The Colorado Capitol in Denver as seen from the Legislative Services Building across the street, which is where the legislature's Joint Budget Committee meets. The scene was photographed on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)
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Good morning, Colorado.

It’s a chilly one in Colorado Springs, where my Old English sheepdog is patiently waiting to use his thick fur coat to romp around in the snow. We woke up to only a dusting here, but forecasts show more is on the way. This morning’s commute along the Front Range will be a messy one, so please be safe and bundle up. Once you’ve found a cup of your hot beverage of choice, let’s get reading.

A graphic showing how much the ingredients in a burger have increased
Kevin, winter’s mascot, on a recent snow day.
A graphic showing how much the ingredients in a burger have increased
Metro area aerial photos June 8, 2023, of Chatfield State Park in Littleton. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)

Chatfield, Golden Gate Canyon and State Forest state parks will charge $2 more for daily passes this year, up from the usual $10 fee to enter all the other state parks. The extra two bucks is authorized in two pieces of legislation aimed at allowing parks and their nearby communities to determine specific needs and a higher fee whose proceeds could be kept local instead of disappearing into a broader fund. Michael Booth has more on where the money is going and what it will support.

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$750 million

Estimated budget shortfall legislators face this session

The state legislature reconvenes in Denver on Wednesday to kick off its 120-day legislative session. It’s usually a day marked by optimism, as newly elected officials and returning lawmakers gather to make good on the promises they made to voters on the campaign trail, Brian Eason and Jesse Paul report. But this year, they will start in the shadow of a $750 million budget shortfall.

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A graphic showing how much the ingredients in a burger have increased
Migrants wait in line for food and grocery items to be distributed from a vehicle near a city-funded hotel shelter near Speer Boulevard and Zuni Street on Dec. 5, 2023, in Denver. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

Colorado saw one of the biggest increases in the country in the number of families who were homeless in 2024 — a 134% jump from the previous year, according to a federal report. While Colorado made progress in sheltering people who had been living on the streets, it saw a spike in families with kids who were living in shelters, the report said. The count also includes the thousands of migrants who were sleeping in city-funded hotel shelters last winter, Jennifer Brown reports.

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Jake Tillard navigates a world of international oil and gas production on both sea and land, forging alliances and making enemies of powerful people along the way. Jeff Lelek’s “Sinai Surrender,” a Colorado Authors League finalist for thriller, introduces the unlikely protagonist — a geologist — as he suffers a near-death experience, earns the enmity of an oligarch and angles to make a deal with Australian interests.

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Stay warm and we hope to see you back here tomorrow!

— Olivia & the whole staff of The Sun

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