Saving Kit Carson

Hi, Colorado Sunday friends!

I hope you all are happy and well, wherever in Colorado you are.

We do our best to turn up interesting stories — and Kevin Simpson’s cover story this week, on the handful of people trying to keep the Eastern Plains town of Kit Carson vital and growing, counts among them — and investigate important topics all over the state.

But honestly, we could use your help in learning if we really are covering the things you value in your corner of Colorado. Until July 31, we’ll have a reader survey open. Your investment of the 7-10 minutes it takes to answer the questions will pay off big in terms of helping us better understand where our readers stand — physically, yes, but also in terms of what issues that deserve our journalistic attention. Take the survey here: 2025 Readership Survey. And while we know Colorado Sunday readers will do it for goodwill alone, two people who complete the survey will win a Visa gift card.

The Cover Story

Pushing to preserve a town, and way of life, on the Eastern Plains

For about four years, The Sun has followed the fortunes of the tiny Eastern Plains hamlet of Kit Carson as it has fought back against the challenges that threaten many small rural towns. The mix of factors that contribute to its existential crisis — lack of good housing options, declining population, flagging economic prospects beyond its agricultural roots — are so intertwined that it’s often difficult to determine where to focus restorative efforts.

However you prioritize the problems, though, housing always finds its way into the conversation. And in Kit Carson, like other rural enclaves, challenges begin with an inverted housing market, where the cost to build exceeds a home’s appraised value. And from there, other issues emerge, whether it’s a dearth of workable government programs to facilitate construction of new units or the difficulty of turning over existing houses that have fallen into disrepair.

This week, we look at Kit Carson’s effort to save their town through a new set of eyes — a returning 31-year-old son of a farming family who, though no longer interested in pursuing agriculture, has ascended a steep learning curve (with mentorship from an experienced town planner) to take on the role of local housing specialist. It’s a story of rural economics, for sure, but also a personal journey of a young man who has found a new way to help preserve the virtues of small-town life he once took for granted.

READ THIS WEEK’S COLORADO SUNDAY FEATURE

The Colorado Lens

For people not in the path of a raging forest fire, it can be interesting, exciting even, to watch the various aircraft trying to slow the spread of flames. This week the charismatic Super Scooper firefighting planes were stationed in Montrose as they worked the South Rim fire in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Photographer Dean Krakel checked out the scene.

Flavor of the Week

Six steps to a cooler Colorado

On a recent Wednesday afternoon in Denver, my wife and I were trapped. The temperature had soared to 104°, the Denver Art Museum was closed, and the Denver Botanic Gardens slammed its gates shut at 2 p.m. for a private event.

So our coolest options were eclipsed, and the sun shone with actual malice.

In a panic, we ducked into a cavernous, shadowy building called a “movie theater.” It was devoid of people. Which is weird because they actually show movies in there! And the AC was sublime!

It made me wonder. Are there other cool spots and chill strategies we’re overlooking in our heat-stroked state?

CHECK OUT PETER MOORE’S BEST IDEAS FOR KEEPING COOL DURING THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

SunLit: Sneak Peek

“Tell Me Something Good”: A teacher’s take on students — and his own life

EXCERPT: As a special education teacher who has dealt with his own Tourette’s syndrome since age 7, Mark Chartier knows well the challenges of living with disability. As the poet who wrote “Tell Me Something Good,” he displays both the source of his empathy — a childhood marked by abuse and abandonment —and the source of his joy. Those would be the “superheroes” he has had the privilege of teaching. His collection is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award for Poetry.

READ THE SUNLIT EXCERPT

THE SUNLIT INTERVIEW: Behind the pain and the joy, Chartier drew from the reservoir of perseverance and indomitable human spirit he has witnessed to produce works that are at turns touching, heartbreaking, horrifying and inspiring. Here’s a bit of his Q&A:

SunLit: What did the process of writing this book add to your knowledge and understanding of your craft and/or the subject matter?

Chartier: The process of writing this book helped me cultivate and expand on my use of language in diverse and unorthodox ways. I believe that, as poets, we have a creative license and are charged with the task of saying old things in new and refreshing ways. This often comes in the form of tailoring the language to meet your subject matter while maintaining a rapport with the reader and keeping them engaged.

READ THE INTERVIEW WITH MARK CHARTIER

Sunday Reading List

A curated list of what you may have missed from The Colorado Sun this week.

🌞 Big ICE enforcement actions were supposed to focus on deporting people with the “worst of the worst” criminal records. Taylor Dolven, Sandra Fish and Andrew Graham, from WyoFile, dug into data to find out if the claim is true in Colorado and Wyoming. Arrests related to immigration quadrupled in Colorado and nearly tripled in Wyoming in the past five months, but not many of those detained have criminal convictions or charges pending.

🌞 The Environmental Protection Agency took another swing at Colorado clean air rules last week, ruling the state may not set deadlines for coal-burning power plants to close. But state officials told Michael Booth the feds are just wrong. And at least one utility says it is moving forward with plans to shutter the plant that generates power at a cost far higher than others.

🌞 In other energy news, Colorado River watchers sounded the alarm that water levels could drop so low in the next year that turbines at Lake Powell could stop turning. Shannon Mullane explains this is bad environmental news, but also bad for electricity customers in seven western states, including Colorado.

🌞 We kind of expected a lawsuit over the canal Nebraska wants to build in Colorado to take South Platte River water. We did not expect Nebraska’s attorney general to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on whether Colorado is in compliance with the compact governing flow in the river, but that’s what happened. Parker Yamasaki and Olivia Prentzel reported the details.

🌞 A different kind of border war is keeping international musicians from making their gigs. Parker Yamasaki reports from the POV of a Canadian folk musician who had to cancel a show at the Green Box Arts Festival in Green Mountain Falls because of visa problems.

🌞 Zoning gets blamed for a lot of housing problems in Colorado. But Brian Eason looked at all the other factors that are driving up the cost of finding a place to live.

🌞 Colorado ranks among the top 10 states for cannabis consumption, so it follows that a lot of our dogs are getting high accidentally. Kate Ruder checked in with veterinarians who are pioneering ways to help pets recover after consuming edibles, cast-off roaches and even human poop.

Thanks, as always, for hanging out with us on this beautiful Colorado Sunday. After you’re done completing our reader survey mentioned above, drop me an email at dana@coloradosun.com and let me know how I’m doing with this newsletter and whether you’d be interested if we organized a real-life brunch where we can just get together and talk.

— Dana & the whole staff of The Sun

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.

Type of Story: News

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