The Sunriser | Lauren Boebert’s money moves

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Happy Lunar New Year! At least here in Colorado, where we’ve decided to observe the holiday on the first Friday of February. Actual Lunar New Year doesn’t start for another week, on Feb. 10, but that’s the tricky thing about this holiday — it follows, as you may have guessed by its name, the cycles of the moon.

Last year Colorado became the second state to officially recognize the holiday, and putting together a legislative bill meant settling on a consistent, observable date. (I learned in writing this intro that an “observed holiday,” which is language the bill uses, means the holiday is not celebrated on its official date.) Since Lunar New Year always takes place sometime between late January and mid-February, declaring it on the first Friday seemed like a safe bet.

I guess that just means two opportunities to celebrate. So, Happy Lunar New Year part one!

Now, onto the news.

THE NEWS

ELECTION 2024

Lauren Boebert’s fundraising dropped off, but she still holds a big cash advantage in her new congressional district

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Rep. Boebert’s fundraising nosedived last quarter, but it still far outpaced that of her opponents in the 4th Congressional District. More than half of her large donations came from outside of Colorado, while nearly 60% of her third-quarter funds came from donors giving $200 or less, demonstrating her continued national popularity. Meanwhile, Democrat Adam Frisch, who is running in Boebert’s abandoned 3rd District, continues to be one of the top fundraisers for U.S. House candidates nationally. Sandra Fish has more on the numbers.

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POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Short-term rental owners opposed to Colorado bill that would quadruple their taxes plan to descend upon Capitol in protest

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Senate Bill 33 was introduced to ease the housing shortage in mountain towns by reclassifying certain short-term rental properties as commercial lodging properties. That shift would more than quadruple the property taxes that owners pay and generate substantial revenue for schools and local districts. But opponents of the bill argue that pushing home owners into exorbitant tax rates would reduce their likelihood to rent, increase their likelihood to sell, and be a huge financial hit to the mountain towns’ economies, which rely heavily on tourism. Jason Blevins has more of the arguments and possible alternatives.

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OUTDOORS

BLM deals “big setback” to plan for massive expansion of a limestone quarry above Glenwood Springs

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The Bureau of Land Management took a good, hard look at the minerals being mined at the Mid-Continent Limestone Quarry above Glenwood Springs and found that, as reporter Jason Blevins put it, there is “nothing particularly special” about them. In BLM terms, the limestone is considered “common variety,” used for things like asphalt shingles, rip-rap and construction boulders. This designation poses another setback to the politically connected mine company, which is seeking to expand its operation.

READ MORE

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MORE NEWS

• Colorado’s shortgrass prairies at risk of dying off as extreme droughts become more common. Research led by a Colorado State University professor found that the grasses that dominate the Front Range and Eastern Plains, and are especially important for cattle grazing, are more vulnerable to extreme drought than other grasslands throughout the country.
• Child’s body found encased in concrete in Pueblo as search for 2 other kids continues. The remains were found in a storage unit being cleared out after rent wasn’t paid. Police are searching for two other children, Jesus and Yesenia Dominguez, as part of the homicide investigation.

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Strong storm heading into Colorado this weekend. Though due to warmer temperatures, it’s still not certain how much snow Denver and other parts of the state will see.
  — 9News
• Half dozen companies along Front Range to lay off nearly 380 workers. A half dozen companies operating in the state informed the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment of their layoff plans as January came to a close, the most coming from Axiom Healthcare Services.
  — The Denver Post
• “Colorado Springs is not a sanctuary city”: Officials react after first group of migrants arrives in Colorado Springs. As migrants arrive in Colorado Springs, city leaders are quick to say they won’t be as accommodating as Denver.
  — KKTV
• Colorado’s population is still growing, but much slower than previous years. The majority of new Coloradans are moving to the state from other countries, though at a lower rate than some previous years.
  — Fox 21

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

THE OPINION PAGE

COMMUNITY

• Climate-informed management in Colorado and across country is critical to securing healthy and fire-resilient forests. Having a national old-growth forest policy is an essential ingredient to solving the wildfire crisis.
  — Josh Hicks, campaign director at The Wilderness Society

CARTOONS

In “What’d I Miss?” Ossie weighs the relative merits of post-slavery Blacks pursuing wealth or power during the Reconstruction era.

CARTOON

Jim Morrissey imagines one way Lauren Boebert might try to explain her poor showing in the GOP straw poll in her new district.

CARTOON

Drew Litton lampoons the conservative political meltdown over Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and the conspiracy theories around their coupling.

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, YouTube or RSS to plug into your app. This week we talked about new names and old problems.

• Geographic naming boards review more Colorado locations. As the state and federal boards continue to review landmarks with offensive and controversial monikers, outdoors reporter Jason Blevins talks about the latest list and the possible ripple effects.
  LISTEN
• From disappearing bird names … to flighty hospital profits. While we talked about geographical name changes, there’s also a push to rename roughly 80 birds, and our Temperature newsletter gurus John Ingold and Michael Booth discuss what that could look like. (Oh, and they also chat about lofty hospital profits in Colorado.)
  LISTEN
• Failing water systems plague Southern Ute farmers. There are about $35 million worth of fixes needed on the infrastructure, and water reporter Shannon Mullane describes a field trip she took to southwestern Colorado to see some of the issues first-hand.
  LISTEN
• How did Lauren Boebert fare in her first debate in CD4? The controversial congresswoman currently serving the 3rd Congressional District went up against a slew of her new Republican primary opponents. Politics reporter Jesse Paul was there.
  LISTEN
• Let’s learn about the true west with the author of “True West.” Reporter Kevin Simpson takes a look at the western literary landscape with author Betsy Gaines Quammen, whose new book delves into the American West and the myths that fuel political and social division. (And check out our Sun Lit page featuring Colorado authors.)
  LISTEN

🗣️ 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.

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Happy Groundhog Day, too! Punxsutawney Phil declared an early Spring this morning, and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Phil is right about 30% of the time.

— 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.

Type of Story: News

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