The Sunriser | Lauren Boebert on the debate stage

Good morning, Colorado! I’ve spent the better part of this week lying on the couch trying to sleep off some unwelcome illness. While I was there, I thought it would be a great time to catch up on all the Late Night hosts’ commentary/roasting of the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. I was mistaken, it was not a good time for that. Presidential primary politics isn’t exactly the most healing material to take in, but at least I laughed a couple of times.

Meanwhile, on the Colorado front, Lauren Boebert was one of nine congressional candidates who showed up last night to a debate in the 4th Congressional District. More on that below.

If you enjoy talking politics — the good, the bad and the downright funny — you should join our political team at the Denver Press Club on Feb. 29 for a night of networking and conversation. The event is free, RSVP here!

Now, on to the news.

Parker Yamasaki

Reporter

THE NEWS

POLITICS

Lauren Boebert faced her first major political test in her new congressional district. Here’s how it went.

Nine congressional candidates gathered in Fort Lupton on Thursday night for the first Republican debate in the 4th District. Lauren Boebert, who switched her reelection bid from the 3rd District in December, was among them. According to politics reporter Jesse Paul, the other candidates grilled her about switching districts for better odds and having no real ties to the region.

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OUTDOORS

Aspen goes dark with a new ordinance that punishes “light trespass”

A two-year long push for darker skies in Aspen led to a new ordinance in December prohibiting light that extends past one’s property between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Failure to comply could result in a uniquely named fine for “light trespassing.” Tracy Ross reports that Aspen is one of several cities trying to dim things down, as too much artificial light has been shown to have negative health effects on humans, and can disrupt a region’s flora and fauna.

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• Colorado 14er Kit Carson Mountain readies for a new name. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names has received a flurry of new name suggestions, including Frustum Peak, Lawrence Peak, and Crestone Mountain (not to be confused with Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle).
• PHOTOS: Professional ice climbers race for time in Ouray’s Ice Park. Nearly 50 of the world’s top ice climbers competed at the annual Ouray Ice Festival, the only event sanctioned by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation in North America.

EDUCATION

Many teens are rethinking college. This 87-acre campus near Colorado Springs wants to help them find careers without it.

On an 87-acre swath of fields in El Paso County, an education board is dreaming up a new center for career and technical education. The CTE campus will serve graduating high schoolers who want to learn trades like construction, firefighting and culinary arts — trades that don’t require a college degree, and are facing a shortage of skilled workers. Education reporter Erica Breunlin has more on the resurgence of CTE.

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ENVIRONMENT

Poudre River defenders sue to block Army permit for controversial $2 billion northern Colorado dams

A $2 billion plan to dam and distribute water from the Poudre River to northern Colorado communities came up against another hurdle Thursday, when the nonprofit Save the Poudre asked a federal judge to reject the Army Corps of Engineers permit for the project. River advocates say the project will divert water from an already-depleted Poudre River, while Northern Water insists the project will improve stream flows at important times of the year. Michael Booth reports.

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Section by Parker Yamasaki | Reporter

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Colorado offering new sickle cell treatment that “radically” changes living with disease. News of approved therapies from the FDA that can cure sickle cell disease is being celebrated in Aurora, a hub for sickle cell care in the region.
  — CPR News
• From temperatures to wildfire risk, here are takeaways from new Colorado climate report. “The key takeaway is that it’s getting warmer, and that’s going to have an impact on our hazards and our extremes that we’re vulnerable to,” said Becky Bolinger, a co-author of the latest Climate Change in Colorado report by researchers at Colorado State University.
  — Fort Collins Coloradoan 🔑
• Marijuana sales in Loveland getting another look. Though the town has turned down several attempts to allow recreational sales, city councilor Laura Light-Kovacs plans to make a motion to allow dispensaries in Loveland at a council meeting next month.
  — Greeley Tribune
• United Airlines to add 40 new flights in Denver in time for summer travel season. Denver International Airport’s largest carrier is adding more flights, including expanded service to national parks and Canada.
  — The Denver Post

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Kevin Jeffers | Product Team

THE OPINION PAGE

CARTOONS

In “What’d I Miss?” Ossie drops some post-Civil War history on his friend, with the observation that the old racist arguments never really go away.

CARTOON

Todd Helton, on his sixth go-round with baseball’s Hall of Fame voters, will be inducted in Cooperstown, and cartoonist Drew Litton captures the joy.

CARTOON

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 or RSS to plug into your app. This week we go from the top of Pikes Peak to the depths of the Colorado Capitol with a pit stop for a groovy throwback show. Let’s listen!

• Pikes Peak as the canary in the tourism coal mine? Sun reporter Jason Blevins goes deep into the plethora of stakeholders working to keep millions of visitors to “America’s Mountain” and how the region’s struggles are echoed around the state.
  LISTEN
• Rural broadband haves and have-nots. Tech reporter Tamara Chuang has been on the broadband beat for years. In this episode she details how more than $100 million in rural broadband funding has been dispersed — including which projects were left out.
  LISTEN
• Turmoil at the Capitol. After news broke of state Rep. Mike Lynch’s 2022 DUI arrest, political reporters Jesse Paul and Brian Eason talked about the chaotic attempts by Republicans in the statehouse to react.
  LISTEN
• Restaurant kitchens no longer cooking with gas? Reporters Michael Booth and John Ingold explore one of the final frontiers of the great electrification: the hard-working restaurant kitchen.
  LISTEN
• Bringing back The Grateful Dead’s legendary Boulder light show. Bring out The Dead! Reporter Kevin Simpson and G. Brown of the Colorado Music Experience get into the Colorado connections of iconic musical artists, including a symposium at Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium that explores the band’s four totemic performances in Boulder — complete with a recreation of the classic light shows.
  LISTEN

🗣️ Also, remember to ask your favorite smart device to “play the Daily Sun-Up podcast” and we’ll be on the speaker. As always we appreciate your feedback and comments at podcast@coloradosun.com.

Let’s do this again next week.

— Parker & the whole staff of The Sun

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.