Compiled by Eric Lubbers, eric@coloradosun.com
CTO/Newsletter Wrangler, @brofax
Good morning to everyone checking their email on a beautiful Memorial Day. Colorado is replete with events honoring fallen members of the armed services today, as well as some of the now-traditional events like the Bolder Boulder that help us mark the unofficial start of summer — and we don’t want to distract too much from your plans.
We have just a few stories to share with you today – we’ll be back at our usual caliber Wednesday – so buckle in for a Sunriser holiday mini!
Let’s char these hot dogs already, shall we?
A cybersecurity worker shortage in Colorado has the industry tapping veterans to fill the gap
Vin Munk, right, a former corporal in the Marines and former Denver police officer, discusses his special skill set during a mock interview with Kara Ashley of Austin Fraser on May 24, 2019. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)
You don’t have to look far to see just how important cybersecurity is to literally every business and branch of government (remember when CDOT was completely shut down by hackers?). But working in cybersecurity takes a very specific skill set —not to mention the ability to think in terms of strategic combat — that has firms running a shortage of workers all over the country.
>> VETERANS FINDING A PLACE: Tamara Chuang has the story of how one training program is seeing an influx of veterans and why vets are particularly suited to the industry (plus a look at how Colorado Springs is seeking to make cybersecurity a pillar of the city’s economy). Read the whole story here.
Message scent: Douglas fir beetles detoured from Ouray forest by pheromone packets
Forester Austin Shelby holds a “bubble cap” or packet of chemicals developed to mimic pheromones that fool Douglas fir beetles into avoiding trees as they emerge and seek new hosts this spring. The packets are stapled onto the trees individually. (Erin McIntyre, Ouray County Plaindealer)
The problem: Douglas fir beetles absolutely love to eat and kill — you guessed it — the old Douglas fir trees that give the forests around Ouray their beauty. The solution: Some bubble wrap-looking packets stapled to a tree. Yes, really.
>> SMELLY CAMOUFLAGE: Erin McIntyre, of our partner publication the Ouray County Plaindealer, explains exactly what message these little packets are transmitting to the little buggers.
Here are eight great books by Colorado authors for your summer reading list
A copy of Denver author Peter Heller’s “The River,” photographed at Cheesman Park in Denver on May 26, 2019. (Eric Lubbers, The Colorado Sun)
Yeah, yeah, yeah June 21 is technically the beginning of summer, but we all know that Memorial Day weekend is the spiritual transition point. And summer means you’re going to want some hot summer books to read. We asked some of the authors featured in our SunLit section to recommend their favorite beach/mountain/back porch reads by Colorado authors.
>> CAN YOU READ ALL EIGHT BEFORE LABOR DAY? Check out the full list here (including “The River” above that I’m already hooked on after just 30 pages or so).
From the Opinion Page
- Keeping kids safe is far more complicated than adding more school resource officers, writes Apryl Alexander, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Denver.
- Mario Nicolais has been looking at the Denver mayoral race and sees “incompetence and … a shameful predisposition to unsubstantiated claims” in Jamie Giellis’ campaign.
- Dave Krieger has been watching the same race but says it’s time for the city to elect its first woman as mayor and “repudiate a culture that still too often defends the harasser and attacks the accuser.”
- CU Anschutz professor Edwin J. Asturias fears that Colorado is gambling with the health of its residents when it comes to the measles, and “let’s just hope they don’t end up on the wrong side of the dice.”
- The new executive director of the Colorado Petroleum Council, Lynn Granger, writes that she’s disappointed to “watch six local jurisdictions impose moratoriums on new energy development.”
Today’s Thing:
The Thing: Going outside.
Why You Might Like It: Fight against the tyranny of your four walls and — if you’re lucky enough to have today off — go enjoy what will be a beautiful day (at least until the severe thunderstorms start kicking in). Personally, I’m off to the dog park to watch this cute little idiot try to socialize without immediately rolling on his back and exposing his belly, but even a walk around your neighborhood completely free of purpose will lift your spirits, I promise.
Thanks for sticking around to the end of this mini, but seriously, put down the phone, close the laptop and go enjoy yourself today (while taking a moment or two to remember the members of the armed services we’ve lost).
We’ll be back here on Wednesday with a full bushel of news. Have a great week!
— Eric