Good morning and happy Monday!
I bought a vacuum Saturday. And yes, as a man tiptoeing into his 40s, that was genuinely one of the most exciting parts of my weekend. I spent more on it than I ever imagined I would — especially because I had just two years ago bought a fancy, cordless stick vac that I was assured was top-of-the-line before it promptly crapped out and couldn’t be repaired.
So this time around, I got a durable, compact canister vacuum that doesn’t have a single computer chip or battery or modern point of failure that — if the appliance nerds on Reddit are to be believed — might outlast everything else in my house.
I couldn’t help thinking about what we do here at The Sun and how many flashy apps and startups — the battery-powered stick vacuums of the journalism world — have launched and burned out since we started in 2018. But we’re still here because we’ve tried to keep our model as simple and reliable as we can: do good journalism, deliver it to anyone who wants it and ask our readers to support us.
If you’d like to help us stay a trusted source of news for the whole state, the best thing you can do is pop over to coloradosun.com/join and become a member (if you aren’t one already). The second best thing you can do is just keep on reading these newsletters and tell your friends and family that there’s a reliable option out there.
That’s more than enough appliance-based philosophy for a Monday morning, so let’s empty the bag and get to the news already, shall we?
CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE NEWS
ENVIRONMENT
Cemex tells Boulder County to ignore the traffic study it paid for that led to plant’s shutdown
Boulder County told high-polluting Cemex that it had to shut down for violating its land use permits, citing a study by the company itself showing that truck traffic more than doubled. But now, Michael Booth reports, the company is saying the study represented just a small window of operation and is not reliable.
POLITICS
When Colorado’s legislature returns next year, there won’t be any Democratic lawmakers who were once in the minority
With the departure of six term-limited senators before the next legislative session, there will be no more Democratic lawmakers who were at one point in the minority — and no more Republicans who served in the majority in either house. Jesse Paul unpacks the end of an era.
OUTDOORS
A plan for Sweetwater Lake takes shape, minus an emphasis on calling it a state park
Since the announcement that the scenic Sweetwater Lake would become Colorado’s 43rd state park more than two years ago, worries that the Garfield County land would become crowded with tourists and campers made locals nervous. But as Jason Blevins reports, the new proposal has a number of key elements that will make it unlike any other park in the state.
WHAT’S WORKING
New Colorado laws that address the financial burden of growing older
In this week’s edition of “What’s Working,” Tamara Chuang looks at the 12 new Colorado laws that take on the increasingly expensive act of aging in Colorado, including tax benefits for people receiving Social Security, tax credits for care workers and more.
EDUCATION
Historian Patty Limerick sues CU Boulder over access to her scholarly work following her 2022 firing
A lawsuit filed by the celebrated historian Patty Limerick claims that the University of Colorado — where Limerick has worked since 1984 — is denying her access to the writings and scholarly work she produced during her time at the Center of the American West. Jason Blevins digs into the lawsuit and what it could mean for the intellectual property rights of humanities professors.
MORE NEWS
COLORADO SUNDAY
A broken bridge leaves an isolated Colorado community scrambling to save summer
After Gunnison County’s main highway access was cut off by a cracked bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir, business owners, event organizers and residents are scrambling for solutions to save the summer tourism season. The local detour route along a rugged dirt road is a relief for locals trying to get to jobs and appointments, but how will event organizers get the normal crowds in for the rodeo, the annual wildflower fest, for two-wheeled contests, fishing tournaments? In this week’s Colorado Sunday, Nancy Lofholm writes about just how important that lifeline of a highway is — and how too many aspects of daily life came thud to a stop without it.
Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE COLORADO REPORT
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Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter
THE OPINION PAGE
COLUMNS
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.
Thanks for kicking off your week with us! Go Avs!
— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun
Corrections & Clarifications
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