The push by transgender people to change their birth certificates, a revamped Avery Brewing, development in Granby, Bennet-care and much more

THIS NEWSLETTER SUPPORTED BY

 

Compiled by Tamara Chuang, tamara@coloradosun.com

Writer, @gadgetress

 

Good Friday loyal Sunriser readers!

You know who you are. And I appreciate you checking out this newsletter three times a week — and sharing it. There is just so much digital gunk competing for your attention, let me make this as valuable to you as possible.

So, here’s a tip that my tech-reporter background compels me to mention: Use Pocket or Instapaper apps to save those interesting but longer stories to read when you do have time, like the weekend.

Many of our great stories start from the Colorado community. We love hearing from you. If you think there’s something fishy going on, or there’s a good story left untold, or you just have a good tip that needs a Sun reporter on it, tell us at tips@coloradosun.com. Or email a staff writer directly.

Now, in honor of Eric, who returns Monday, let’s deliver this package, shall we?

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The legislature denied them four times, so transgender people found another way to rewrite Colorado law on birth certificates

 

 

Writer Jennifer Brown tackles how a complicated and public process that includes proof of gender-reassignment surgery is expected to change next week after the state settled a civil-rights lawsuit by B.D., a 13-year old who just wanted to change the gender on his birth certificate. This comes after transgender rights advocates spent years trying to get state law changed. Then they found out the health department could do it.

>> Read Jennifer’s entire story here.

 

A revamped Avery Brewing looks to keep its beer cred after 25 years

“We just have to up our game.”

— Adam Avery, founder of Avery Brewing

After selling a piece of itself to a Spanish megabrewer last year, Boulder’s Avery Brewing is no longer a craft brewery. So the heck what, says namesake Adam Avery, who started the brewery in 1993. Avery Brewing spent the year restructuring its business and revamping its beer lineup. And now Avery is affirming the company’s origins: “I’m in it to make great beer.”

>> Read John Frank’s profile of Avery Brewing here.

 

Cabin, RV and glamping resort promises to transform Granby as development wave rolls through Grand County

 

 

Development in the town of Granby has evolved. What’s out? High-end golf and equestrian community. What’s in? A 1,000-slip RV community plus glamping and cabins. The new River Run Resort is an attempt to address workforce housing shortages while adding affordable vacation housing.

>> Read Jason Blevin’s deep take on what is going on in Granby here.

 

More from The Sun

// What exactly is Medicare-X? John Ingold grills U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet on the senator’s fix for America’s health insurance market.

// The number of babies born in Colorado with syphilis is on the rise, even though it’s completely preventable. Jennifer Brown writes about what is happening in the age of the opioid crisis and social-dating apps like Tinder.

// U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi agreed to limit her tenure to no more than four more years in the top spot, a decision that quells concerns of U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, an Arvada Democrat, the Associated Press reports.

 

The Fun Stuff

 

Cartoons

 

 

// I love it that even The Sun’s cartoons and cartoonists are all about Colorado. Jim Morrissey simultaneously pokes fun at the recent stretch of mild weather in Denver and ugly Christmas sweaters, while the team behind “What’d I Miss?” keeps Myra and Ossie’s adventures in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood moving.

 

SunLit

// Did you know Coloradans are spending more on books this year, according to the latest economic report from CU’s Leeds School of Business? Let me add another book to your list: “White Plains,” by David Hicks, a professor at Regis University in Denver. This week’s Sunlit excerpt is one I hope never to experience: A precarious drive on a rural Colorado road during a snowstorm — and getting stuck. You’ll have to buy the semi-autobiographical novel to read chapters written by Hick’s own children plus his take on writing his ex-wife’s perspective.

 

Beer

Beer Pick: Each Friday, The Colorado Sun’s beer writer John Frank offers a recommendation for the weekend. Except this week, he wants your picks! We need your help naming the best beer and breweries in Colorado in 2018. Complete this short survey with your favorites and we’ll tally the results and name the winners later this month.

// And don’t forget to check out John’s informative guide to buying real beer in Colorado (So long 3.2 beer!)

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The Shortlist

Stuff about Colorado worth checking out

 

// If you love the food at Mile High Stadium, you are not going to want to read this. No, you need to read this: The Denver Broncos venue had the fifth-worst rank in ESPN’s food-safety inspection report of 111 professional sports stadiums. Rodent droppings are mentioned. The Pepsi Center and Coors Field were not far behind. Props to Denver data journalist Sandra Fish for the research behind this nauseating report. // ESPN

// Reporting about outrageous medical bills by 9News’ investigative team’s Chris Vanderveen, Katie Wilcox and Anna Hewson got national attention from Poynter, which went on to explain how the Denver station reported and then presented the three-year investigation through video, graphics and stories, like the one about the mom who laughed at Sky Ridge Medical Center’s $1,216.50 charge for her newborn’s circumcision. “Because I had a girl,” she said. // Poynter, 9News

// City of Aspen slammed the brakes on an $800,000 contract with Lyft to provide e-bikes and subsidized transport for three months. Bike-store owners complained Lyft’s bike-rental prices are a fraction of theirs. But what it probably came down to? A “contract with blank spaces,” Councilman Ward Hauenstein said. // Aspen Times

// In local philanthropy news, Boulder’s Anchor Point Foundation (the charitable arm of local investors Brad Feld and Amy Batchelor) are matching all funding until the end of year for first-time Colorado projects at DonorsChoose.org, which spotlights needs of public school teachers. Nudge local teachers to get a project going stat! // FeldThoughts

// Had no idea why the Egg & I restaurant changed its name to First Watch (huh?) in Centennial and elsewhere. The place always seemed packed. Now I know. // BusinessDen

// Speaking of food, did you know Mrs. Fields’ Original Cookies is headquartered in Broomfield? The company settled an anti-discrimination charge by the U.S. Justice Department for requiring lawful permanent residents to provide work documents, but not asking the same of U.S. citizens. // BizWest, U.S. Justice Dept.

// Even Teen Vogue cares about local news! Writer Linley Sanders highlights nonprofit news outlets, including The Colorado Independent. // Teen Vogue

// Oh yeah, Amazon was going to give us a bookstore. The Park Meadows Mall location became an Amazon 4-star store instead. Amazon appears to have abandoned plans to open several physical bookstores nationwide. // GeekWire

// There’s still more than two weeks left of 2018, but we’re already seeing those year-end stories that reporters are forced to do as filler during the less-staffed holiday season. This one about why 2018 was HUGE for Denver arts was actually a useful reminder considering the decline in arts coverage in the region. // 303 Magazine

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Your Thing for Today

The Thing: Tara Donovan’s Fieldwork, the current exhibit at MCA Denver

Why You Might Like It: A basement full of twisted and stacked silver Slinky toys. Mylar foil rolled into straws and meticulously arranged in a cut-out wall. Actual straws stacked thousands upon thousands in another room appear, from a distance, like a curtain of textured paper hovering against the wall. Donovan makes masterpieces out of ordinary household objects, including index cards, rubber bands and push pins. The three-story show is so mesmerizing, my family and I stopped by two weekends in a row to view it — and rejoined MCA Denver. Get there soon, Fieldwork closes Jan. 27.

Editor’s note: Every Sunriser will include one … thing … to cap off our time together. The Thing will be just about anything, like a TV show or a book or a particularly cool dog toy.

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Thanks for supporting local news and don’t be a hoarder with the stories you enjoy. Pass it on! Peace out.

— Tamara