Veterans giving comrades a proper memorial

Good morning on this cool, clear Memorial Day morning. Today’s Sunriser will be a little shorter because of the holiday, so let’s kick things off with a story from Kevin Simpson about the Coloradans who are putting in extra effort to bring dignity to their fellow veterans.

Eric Lubbers

CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE NEWS

MEMORIAL DAY

Colorado veterans go through hundreds of unclaimed cremated remains to give comrades a dignified memorial

Escorted by motorcycles and accompanied by bagpipes, the cremated remains of 13 veterans were given full military honors and a final resting place at Fort Logan National Cemetery in April. What bound the group together was not just their service, but the lack of a dignified end. Kevin Simpson reports on how the Denver chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America is poring over unclaimed remains to make sure all service people get the honor they deserve.

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POLITICS

“Shame on Polis”: Why the Colorado labor movement is so mad at the governor

Half of the six vetoes exercised by Gov. Jared Polis last week targeted bills considered top priorities for the state’s union leaders. Labor leaders noticed and kicked off the long weekend with a rally on the Capitol steps featuring signs and shirts shaming the governor for his lack of support of labor. Jesse Paul and Brian Eason explain.

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• Polis goes deep on geothermal energy grants to boost private renewables market. 
• Polis signs bills regulating funeral homes after discovery of 190 rotting bodies. 

WHAT’S WORKING

Nearly 55,000 Coloradans now have a retirement account after law went into effect

It’s been a year since the state of Colorado rolled out a novel retirement program for any worker whose employers didn’t offer one — and now more than 50,000 workers have saved more than $50 million. Tamara Chuang explores the state of the program and more economic news in this week’s What’s Working.

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MORE NEWS

• Do Colorado athletes have an advantage playing at altitude?. 
• Lightning strike kills northern Colorado rancher, more than 30 cattle. 
• Native American tribes give unanimous approval to proposal securing Colorado River water. 
• Dam along the Gunnison River opens all of its spillways for the first time since 2017. 

COLORADO SUNDAY

8 quirky places to visit in Colorado this summer for newbies and natives alike

No matter how much you know and love Colorado, the sheer variety of what our state has to offer means there’s always something new to explore. Parker Yamasaki rounded up 8 interesting sites to get you off the beaten path and exploring parts of Colorado you may have overlooked.

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Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• It’s not just unions showing their displeasure with Jared Polis. It’s also Dem legislators.  Polis’ vetoes of labor-friendly legislation resulted in a Capitol-steps rally that some called a “hate-fest.”
  — Mike Littwin

CARTOONS

• Peter Moore on how to outrun, out-swim, and out-ski Colorado disasters.  Colorado is the third most dangerous state. It’s also the fittest state. How to survive? Put your exceptional fitness to use and run like hell!
  — Peter Moore 

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.

See you tomorrow!

— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun

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Corrections & Clarifications

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