They say the holidays aren’t over until the cows come rumbling down 17th Street, or something like that. Well, the cows have come and gone (back to their pens at the National Western Complex), the Stock Show is on, and the holidays are behind us. Unless you celebrate National Bobblehead Day, which Coloradans actually have reason to observe this year, since the Denver Nuggets NBA champions bobbleheads will be inducted into the Bobblehead Hall of Fame’s Champions Wall.
In any case, we have plenty of exciting things ahead. The legislative session starts next week (if you missed our annual pre-legislative session talk last night, where the governor and the top lawmakers on both sides of the aisle previewed their priorities on everything from housing to property tax relief to transportation, you can watch right here). There’s also our High Cost of Colorado event coming up on Jan. 16 hosted by reporters Michael Booth and Jennifer Brown, and a panel discussion about the New Car Culture with environment reporter Michael Booth on Jan. 24.
If all that’s not enough, there’s always the daily roundup of Colorado news to look forward to. Let’s get to it.
IMMIGRATION
Denver moved 277 migrants from an encampment into shelter — as 443 more arrived
Migrants transport their belongings onto buses Wednesday before relocating to three shelter locations around the Denver metro area. Around 400 people have applied for housing and nearly 100 have already signed leases, according to Denver Human Services. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
“We are not from here. But we are not animals either.”
— Marcelo Gonzalez
36,300
Migrants who have come through Denver since December 2022
The number of migrants in emergency shelters in Denver reached a new high this week, prompting Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to appeal for help from other cities. Meanwhile, the city cleaned up a migrant encampment in northwest Denver, busing 277 people to congregate shelters. But Denver is running out of room. Sun reporter Jennifer Brown and El Comercio de Colorado editor Jesús Sánchez Meleán spoke with migrants as they looked for jobs and navigated the shelter system.
EQUITY
New online tool helps Coloradans quickly determine which public benefits they might be eligible for
Community Resource Specialist Abigail Jimenez takes a call from a client who is seeking housing and other benefits Wednesday at Mile High United Way in Denver. The center has partnered with MyFriendBen, an online tool created by Gary Community Ventures, to help connect individuals with government and food resources, student loan assistance and more. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
“There’s a lot of money being left on the table.”
— Elise Henson, executive director for MyFriendBen
52
The number of programs that MyFriendBen scans to determine eligibility
Many people eligible for public benefits programs either don’t know it, or are too discouraged by the time-intensive research process to find out. But a new online tool called MyFriendBen aims to streamline that process using a simple questionnaire that asks for details like age, income, household expenses and location. The tool then scans over 50 programs across eight categories and matches people with the programs they are eligible for, like food assistance, child care and tax credits. Tatiana Flowers has more.
CRIME AND COURTS
Rare street drug that could be more potent than fentanyl surfaces in Boulder County
“We’re always kind of a step behind chasing what the new emerging drug is because these chemists are smart.”
— Jeff Martin, Boulder County chief deputy coroner
In the past six months, two men in their 20s died after overdosing on a mixture of drugs that included nitazenes, an emerging class of synthetic opioid thought to be more potent than fentanyl. Nitazenes were developed in the 1950s to manage pain but were never approved by the FDA. Though the drug is still rare in Colorado, it has made a dangerous emergence on the Front Range, blamed for the deaths of 13 people since 2021. Olivia Prentzel has the details.
CULTURE
PHOTOS: 30 longhorn cattle, horses with hairspray and a 7-year-old cowgirl during the 2024 Stock Show parade
Longhorn cattle stroll up 17th Street from Denver Union Station in the parade Thursday to officially kick off the 118th National Western Stock Show. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)
Thirty longhorn cattle, 350 horses, a goat, some chickens and a pack of dogs could be seen strolling through downtown Denver yesterday during the opening parade for the National Western Stock Show. Photographer Hugh Carey captured the energy — and the toothy horse grins — from the event, while reporter Parker Yamasaki ducked behind the scenes with parade participants.
MORE NEWS
Colorado Supreme Court building remains indefinitely closed after armed man’s break-in, rampage. Water damage, fire damage and two shot-out windows could take weeks to repair, according to the Colorado Judicial Department. The link between injury and depression is real. Just ask this national champion in Colorado. Universities and hospitals across the country have beefed up their mental health staff, recognizing that the road to recovery from injury can be as mental as it is physical.
THE COLORADO REPORT
Colorado alcohol deaths surged 60% in 4 years, but there’s been no public outcry or push to save lives. The attention paid to fentanyl and other forms of deadly overdoses in Colorado often overshadows the spike in alcohol-related deaths. And because of the way deaths related to long-term drinking are counted, the toll could be even higher.— The Denver Post 🔑 More flags, vehicles burned in Fort Collins. Five reports of vandalism, including the burning of American and pride flags, ditches and even cars in the same northeastern Fort Collins neighborhood have been reported this week, with similar incidents having been reported in October and November of last year.
— 9News Gone but not forgotten: Uncovering the history of long-lost ghost ski areas in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. From Berthoud Pass to Geneva Basin ski area, this is a great look at some of the long-lost runs and resorts in Colorado (featuring some very cool vintage photos from the slopes).
— Summit Daily Nebraska makes first purchase of land in Colorado for proposed canal. Just before the new year, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources purchased nearly 90 acres east of Julesburg for just under $90,000. The purchase is one of the first steps in building a $500 million canal to move water from the South Platte River into the state (backstory from our own Michael Booth here).
— Omaha World-Herald
🔑 = source has article meter or paywall
CARTOONS
Cartoonist Jim Morrissey looks at the decision of state Rep. Mike Lynch to join the GOP primary field where Lauren Boebert has sought safe haven.
Drew Litton illustrates how Orange Crush used to describe a vaunted defensive unit, but now more aptly describes what the team has done to fans’ hopes and dreams.
In “What’d I Miss?” Myra and Ossie puzzle over why some people can’t figure out why the politician they voted for behaves exactly as advertised.
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].
CONVERSATION
Each weekday The Daily Sun-Up podcast brings you a bit of Colorado history, headlines and a thoughtful conversation. We keep it tight so you can quickly listen, or stack up a few and tune in at your leisure. You can download the Sun-Up for free in your favorite podcasting app, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or RSS to plug into your app. This week we covered topics from the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains.
Quietly building a farming empire on the Eastern Plains. Stefan Soloviev is from a prominent New York City family and is buying up thousands of acres of farmland in Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico. Why?LISTEN Starting the new year big in climate and health. Our scribes who craft The Temperature newsletter talk about a big hospital takeover, and the remarkable success of e-bike programs across Colorado.
LISTEN Lauren Boebert opts to run in 4th CD. After two terms representing Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, the controversial congresswoman is trying for the even more Republican-leaning 4th district.
LISTEN One of the high country’s biggest threats: out-of-state dust. We keep doing our snow dance in the mountains, but we’ve been pretty dry. When the snow does come, then we’ve got to worry about flying dirt.
LISTEN Sun events on the horizon. We’ve got a couple more virtual events coming up this month you might want to tune in to. Get a preview on what’s to come this month.
LISTEN
🗣️ Remember, you can ask Siri, Alexa or Google to “play the Daily Sun-Up podcast” and we’ll play right on your smart speaker. As always we appreciate your feedback and comments at [email protected].
After last night’s 39-foot comeback buzzer beater, who wouldn’t want a Jokic bobblehead?
— Parker & the whole staff of The Sun
Corrections & Clarifications
Yesterday’s Sunriser was updated online to correct the date of reporter Michael Booth’s presentation on The New Car Culture. It will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. RSVP here.
Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing [email protected].
Type of Story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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