Compiled by Tamara Chuang, tamara@coloradosun.com
Writer, @Gadgetress
Yay, it’s finally March! We are now entering Colorado’s snowiest month, which means we are one day closer to my favorite time of year: No snow! Of course, snow is in the weekend forecast for much of the state — so poor me and my not-all-wheel-drive Prius.
I’m subbing for Eric today so he can wrap up some other projects. Since I’m in charge (heh heh), I wanted to bring back something we had in early Sunrisers: a reader question! Readers help shape The Sun and we want to make sure we are covering stories that make you think, “That was worth my time.”
It’s been a rough week for some of our newspaper friends. But journalists in Colorado continue to plug away and, like us, want to build a more sustainable local news model. One thing that works is when a story gets shared, news organizations benefit, which is why we have The Shortlist in every Sunriser. So tell me: What’s a recent local news story you’ve read/heard/seen — outside The Sun — that is worth sharing? Tweet us @ColoradoSun or email me and I’ll share it!
Until then, let’s toast this bread, shall we?
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The Latest from The Sun
To right historic wrongs, Colorado museums embraced the spirit of the law that repatriated Native American artifacts and remains — largely by listening
“Native Americans never asked for their graveyards to be looted.”
~ Chip Colwell at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Kevin Simpson explores the slow change in mindset since 1990, when a law gave descendants a right to Native American items in collections at federally funded institutions. Local museums have since followed suit thanks to leaders like Sheila Goff, who recently retired from History Colorado. But it hasn’t been without awkward misunderstandings.
Tattoo artist Amanda Wachob marks people — and canvases — for the long haul
Artist Amanda Wachob begins tattooing a volunteer during an exhibition of her work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. (Marvin Anani, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Tattoo artist rebel or rebel tattoo artist? Amanda Wachob probably considers herself both. She ditches comic-book black outlines and goes for tats with a softer watercolor look. But she’s also a painter and her work on the human body as well as on canvas, leather and a bunch of lemons is one of the current exhibits at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s quite a feat for an artist professionally rooted in a mostly transactional medium in which the customer is always right. As reviewer Joanne Ostrow notes, “Nobody would suggest to the painter of a wall-sized canvas, like Ernst, Miro or Still, that the painting needs more blue.”
More from The Sun
- Outrage story of the week: Hospital patients with private health insurance pay way more than patients covered by Medicare or Medicaid. But did Colorado hospitals really overcharge by $11.5 billion? A government report concluded yes. However, the report didn’t get approved after five of six representatives from the hospital industry voted no, calling the report “too biased.” Read John Ingold’s story on what the heck happened.
- Not really a question of will he or won’t he, but when? Former Gov. John Hickenlooper’s decision to run for president of the United States is coming — spoiler alert — and The Sun learned just this morning that his campaign has a Civic Center Park “celebration” permit for March 7.
- Spanish-speaking construction workers who get safety training in Spanish had fewer workers comp claims — who woulda thunk that? I sat in on a Haselden Construction session that I didn’t understand a word of, but Spanish speakers in attendance told me this was a big difference from their past jobs, where safety training was inadequate.
- Colorado lawmakers are trying to figure out how to help towns and cities, including Nucla, Craig and Pueblo, figure out a new economy with the pending closures of coal-fired power plants, some of which are closing ahead of schedule because of renewable energy and natural gas. Mark Jaffe has the story.
- You knew something had to happen after two men died when a house in Firestone exploded because of a cut flowline from a nearby gas well. State lawmakers, including the governor, laid out what’s next for Colorado oil and gas regulations. Jesse Paul reports what Democrats are hoping to accomplish and why the industry (and activists) are waiting for the details.
- Remember Jennifer Brown’s story that Colorado has the highest rate of vaping teenagers? A bill just passed its first committee this week to ban vaping where smoking is prohibited. Jesse Paul keeps us up to date.
- Not only is the women-only Colorado Classic bike race on, it picked up a title sponsor, Colorado newcomer VF Corp.
The Fun Stuff
// Big week for the Rockies and cartoonist Drew Litton doesn’t miss getting in on the Nolan Arenado action.
// In “What’d I Miss?” R. Alan Brooks and Cori Redford poke fun at modern day folks’ trust that technology companies keep our personal data safe. Privacy? Ha!
SUNLIT
Colorado’s Gold Rush days attracted the usual mix of fortune seekers, scammers and prostitutes. Denver author Randi Samuelson-Brown decided to explore what life was like for the latter in her first novel, “The Beaten Territory.” She brings to life the story of Pearl, a sad and loveless whore who wonders what it’d be like to have a bent toward murder (cue music: dun dun duhhhhhn).
JOHN FRANK’S BEER PICK
AC Golden Brewing is bringing back Batch 19 only in Colorado to commemorate the 100th anniversary of a dark time in the beer world, the ratification of the 18th Amendment. The recipe for the Pre-Prohibition lager was found in an old recipe book and the modern version pours crisp with a biscuity malt flavor. Find it on draft now.
BEER BONUS: John Frank takes us to the science lab and shares how Brut IPA is made. The result? Dry and effervescent with a pop of tropical fruit hop aroma and flavor without the bitterness.
// When I first saw SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium inside a Littleton shopping mall was being investigated for injuries, I assumed it was the sea creatures. It’s worse. It’s humans! One person was bitten by a shark, another struck by a stingray barb while another was attacked by an iguana. Ahem. Wild animals, people. // Denver 7
// This is brutal. Contamination from Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico is spilling into a local dairy farm community and ruining crops, cows and their milk. And yes, these are the same chemicals found in the water down in Fountain. // High Country News, Searchlight New Mexico, The Denver Post
// Leaks and low-water supply forced Paonia officials to cut off water to some homes this week and caused Gov. Jared Polis to issue a verbal emergency declaration. The town is hoping to get back to normal by Monday. // The Daily Sentinel
// Federal investigators say Monica’s Taco Shop and a handful of other restaurants in Colorado Springs are believed to be linked to convicted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. // KKTV
Today’s Thing
The Thing: Alley Cats by Kelly Monico
Why You Might Like It: When it gets warmer, take a stroll down 15th Street in Denver, and tucked in the alley behind Ocean Prime on Larimer Street, you may notice a few cats perched outside on a window sill. Then you turn and see more kitties reclining on window awnings, building ledges and even trees — 300 in all. It’s artist Kelly Monico’s tribute to felines in history and humans’ fascination with them. It worked. My family and I were mesmerized by this purrfectly delightful outdoor art exhibit.
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. Got a thing you can’t stop raving about? Email things@coloradosun.com and you could be published in a future Sunriser!
Well, that’s all for today, folks. I’ve got to get back to work. Don’t forget to share your favorite stories from other local media. And do us all a favor: If you read a local story that you like, tell someone else about it!
— Tamara