Members of the public gather Dec. 13 for an Upper Colorado River Commission meeting in Las Vegas, held during the 2023 Colorado River Water Users Association conference. (Shannon Mullane, The Colorado Sun)
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Good morning, Colorado.

Is it already Wednesday? How can that be? I’m going to have to consult a calendar, a watch and an expert in the space-time continuum. Be back in a second.

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Manuel Heart, chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, speaks about Colorado River water issues Dec. 13 at the Upper Colorado River Commission in Las Vegas. (Shannon Mullane, The Colorado Sun)

The 30 tribal nations in the Colorado River Basin collectively have 26% of the rights to the Colorado River. But states and the federal government have repeatedly left them out of major decisions about the river. For the first time, six tribal nations are negotiating an agreement with four basin states and the federal government to give them a permanent voice. Shannon Mullane has more.

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Halle Payne and Frankie Dyer photographed Dec. 18 at home in Morrison with their son, Amarius, who was born in April. Payne, 20, became a practicing doula this year and focuses on prenatal labor, birth and postpartum care. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

Black women across the country are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related complication than white mothers. And while infant mortality rates have overall declined, racial disparities continue. Tatiana Flowers looked into programs in Colorado trying to reverse the troubling trends.

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High density laser-created plasma physics research is done at Colorado State University’s Laboratory for Advanced Lasers and Extreme Photonics on July 22, 2019.

Colorado State University is one of three national centers that federal officials have selected to take emerging laser-driven nuclear fusion technology to the next stage. Unlike nuclear fission, which creates atomic weapons, nuclear fusion is a source of clean energy that does not produce hazardous radioactive material or greenhouse gases. Michael Booth has more.

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Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Explore Booksellers in Aspen recommends:

Read what the bookstore staff had to say about each. Pick up a copy and support your local bookstores at the same time.

RECOMMENDATIONS

After my extensive research, I have determined that yes, it is in fact Wednesday. Who would’ve thunk?

— Danika & the whole staff of The Sun

Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

This byline is used for articles and guides written collaboratively by The Colorado Sun reporters, editors and producers.