An awful ozone summer in the Denver metro area

Good morning, Colorado.

Yesterday marked the end of a very long and painful journey for the friends and family of the 10 people killed March 22, 2021, inside a Boulder King Soopers. After a jury rejected the shooter’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, a judge imposed 10 life sentences.

Their pain was palpable as they spoke to the courtroom, addressing the person who forever changed their lives 3½ years ago, and recalled the people who were tragically taken from them that day. While reporting on the trial, I was struck by a statement from a daughter of one of the victims, who described the two-week trial as “brutal,” but also “beautiful,” referring to the acts of heroism as people panicked and tried to help others escape the gunfire. She remembered the woman who made her father smile in his final moments, calling the woman “her angel.”

We’ve got more on that in today’s Sunriser, plus news about a hungry bear cub breaking into a middle school, social justice art and more.

P.S. Advance sale tickets for SunFest are over, but don’t worry, you can still snag a spot for Friday if you’d like to join us. Email our events coordinator, Kristina, or come to the Josef Korbel School of International Studies on Friday to get your tickets at the door.

Olivia Prentzel

Reporter

THE NEWS

ENVIRONMENT

Colorado violated EPA ozone limits 40 times in summer of 2024

The northern Front Range counties violated EPA ozone standards on 40 days during the 2024 summer air pollution season, according to Colorado officials. Now, they are calling for more restrictions on oil and gas activity. Michael Booth has the details.

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WATER

The gift of a historic Boulder County reservoir in the wilderness gives nonprofit a financial lifeline

Ten years ago, an anonymous donor came to the Colorado Water Trust intent on giving an interesting gift: a reservoir high in the forests of the Indian Peaks Wilderness in western Boulder County. The trust set out to look for an ethical buyer who would agree to tough restrictions to protect public access to fishing and camping, keep the reservoir full in the summer and release the water to quench the 37-mile Boulder Creek during the fall, when the stream is driest. And then finally last month, the trust found its buyer, Jerd Smith reports.

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EQUITY

Denver’s new “social justice art” is a 5-foot canvas boulder created by people who have lived on the streets

A new project in Denver aims to give voices to people who don’t feel heard and once complete, will likely be hard to miss. A group of residents who were previously homeless are painting the canvas to cover a 5-foot, round wire armature in the shape of a boulder, to symbolize the barriers that held them back and the strength it takes to overcome them. Jennifer Brown has more.

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CRIME & COURTS

Boulder King Soopers gunman sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences after jury finds him guilty in shooting that killed 10

A judge sentenced a man with schizophrenia to 10 consecutive life sentences, plus more than 1,300 years in prison Monday after a jury found him guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 45 other felony counts in the March 2021 attack at a Boulder King Soopers where he killed 10 people, including a police officer. Inside the courtroom, family and friends of the victims remembered who was lost, many choking on tears while addressing the shooter who forever changed their lives 3½ years ago.

READ MORE

MORE NEWS

• Bear cub breaks into a Colorado middle school to roam cafeteria Monday morning. Colorado Parks and Wildlife removed the bear while students took refuge at the high school, but whether the cub managed to find a meal remains unclear. 
• Pearl fire evacuations lifted as firefighters reach 95% containment in northern Colorado. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office issued an “all clear” Sunday, nearly a week after the fire sparked on private property about 5 miles northwest of Red Feather Lakes.

Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Simpich dolls return to Colorado Springs and the world through an official online store. “If you grew up in Colorado Springs anytime between 1952 and 2007, Simpich Dolls are likely part of your story,” Leah Davis-Witherow, curator of history of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, told KRCC in 2021.
  — KRCC
• Denver City Council gives green light to construct the East Colfax Avenue bus rapid transit project. The $197 million contract has been officially improved, setting the stage for construction between downtown and Interstate 225 to create bus-only lanes and better bus shelters along Colfax by summer 2028.
  — The Denver Post 🔑
• Colorado lawmakers consider blocking names of ranchers who ask for wolf compensation from public view. State Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, will be the prime sponsor of the proposed bill that would redact the names of ranchers who make depredation claims from being seen by members of the public or media who make open records requests.
  — The Aspen Times
• Glendale mayor wrongly approved future wife’s pot shop, ethics panel says. As reported in BusinessDen, the “lengthiest and priciest ethics case in state history” ended in a split decision, saying that Mayor Mike Dunafon was wrong for not recusing himself from voting to approve his future wife’s dispensary, but cleared him of accusations that he influenced others. The commission also declined to penalize Dunafon, quietly ending an eight-year fight.
  — BusinessDen 🔑

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

#THE OPINION PAGE

COMMUNITY

• Broader examination of facts and relevant context justifies CU regents’ resolution in response to June protests.  Opinion column by some University of Colorado faculty opposing resolution ignores history and disregards fear and distress of those targeted by protesters
  — Melanie Kay (CU School of Law), Mark Loewenstein (CU School of Law), Omer Mei-Dan (CU School of Medicine) and Elyana Funk (CU Boulder Hillel)

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

REVIEW

“Raising Elle” evokes small-town America as a woman tries to come home

Author Sarah (S.E.) Reichert packs a lot into this slice of “Raising Elle,” her novel that was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award in Romance. We meet Elle, the abused young woman venturing back from L.A. to her small-town roots; one of her many antagonists from school days; and the former love interest who suddenly appears and comes to her defense. A fourth character is also introduced — the community that’s a far cry from her attempt to carve out a life in the big city.

READ AN EXCERPT

• Interview with the author. Reichert spent her first 22 years growing up in a small Wyoming town, and only after she’d moved away did she realize the unique qualities of her upbringing.  

Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer

T-minus 3 days until SunFest! We hope to see you there.

— Olivia & the whole staff of The Sun

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Corrections & Clarifications

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