Photographing ice sailors from the frozen shores

Good morning, Colorado! I know the solstice has passed and technically we’re on our way to brighter days, but figuratively speaking, we’re in the darkest week of the year. The roads are a little bit clearer and the out of office messages abound. Even the gym was unusually quiet last night.

That’ll all change next week when everything — especially the gym — bounces back from the long holiday slog. If you’re planning to celebrate the new year in the Denver area, consider taking advantage of the Molson Coors Free Rides program. The Golden-based brewer is waiving fares on all buses and rails from 7 p.m. Dec. 31, until 7 a.m. Jan. 1. Stay responsible, and skip the surge pricing while you’re at it.

Thanks for being one of the few venturing into the email inbox today. Let’s get to the news and get you out of here.

Parker Yamasaki

Reporter

THE NEWS

OUTDOORS

Ahoy, wind pirates!

Ice sailing conditions are finicky in Colorado. The wind is more gusty than smooth, and warm winter spells can dapple the ice surface, making it inhospitable to blades. But that doesn’t deter ice sailing enthusiasts, who haul their homemade rigs out to scrape across the tiny frozen seas every year. Jason Blevins and photographer Jason Connolly met up with some sailors at Lake Georgetown for their season opener.

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• The Outsider ☀️ A year of Outsider stories from Colorado’s Western Slope communities. Outdoors reporter Jason Blevins rounds up the newsletter’s top stories of 2024. It was a year of mountain town growing pains, harrowing rescues and a rush of river running permits.

ENVIRONMENT

How a Fort Collins lab is working to restore the breadfruit tree forest destroyed in the Lahaina fire

A potato seed laboratory in Fort Collins is turning its attention to a more exotic fruit: the breadfruit tree, a savory, medicinal plant shipped over from Lahaina, the historic Hawaiian town decimated in a 2023 wildfire. Mark Jaffe reports on the unlikely partnership, and the deep-rooted significance of the tree’s restoration.

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BUSINESS

The Flagler News announced its closure, just months after its owner saved the Burlington paper

Just months after publisher Tom Bredehoft saved The Burlington Record from closure, he was forced to shut down his other paper, The Flagler News, which he’s nurtured for the past 30 years. Kevin Simpson reports on the local news loss, and how Bredehoft plans to keep things moving in mideastern Colorado.

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MORE NEWS

• Fact Brief ☀️Can Coloradans face criminal charges if their gun is used in a crime after being stolen from them? A handful of new laws will go into effect next month, including new gun storage requirements in vehicles. Por Jaijongkit looks into some of the claims surrounding the new rules.

Section by Parker Yamasaki | Reporter

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Colorado to propose new rules to curb “super pollutant” methane emissions from landfills. State law requires Colorado to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by 50% of 2005 levels, and stricter landfill rules could help reach that target.
  — CPR News
• Colorado cracks down on Express Lane violators with new fines starting Jan. 1. Fines will be implemented for Central 70, Interstate 25’s South Gap, and the U.S. 36 corridor following a 30-day grace period where thousands were sent warnings.
  — 9News
• Longmont’s animal control warns of spike in sick raccoons. Animal Control officer Ashley Walters says distemper won’t get humans sick, but can spread to cats, dogs and even ferrets if they’re not vaccinated.
  — CBS News
• Boulder says it’s ready for the Sundance Film Festival in 2027. But can the city actually handle it?. The town of 100,000 is competing with Park City, Utah, and Cincinnati to host the 2027 film festival, but is there enough infrastructure to handle 86,000 festival attendees?
  — The Know 🔑

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Kevin Jeffers | Product Team

THE OPINION PAGE

CARTOONS

In “What’d I Miss?” Myra puts a modern spin on the account of Joseph and Mary and Jesus’ flight to Egypt that would have produced an entirely different ending.

CARTOON

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.

Podcast Playlist

CONVERSATION

Each weekday The Daily Sun-Up podcast brings you a thoughtful conversation, a bit of Colorado history, and headlines of the day. We keep it tight so you can listen on the go, or stack up a few and tune in at your leisure. Download the Sun-Up for free on your favorite podcasting app, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or RSS to plug into your app. For the holiday week, we mixed to greatest hits with new chats:

• Wolf reintroduction has been packed with controversy. Rural reporter Tracy Ross has been covering the wolf reintroduction on the Western Slope since it started last December. She gives her take on the rocky behind-the-scenes workings.
  LISTEN
• What’s next for a Georgetown landmark? For more than 140 years, there has been an Anderson behind the counter at the beloved Kneisel & Anderson grocery store. Outdoors reporter Jason Blevins talks about the future of the iconic business.
  LISTEN
• Skating on wild ice. We revisited our conversation from last winter about reporter Jennifer Brown trekking to a high-altitude lake at the base of Longs Peak to learn how wild-ice skater Laura Kottlowski performs her chilly craft.
  LISTEN
• Following the big man. It was Santa’s busy week so of course we had to bring back our conversation about how NORAD in Colorado Springs uses its aerospace technology for a very important mission: tracking Santa Claus.
  LISTEN

🗣️ Remember, you can ask Siri, Alexa or Google to “play the Daily Sun-Up podcast” and we’ll play right on your smart speaker. As always we appreciate your feedback and comments at podcast@coloradosun.com.

Section by David Krause | Editor

Hope you enjoy the last weekend of 2024.

— Parker & the whole staff of The Sun

The Colorado Sun is part of The Trust Project. Read our policies.

Corrections & Clarifications

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