Here are Colorado’s new gun laws

Well folks, it’s officially hot.

So turn on those fans, grab a glass of water and try to stay cool while you read today’s news.

Danika Worthington

Presentation Editor

THE NEWS

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

The 8 gun bills passed by Colorado’s legislature this year and signed into law by the governor

Gov. Jared Polis signed into law eight bills that tighten Colorado’s gun statutes. So what are they? One bans guns in schools, voting sites and the state Capitol. Another requires safe storage of guns left in vehicles. Jesse Paul has more on the six other new laws — plus a rundown of the gun bills that didn’t pass.

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UTILITIES

Xcel’s $440M plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions gets the state’s OK — but it could boost utility bills again

Colorado regulators greenlighted Xcel Energy’s $440 million plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of the so-called Clean Heat Plan is to move more homes and businesses to electricity from natural gases. But some worry the utility could make windfall profits from the change. Mark Jaffe has more.

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• Colorado’s $826.5 million plan to provide internet for all gets OK from Biden administration. The state’s plan will get 99% of Colorado households connected to fast internet and provide discounted plans for $30 a month, Tamara Chuang reports.

TRANSPORTATION

U.S. 50 bridge repairs to start soon, goal to open to limited traffic by July 4 weekend

About 100 people are on site working in shifts 24/7 to repair a U.S. 50 bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir, a critical road that connects Gunnison and Montrose. As a refresher, the bridge was suddenly shut down April 18 after inspectors found problems, including a 4-inch-long crack in a steel beam.

The first phase of repairs — which involve four 20-foot-long plates that each weigh roughly the same as two pickup trucks — will start soon. The goal is to have the bridge open to limited traffic by the Fourth of July weekend. Olivia Prentzel went out yesterday to see how the repairs are going.

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MORE NEWS

• 165-acre wildfire burning near Twin Lakes, southwest of Leadville. Crews are on the scene of the fire that started Tuesday near the Interlaken historic district and has burned more than 160 acres.
• A Mesa County program meets people — and their produce needs — where they are. Harvest Mobile Market visits apartment complexes and low-income neighborhoods to reach people who struggle to get fresh food.
• Colorado district attorney who prosecuted Barry Morphew faces disciplinary hearing. A lawyer for Colorado’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel described 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley during opening statements of the two-week hearing as an absent leader who failed to steer the case and let it crash.
• ​​Man charged in 2015 Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado Springs can be forcibly medicated.  A federal appeals court upheld an order issued by a judge in 2022 allowing Robert Dear, 66, to be given medication against his will to try to make him mentally well enough to stand trial.

Section by Danika Worthington | Presentation Editor

THE COLORADO REPORT

• After weeks of issues, RTD announces CDOT partnership to mitigate light rail delays. RTD said that beginning Tuesday, E and H light rail line riders can use CDOT’s Bustang South Line between Sky Ridge, Colorado and Denver Union stations through Sept. 14 using RTD tickets.
  — Denver7
• Group applauds Gov. Polis’ signing of bill amending end-of-life aid. Senate Bill 68 waives mandatory minimum waiting periods for patients likely to die within 48 hours of requesting medical aid to end their lives.
  — Centennial Citizen Independent
• People in Denver’s Ballpark neighborhood want to improve safety and security by taxing themselves. “We will be able to have our own group of people advocating for us — picking up trash, watering trees, removing graffiti,” said Stevenson Farnsworth, a Ballpark resident. “This would be services on top of what the city is already providing.”
  — 9News
• Missing Colorado hiker, dog found alive after two days. A 74-year-old woman and her Irish setter, Tawny, were found alive Tuesday after they were lost for two days in the mountains near Aspen.
  — The Denver Post 🔑

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Kevin Jeffers | Product Team

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Dave “God Hates Flags” Williams does a deep dive into the gutter. Will GOP voters follow?.  Some GOP leaders want him to resign as party chair. Others want him fired. The big question is what happens in Williams’ 5th CD primary race.
  — Mike Littwin 

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.

SunLit

BOOKS

Explore Booksellers suggests two riveting novels and new economic ideas

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Explore Booksellers in Aspen recommends:

• “The Bean Trees” by Barbara Kingsolver, a novel of love, abandonment and belonging
• “The Economics of Arrival” by Katherine Trebeck and Jeremy Williams, a new way to look at creating a robust but equitable economy
• “The Man Who Saw Everything” by Deborah Levy, a complex story set behind the Iron Curtain

Read what the bookstore staff had to say about each. Pick up a copy and support your local bookstores at the same time.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer

Stay cool out there.

— Danika & the whole staff of The Sun

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Corrections & Clarifications

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