A group of longhorn cattle with cowboys on horses behind them make their way through downtown Denver
Wranglers on horseback herd a group of longhorn cattle through Denver's financial district, during the annual parade kicking off the National Western Stock Show in January 2013. (Brennan Linsley, AP Photo)
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Good morning for day 4 of 2024 — and because everyone’s internal calendars are screwy from the holidays, here’s your reminder that yes, today is Thursday.

I’m behind on my new year’s traditions, so while all 15 varieties of beans (including black-eyed peas, of course) are soaking for my big cajun stew tonight, let me tell you about our busy calendar of events this month.

Starting with tonight (Thursday, 6 p.m.): Join our politics editor Jesse Paul for The Sun’s annual pre-legislative session talk with Gov. Jared Polis and statehouse leaders about what to expect this year under the golden dome. You still have plenty of time to reserve a free seat and submit a question, just head to coloradosun.com/2024PreLegislative to get registered.

Then later this month, we’re taking a deeper dive into our High Cost of Colorado series and the world of electric vehicles:

And that’s just for January! We’ve got a lot more than bean stew cooking for the rest of 2024, so keep an eye on coloradosun.com/events and follow us on Instagram to keep up on the latest.

We’ve got a whole lot of news to get through before 6 p.m., so let’s saddle up and start rounding up these dogies, shall we?

Wranglers on horseback herd longhorn cattle through Denver’s financial district, during the annual parade kicking off the National Western Stock Show in 2013. (Brennan Linsley, AP Photo)

From how to see the best art to where to get good coffee to which rodeo clowns to watch, our team has put together a great guide for one of the biggest events in the state.

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Young snowboarders navigate toward the next chairlift at Vail ski area on Nov. 17, 2021. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)

A still-unnamed 69-year-old Vail ski instructor was found unresponsive on the Born Free run at the ski resort Dec. 28 and died days later after being taken to Denver. While this is the third Vail Resorts employee to die on the job since 2021, Jason Blevins reports that resort worker deaths in Colorado remain exceedingly rare.

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Platte River Power Authority’s Rawhide Energy Station, north of Wellington, generates electricity using coal, natural gas and solar. (Ed Kosmicki, Special to The Colorado Sun)

Lawmakers and the Colorado Sierra Club are calling out the Platte River Power Authority’s “empty promises” for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to get into compliance with a new 2023 law. Michael Booth reports on the authority’s plans and how much of the path to greener energy it still has to walk.

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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.

One tradition during the Lunar New Year is to gift family members and acquaintances red envelopes with money. (Courtesy of Truong An Gifts, photo by Rainy T. Nguyen)

Year of the Dragon. In the Chinese zodiac, the upcoming lunar year, beginning Feb. 11, is the year of the wood dragon. And when Mimi Luong talks about someone on her “dragon team” she could be talking about any one of the small business owners, artists, chefs, Kung Fu experts, qigong masters, calligraphists or nonprofit organizations that she’s coalesced to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Luong and her family own the Far East Center, a hub of east Asian businesses on South Federal Boulevard in Denver. From now until Feb. 10, the date of their official Lunar New Year celebration, the center is hosting programs to introduce people to the skills, symbolism and traditions associated with the holiday.

Every week the center introduces a new theme — arts, storytelling, holistic health, food or traditions — and offers classes based around it. Take a free qigong class, delve into acupuncture and learn from a tai chi expert during the holistic health week. Fold dumplings, bake mooncakes and make kimchi during the culinary week. Dance in a KPOP class. Paint a dragon landscape. Learn calligraphy. All classes are free or donation-based.

The programming culminates in a weeklong Lunar Street Market, from Feb. 1-9, and the annual Lunar New Year celebration on Feb. 10-11.

Donation-based pricing; Jan. 2-Feb. 11; Far East Center, 333 S. Federal Blvd., Denver

Thanks for cruising into your morning with us, and I hope we’ll see you all on YouTube tonight!

— Eric & 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.

This story was updated at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2024, to correct the date of reporter Michael Booth’s presentation on The New Car Culture. It will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24, 6 p.m. RSVP here.

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.