Good morning, Sunriser readers!
Colorado has had a big year in acquisitions. First we landed women’s soccer, then we lured in Sundance.
I went down to the Boulder Theater yesterday where Sundance Institute folks mingled with state lawmakers and Boulder locals during the official announcement. There was a genuine buzz — and maybe some relief — about the event. Official and official-looking people raced through 4-minute speeches, rhapsodizing about Boulder’s mountain views and welcoming culture. It got a little Nicole Kidman in the AMC commercial at times. I saw at least one tear shed.
It is the movie industry, after all. Heartfelt speeches and theatrics are welcome. And I’m so here for it.
Don’t start playing the music yet, we’ve got a lot of news to get through.
Reporter
THE NEWS
CULTURE
Sundance Film Festival is officially relocating to Boulder from Utah
Sundance Film Festival has been slowly peeling away from its home state of Utah over the past year, beginning with a call for proposals in April. Out of around 100 interested cities, Boulder landed the gig. I was at the Boulder Theater on Thursday for the official announcement.
OUTDOORS
Plan to change Colorado Flight for Life helicopters’ color has many seeing red
Six Flight for Life helicopters are getting a magenta makeover as part of an overall brand refresh by the Chicago-based CommonSpirit, which took over Colorado’s Centura Health in 2023. But the color change is irking some who think that money it’ll take to paint the copters would better be spent on things like, say, much-needed safety upgrades. Jason Blevins has more.
WATER
Do you have an over-loved river in your Colorado town? Help is on the way.
$417,000
Seed money approved for the Colorado Rivermap project
A project launched by a fish advocacy group now has the funding and approval to start restoring rivers in need. The Colorado Rivermap will begin with a technical survey to identify stretches of river with poor access and eroded stream banks, before turning to advocacy groups and agencies to make the improvements. Jerd Smith of Freshwater News has more on the map.
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Lauren Boebert defends Trump administration on Musk, immigration and budget cuts during telephone town hall
Rep. Lauren Boebert, whose rise to political fame began with an in-your-face microphone moment at an Aurora rally, held a virtual town hall with constituents Wednesday night. She’s the latest Republican to opt for a digital space over a physical one in an effort to quell political theatrics and viral moments. Caitlyn Kim reports on the town hall trade-offs.
MORE NEWS
Section by Parker Yamasaki | Reporter
THE COLORADO REPORT
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THE OPINION PAGE
CARTOONS
In “What’d I Miss?” Myra calls out the deletion by the FTC of certain information critical of big tech companies that donated to the president’s inauguration.
Jim Morrissey illustrates how, as the Colorado legislature addresses proposed cuts to deal with a $1.2 billion deficit, there’s no magical solution to the fiscal pain.
Drew Litton reminds us that while in many locations, the start of the Major League baseball season signals renewed hope and possibility, these are the Colorado Rockies.
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 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. Check out this week’s lineup from The Sun team:
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Section by David Krause | Editor
That’s all we’ve got — roll the credits. See you back here next week.
— Parker & the whole staff of The Sun
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