This article contains firsthand information gathered by reporters. This includes directly interviewing sources and analyzing primary source documents.
A Glock 19 semiautomatic handgun on display at Bristlecone Shooting, Training and Retail Center in Lakewood, Colorado, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. The Colorado legislature is considering a bill that would ban the manufacture, purchase and sale of semiautomatic rifles and shotguns that are capable of accepting detachable ammunition magazines, as well as some semiautomatic pistols and handguns. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)
Good morning and welcome back to Monday, aka the day after some of us watched four hours of football for the commercials and the snacks. Jalapeño poppers, Buffalo chicken dip, lemon bars. Hopefully everyone also got some fresh air and exercise over the weekend.
I’m still recovering from doing a very Colorado thing that was way more exercise than I had anticipated, even though I was warned. A few friends and I skied up to the Polar Star Inn, a hut 11,000 feet up New York Mountain, outside of Eagle. It was grueling, sometimes even demoralizing, but also awesome and kind of epic, to use a very Colorado word. I loved playing cards and sipping “crystal-tinis” — snow, vodka and Crystal Light flavor packets — as we watched the sun sink behind the mountains and the fire crackled in the woodstove. The blisters on my feet, though, not so much.
I hope everyone has a great week. Try a new thing. Read some thought-provoking journalism. Tell your friends about us. Take care.
An AR-15 for sale at Bristlecone Shooting, Training and Retail Center in Lakewood on Jan. 16. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)
Colorado would become the fifth state to set up a registry for individual residents to voluntarily freeze their ability to buy guns. And as KUNC’s Chas Sisk reports as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance, it’s the one gun measure that is expected to sail quickly through the Democratic-controlled legislature.
Fort Lewis College, pictured Feb. 7 in Durango, is one of several Colorado higher education institutions facing uncertainty about how the Trump administration’s shift away from DEI efforts will impact the future of DEI programming on campuses. (Jerry McBride, Durango Herald)
“What I think the opponents of DEI do is start first by turning the intention of DEI efforts on their head. They say it is about trying to advance certain groups over others at the expense of merit and saying, ‘We care more about diversity than merit.’ What we care about is ensuring that people from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to demonstrate their merit and advance based on it. And of course in this country, historically, that’s not always been the case.”
— Colorado Community College System Chancellor Joe Garcia
Colorado’s colleges have long been outspoken proponents of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, but as the Trump administration continues to focus attacks on the programs, schools are fearful of losing federal money — while continuing to stay focused on promoting equity on campus. Erica Breunlin has more.
Colorado universities are now closer to paying athletes. But the public may never know how much. House Bill 1041 would allow universities to pay players from any sport, though football is the most lucrative, for their name, image and likeness rights, otherwise known as NIL. But as Colorado Public Radio’s Ben Markus reports, the bill’s exemption from the Colorado Open Records Act has some lawmakers voting no.
STEAD School students Benjamin Wyperd, Kailey Seymour, Gianni Montoya and Rey Padilla walk around Colorado State University’s Spur at the National Western Center on Jan. 16 in Denver. They visited the campus as part of their school projects on topics varying from a cultural representation in agriculture to the food economy and were on their way to the National Western Stock Show to talk with ranchers and farmers as part of their research. (Rebecca Slezak, Special to The Colorado Sun)
“(The school creates) informed citizens who understand the importance of the environment, of natural resources and of food, and who are at least going to hold people accountable that are making decisions, because they’re well-informed.”
— Kelly Leid, co-founder of The STEAD School
How would a kid growing up in the shadow of the Suncor plant in Commerce City end up tending to a farm that is part of the Department of Agriculture’s soil-health program? Tracy Ross looks at how The STEAD School (science, technology, environment, agriculture and design systems learning) is creating an ag-focused curriculum — and how it compares to the decades-old programs at schools in Colorado’s heavily farmed Eastern Plains.
To test its technology, this Denver startup opened a thrift store. One of the architects of Happy Returns — whom you may have encountered when returning an item you bought online — is trying to bring a new suite of technology designed for secondhand stores online. But before he takes it to Goodwill, Andy Downard ’s company is running its own thrift store in southeastern Denver to get out the bugs. — BusinessDen 🔑
Colorado lawmakers revive SHRED Act in Congress in an effort to keep ski area fees flowing locally. It’s the third time that Sen. Michael Bennet has introduced the Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development, aka SHRED, Act before Congress that would permanently route some of the permit fees paid by ski areas to the federal government to the national forests that generated the revenue, instead of it all going straight to the Treasury. — Sky-Hi News
Noodles & Co. hears from Nasdaq after sales recovery, stock rebound. The pasta restaurant was one of Colorado’s crop of hyper-expanding fast-casual chains, but had recently experienced such a steep drop in its stock price that it was threatened with delisting from Nasdaq last quarter. But with a stock rebound and better sales, those fears seem to have been abated — for now. — Denver Business Journal 🔑
Denver’s punk & alt hub FashionNation celebrates grand re-opening. The Centennial State’s premiere source for Doc Martens has had a long journey since it was founded 35 years ago in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. But a new location on South Broadway shows it has a lot more style to share. — 303 Magazine
Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
Colorado’s six Love Languages® Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a survey says some Coloradans are reluctant to say “I love you.” We can help. — Peter Moore
Be honest, did you feel a teeny bit sorry for Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, or did you just go back for a third helping of Buffalo chicken dip? I won’t tell.
