Expensive Christmas tree? Blame the Great Recession.

1 year ago 654

Good morning on yet another crisp, beautiful December day.

I was looking at TikTok over my morning coffee (as an elderly millennial does) and saw a pretty incredible video of skater Elladj Balde doing a backflip on some wild ice in Banff, Canada.

Even more incredible, that stunning and beautiful little video clip immediately made me think of this amazing package of reporting and photography that Jennifer Brown and photographer Hugh Carey published earlier this year about the lure of wild ice right here in Colorado.

This was far from the first time I’ve had the experience of seeing something fascinating out in the world that I could immediately connect with some piece of journalism or another created by my colleagues in the five years since we launched The Sun. And permit me to brag for a second, but I think that is an incredibly cool resource to have covering Colorado.

But like everything, it is far from free to send two professional journalists on adventures like this. Nor is it free to have an award-winning team doing watchdog journalism to cover our entire state government.

If you’re not already supporting this work as a recurring member, there’s no better time to become one. The value of your new (or upgraded) membership will be doubled with a total of $5,000 in matching support from the Colorado Media Project — but only if you become a member by Sunday, Dec. 17. So click the button below while it’s fresh on your mind, then come on back here and catch up on this weekend’s worth of news with me. Sound like a plan?

HIGH COST OF COLORADO

Christmas tree too expensive? It goes back to the Great Recession.

If you were one of the shoppers who experienced a little sticker shock when shopping for your holiday greenery this year, you’re not alone. As artificial trees continue to get fancier and more expensive, factors ranging from the Great Recession all the way to the war in Ukraine have combined to make farm-grown Christmas evergreens more expensive than ever, Clare Zhang reports.

HEALTH

Colorado board won’t cap price of cystic fibrosis drug that costs average of $234,439 per patient per year

A promotional image for Trikafta, a drug used to treat cystic fibrosis. (The Associated Press)

The total amount spent on Trikafta in Colorado in 2020

Whether or not you have or know someone who has cystic fibrosis, I promise that you’ll want to read the latest John Ingold health care explainer. Follow along as John explains how Colorado’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board can look at a drug that costs about as much as a three-bedroom house in Pueblo every year and label it “not unaffordable,” and you’ll learn a whole lot about how drug pricing works in Colorado and beyond.

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Colorado blames Biden team and drugmakers for delaying Canadian imports. Since 2020, Colorado has been working to import cheaper drugs from Canada, but a new report blames the FDA and drug manufacturers for slow rolling the process to create bulk imports.

In rural southwestern Colorado, maternal health care access is at risk

Protesters gather outside Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez on June 8, the day after the hospital announced it would close its birthing center. The hospital reversed its decision on June 19. (Corey Robinson, Special to The Colorado Trust)

“If (the birth) hadn’t been here at the hospital, she wouldn’t have survived.”

— Dr. Erin Schmitt, the attending OB-GYN at Southwest Memorial Hospital

Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez has seen dozens of close calls and complications as the primary birthing center in the rural southwestern part of Colorado. So when the nonprofit that runs the hospital announced it would temporarily close the center, the dispersed community pushed back. Sarah Tory has the whole story for The Colorado Trust.

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It’s taking longer to schedule abortions in Colorado and across the U.S. Doctors fear riskier, more complex procedures. With nearly half of U.S. states either banning or restricting access to abortion care, scheduling procedures in states like Colorado is becoming more difficult, potentially leading to more complications.

WILDLIFE

Does a “threatened” listing for wolverines spell a Colorado comeback?

A male wolverine is seen on a hill in the Helena-Lewis and Clark of western Montana in 2021. Scientists say climate change could harm populations of the elusive animals that live in alpine areas with deep snow, but Colorado’s high country may be perfect habitat for reintroductions. (Kalon Baughan via AP)

How long it’s been since the last confirmed wolverine sighting in Colorado.

You’d think that being labeled “threatened” wouldn’t count as good news, but “threatened” looks pretty good when you’ve spent decades further down the endangered species ladder. Michael Booth talked to experts about everything you need to know about one of the most private species in North America — and if they could rejoin Colorado’s ecosystem anytime soon.

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BUSINESS

Colorado dodged a recession in 2023. But what about in 2024?

“I’m less optimistic because of the mortgage and the housing market.”

— Rich Wobbekind, faculty director at the Business Research Division at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business

Last year, economists were cautiously optimistic about how resilient Colorado’s economy would be in the face of inflation, interest rate hikes and other headwinds in 2023. While they were proved mostly right, the same group is feeling a little more pessimistic about next year. This, plus a metro-by-metro breakdown of the state’s economies in Tamara Chuang’s weekly “What’s Working” column.

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2023 Holiday Book Guide: 10 Colorado authors pick their favorites

We asked writers recognized by the Colorado Book Awards to offer their best literary gift ideas. And they did not disappoint. While ticking items off your holiday list this year, make sure to check out this carefully crafted list by Colorado authors.

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More than 200 people offered jobs on the spot to support migrants in shelters >> More than half who attended the hiring event were hired on the spot, according to Denver’s Office of City Resources. >> Denver7 Study finds that livestock growers need more compensation for water conservation >> A study, funded by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, found those who raise cows would need an average payment of $971 per acre to fully compensate them for buying hay that they couldn’t grow without irrigating their fields. >> Aspen Journalism Meet the Colorado Blind Bowling Association, the Saturday league that has rolled for 50 years >> Crown Lanes, on Federal Boulevard, has become a haven for adaptive athletes who meet weekly for competition and sense of community. >> Denverite Silverthorne completes it largest workforce housing development yet with construction of more rental units on the way >> No short-term rental licenses will be allowed for the 214 housing units recently completed in the town’s Smith Ranch Workforce Housing Neighborhood. >> Summit Daily East Colfax primed for change with bus rapid transit and design standards >> City council members will decide whether to adopt new zoning laws that could ensure ample sidewalk space in front of sidewalk shops along Colfax. >> The Denver Post 🔑

COLUMNS

Mike Johnston’s goal to house 1,000 people by the end of 2023 is smoke and mirrors. Ending homelessness needs more than moving people from one temporary place to another.
— Trish Zornio The gift of a sweater can’t change a life, but a book can. Even if you’ve fallen away from reading, you can rediscover growth and a sense of community by receiving — or giving — a well-chosen title.
— Laura Pritchett Trophy hunting that kills hundreds of Colorado mountain lions every year should be banned. Ballot measure to end recreational lion hunting is in works and Colorado voters can protect wild cats as they did bears.
— Julie Marshall, Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy

CARTOONS

(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun) Colorado is a Grinchy State? Bah! Humbug! A recent survey is making all of us look like yuletide grumps. Fortunately, Peter Moore has a suggestion for how Colorado can go green in a new way.
— Peter Moore

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggest writers or provide feedback at [email protected].

I was just perusing the Wikipedia entry for wolverines and found out that the scientific name is just the Latin word for “glutton” repeated — Gulo gulo — and it all stems back to a possible mistranslation from Norwegian to German. See, you learned a little something extra just by reading to the bottom!

Have a great Monday and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun