Good morning and welcome to the “thunderstorm every afternoon” stage of Colorado summer.
While these sudden bursts of precipitation and thunder are a welcome part of summer — especially when parts of the state are in a flash drought — officials are keeping an eye on all the fresh burn scars and other flood-prone areas.
But as we wait for the afternoon thunder to hit, let’s take a tour through a weekend’s worth of news, from the drama in the final act of the Tina Peters trial to a look at why getting Colorado’s major trails connected is taking so long.
Let’s lace up these boots and hit the trail already, shall we?
CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE NEWS
OUTDOORS
New trails in Colorado under scrutiny as sliver of Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail gets approval
Eight years after then-governor John Hickenlooper announced a plan to connect 16 gaps in trails across Colorado, only one of the chosen projects is complete. And as Jason Blevins reports, the level of environmental scrutiny that went into the approval of a tiny section of one of the big 16 reflects the new normal for making recreation play nice with environmental concerns.
CRIME & COURTS
Tina Peters declines to testify in her own trial after judge refuses request to tell prosecutors “not to bully me around”
Facing 10 felony and misdemeanor counts, including identity theft and attempting to influence a public servant, Tina Peters dangled the possibility that she would testify in her defense. But after a judge repeatedly told her that he could not give legal advice from the bench, she declined. Nancy Lofholm reports on the final stretch of the case that could conclude today.
FOOD
Farms and farmers markets support food-insecure families. Can these initiatives meet growing demands?
There are federal, state and local programs that incentivize buying produce from farmers markets all over Colorado. And while some are popular — like coupons that double the value of food assistance spent at farmers markets — fewer people are using them than the state hoped. Kate Ruder has more on the future of these programs from The Colorado Trust.
ECONOMY
Market recovers but here’s why Colorado job growth is slowing
After last week’s market disruption fueled by a weak U.S. jobs report, local analysts say the response was overblown. Tamara Chuang breaks down the state of jobs in Colorado as part of this week’s “What’s Working” column.
MORE NEWS
COLORADO SUNDAY
The economics of eating out have some of Denver’s top chefs dismayed, discouraged and looking elsewhere
A busy restaurant doesn’t mean it’s thriving, but there seems to be something particular with Denver that is discouraging the city’s top local chefs and restaurants and has them looking elsewhere. Some of Denver’s award-winning chefs get specific, sharing details with Tamara Chuang, about their love/hate relationship with being part of Colorado’s largest dining scene.
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Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
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THE OPINION PAGE
COLUMNS
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Thanks for kicking off the week with us! See you back here tomorrow.
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