Carbondale looks within for heating solution

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Good morning, Colorado!

You may remember the big announcement we made back in September about The Colorado Sun’s transition to nonprofit. Through the graces of speedy work by the IRS, that process is now complete!

Just in time for Colorado Gives Day, The Sun is now able to accept your tax-deductible donations. If you’re still organizing any end-of-year giving, you’re just a few clicks away from supporting statewide independent journalism in Colorado.

Our nonprofit status is still so shiny and new that we’re not yet on the Colorado Gives platform, but we welcome and appreciate your support on our giving page.

While these donations are distinct from our ongoing memberships, we need both to maintain the high quality of accountability journalism you’ve come to expect from The Colorado Sun. If you have any questions about the ins and outs of giving to The Sun, our Membership Director Lauren Whynott is ready to answer them if you shoot her a note at lauren@coloradosun.com.

And while that’s the most exciting news for us inside the newsroom, we have a whole batch of actual news to get to, so let’s drill this geothermal well already, shall we?

THE NEWS

ENERGY

A Colorado town wants to use geothermal energy to heat and cool a section of its downtown core

Five hundred feet below downtown Carbondale, the temperature is pretty much always 50 degrees, which is plenty warm enough to operate a heat pump. And thanks to a $716,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the town wants to combine heat pump technology with the efficiency of district heating to provide at least 50% of the town center’s heating and cooling. Mark Jaffe explains it all.

READ MORE

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EDUCATION

Colorado foster kids are less likely to graduate than homeless children. A new program is trying to fix that.

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Kids in the Colorado foster care system can access health care and even therapy through Medicaid. But despite the fact that the trauma endured by these kids directly affects their ability to learn, there is no broad access to tutoring programs. Jennifer Brown reports on Kids Crossing, a program that provides tutoring, emotional management training and more with the goal of keeping kids on track.

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• Proposed ban on religious instruction in Colorado’s state-funded preschools may spark legal fight. Colorado explicitly invited faith-based preschools to participate in its new $322 million universal preschool program. But state officials have sent mixed messages about whether preschools can offer religious instruction during state-funded class time.

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OUTDOORS

Fur is still flying over Steamboat’s Mad Rabbit trail plan

The project by the U.S. Forest Service to increase the number of recreational trails atop Rabbit Ears Pass is running headlong into a now-classic Colorado problem: the tension between the need for more recreation options and fears about encroaching on wildlife habitats. Eugene Buchanan breaks down the current state of the project after six years of planning.

READ MORE

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THE COLORADO REPORT

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

• Free rides reduced driving, RTD report says. But the quest to reduce transportation pollution faces a long road.
  — CPR News
• Huge swings in Colorado Springs housing prices in last two months. In October, the median price for a single family home tied the summertime-high price of $485,000. By November, the price dropped to $466,000, the lowest since April.
  — KRCC
• Guard pleads guilty to raping woman he transported to Delta County jail. Marquet Johnson admitted to raping a woman while working for a private company that transports inmates from jail to jail.
  — 9News
• Stranahan’s whiskey returns to mountain-town roots with new taproom. The company, co-founded by millionaire Aspen resident George Stranahan, will open the Whiskey Lodge.
  — The Know 🔑

THE OPINION PAGE

COMMUNITY

• Colorado restaurateurs, customers need Congress to rein in credit card processing fees. Colorado delegation must help pass the Credit Card Competition Act to give restaurants and other users a chance to succeed.
  — Aileen V. Reilly, beast + bottle group

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

“Brighter than the Flames” tells the tale of a woman tragically ahead of her time

Anna Koob was an exceptional young woman in many ways, as the flirtations of the men along the German riverside made clear in this excerpt. Author Stefan Scheuermann’s historical novel based on his real-life, 17-century relative tracks the tragic path of a beautiful and outspoken woman of intellect — eventually burned to death as a witch.

READ AN EXCERPT

• Interview with the author. What started as genealogical research for Scheuermann expanded over the years as the author skirted dead ends in his research by applying his imagination and ultimately arriving at his novel.

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See you all tomorrow!

— Eric & the whole staff of The Sun

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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.