These are the guns targeted by proposed Colorado ban

Good morning, Colorado.

After three days of subfreezing temperatures, I can’t say how excited I was to see today’s forecasted high of 37 degrees. It’s funny how a polar vortex can serve as a powerful perspective check and a reminder that most things in life are relative.

As we wait for the sunshine to melt away the ice, let’s grab a cup of coffee and get reading.

Olivia Prentzel

Reporter

THE NEWS

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Which guns would be affected by Colorado’s proposed ban on semiautomatic weapons with detachable magazines

Senate Bill 3 is a top priority for Democratic lawmakers and would be one of the most ambitious gun control bills in the country. Jesse Paul explains which firearms would be affected ahead of what is sure to be a vibrant debate under the dome.

READ MORE

HOUSING

With Biden-era consumer protections in jeopardy, Colorado Democrats look to crack down on rental housing fees

Colorado lawmakers are looking to block landlords from charging renters an array of hidden fees that rental advocates say are part of the nationwide proliferation of “junk fees.” Brian Eason looks at the specifics, including passing on pest control and other habitability costs to renters.

READ MORE

EQUITY

Child care help is frozen across Colorado as counties run out of funding

The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program, which helps more than 17,000 children get care statewide, has been capped in the state’s largest counties as new federal and state funding can’t keep up with the need. And as Jennifer Brown reports, the freeze comes as the costs of child care continue to spike.

READ MORE

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Colorado lawyers line up to fight Trump’s deportation plans

About 100 lawyers who do not normally practice immigration law took a crash course offered by the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network last week, bracing for President Trump’s promised mass deportations, Jennifer Brown reports.

READ MORE

• More than 20 Coloradans convicted, awaiting trial in Jan. 6 riot among the 1,500 pardoned by Trump. Prior to Trump’s inauguration, federal authorities had continued their investigation and made arrests in Colorado as recently as this month on the four-year anniversary of the attacks.

MORE NEWS

• Top Colorado wildlife official urges public to “lean in” to more wolves, offer support for ranchers. CPW director Jeff Davis addressed security threats to the agency, better support for ranchers and how biologists will better manage wolves this go-round.
• King Soopers union sets first strike vote for Front Range stores, which could involve 10,000 workers. If grocery workers vote to approve a strike, the walkout will involve more stores and employees than the nine-day strike in 2022.

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Device that replicates “coldest place in universe” at home on Colorado School of Mines campus. Q: What looks a lot like a refrigerator but can create an environment 270 times colder than deep space and 200,000 times colder than the coldest weather ever recorded on Earth? A: The Maybell Quantum Big Fridge hanging out on the Mines campus — until it’s shipped off to an “undisclosed customer.”
  — Mines Newsroom
• Arvada police hold Apple Air Tag giveaway to prevent vehicle thefts. If you live or work in Arvada, have recently had a car stolen or own one of the top 10 most-stolen vehicles, the Arvada Police Department is giving out Apple Air Tags to put in your car.
  — CBS Denver
• Solar firm laying off Colorado staff, ceasing new projects in state. After a sales deal with Costco ended in September, Sunrun — which has been selling, leasing and installing solar panels in Colorado since 2007 — will lay off 100 people from its Arvada office and continue operating only as a maintenance crew in the state.
  — BusinessDen 🔑
• Jury finds Colorado influencer David Lesh not guilty of felony assault, guilty of 3rd-degree assault. The retired pro skier known for provocative antics was found guilty of the lesser assault charge he faced after a 2023 fight during a snowmobiling outing at Spring Creek trailhead.
  — Summit Daily
• Inside the very slow (and very intentional) reopening of an iconic Denver restaurant. “It takes a downfall, it takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of money and takes a lot of sacrifice.” This is a nice feature on the people and community who worked to bring back the legendary Welton Street Cafe in what the family hopes is a long-lasting return.
  — Denverite
• Trinidadians spend more on utilities than Colorado, U.S. on average. The southern Colorado city pays about $58 more for utilities than the rest of the state, but residents’ overall cost of living is still 29% lower than Colorado’s average and 15% lower than the national average.
  — The Chronicle-News

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

SunLit

REVIEW

Newly arrived time travelers get their bearings in “Time Agents: Complications”

Part of the fun of reading about time travel is sorting out the writer’s means and rules behind it. In “Time Agents: Complications,” author Jodi Bowersox introduces two characters who must test a new method for catapulting across the years in order to escape forces seeking to eliminate them because they’ve learned the secret. For fans of her previous Lightning Riders series, this Colorado Authors League winner in the Thriller category picks up an old thread for new adventures.

READ AN EXCERPT

• Interview with the author. Giving readers a peek inside the mind that created a new fictional vehicle for time travel, Bowersox explains how even a random experience from everyday life can spark an imaginative new idea.
  

Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer

That’s a wrap! Thanks for joining us this Tuesday and we hope to see you here tomorrow.

— Olivia & 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.