While no one wants to live in a world where children experience abuse, it is a tragic reality that too many children face.  Of the more than 10,000 victims of abuse confirmed in Colorado annually, El Paso County, the jurisdiction I serve, experiences the highest instances of child abuse reporting. If we don’t take the time to support children who have experienced sexual abuse or neglect, Colorado will continue to grapple with the impacts.  Beyond the physical, behavioral and emotional tolls of abuse on the victim, there is an economic cost to communities who ignore those who are suf ..read more

Democrat Trisha Calvarese will remain on the June 25 special election ballot in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, a Denver judge ruled Wednesday in throwing out a lawsuit seeking to dislodge her.  Calvarese “has presented a good faith effort to comply with applicable regulations and has not acted to mislead the electorate,” Denver District Court Judge David Goldberg wrote. The ruling came after a one-hour court hearing Tuesday in a lawsuit trying to keep Calvarese off the ballot based on the allegation that she hadn’t been registered as a Democratic voter in Colorado for long enoug ..read more

Hey there, Colorado, and welcome to another glorious Wednesday — Temperature day. You know, sometimes it’s good to get an ego check, which is what I had last week when I ventured to the rarified confines of the Governor’s Mansion (erm carriage house) to cover a news conference. I proudly put on my leaving-the-house-to-do-serious-work outfit, packed my I-am-a-serious-reporter-asking-serious-questions-here notebook, glad-handed sources I’ve seen mostly only on video calls for the past several years and found a seat. Time to do my Big Important Job. Then, as Gov. Jared Polis walked to the lecte ..read more

Good morning, Colorado. Yesterday, my wife and I were scouring the kitchen to figure out what to make for dinner. We could defrost this, we could sear that, we could roast some of these. Then she looked at me and said, “Want to just get tacos?” And we did. So before we get on to the news, let’s all say three cheers to tacos. Danika Worthington Presentation Editor THE NEWS OUTDOORS Alterra CEO says skiing has reached a “tipping point,” resorts need to ease pain of “really, really mad” customers The Beavers chairlift carries skiers and snowboarders up the mountain at Arapahoe Basin on Feb ..read more

Just a few hours after U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologists confirmed that one of the 10 gray wolves transplanted to Colorado in December was found dead in Larimer County, the state’s top wildlife official told ranchers he will not kill a wolf blamed for the death of four cows in Grand County because it is likely the mate to a wolf that appears to be denning. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis on Tuesday said GPS points from the female wolf’s collar indicate that she is likely in a den. In early April, GPS points stopped uploading and very recently those points began to upload again ..read more

Thornton on Monday renewed its pleas for Larimer County’s approval of 10 miles of crucial water pipeline, while opponents begged Larimer commissioners to defend the land and water for their residents rather than OK a conduit benefiting people in Adams County.  The first Larimer County Commissioners hearing on Thornton’s renewed request for a building permit for a key segment of its water pipeline under the state’s 1041 Regulations was dominated by critics. They said Thornton should put its water down the Cache la Poudre River channel and avoid digging up areas of rural Larimer County.&nb ..read more

MONTEZUMA COUNTY — This summer, 10 farmers in southwestern Colorado are experimenting with low-water-use crops, like wheat and barley, as a way to cut their water use in times of drought. But their hopes aren’t high that the crops will become a dominant part of their business anytime soon.  “There’s just not a big enough market for it,” said Bob Neely, a farmer in Montezuma County. Colorado, which supplies water to its residents, 19 states and Mexico, is facing a water-stressed future. Its cities are replacing lawns with drought-resistant landscaping. Its water officials say every drop c ..read more

TAHOE CITY, CALIF. — Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins sat down recently with Alterra Mountain Co. CEO Jared Smith at the annual Mountain Travel Symposium at the base of the company’s Palisades Tahoe ski area in California.  The April 17 conversation for the 800-attendee gathering of resort and tourism industry leaders covered a lot of ground. Smith, who came to Alterra in 2021 after nearly 20 years at e-commerce giant Ticketmaster, talked about the challenges and opportunities facing the resort industry in perhaps its most robust era ever, the acquisition of Arapahoe Basin, the differ ..read more

Some of my favorite journalism stories are the ones I like to call “slice of life” stories — those that give us a peek into people’s daily routines that can feel ordinary to one reader and extraordinary to the next. Yesterday, I talked with a parent whose kids had to take a 30-minute boat ride across Colorado’s largest reservoir, instead of the bus, to join their classmates in Gunnison after the U.S. 50 bridge was abruptly shut down from a 3-inch crack in structural steel. On their morning commute, they wore life jackets over their snowsuits to brave 20-degree temperatures. To get home, they ..read more

Democrats in the Colorado legislature are preparing this week to introduce a measure that would overhaul the state’s property tax system to limit future spikes in businesses’ and homeowners’ tax bills, with an eye toward providing more relief to people who own lower-value homes.  The legislation would let people exempt 10% of their primary residence’s value from taxation, up to $75,000. In most communities, that would represent a maximum savings of around $450 a year, though tax bills can vary greatly depending on local mill levy rates. Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat and main spon ..read more