Well, here we are on the cusp of 2024. I’m not much of a resolutions person, but I am a big to-do list person, so this is the time when I scramble to check off those final tasks that slipped through my schedule. Or, you know, move them into next year (looking at you, DMV appointment).
Collectively, we’ve been able to get a lot done at The Colorado Sun this year thanks to the generosity of readers like you.
You’ve been with us as we’ve celebrated our fifth anniversary, changed to a nonprofit and earned a Trust Mark. You’ve supported our special reporting projects on HOA foreclosures, solitary confinement, the high cost of living in Colorado, the local news crisis and pinpointing just what is wrong with the Colorado Rockies. As a reader-supported news organization, we depend on our fellow Coloradans to help us bring you the reporting for which we are known.
If you have room for one more to-do, please consider making a year-end gift to The Sun.
Thanks for spending your year with us! We can’t wait for what’s next. For now, here’s today’s news.
ELECTION 2024
Colorado GOP’s appeal to U.S. Supreme Court likely guarantees Trump will be on state’s presidential primary ballot
The outcome of the case will have national consequences as Trump’s candidacy has been challenged under the Civil War-era provision, found in the 14th Amendment, in several states.
“We obviously are going to ask for an extremely accelerated timeline …”
— Sean Grimsley, attorney for the plaintiffs seeking to disqualify Trump
Last week, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump violated the Civil War-era “insurrection clause” and therefore could not appear on the presidential primary ballot. On Wednesday, the Colorado Republican Party filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking them to overturn the decision. This move puts a time crunch on the high court to issue a ruling in a matter of days, before the Jan. 5 deadline to set the state’s ballot. Political reporters Jesse Paul and Brian Eason explain why this means Trump will probably appear on the ballot after all, and what the case means nationally.
Previously: Trump transformed the Supreme Court. Now the justices could decide his political and legal future.— The Associated Press
OUTDOORS
CPW says it will not kill wolves after attacks on North Park rancher’s cattle
Kim Gittleson, center, during an investigation on her ranch by Colorado Parks and Wildlife district managers of a heifer killed by wolves who migrated from Wyoming, on Jan. 19, 2022. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)
“We brought in donkeys, we brought horned cattle, we had fladry, we had cracker shells, we had so many things.”
— Kim Gittleson, rancher
Colorado Parks and Wildlife denied rancher Don Gittleson’s request for the agency to kill two wolves that prey on his cattle and nearby livestock in North Park. Gittleson made the formal request in a letter to CPW last week, shortly after the release of 10 gray wolves into Grand County. Over the past two years, seven of Don and Kim Gittleson’s cows have been killed or injured by a wolf, and the couple feels they have exhausted their options for mitigation. Tracy Ross has more.
ENVIRONMENT
Thinning Colorado forests to reduce fire danger also helps bees and flowers, research shows
Flower blooming June 17, 2021, among trees burned in Rocky Mountain National Park less than a year before. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)
32,000
Acres of vulnerable and degraded forest along the Front Range selected for restoration
Since 2009 a restoration program has methodically made its way through Front Range forests, thinning excess trees and removing dense undergrowth to return the forests to a “pre-European” state. New research from Colorado State and Utah State universities shows that the yearslong effort has brought more bees and flowers to the selected areas, increased climate change resilience and had an observable impact on wildfire intensity. William Allstetter walks us through the research.
THE COLORADO REPORT
Wyoming ranchers prepared to “shoot on sight” if Colorado wolves cross state line. While Colorado plans to keep a 60-mile buffer zone between the wolves and human-made borders with other states and tribal lands, ranchers to the north aren’t expecting the wolves to be contained for long.— Cowboy State Daily Maine joins Colorado in disqualifying Trump from presidential primary ballot. Though as we’ve seen here, appeals are on the way.
— Reuters Denver’s 1st micro-community tiny home opens Sunday, part of mayor’s House1000 plan. The tiny village in northeastern Denver will house about 50 people living on the streets.
— 9News Broncos’ trade for Russell Wilson was a disaster, but blame extends past QB.
With the end of the brief Wilson era all but assured this offseason, Nick Kosmider looks at everything that went wrong as the Broncos evaluate what’s next.
— The Athletic 🔑
🔑 = source has article meter or paywall
— Meagan Bean, recent graduate with master’s in public health from the Colorado School of Public Health and Penelope Velasco, student at the Colorado School of Public Health
CARTOONS
Cartoonist Drew Litton observes that with the Denver Broncos’ benching of quarterback Russell Wilson for the last two games, the new ownership’s expensive experiment appears to be over.
In “What’d I Miss?” as 2023 winds down, Myra considers resolutions centered on the upcoming presidential election — and on keeping Trump out of the White House.
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 brought back some of our top podcasts from 2023.
Mountain towns and the fight over short-term rentals. The pushback by homeowners in some high country towns is real. They’ve had enough being cast as a villain.LISTEN How first-time homebuyers are finding success. The housing market was a little less frenzied in Colorado this year, and first-timers are getting back into the market.
LISTEN A conversation with Gov. Jared Polis. The second-term governor joined us for our inaugural SunFest, and he hit on a number of issues facing Colorado.
LISTEN How to fight a medical bill. Health care reporter John Ingold discusses tips and the help available in Colorado for those who are struggling with overwhelming medical bills.
LISTEN Another kind of high. Colorado author Finn Murphy discusses his latest book, “Rocky Mountain High,” and chats about his attempt to carve out a niche in the hemp industry.
LISTEN
🗣️Remember to ask your favorite smart device to “play the Daily Sun-Up podcast” and we’ll be on the speaker. As always we appreciate your feedback and comments at [email protected].
Let’s do this again next year!
— Parker & the whole staff of The Sun
Corrections & Clarifications
Thursday’s edition of The Sunriser was updated at 10:26 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2023, to correct a misspelling of Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen’s name, and to fix the date for Wes Anderson New Year’s Eve at the Thin Man Tavern to Dec. 31.
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.
English (United States) ·