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The VeroVistas houses in Buena Vista are the first 3D-printed homes in Colorado. The 1,100-square foot homes are made of concrete and feature a southwest style. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun)
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Good morning and happy monsoon season!

While the regular thunderstorms roll across the state, we’ve been hard at work behind the scenes here at The Sun — both reflecting on the journey so far and planning for the future. And as a nonprofit public service, our future revolves around readers like you.

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Eric Hegreness is an automation technician for VeroTouch Construction and monitors the layering of concrete foundation forms for one of the 16 3D-printed houses at the company’s Cleora development near Salida. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun)

In a historic Chaffee County town site, a construction company is building single-family homes using 3D printing technology with the goal of transforming “fast fashion” construction into affordable housing and a workforce for the world of automation, robotics and standardization, reports Sue McMillin in this story promising big solutions.

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The owner of the 50-square-mile Elk Mountain Ranch in Carbon County, Wyoming, erected signs prohibiting access to islands of public land surrounded by his property and sued hunters who used a ladder to step over the markers. A federal appeals court in March ruled in favor of the hunters. (10th Circuit Court of Appeals)

A Wyoming rancher who sued hunters crossing between one parcel of public land to another through his property has elevated his case to the U.S. Supreme Court in a matter that could influence access to millions of acres of public lands in the West — and open the door to “widespread unconstitutional takings” of private land without compensation for landowners, he says. Jason Blevins has more.

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Firefighters walk through burned forest Monday along a trail in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The lightning-caused fire started July 10, causing the immediate evacuation of visitors and staff. The fire has burned 4,200 acres and is 41% contained as of Tuesday. The South Rim of the park remains closed. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)

Fire officials don’t expect flames from the South Rim fire at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to be fully contained anytime soon. However, blades of grass are already pushing through the charred soil. Olivia Prentzel followed a team of scientists scouring endangered species habitat susceptible to post-fire damage from debris flow or flooding should a storm roll across the scorched soil.

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Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Out West Books in Grand Junction recommends:

Read what the bookstore staff had to say about each. Pick up a copy and support your local bookstores at the same time.

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Type of Story: News

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

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