Denver workers could finally get bargaining rights 

Good morning and happy (primary) Election Day!

We’ve got everything you need to make your voice heard in what is shaping up to be one of the most consequential primaries in years.

So rather than spend much time in this intro distracting you from your democratic duty, here’s a photo of what I think is a double-crested cormorant that was hanging out at Sloan’s Lake last week. Not for any particular reason, just excited that I was carrying a camera with a long lens when I saw it.

So let’s spread our wings and fly into some news, shall we?

Eric Lubbers

CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

P.S. Our Democracy Days campaign ends TOMORROW! We are only $2,100 away from meeting our goal of $30,000. Will you help us get there? When you support local journalism, you are supporting the news that helps you make informed decisions about your community. THANK YOU to everyone who has donated so far!

THE NEWS

ELECTION 2024

It’s primary Election Day in Colorado. Here’s what voters need to know.

You might already know the basics about casting your vote, but just in case, here’s a quick guide to where you need to drop off your ballot (do not put it in the mail today) and a bunch of reading material if you need some context about any of the high profile races. Plus links to follow our reporters on social media as they cover the results tonight. Happy voting!

READ MORE

LABOR

Denver city workers can’t collectively bargain. That could change.

Denver is one of the only major cities in a blue state where city employees do not have collective bargaining rights. Parker Yamasaki digs into the effort to bring those rights to workers in the city, including who is sponsoring the amendment to the city’s charter, how the amendment process works and what effect it would have for the workers it would cover.

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HOUSING

Coloradans who’ve fallen behind on rent can apply for assistance this week as state aims to stem evictions

Starting at 11 a.m. today (Tuesday), the Colorado Department of Local Affairs is opening a three-day pre-application process for Colorado residents who have fallen behind on rent and risk eviction. From that pool, applicants will be randomly selected for application and could receive assistance by September. Tatiana Flowers reports on how the process will work and why state leaders say it’s a necessary step to stem an eviction crisis.

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• Colorado resort communities want more focus on residents, less emphasis on tourism, survey shows. A survey of 4,000 residents of the state’s busiest resort counties showed that there has been a sharp increase in the number of second-home owners in the past decade who aren’t in support of increasing tourism. Jason Blevins has much more from this fascinating survey.

MORE NEWS

• Ouray fires police chief, citing behavior concerns, violations of law. City officials cited a list of concerns about Jeff Woods’ behavior and leadership of the department, as well as violations of state law and poor work performance in their announcement of his firing. Our partners over at the Ouray County Plaindealer have the story.
• Colorado’s unemployment rate inches upward to 3.8%. With another 3,400 residents added to the jobless rolls, Colorado is seeing its highest unemployment rate in two years. Tamara Chuang breaks down the numbers.
• Supreme Court will consider reinstating approval for rail line carrying crude oil through Colorado. This fall, the top court in the land will hear an argument to allow the 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway to be approved to carry millions of barrels of crude oil through Colorado. An appeals court overturned its initial approval.

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Denver Mint officer tracked nurse with security cameras, then restrained and raped her, lawsuit alleges. A new federal lawsuit alleges a security officer used the Mint’s cameras to stalk a nurse, then assault her in the facility’s medical offices in 2022. Both the officer and the federal government were named as defendants in the suit.
  — The Denver Post 🔑
• How are heat advisories issued in Colorado? It’s not usually this hot this early in Denver. Here’s a quick guide on how heat advisories are calculated by the National Weather Service.
  — 9News
• Year after $9M deal, Denver hotel bought for the homeless sits boarded up. The city of Denver bought the former Stay Inn — furnished, including appliances and furniture — on East 38th Avenue last year to be turned into supportive housing. But the building sits empty, with no clear timeline provided by the city.
  — BusinessDen 🔑
• In the mood for Stampede food. They could have stopped this preview of Greeley Stampede food at “cajun egg rolls” in my humble opinion, but there are a lot more fun snacks on offer this year.
  — Greeley Tribune

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

SunLit

In “The Last Animal,” a family reeling from loss begins a Siberian adventure

Fifteen-year-old Eve and her 13-year-old sister, Vera, have recently lost their father. Now their widowed mom, Jane, a graduate student in paleobiology, has brought them with her on a research trip to Siberia. Ramona Ausubel’s Colorado Book Award finalist “The Last Animal” is built around the idea of using genetic research to recreate an extinct woolly mammoth — but as the excerpt quickly makes clear, the story revolves largely around the dynamics of family.

READ AN EXCERPT

• Interview with the author. Ausubel happened across the idea for her novel shortly after the birth of her daughter, when she read an article about efforts to de-extinct various creatures. But while her research into the science behind those efforts went deep, the author sought to keep characters front and center.

Kevin Simpson | Writer

One more reminder: You have until 7 p.m. today to drop off your ballot and make your voice heard.

— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun

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