Good morning, Colorado.
Last weekend I had one thing on my mind: March Madness.
The fifth-seeded University of Colorado women decided to start the first round by giving me a heart attack as they struggled against Drake. But thankfully for my health and my bracket, they pulled it together.
Two wins later and they are now advancing into the Sweet 16 where they’ll face top-seeded Iowa and its star Caitlin Clark.
So mark your calendars for 1:30 p.m. this Saturday and make sure to tune in.
Presentation Editor
P.S.
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THE NEWS
BREAKING: Steamboat Springs voters reject plan to build affordable housing community for more than 6,000 residents. The Brown Ranch plan began with a donation of $24 million and proposed more than 2,200 affordable units in Steamboat Springs by 2040.
POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Worker shortages loom large in Colorado’s $40.6B state budget proposal. Will pay raises be enough?
1 in 5
State jobs vacant following the pandemic
State workers could get their largest raises in at least a decade under a $40.6 billion state budget proposal. A recent pay study found that state employees make 8% less than workers in comparable public and private sector jobs. But with so many vacancies, it still might not be enough to adequately staff state mental health facilities and prisons, Brian Eason writes.
ENVIRONMENT
Bat infected with disease that could devastate Colorado’s ecosystem is found in Longmont
3
Bats with white-nose syndrome found in Colorado
White-nose disease is an invasive fungus that has killed millions of bats across North America. It’s now been found in Colorado, prompting officials to ask the public to be on the lookout for sick or dead bats. Of Colorado’s 19 native bat species, at least 13 may be susceptible. Olivia Prentzel has more.
ENERGY
Colorado lawmakers may go after former oil and gas owners as number of abandoned wells grows to over 1,000
16 years
How long it will take to plug Colorado’s 1,007 orphan wells at the current rate
The number of orphan wells in Colorado has seen a four-fold increase in four years. And the burden to clean them up has largely fallen on the state. It doesn’t help that a large number of low-producing wells have been transferred from larger companies to smaller ones, which are more vulnerable to failing and abandoning the wells.
To counteract this, lawmakers have introduced legislation that would allow the state to go after not just the current owner of abandoned wells, but former owners, too. Mark Jaffe has more.
Section by Danika Worthington | Presentation Editor
THE COLORADO REPORT
🔑 = source has article meter or paywall
Section by Kevin Jeffers | Product Team
THE OPINION PAGE
COLUMNS
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 opinion@coloradosun.com.
SunLit
BOOKS
The Bookies Bookstore suggests a flight of fancy and a colonial tale
Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from The Bookies Bookstore in Denver recommends:
Read what the bookstore staff had to say about each. Pick up a copy and support your local bookstores at the same time.
Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer
Remember: The Buffs take on the Hawkeyes this Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
— Danika & the whole staff of The Sun
Corrections & Clarifications
Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.
