Wrangling the Arkansas River into a “glassy wave”

Good morning, Colorado.

I was greeted this morning with some slightly relieving news: The Alexander Mountain fire burning in northern Colorado crept slowly last night and had no major runs. Still, it’s a nerve-wracking time of year when boiling temperatures and very dry air make conditions ideal for a single ember to ignite a 900-plus-acre wildfire. Officials haven’t yet said what they think caused the fire near Loveland, but I sure am grateful for the firefighters who are traveling from around the state to help put it out.

We’ve got wildfire news and more in today’s Sunriser. Let’s get reading.

Olivia Prentzel

Reporter

THE NEWS

OUTDOORS

Ready to surf a river? Salida revamps Arkansas River for a third time to create “best river wave in the world”

It may come as little surprise that Coloradans figured out a way to make surfing a popular sport in a landlocked state. Now, with another revamp of the Arkansas River in Salida, surfers are flocking to ride the “best river wave in the world.” A quarter-century of work has been finished to add a glassy wave to the town’s river park that has attracted at least 20,000 so far this summer, Jason Blevins writes.

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POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Alarming reports about PERA’s finances spark questions about future of the state’s pension

More reforms could be coming for the state’s public pension system after an independent review found that it could be in a lot more financial trouble than previously thought. A legislative oversight panel is considering what action to take next on the system that manages the retirement benefits of more than 700,000 current and former public sector workers. Brian Eason has more.

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WILDFIRE

Northern Colorado residents told to immediately evacuate as fast-moving wildfire burns near Loveland

Fire crews from around the state worked through the night battling a wildfire that sparked Monday morning on the Roosevelt National Forest north of Big Thompson Canyon. By Monday evening, the fire had burned 992 acres. The Alexander Mountain fire, as it was named, prompted multiple mandatory evacuations and people as far north as Rustic in the Poudre Canyon were advised to be prepared to leave.

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Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Missouri sells more cannabis than Colorado in first half of 2024. Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, has become the yardstick by which freshly legalized states measure themselves.
  — Columbia Missourian
• Denver will pay $75K to a man who was beaten and arrested by Denver police despite not committing a crime. Aaron Hernandez, who was 60 at the time of the assault, was sitting in his car with his son when officers — who found that his son had a warrant — punched, kicked and elbowed him as he exited the car. Police jailed Hernandez, claiming he hit the officers first, which was disputed by the officers’ body cameras.
  — Denverite
• Why “mortgage handcuffs” are hurting Colorado’s housing market. Homeowners around the country who refinanced during recent historically low interest rates say they feel trapped by those rates and can’t afford to move — and the problem is worse in Colorado than any other state.
  — KUNC
• Colorado Mesa University’s leaders took a risk to combat FAFSA delays. They lost money — but consider it a smashing success. Enrollment is up 30% at CMU after leaders executed a financial gamble that helped overcome a botched rollout of a new federal financial aid form. The short version: The university made an educated guess at how much aid a student would qualify for — and the college would cover the difference if they guessed wrong.
  — The Denver Post 🔑
• More of America’s homeless are clocking into jobs each day. While this story is not unique to Denver by any means, it’s the latest in a steady drumbeat of stories highlighting the changing nature of who sleeps on the streets — and how the lack of affordable housing is the main consistent factor in every city experiencing a surge in homelessness.
  — The Washington Post

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

SunLit

REVIEW

Right out of the dock, “The Waterman” charts a course for trouble

In the title story from “The Waterman,” Gary Schanbacher’s collection of interconnected short stories, the restless, impetuous elements of youth wash over protagonist Clayton Royster — the prologue to a narrative arc that spans 80-some years of his life.

READ AN EXCERPT

• Interview with the author. As Schanbacher experimented with various drafts of Royster’s story, he wasn’t sure what form it should take. Eventually, he landed upon the linked short story collection, which fit his purposes but also presented its own challenges.  

Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer

Try to stay cool today, Colorado. Thanks for reading.

— Olivia & the whole staff of The Sun

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Corrections & Clarifications

Yesterday’s Sunriser was corrected at 11:30 a.m. Monday to reflect that members of both parties supported all but three of the 519 bills that passed in 2024.

Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.