Students sit in desks and look toward someone at the front of the room
High schoolers at Miami-Yoder School District 60-JT, listen as Kevin Jaramillo teaches a criminal justice class Jan. 11, 2024 in Rush. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
The Sunriser logo

Good morning, Colorado. 

If you missed it, last night reporters Jennifer Brown and Michael Booth took our ongoing High Cost of Colorado series to the virtual stage to talk with experts on growing budget strains.

This event was a little different from our other virtual panels. If you tuned in live, the reporters and panelists were in the video chat, answering reader questions in real time as the panel was broadcast. It was like a two-for-one journalism sale!

Now even if you missed it, you can watch the panel and follow along with the live chat, just like you were there. Just look for the “show chat replay” button on YouTube as you watch.

A graphic showing how much the ingredients in a burger have increased
Just click that button anywhere you’re rewatching the event to follow along!

Click here to watch the whole event and click here to sign up for our next one so you can be part of the live chat!

When you’re done with that discussion, we have a whole stack of news ready for reading, so let’s get on with it, shall we?

A graphic showing how much the ingredients in a burger have increased
Scott Brettell, who worked at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for about 16 years, teaches high school students in person and remotely during an introductory course on emergency dispatching Jan. 11 at Calhan Public High School. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

In many parts of Colorado, it’s been harder and harder to find people to work the receiving end of emergency calls. While Colorado Springs is juggling dozens of open positions, a program in Calhan is training students on how to field a call on what could be the worst day of a person’s life. Erica Breunlin has more.

READ MORE


A graphic showing how much the ingredients in a burger have increased
Valyncia Brooks of Manteca, California, competes in breakaway roping Monday at the MLK, Jr. African American Heritage Rodeo at the National Western Stock Show in the Denver Coliseum. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

The 40th annual MLK Jr. African American Heritage Rodeo of Champions drew top Black cowboys and cowgirls and a lot of little wranglers with big-arena aspirations. Reporter Tracy Ross has more on Bill Pickett’s legacy to accompany the moments captured by photographer Olivia Sun.

READ MORE


It’s been a decade since Australia-based Black Range Minerals was told to either get a permit for full-scale mining or stop poking holes near Cañon City — by that point they had drilled more than 1,400 exploratory holes. But with interest in “carbon-free” energy on the rise, another Australian company is applying to start drilling the known uranium deposits — much to the dismay of two dozen property owners. Sue McMillin has more on the past, present and future of mining in Fremont County.

READ MORE


In rural Colorado, 13 applicants were awarded $113.5 million to set up 18,769 homes and businesses with better internet. That’s obviously exciting, but at the same time, it’s only a handful of the 112 applications asking for more than $642 million. For those who didn’t win, there’s still hope, though, as the Colorado Broadband Office believes federal funds can help take care of the rest, Tamara Chuang writes.

READ MORE


🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

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.

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins 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


Miss out on last night’s event? That’s OK, more are coming down the pipeline. Mark Jan. 24 on your calendar for when Michael Booth talks about the new car culture coming amid the EV revolution.

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.

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.