Good morning, Colorado.
One of the rewarding things about writing is the opportunity to wrestle with the language — to imagine, edit and economize in pursuit of telling a good story. So over the past few years The Sun has enjoyed teaming up with the Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America on its annual 6-word mystery contest, which challenges contestants to create a clever whodunit working within those tight constraints.
The Sun offered readers a chance to submit free entries, from which we selected our top 10 and paid their entry fee into the big contest, which attracted 448 submissions. Sun reader Denali Hussin of Boulder did us proud, as RMMWA judges awarded her top honors in the Thriller category with this gem: “I called his widow. He answered.”
Hussin will receive a $25 gift certificate and see her entry featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, as well as on the RMMWA website and its monthly newsletter, Deadlines. The overall contest winner: “Dead bookie: all bets are off.”
With this year’s contest in the books, here are six words with absolutely no mystery: And now, on to the news.
Writer
THE NEWS
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
How Colorado’s election laws made the state ripe for challenging Donald Trump’s candidacy
By all indications, Donald Trump wouldn’t have had a chance to win in Colorado in next year’s presidential election even if he made it through the presidential primary. So what made this state prime for a lawsuit challenging his candidacy, which led to this week’s stunning state Supreme Court decision to block him from the ballot? The answer lies in Colorado’s unique election laws, which Jesse Paul explains in this story.
ENVIRONMENT
Three questions for RTD as a momentous 2024 for transit is just down the tracks
Advocates are vying for a vote on a tax to start building Front Range Rail. Denver is expanding “bus rapid transit.” And RTD is experimenting with cheaper — or even free — fares. Michael Booth spoke to RTD chief Debra Johnson ahead of what’s shaping up to be a pivotal year for Colorado transit.
Is it recyclable in Colorado? Take our quiz.
How much do you know about recycling and composting in Colorado? We’ve put together this quiz to answer any questions you have.
BUSINESS
Battle over United Power’s quest to leave Tri-State ends with a federal regulator’s exit formula
Federal regulators have ended a four-year battle by United Power to leave the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. The Brighton-based company is the largest electric cooperative in the association. Next up is calculating how much it’ll cost to buy out long-term contracts, Mark Jaffe reports.
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THE OPINION PAGE
COMMUNITY
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What’s Happening
Two years ago, producer Leah Casper approached her friend, Larea Edwards of The Flobots and Deep Pocket Thieves, with an idea. Casper wanted to twist the traditional holiday “Nutcracker” ballet into a fresh show based around Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite. Edwards loved the idea and wanted to take it a step further, by infusing the show with elements of the Five Points neighborhood in Denver where she grew up. The resulting performance premiers this weekend at The Savoy Denver.
The show doesn’t shirk from Five Point’s darker times, including entanglements with the KKK during the 1920s, but overall it’s an uplifting and spirited event, Casper said. Fifteen dancers and actors perform characters based on important figures in Five Points history. A live, six-piece band will make its way through Ellington’s Nutcracker, paired with updated choreography that includes Jazz Era-style swing, break, and contemporary dance.
$35-$75; Dec. 22 and 23, various times; The Savoy Denver, 2700 Arapahoe St. Denver
Parker Yamasaki | Reporter
ICYMI: With the holidays here and 2023 coming to an end, Peter Moore’s latest cartoon examines Colorado’s holiday spirit and makes a case for including The Sun in your year-end giving.
Go make this solstice-shortened day a sweet one, Colorado.
— 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.
This story was updated at 10 a.m. Dec. 21, 2023, to correct a typo that misidentified Denali Hussin‘s gender. She was the winner of top honors in the Thriller category of Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America’s annual 6-word mystery contest.
