The Sunriser | The case that could change how kids access the outdoors

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Good morning, Sunrisers! What’s on your playlist this weekend? I for one can’t get Beyonce’s new single “Texas Hold ’Em” out of my head. I’ve never felt strongly one way or the other about country music — it’s always just been something that’s there. Lately, though, country’s presence has felt unavoidable.

It’s not just the music. The whole country lifestyle — or, at least, symbols of it — are popping up all around me in a hypermainstream kind of way. I saw more cowboy boots covering Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour last year than I’ve seen in 30 years living in the West, same goes for the cowboy hats during “Barbie’s” big run. And that reminds me, if you’re near Denver, this is the last weekend to catch the exquisite exhibition “Cowboy” at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

But this ain’t Texas, so get your Colorado news below.

THE NEWS

OUTDOORS

Ski resorts’ long history of immunity threatened by Colorado Supreme Court case

Annie Miller was 16 when she fell from the Paradise Express chairlift in Crested Butte in 2022, a 30-foot fall that left her paralyzed. Miller’s family sued the resort for gross negligence, but the court dismissed the case last year since Annie’s father signed a liability waiver when he bought her lift ticket. The family appealed that decision, and what happens next could have an impact on the way kids access the outdoors at places like summer camps, rafting trips and, of course, ski resorts. Jason Blevins has the story.

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ENVIRONMENT

New packaging fee will more than double landfill diversion, Colorado recycling study finds

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A new packaging fee could potentially more than double Colorado’s diversion rate — how much waste is sent to recycling centers instead of landfills — by charging producers a “responsibility fee” based on their packaging, and using those fees to fund wider curbside recycling programs. Advocates say consumers won’t feel those costs at all, despite generating hundreds of millions of dollars, since the law applies fractions of a penny to each individual consumer good. Michael Booth reports.

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EQUITY

New $30 million Colorado rental assistance program launches this week to stem unprecedented number of evictions

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Last year, Colorado logged some of its highest eviction rates in state history, with close to 35,000 eviction filings between January and November. In response, a $30 million Temporary Rental Assistance Grant was opened up during the special legislative session in late November. Applications for that grant opened yesterday and will remain open until 5 p.m. Tuesday. Tatiana Flowers has the details on who can receive money and how to apply.

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MORE NEWS

• Two investors purchase Colorado Springs Independent to revive the defunct alt weekly newspaper. The publisher of The Indy sold the scrappy, 30-year-old paper for the whopping price of “slightly more than a cup of coffee.”
• It’s official: Amache National Historic Site ensures federal protection for former Japanese American incarceration camp. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland formally secured Camp Amache as a national historic site Thursday. The site, where more than 10,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II, will be managed by the National Park Service.
• Colorado invests $6.5M this year in wildfire mitigation, watershed projects. Colorado spent about $145 million over the past four years on forest health and wildfire risk reduction projects. The projects are desperately needed in a state that has ceased using the phrase “wildfire season,” since wildfires now happen year-round.

THE COLORADO REPORT

• 2 city lawmakers seek to prevent immigrants, homeless from seeking refuge in Aurora. “This resolution seems to be a solution in search of a problem,” said Cathy Alderman, spokesperson for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, in response to the proposed city resolution that would demand organizations stop transporting migrants and people without homes into the city.
  — Sentinel Colorado
• Unhoused kids in Colorado’s rural Eastern Plains have few resources, no shelters. As part of their series “Unseen but Everywhere,” KUNC visited families in rural Colorado who are living in hotels, with friends and on the streets as lack of transportation and resources compound their struggle.
  — KUNC
• Denver has just four bike messengers left, including a world champion. Twenty years ago, there were dozens of bike messengers working in Denver, delivering everything from million-dollar checks to sandwich orders. But since the pandemic, even a world champion is mostly delivering food for Jimmy John’s.
  — Westword
• Colorado looking to incentivize turning empty office buildings into housing. One bill would set aside $5 million per year as tax credits for companies looking to convert commercial space into residential — like the former Art Institute building on Lincoln Street that has become Art Studios.
  — 9News
• Here’s how you can stream all the Colorado Rockies games in 2024. The Rockies don’t yet have a home on cable TV, but for $99.99, fans can buy the whole season of Rockies games — with no blackouts — at rockies.tv. You may want to read our four-part series “What the hell is wrong with the Rockies?” before you plunk down that stack of sawbucks.
  — Denver7

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

THE OPINION PAGE

COMMUNITY

• Colorado can create thousands of new jobs if the state applies its pro-tech blueprint to the blockchain industry. While the state accepts cryptocurrency to pay state taxes and at the DMV, Colorado can do more to foster its growth
  — Kent Barton, founder of Ethereum Denver

CARTOONS

In “What’d I Miss?” Ossie’s friend has a theory about Black History Month, some historic figures, Valentine’s Day and why they’re all scrunched together.

CARTOON

Drew Litton salutes Jenny Cavnar, who after years on the Rockies broadcast team, joins the Oakland A’s as the first female primary play-by-play announcer in MLB history.

CARTOON

Jim Morrisey notes that as evictions of Colorado renters spiked, lawmakers are making another attempt to level the playing field —despite pushback from landlords.

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, our topics ranged from the high country to the state Capitol.

• The Temperature team with a double dose. Medical reporter John Ingold explains genetic targeting of personalized medicine, and environmental reporter Michael Booth looks at how Colorado is setting up for a huge boost in recycling efforts.
  LISTEN
• The history of gun regulations in Colorado — and what’s next. Political reporters Brian Eason and Jesse Paul give a history lesson on gun control legislation in Colorado and what bills the Democrats plan to introduce this year to try to curb gun violence.
  LISTEN
• How safe is your consumer data and can we be better protected? Sun business/tech reporter Tamara Chuang talks about how the state is trying to protect consumer data — and how Colorado compares to the rest of the country.
  LISTEN
• What ripple effects will the Arapahoe Basin sale have? It’s been the topic of conversation the past few weeks on the slopes. Outdoors reporter Jason Blevins lends his insight on what’s next for The Legend and Colorado’s other independent ski areas.
  LISTEN
• Boulder-based environmental journalist’s new book. As part of our SunLit series, Sun reporter Kevin Simpson asks Stephen Robert Miller about his book that looks at unintended consequences of solutions to climate-related disasters around the world.
  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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Are we in a cowgirl moment?

— 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.