Good morning and happy Tuesday! Never thought “June gloom” would be desirable, but compared with the heat dome, a little cloud cover is a welcome change.
As someone who still sees themselves as a scrappy youngster, it shocked me when I realized that today marks exactly 20 years since my first day as a professional journalist (RIP Rocky Mountain News, RIP YourHub).
Without a doubt, the seven of those years since we announced the launch of The Colorado Sun have been the most exciting and personally rewarding of my two decades at work. And having experienced those not-so-great first 13 years in the business, I can confidently say the difference is readers like you.
Whether it’s by reading The Sunriser every morning or by supporting our work with a membership, readers have become a much more involved part of the journalism they rely on. Our whole staff is just barely big enough to field a football team, but because there are no profit-seeking middlemen getting between us, every action you take has a direct effect on our ability to keep Colorado informed.
So as we dip into another edition of this newsletter that has been dropping into inboxes for seven years — longer than we’ve even had a website! — I want to thank you for everything you’ve helped us do so far and encourage you to check out the ways you can get involved in our future at coloradosun.com/join.
Let’s shake off this gloom and embrace The Sun, shall we?
CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE NEWS
ENVIRONMENT
Millions of acres of Colorado forest under threat after Trump reverses longstanding roadless rule
A federal “roadless rule” has long protected tens of millions of acres of National Forest land from development. After a move Monday by the Trump administration to throw out that administrative policy, Colorado environment advocates say Colorado forest and grasslands could face threats of “large-scale mining, oil and gas drilling” as well as logging. Michael Booth has more.
IMMIGRATION
How many unaccompanied immigrant children are in Colorado and who is taking care of them?
Amid a legal dispute between a state official and Gov. Jared Polis over giving federal immigration enforcement access to personal information of sponsors of unaccompanied immigrant children, Jennifer Brown breaks down how many of those children are living in Colorado — both kids designated as refugees and those who entered the country illegally.
HOUSING
Young homebuyers face high hurdles to ownership. These programs may help.
What are some easy-ish steps rookie homebuyers can take in a housing market where home prices have surged by double-digit percentages over the past few years? Robert Davis offers a roundup of promising strategies, from fleshing out a budget to prepping for taxes and insurance costs to taking advantage of first-time homebuyer programs.
MORE NEWS
Section by Erica Breunlin | Education Reporter
THE COLORADO REPORT
🔑 = source has article meter or paywall
Section by Kevin Jeffers | Product Team
THE OPINION PAGE
COMMUNITY
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
In “Mary’s Place,” a rural, small-town bank meets its demise
The agricultural disaster of the mid-1980s provides the backdrop for author Charlotte Hinger’s story of two western Kansas families — farmers and bankers — struggling to weather the storm. In this slice of her Colorado Book Award finalist for Historical Fiction, she focuses on the banker family, and the falling out between father and son that ultimately ruins the small-town bank that made them pillars of the community.
Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer
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— Eric & the whole staff of The Sun
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Corrections & Clarifications
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