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The Colorado River passes through Shoshone Power Plant, April 9, 2024, near Glenwood Springs. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)
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Good morning, Colorado.

I grew up in gusty, sometimes blizzardy Midwestern winters so this week’s cold snap ought to be a breeze for me.

It’s not.

I’m getting tired of living in what feels like a snowglobe I might never break out of, but I was lucky enough to find some warmth the past few days by cozying up to a new friend. His name’s Jack.

There is nothing better in this world than a golden retriever puppy. It’s a fact. I’m a reporter, so I would know.

Here’s a photo of Jack that will hopefully warm you, too. (He belongs to a friend who works in my apartment building. I’ve christened myself his godmother.)

Jack, the 7-pound golden retriever puppy making this extra-wintry week a little brighter.]*

Now that we’re all gooey and swooning over how cute this pup is, let’s crack open today’s news, shall we?

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Beaver wetlands provided a wildlife refuge from wildfire during the Cameron Peak fire. (Emily Fairfax, courtesy photo)

$388.3 million

The spending for projects along the Colorado River on Friday, days before the executive order halting spending was signed

Coloradans thought they had millions coming their way for environmental projects meant to address drought in the Colorado River Basin. But after an executive order from President Trump, the status of present and future funding is up in the air, Shannon Mullane reports.

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A dosage of Wegovy on March 1 in Front Royal, Virginia. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)

The year of the budget cut continues as departments within the state government look to balance the shortfall in Colorado’s budget. And as Jesse Paul reports, the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration is targeting the quickly rising expense of the new class of drugs that includes Wegovy and Ozempic.

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Seniors Mykenzie Roy, 16, left, and Colby Vanderaa, 17, look at a cellphone in front of Aspen High School on Aug. 18. Aspen School District banned the use of cellphones among students in schools, a decision teens like Colby say was sudden and lacked enough student input. Now, legislation could prompt all Colorado districts to adopt cellphone policies dictating when and how students can use their cellphones in school. (Ray K. Erku, The Aspen Times)

All Colorado school districts would be required to adopt a cellphone policy with rules for when and how students can use phones in school under a bipartisan bill set to be introduced in the legislature later this month. Erica Breunlin has more.

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Ronnie Hoover, who has been without a home for more than two years, carries his belongings out of his Pallet shelter at the Safe Outdoor Space managed by Colorado Village Collaborative on Jan. 13 in Denver as he prepares to move into an apartment. (Michael Ciaglo, Special to The Colorado Sun)

It may be hard to measure the impact of the new St. Francis Apartments West, a 60-unit building constructed for homeless adults older than 55 with health conditions. But the story of lifelong chef Ronnie Hoover, who worked in restaurants around the city until he lost his job during the pandemic, is a great step toward understanding how precarious housing can be — and just how much work it can take to get back on your feet.

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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.

A graphic showing how much the ingredients in a burger have increased
A historical marker near 1620 Wazee St. in Denver details the anti-Chinese race riot that occurred Oct. 31, 1880, by people trying drive out Chinatown’s 400-some residents. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

Where is Denver’s Chinatown? If you haven’t had the chance to see History Colorado’s “Where is Denver’s Chinatown?” exhibition — or if you’re just genuinely curious where Denver’s Chinatown is — next Wednesday’s event is a perfect excuse to visit.

The evening will feature a keynote speech by William Wei, Colorado state historian and author of “Asians in Colorado,” and a lion dance performance to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The story of Denver’s Chinatown is overflowing with 19th-century history and hijinks, from the westward movement of immigrant populations — first for gold, then to build the railroads — to their settling down and setting up shop in downtown Denver. That area was razed in the 1960s during an era of urban redevelopment, but there have been significant efforts in recent years to reclaim Denver’s past and present Chinatown.

$20; 5:30-8:30 p.m., Jan. 29; History Colorado Center, 1200 N. Broadway, Denver

Thanks for giving us part of your morning. Heads up that we’re only 56 days from the start of spring! (Though who are we kidding? We’re probably due for at least one apocalyptic snowstorm in April or May.) We’ll see you back here tomorrow!

— Erica & the whole staff of The Sun

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

In yesterday’s Colorado Report, we linked to a story about the Matterhorn Mill near Telluride that, based on a faulty timestamp on our end, we thought was timely. But as a reader pointed out, the story was from 2010. The good news: The emergency stabilization performed in 2010 did the trick, because the mill is still standing.

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

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

This byline is used for articles and guides written collaboratively by The Colorado Sun reporters, editors and producers.