10 workers fired after forming union get $450K

Good morning, Colorado.

The leaves on the big tree outside my apartment are slowly starting to change color. But it’s nothing compared to photos people are posting from the high country. Fall is here, people. So let’s celebrate by reading the news.

P.S. If you missed out on getting SunFest tickets online, don’t worry! You can still buy them at the door on Friday! Learn more

Danika Worthington

Presentation Editor

THE NEWS

BUSINESS

Broomfield nonprofit agrees to pay $449,999 to 10 workers who were fired after forming a union

Ten workers who lost their jobs aftering unionizing have settled with their old employer Big Green, a nonprofit founded by Kimbal Musk (brother of Elon), for nearly $450,000 in back pay, benefits and wages. Tamara Chuang has more on the case.

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• Thornton’s Solid Power gets $50 million from feds to expand, prove out EV battery technology. A growing number of Colorado battery-makers are taking advantage of U.S. and local support to create an industry, Michael Booth reports.

POLITICS

Rising spending. Falling enrollment. Nervous health providers. Why Colorado’s Medicaid program has the Capitol on edge.

“The worst could be yet to come,” Brian Eason writes. Colorado overspent last year’s health care budget by as much as $154 million. Meanwhile, providers are seeing a surge in uncompensated care. This is straining the state’s safety net just as federal pandemic aid dollars run out.

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• JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, is scheduled to visit Colorado in October. A flyer obtained by The Colorado Sun says Vance will attend a fundraiser in Denver on Oct. 8. It’s unclear if he plans to hold any public events while in Colorado.
• Doug Lamborn, like many members of Congress, traveled the world with his spouse on the dime of private groups. Colorado Democrat Diana DeGette leads frequent flyer House members in adding time to official trips, sometimes by up to five additional days. On seven of the trips, one family member joined her.
• The Unaffiliated ☀️ Why Colorado lawmakers fear “an implosion” of the health safety net. Plus: Dave Williams gets paid. Yadira Caraveo’s new TV ad. PERA transparency. CD3 debate.

OUTDOORS

Jeffco planners reject proposal for Colorado’s first mountain bike park with a chairlift near Conifer

The Jefferson County planning board unanimously rejected a controversial proposal for a lift-served mountain bike park, which would have been the first in the state, calling it incompatible with surrounding land uses in the rural neighborhood. Jason Blevins has more.

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MORE NEWS

• Original Thinkers fest in Telluride focuses on local change amid global chaos. The seventh annual Original Thinkers blends a film festival with TED Talks, performances and parties with a theme on change in local communities, Jason Blevins writes.

Section by Danika Worthington | Presentation Editor

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Allergy pen maker sues Colorado over state affordability program. Anneal Pharmaceuticals claims that the law capping the price of epinephrine autoinjectors (popularly known as EpiPens) is forcing it to provide generic versions of the pens for free when an eligible uninsured Coloradan acquires one from a pharmacy.
  — CPR News
• What arrests show about Tren de Aragua’s alleged presence in Aurora apartments. Even after announcing that it had identified 10 men with alleged connections to a Venezuelan prison gang, Aurora police note that the gang’s presence is small compared to domestic street gangs in the area.
  — Denverite
• Colorado search and rescue agency on why you shouldn’t believe everything you see in a meme. Colorado Search and Rescue laid out a six-point explanation for why a popular social media meme — one that suggests you change your voicemail message if your phone is going to die and you’re stranded — is wildly incorrect and could make it harder for crews to find you.
  — KKTV
• Local buyer picks up DTC office building for 1988 pricing. There’s not a lot these days that costs the same as it did in 1988 — a gallon of gas, for instance, was about 90 cents and a full year of undergraduate studies at CSU was $1,544 — but a 12-story office building just sold for $14.4 million, the exact same price it was sold for 26 years ago.
  — BusinessDen 🔑

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Let’s hope Trump actually does come to Aurora. Then everyone can witness the cray-cray. The adjudicated rapist tells “lonely, scared” women “I will protect you,” presumably by deporting every migrant he can find.
  — 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

REVIEW

Old Firehouse Books suggests some offbeat fiction — and Kafkaesque tales

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins recommends:

• “A Prayer for the Crown-Shy” by Becky Chambers, a laid-back sci-fi story
• “Guillotine” by Delilah S. Dawson, a murderous fashion misadventure
• “A Cage Went In Search of a Bird” by Tommy Orange (with contributions), short stories inspired by Franz Kafka

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

Remember: SunFest is this Friday. See you there!

— Danika & the whole staff of The Sun

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Corrections & Clarifications

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