Sober Outdoors participants pose for a photo overlooking St. Mary’s Glacier, Sunday Dec. 29, 2024 near Idaho Springs, Colorado. Sober Outdoors is a donation based and self funded organization that uses outdoor adventures to aid people as they heal their soul, body and mind.
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Good morning from within two distinct but impressive bubbles: one filled with frigid arctic air making its way from Canada to Mexico, the other filled with joy over the first Broncos playoff berth since the 2015 season.

Heck, the last memory Broncos Country has of being in the postseason ended with a Super Bowl victory, so let’s just put a nice spin on things and say that the Broncos haven’t lost a playoff game in 10 seasons and keep feeling optimistic.

One upside of the nearly decade-long drought was that Broncos fans who were trying out dry January didn’t need to worry about the team playing meaningful football after Christmas to tempt them, but all that means is that we’re likely to see more “near beer” and other nonalcoholic options on gameday.

On that note, we have a fridge full of news to get to, including people who are finding their way on their sobriety journey by taking a hike, some predictions about the local economy in 2025 and much more.

So let’s dust off that Von Miller jersey and get to it, shall we?

BREAKING: Jefferson County Clerk Amanda Gonzalez launches bid to become Colorado secretary of state. Gonzalez is the first major Democrat to jump into the 2026 contest that will determine who will be the state’s top election official. Jesse Paul has more.

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Sober Outdoors participant Heather King overlooks St. Mary’s Glacier on Dec. 29 near Idaho Springs. Sober Outdoors is a donation-based and self-funded nonprofit that uses outdoor adventures to aid people as they heal their soul, body and mind while seeking sobriety. (Rebecca Slezak, Special to The Colorado Sun)

While many sober-curious folks are testing out a dry January — and the U.S. Surgeon General advocated for stronger warning labels on the dangers of alcohol — some Coloradans are turning to the quiet, challenging calm of the outdoors to free themselves from addiction. Erica Breunlin has more on Sober Outdoors.

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Skiers wait in line to load into gondola cabins at Winter Park Resort in Winter Park on Dec. 28. (Jason Connolly, Special to The Colorado Sun)

Since the reelection of Donald Trump, economists have been holding back on making too many sweeping predictions about the future of the economy. In this week’s “What’s Working,” Tamara Chuang explored what forecasters are saying — and where they’re still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

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Classroom materials at Calhan Elementary School on Dec. 3. (Mark Reis, Special to The Colorado Sun)

$13.5 billion

The recommended amount of spending to achieve student needs, according to a new study.

$10 billion

The current budget earmarked for state education in the budget.

Two studies, one by a Denver public policy firm and another by a Virginia nonprofit, calculated the funding needed to adequately educate Colorado kids up to existing standards. And as Erica Breunlin reports, even after the major adjustment to the school funding formula, the state budget is billions of dollars behind.

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Janell Lewis managed public relations and oversaw fundraising at Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank, quitting in February 2023 after working for the organization for 12 years. She says stricter oversight of eye banks is needed. (Mike Vanata, WyoFile)

The Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank helps procure corneas from deceased donors in Wyoming and Colorado — around 2,500 donations a year. But four employees say the lack of oversight at the bank has resulted in a tense work environment and damaged and wasted donated tissues due to accidents. Madelyn Beck of WyoFile and Rae Ellen Bichell of KFF Health News have more.

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Teal Lehto, who runs the popular TikTok account @westernwatergirl, films material for a new social media post by the Animas River in Durango on Dec. 28. (Shannon Mullane, The Colorado Sun)

TikTok has become a gathering space for all kinds of niche interests, but with a looming ban, local content creators and consumers fear they could lose access to their communities. In this week’s Colorado Sunday, Parker Yamasaki spoke to Colorado creators, who use the platform to advance their advocacy work and raise awareness about watershed issues and public infrastructure failures around the Front Range, like bus stops with no wheelchair access or sidewalks that spit pedestrians into the street. Their work, audience and impact could soon change as soon as Friday, when the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments about the impending ban on TikTok, set to take effect Jan. 19.

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Thanks for kicking off the first full business week of the year with us! Hope you stay warm and have a great day, we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun

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