing quickly, but not fast enough to meet the state’s ambitious goal of having nearly a million of them on the road by 2030 to help reduce pollution. To encourage sales, Xcel Energy is offering incentives to help people making less than $85,000 a year afford a new or used EV and working with landlords to install chargers at apartment complexes and offering rebates for chargers installed in homes. The utility also wants to speed development of Colorado’s public charging network, which currently includes about 15,000 ports to refuel. About 165,000 are needed to ease consumer anxiety about getting stuck somewhere on the road.

 

Hundreds of students from North High School and other Denver Public Schools walked out of their classrooms Monday morning and marched to the district headquarters to demand the school board do more about board member Tay Anderson than merely censure him. Some of the students said they will feel unsafe as long as he is in office. The board on Friday voted 6-1 to censure 23-year-old Anderson for conduct unbecoming. They voted after a six-month investigation found claims that Anderson had sexually assaulted students were unsubstantiated. It did find that he had flirted inappropriately with a 16-year-old on social media before learning her age, and that he made social media posts during the investigation that were threatening to witnesses. 

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Monday September 20th.

 

Today - Colorado’s unemployment rate has dropped to 5.9%, since federal unemployment benefits ended. But most industries are still having a difficult time finding enough workers to fill open roles.

 

Before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today we’re going back to September 20th, 1877 when a crowd packed the Hinsdale County Courthouse in Lake City. The featured speaker was renowned women’s suffrage activist, Susan B Anthony. She ultimately agreed to deliver her remarks on the grounds outside to accommodate the exceptionally large crowd. 

 

 Now, our feature story. 

 

More people have returned to work and the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.9%, after federal unemployment benefits ended Sept. 4. But employers from all industries have shared it’s still hard to find enough workers, and it may be that there just aren’t enough Coloradans out there. August saw a drop in the number of Colorodans who work or are looking for a job. According to the latest Census survey of households, the state’s labor force dropped by 2,300 workers last month, and is now at 3,193,200. Tamara Chuang tells us more.

 

To read more of Tamara’s reporting — or to receive her weekly newsletter on jobs, work and pandemic unemployment in Colorado — go to coloradosun.com

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Members of Colorado’s Republican Central Committee on Saturday voted against opting out of the state’s primary to select general election candidates next year. Some members wanted to return to the old caucus and assembly process in order to keep unaffiliated voters from participating in the selection of GOP candidates. Since the 2018 election, unaffiliated voters have been allowed to vote in the primary, though the law lets the party to opt out if 75 percent of the central committee concurs. Only 34 percent of the committee members present at the meeting in Pueblo voted to opt out.

 

Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board unanimously approved changing the name of Squaw Mountain in Clear Creek County to Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain. The name honors an influential Cheyenne translator known as Owl Woman, who facilitated relations between white settlers and Native American tribes in the early 1800s. Supporters of the change called the peak’s previous name “patently offensive.” Now the U.S. Geological Survey’s Board on Geographic Names must approve the change. This is the first of 13 locations in Colorado for which residents have submitted applications to change offensive names, including Mount Evans. 

 

The Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters will move back to Washington, D.C., from Grand Junction, the Interior Department announced Friday. The decision comes despite objections from Colorado Republicans and Democrats, including the state’s two U.S. senators and its governor. In 2019, the Trump administration announced that the BLM’s headquarters moved to Grand Junction to be closer to the millions of acres of public lands it oversees. But critics of the relocation said it was done to help then-U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Colorado Republican who was up for reelection in 2020 but lost. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said Grand Junction will be the agency's western headquarters and that its presence in the city will grow. 

 

Denver Public Schools board voted 6-1 to censure fellow member Tay Anderson on Friday, two days after a report detailing a six-month investigation that the board said showed Anderson had engaged in behavior unbecoming of a member. Anderson, who said at a news conference before the censure that he would not resign, was the lone dissenting vote. A 96-page report summarizing the investigation found Anderson flirted with a 16-year-old student — albeit before he knew her age — and made social media posts that were intimidating toward witnesses near the end of the investigation.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. Now, a quick message from our editor.

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