Good morning and happy Super Bowl Eve Eve!
While we’re experiencing yet another championship game with no Broncos (and the added injury of watching the Chiefs again), I’d like to take a brief moment to remember a different big game.
The year was 2004. The Broncos, under Mike Shanahan and Jake Plummer, had exited the playoffs in the wild-card round. And while Super Bowl XXXVIII is mostly remembered for an infamous malfunction at halftime, it was also a Colorado company’s time to shine.
Yes, folks, it’s been 20 years since Quiznos used their extremely expensive ad time to air the only TV commercial that still occasionally pops into my brain out of nowhere: the Spongmonkeys. And even though the Broncos and Quiznos are in their flop era in 2024, we can always remember the good times — and the fact that Quiznos “got a pepper bar.”
So while that standard definition jingle rings in your head, let’s juke our way out of football and skate into some backyard hockey (and the rest of the news we have in store for the day), shall we?
CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE NEWS
OUTDOORS
Colorado dads bring hockey home as backyard rinks take over mountain towns
While homegrown ice rinks aren’t quite as common in Colorado as in, say, Canada, a growing number of hockey dads are putting their yards to use in the winter — and creating a generation of passionate skaters. Eugene Buchanan laces up for this report on what it takes to keep a rink in shape.
HIGH COST OF COLORADO
For Coloradans already struggling with their budgets, the cost of mental health care is increasingly out of reach
48th
Colorado’s ranking — out of 50 states and Washington, D.C., for percentage of adults with unmet needs for their mental illnesses.
Across the spectrum of mental health needs — from access to a regular therapist to affordable prescriptions to longer inpatient stays — getting help in Colorado has never been more expensive. And as Tatiana Flowers reports in this edition of our High Cost of Colorado series, the red tape involved in the process can be as prohibitive as the cost.
ELECTION 2024
U.S. Supreme Court aggressively challenges whether insurrection clause can be used to bar Donald Trump from Colorado’s ballot
U.S. Supreme Court justices raised concerns about letting state courts make a decision that could have national consequences. Justice Amy Coney Barrett put it plainly: “It just doesn’t seem like a state call.” Jesse Paul breaks down the day’s arguments.
ENVIRONMENT
Must a gas utility pay its own customers to unhook in the name of climate change? Colorado is about to find out.
As one tool for chasing the Polis administration’s aggressive climate goals, state law requires utility companies to offer rebates and other incentives to switch their appliances to electric from natural gas. But as Michael Booth reports, does that mean a company like Atmos Energy, which only provides natural gas and not electricity, has to essentially pay their customers to use less of their product?
MORE NEWS
Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE COLORADO REPORT
🔑 = source has article meter or paywall
Section by Danika Worthington | Presentation Editor
THE OPINION PAGE
CARTOONS
In “What’d I Miss?” Ossie discovers that, in an earlier age of white superheroes in comics, a Black cartoonist offered an inspired critique of racism.
Drew Litton observes that the Broncos’ failure to make the playoffs doesn’t mean their fans can’t have a rooting interest in the big game. It’s a simple choice.
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 what it’s like to survive plunging off one of Colorado’s most dangerous passes to the anger generated from the governor’s office not distributing all its rental assistance funds.
🗣️ Remember, ask Siri, Alexa or Google to “play the Daily Sun-Up podcast” and we’ll be right on your smart speaker. As always we appreciate your feedback and comments at podcast@coloradosun.com.
Section by David Krause | Editor
“We love these subs…” sorry, it’s really stuck in there. Trust me, it’s as bad for me as it is for you. Have a safe, fun, relaxing weekend and we’ll see you back here on Monday!
— Eric & 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.
