Good morning and happy Day 1 of the mad dash Christmas countdown.
We had an excellent weekend here at The Colorado Sun, and it’s all because of readers like you.
At the last minute, our Winter Membership Drive busted through our goal of 200 new and upgrading members to a whopping 225! When we say how thankful we are for the members who help keep our journalism going, I hope you all understand just how much we mean it.
We know you’ve got plenty on your plate this week, so let’s get to the news that our members (new and old) are funding, shall we?
ENVIRONMENT
Cleanup company walks away from Jeffco uranium mine, state takes $7.3 million bond
Water flows through an irrigation canal April 13 at Ralston Reservoir in Arvada. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)
Colorado Legacy Land, the company that was charged with keeping uranium-tainted water out of Denver and Arvada’s drinking supply is walking away, Michael Booth reports. The tainted water comes from the shuttered Schwartzwalder mine, which the state will now take over, using the same $7.3 million surety bond.
Colorado trees are succumbing to the same insects ravaging forests. Arborists have tips to keep your backyard healthy. It’s winter. But if you stop thinking about the health of your trees now, deadly pests will have an advantage in spring. Jennifer Forker has a deep dive into how to make sure your trees survive this roller coaster weather year.POLITICS
Colorado wants to hire lawyers to prosecute gun crimes in federal court, some of which are no longer illegal under state law
An AR-15 style rifle is displayed at the Firing-Line indoor range and gun shop during the summer of 2012 in Aurora. (Alex Brandon, AP Photo, file)
In 2021, the Colorado legislature rolled back a blanket prohibition barring people convicted of felonies from purchasing or possessing guns and instead limited the prohibition to only those committing the most serious crimes. But despite the state making it legal for those groups to own firearms, it’s still illegal at the federal level. Jesse Paul explains this gap — and why Gov. Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser are asking for funds to hire attorneys to prosecute those crimes at the federal level.
WILDLIFE
Colorado wolf releases may happen within days after federal judge rejects ranchers’ lawsuit
Colorado Parks and Wildlife placed GPS collars on two wolves in North Park on Feb. 2. (Colorado Parks and Wildlife photo)
Late on Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Regina Rodriguez agreed with Colorado Parks and Wildlife that the reintroduction of wolves did not require further federal review, opening the door for wildlife officials to proceed with the reintroduction efforts. Jason Blevins explains the ruling and what’s next in this saga.
ECONOMY
How a Colorado music festival is cracking down on ticket scalpers
A concert at Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Over the course of the four-day festival, the town of 2,500 welcomes up to 12,000 “festivarians” from all over the U.S. (Provided by Telluride Bluegrass Festival)
In this week’s “What’s Working” column, Parker Yamasaki looks at how Colorado law inadvertently protects scalpers and the manual “pain in the butt” experiment that the Telluride Bluegrass Festival is using to screen out scalpers so fans actually have a chance to get tickets.
HISTORY
The history behind the Colorado Christmas tree lit by JFK, and how it was almost lost
President John F. Kennedy delivers remarks at the lighting of the White House Christmas tree Dec. 17, 1962, during the National Capitol Christmas Pageant of Peace at the Ellipse. The tree, a 72-foot-tall blue spruce, was harvested from an area off Poncha Pass in southern Colorado and traveled more than 2,000 miles by train to D.C. (Abbie Rowe, White House Photographs via John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston)
Could this be the most famous stump in Colorado? David Krause digs into the history of how one forest service worker found the stump of a tree given to the Kennedy White House in the backcountry off Poncha Pass — and how you can see it for yourself.
MORE NEWS
12%
The increase in applications for Colorado’s low-income energy assistance program this year compared to 2022.
Colorado’s low-income energy assistance program is receiving a record number of applications. More than 71,000 Coloradans have applied for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program — 10,000 more than this time last year. Tatiana Flowers breaks down the jump. As foundation for “excited delirium” diagnosis cracks, fallout spreads. As academics, doctors and lawyers continue to push law enforcement to discard the use of “excited delirium” in official proceedings, two Colorado lawmakers have drafted a bill banning the concept from police and EMS training and prohibiting coroners from citing it as a cause of death.
Farm to quaff: How a Colorado nonprofit connects beer and spirit lovers to local sources
Despite being a state that’s a leader in craft beer and craft spirits industries, the vast majority of grain used by Colorado brewers and distillers comes from out of state. The Colorado Grain Chain works to link local breweries and distilleries with grains grown in-state, like wheat, barley and quinoa, and help consumers trace their drink all the way back to the farmer.
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Since its launch in 2022, an average of three people a day have signed up to get Colorado’s invisible disabilities logo on their state IDs. Colorado is the second state to offer the option, which was mandated under a 2021 law.— CPR Coloradans have been losing Medicaid coverage at pre-pandemic rate following end of public health emergency. About halfway through the process of determining who still qualifies for Medicaid cover in Colorado, recipients are getting kicked off at the same rate they were before the pandemic.
— The Denver Post 🔑 Ice Castles opening in Colorado mountains. After a two-year hiatus, the frozen attraction created by ice artisans is coming back to Cripple Creek this week.
— 9News Wildlife officers seek mule deer buck that gored Colorado woman. Investigators believe the woman’s bird feeder in her yard likely led to the deer losing fear of people and suspected the deer was being fed or eating food close to people’s homes.
— CBS News Affordable housing project catering to LGBTQ seniors proposed in Denver neighborhood. According to a national advocacy group for LGBTQ elders, 48% of same-sex couples who apply for senior housing face discrimination.
— Denver Business Journal 🔑
COLUMNS
If you don’t understand the grounds for a Biden impeachment inquiry, don’t worry. Neither does anyone else. Joe Neguse tried, and failed, to figure it out. Ken Buck voted for an inquiry, but can’t tell you why. And Lauren Boebert? What do you think?— Mike Littwin Read Liz Cheney’s “Oath and Honor.” While you still can. Cheney doubles down on her scathing assessment of her party, saying her fellow Republicans suffer from a “plague of cowardice” and are in thrall of “the orange Jesus.”
— Diane Carman Colorado should disbar Jenna Ellis and send a message. Following her felony plea deal, a new complaint has been submitted to the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel to sanction her for the lies she told after the 2020 election.
— Mario Nicolais Wildlife officials have well-prepared Coloradans for wolf reintroduction. There are numerous resources for Coloradans in wolf country, and the state is better prepared than Northern Rockies states were.
— Matt Barnes, Rocky Mountain Wolf Project advisory board
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].
Just because the Winter Membership Drive reached its goal, it doesn’t mean you can’t join in the fun. You can still become a member any time at coloradosun.com/join or — if you’ve got someone in your life that could use some news in their lives — buy a gift membership at store.coloradosun.com.
Have a great week and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun
Corrections & Clarifications
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