They say the holidays aren’t over until the cows come rumbling down 17th Street, or something like that. Well, the cows have come and gone (back to their pens at the National Western Complex), the Stock Show is on, and the holidays are behind us. Unless you celebrate National Bobblehead Day, which Coloradans actually have reason to observe this year, since the Denver Nuggets NBA champions bobbleheads will be inducted into the Bobblehead Hall of Fame’s Champions Wall.
In any case, we have plenty of exciting things ahead. The legislative session starts next week (if you missed our annual pre-legislative session talk last night, where the governor and the top lawmakers on both sides of the aisle previewed their priorities on everything from housing to property tax relief to transportation, you can watch right here). There’s also our High Cost of Colorado event coming up on Jan. 16 hosted by reporters Michael Booth and Jennifer Brown, and a panel discussion about the New Car Culture with environment reporter Michael Booth on Jan. 24.
If all that’s not enough, there’s always the daily roundup of Colorado news to look forward to. Let’s get to it.
Reporter
THE NEWS
IMMIGRATION
Denver moved 277 migrants from an encampment into shelter — as 443 more arrived
36,300
Migrants who have come through Denver since December 2022
The number of migrants in emergency shelters in Denver reached a new high this week, prompting Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to appeal for help from other cities. Meanwhile, the city cleaned up a migrant encampment in northwest Denver, busing 277 people to congregate shelters. But Denver is running out of room. Sun reporter Jennifer Brown and El Comercio de Colorado editor Jesús Sánchez Meleán spoke with migrants as they looked for jobs and navigated the shelter system.
EQUITY
New online tool helps Coloradans quickly determine which public benefits they might be eligible for
52
The number of programs that MyFriendBen scans to determine eligibility
Many people eligible for public benefits programs either don’t know it, or are too discouraged by the time-intensive research process to find out. But a new online tool called MyFriendBen aims to streamline that process using a simple questionnaire that asks for details like age, income, household expenses and location. The tool then scans over 50 programs across eight categories and matches people with the programs they are eligible for, like food assistance, child care and tax credits. Tatiana Flowers has more.
CRIME AND COURTS
Rare street drug that could be more potent than fentanyl surfaces in Boulder County
In the past six months, two men in their 20s died after overdosing on a mixture of drugs that included nitazenes, an emerging class of synthetic opioid thought to be more potent than fentanyl. Nitazenes were developed in the 1950s to manage pain but were never approved by the FDA. Though the drug is still rare in Colorado, it has made a dangerous emergence on the Front Range, blamed for the deaths of 13 people since 2021. Olivia Prentzel has the details.
CULTURE
PHOTOS: 30 longhorn cattle, horses with hairspray and a 7-year-old cowgirl during the 2024 Stock Show parade
Thirty longhorn cattle, 350 horses, a goat, some chickens and a pack of dogs could be seen strolling through downtown Denver yesterday during the opening parade for the National Western Stock Show. Photographer Hugh Carey captured the energy — and the toothy horse grins — from the event, while reporter Parker Yamasaki ducked behind the scenes with parade participants.
MORE NEWS
Section by Parker Yamasaki | Reporter
THE COLORADO REPORT
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Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE OPINION PAGE
CARTOONS
Cartoonist Jim Morrissey looks at the decision of state Rep. Mike Lynch to join the GOP primary field where Lauren Boebert has sought safe haven.
Drew Litton illustrates how Orange Crush used to describe a vaunted defensive unit, but now more aptly describes what the team has done to fans’ hopes and dreams.
In “What’d I Miss?” Myra and Ossie puzzle over why some people can’t figure out why the politician they voted for behaves exactly as advertised.
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.
Podcast Playlist
CONVERSATION
Each weekday The Daily Sun-Up podcast brings you a bit of Colorado history, headlines and a thoughtful conversation. We keep it tight so you can quickly listen, or stack up a few and tune in at your leisure. You can download the Sun-Up for free in your favorite podcasting app, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or RSS to plug into your app. This week we covered topics from the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains.
🗣️ Remember, you can ask Siri, Alexa or Google to “play the Daily Sun-Up podcast” and we’ll play right on your smart speaker. As always we appreciate your feedback and comments at podcast@coloradosun.com.
After last night’s 39-foot comeback buzzer beater, who wouldn’t want a Jokic bobblehead?
— Parker & the whole staff of The Sun
Corrections & Clarifications
Yesterday’s Sunriser was updated online to correct the date of reporter Michael Booth’s presentation on The New Car Culture. It will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. RSVP here.
Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.
