Democrats and Republicans unite over water funds

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Good morning, Colorado.

I was in the middle of making ramen in the backcountry last weekend when the clouds above me got dark and lightning bolts began to light up the sky. I ditched my cooking setup, found shelter under a cluster of trees, took off my dog’s collar and racked my mind for the next best thing to do while caught in a storm in the middle of the backcountry. The storm didn’t stay for long, thankfully, and I got to eat my ramen in peace. But when I got home, I found a lightning 101 refresher courtesy of the National Park Service. (When you’re miles from your car or other shelter, standing under a group of trees at a lower elevation is the “least objectionable alternative,” NPS says.)

Thanks to clear skies the next day, we had this incredible view:

Pretty views aside, we’ve got a full newsletter this morning with important stories on the Colorado River to congressional maps. Let’s get to it.

THE NEWS

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Federal judges block Colorado from enforcing abortion pill reversal ban, uphold abortion “bubble law”

Federal judges in Colorado made major decisions on state abortion laws last week that could spark consequences across the country. Among them, a U.S. district judge ruled that Colorado cannot enforce a 2023 state law banning abortion pill reversal against a Catholic health clinic in Englewood. Jesse Paul has more.

READ MORE

• Limited options for Democrats in Colorado, across U.S. to retaliate if Texas Republicans redraw congressional map. Colorado voters in 2018 overwhelmingly passed Amendment Y, which handed redistricting over to an independent commission.

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WATER

Colorado’s entire congressional delegation, Democrats and Republicans alike, tell Trump to release water project funds

Republicans and Democrats from Colorado’s congressional delegation sent a letter Monday to the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation asking them to release $140 million in frozen federal funds. Those dollars would support 17 initiatives to help the overstressed Colorado River Basin, including repairing irrigation ditches and advancing fish passage projects, Shannon Mullane reports.

READ MORE

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EQUITY

In Colorado, food stamps will no longer buy soda, sugary drinks

A new state rule approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will remove soda and other sugary beverages from the menu of items that Coloradans can get using food assistance benefits. Other proposed changes could include allowing people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, to apply their benefits to restaurants and farmers markets and toward hot grocery food meals. Jennifer Brown explains the state effort to promote healthier eating.

READ MORE

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WILDFIRE

Wildfire burning near Meeker destroys 3 buildings, explodes to 3,000 acres

The Elk fire, set off by lightning Saturday, destroyed two houses and one outbuilding as of Monday. The fire is about 10 miles east of Meeker. Olivia Prentzel reports the latest details.

READ MORE

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THE COLORADO REPORT

• Some Western Slope families are spending up to one-third of their salary on child care — while others are still waitlisted. Families are feeling the pain as child care grows more expensive and harder to find in Colorado, making the state No. 5 in the nation for the most expensive infant care, a new report shows.
  — Glenwood Springs Post Independent
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirms plan to treat Colorado River for invasive zebra mussels. State wildlife workers have a new plan to combat the invasive species, which can reproduce at a staggering rate in rivers, streams and lakes, wreaking havoc on aquatic habitats and infrastructure such as dams and treatment facilities.
  — Colorado Public Radio
• Broadway could form a self-taxing district (if voters say yes) A measure placed on the November ballot by the Denver City Council could give business owners and residents along Broadway the power of the purse for a planned revitalization.
  — Denverite
• Will this year be boom or bust for Colorado’s grasshopper populations? Massive infestations last year sowed economic and ecological damage across the state. Experts sound off on whether it could happen again this year.
  — Steamboat Pilot
• Disbarred district attorney Linda Stanley responds to interrogatories at the 11th hour, denies having been served lawsuit. Stanley’s last-minute court filing spared her from an embarrassing hearing where a judge would have grilled her on why she hasn’t responded faster to claims against her.
  
  — Cañon City Daily Record

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

THE OPINION PAGE

COMMUNITY

• All Coloradans will be hurt by Trump’s cuts to civil legal services, even if you don’t need them. Work of Colorado Legal Service goes unnoticed, but the help to domestic violence survivors, scammed veterans and others victims has a large ripple effect across the state.
  — Matthew Baca
  

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.

SunLit

BOOKS

“Transference” introduces a society based on disease capitalism

The Disease Transfer Machine in author Ian Patterson’s Serling-esque sci-fi novel powers a health care system that works wonders — for those with the means to pay others to be surrogates for their suffering. In this excerpt, we’re introduced to the lower-class protagonist who has just barely survived taking on a rich person’s metastasized cancer to make ends meet. The book won the 2025 Colorado Book Award for Science Fiction/Fantasy.

READ AN EXCERPT

• Interview with the author. As a newly minted writer, and new parent, Patterson found inspiration for his work but also difficulty shoehorning his new craft into a busy schedule.
• Listen to a Daily Sun-Up podcast with Ian Patterson.

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Thanks for catching up with us today. Hope to see you here again tomorrow!

— Olivia & 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.