Good morning and happy Tuesday! Forecasters are predicting another springlike day along the Front Range, which has me smiling ear to ear … until I think about the amount of mud that will be caked on my hiking boots and clinging to my hairy sheepdog’s long locks after a walk on our favorite local trail. Despite the dirt, warm winter days following a winter storm always force us to be creative, in search of trails with slightly drier conditions. I see it as nature’s way of pushing me out of my comfort zone to visit places in my own backyard that I haven’t yet explored.
Hopefully today’s sunshine leads you to discover something today, too — whether that be a beautiful place or something you’ve always wondered about.
There’s a lot to explore in today’s news, so let’s get reading.
Reporter
THE NEWS
OUTDOORS
Colorado Ski Safety Act faces legal challenge from family of 16-year-old girl paralyzed in fall from Crested Butte chairlift
It’s been nearly two years since then-16-year-old Annie Miller dangled from a ski lift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort before she fell 30 feet to the ground and became paralyzed. Her family sued the resort months later claiming the lift operators weren’t standing at the lift controls and now the negligence case is headed to the Colorado Supreme Court, Jason Blevins reports.
HOUSING
Colorado lawmakers seek to boost condo development by reducing lawsuits over construction defects
Condos are often seen as one solution to ease Colorado’s housing affordability crisis, and a bill introduced Monday aims to reduce the number of lawsuits over construction errors, in an effort to persuade builders to construct more homes that middle-income Coloradans can afford. But opponents of the legislation fear it will leave homeowners more susceptible to shoddy construction. Jesse Paul has more.
OUTDOORS
Outside Festival coming to Denver’s Civic Center park in June
A new outdoors festival is on its way to Denver. The Outside Festival will land in Denver’s Civic Center in early June with concerts, films, outdoor gear and speakers. Jason Blevins has more on ticket prices, concert lineup and more.
HEALTH
Colorado hospitals profits plunged in 2022
$2.3 billion
The combined profit of Colorado hospitals in 2019.
$336 million
The combined profit of Colorado hospitals in 2022.
Finances for most Colorado hospitals don’t look so healthy after a significant dip in profits in 2022, according to a new report. Higher costs for supplies, pay increases for staff and higher level of charity care all contributed to the lower profit numbers, John Ingold explains.
ENVIRONMENT
Colorado hits Suncor with landmark $10.5 million settlement and tougher monitors for air pollution
In what the state says is the largest-ever penalty against one facility, the Suncor refinery in Commerce City must pay $10.5 million over air pollution violations from 2019 to 2021. Michael Booth spoke to state health officials and environmental advocates on what this money means.
ECONOMY
Discounted internet on track to end for 250,000 Colorado households in April
The clock is ticking for Coloradans to enroll in the federal program that was designed to help low-income households get online for school, work, telehealth and more, but local internet providers say they are still accepting applications. The first cutoff, when local internet providers must stop accepting new customers, is 10 p.m. Wednesday, Tamara Chuang reports.
Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter
THE COLORADO REPORT
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Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE OPINION PAGE
COMMUNITY
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SunLit
In “True West,” a glimpse of the myth and brutal reality of wolf reintroduction
The complexity of wolf reintroduction is to some degree powered by the myths surrounding the apex predator. In “True West,” author Betsy Gaines Quammen goes deep into the sometimes gut-wrenching decisions that confront even ranchers who respect and welcome the animals. It’s an excerpt that captures her book’s much broader theme of the regional myths that feed into the polarization that has become ingrained in the American West.
Kevin Simpson | Writer
Thanks for joining us and we hope to see you again tomorrow!
— Olivia & the whole staff of The Sun
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