Hey there, Colorado.
Growing up in Tennessee, the Fourth of July was always about hot muggy days, popsicles, lightning bugs and fireworks. Durango couldn’t have fireworks this year because the fire risk was too high, but rafting, live music, camping, good food and a parade kept everyone busy.
Whatever your holiday weekend looked like, I hope you spent some time with your community, and we are glad you’re part of ours.
We want to know more about what our readers think about us, our events and our work at The Sun — and how we can make your reading experiences better. Our seven-minute reader survey is officially open until July 22. If you have a second today, we’d love to hear from you!
And if you want to throw some love to your favorite nonprofits, people and businesses around the state, you can vote for Colorado’s Best until July 14.
That’s enough of that. Now it’s time for the news. Enjoy your Monday!
Shannon Mullane
Water Reporter
THE NEWS
AGING IN COLORADO
Older Coloradans are turning to the “Golden Girls” housing model to fight costs, loneliness
Glenn Little watches his dog Huck from the front yard of his home in South Denver. (Claudia A. Garcia, Special to The Colorado Sun)“We don’t have bong parties or anything. Not yet anyway. We could if it appeals to us.”
— Bruce Novak, 68, one of the people living in Glenn Little’s south Denver home
“Our job is to teach people how to communicate. Matches fall apart over really dumb things. We do a home share agreement. All the expectations are clear. Go back and talk.”
— Alison Joucovsky, Sunshine Home Share Colorado’s executive director
The equation seems simple enough: older Coloradans living in homes that feel too big + a widespread housing affordability crisis + a difficult social climate in which new friendships are made. But as Jennifer Brown reports in the latest edition of our “Aging in Colorado” series, making an ideal “Golden Girls” co-living situation takes a lot more than kaftans and cheesecake.
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POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
PERA’s funding slips again, but retirees avoid further benefit cuts thanks to investment gains
The sign on Colorado PERA headquarters in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood on Sept. 18, 2018. (Eric Lubbers, The Colorado Sun)10.8%
PERA investment portfolio earnings in 2024, better than its 7.25% target for annual returns
Despite a bigger return, the pension’s funding still slipped by $1.4 billion last year, thanks to the lingering effects of a market downturn in 2022 and a failure to fully account for how recent pay bumps for public workers will increase retirement benefits in the long term. Brian Eason breaks down what it all means for those in the Public Employees’ Retirement Association.
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NEWS
How Denver’s trash, recycling and compost system works: They’d rather teach you than fine you
A City and County of Denver recycling truck makes its way down the alleys of the West Highland neighborhood July 3, completing pickups that occur every two weeks in Denver. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)“It’s an all-hands-on-deck attempt to slowly change the culture and the habits of Denverites regarding their recycling and compost carts.”
— Sean Brown, manager of the diversion and education program for Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
Denver residents are learning how to use their new recycling and composting bins, and for the city it’s become a labor of love trying to get everyone to sort accordingly. But if you make a mistake say 20-25 times, fear not. As Michael Booth reports, for the recycling crews slow and steady education should win the race.
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OUTDOORS
Now a road less traveled, Otto Mears Toll Road was the start of a Colorado empire
We use transponders now to pay for toll roads across Colorado, but when the Otto Mears Toll Road opened in southern Colorado, it cost 10 cents one-way on the 11-mile road. The 4-wheel-drive road, seen here Oct. 8, 2023, tops out at more than 11,200 feet and runs on the west side of Poncha Pass. (David Krause, The Colorado Sun)Amazing, the drive and ambition behind Otto Mears, the Russian orphan who played a large role in developing and connecting communities across southern Colorado in the late 1800s. One of his earliest projects was Colorado’s first toll road. David Krause has more from the high-country pass that’s still a bumpy but breathtaking ride.
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MORE NEWS
Safeway workers end three-week strike after union, grocer reach tentative contract agreement. United Food & Commercial Workers Local 7, which represents Safeway workers, said the contract must still be ratified by its members but that the offer includes wage increases and better benefits. Fact Brief ☀️ Have recent presidents of both parties ordered military attacks without congressional approval as Donald Trump did in Iran? Yes. Recent presidents have repeatedly ordered military attacks on other countries despite questions over congressional approval. Body of 66-year-old Fort Collins hiker recovered at Chasm Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Rocky Mountain National Park rescue teams Wednesday recovered the body of a woman who had apparently fallen while hiking on scree slopes next to Chasm Lake in the southeastern portion of the park, officials said.COLORADO SUNDAY
Wolves are killing cattle in Colorado. Feeling cut off from wildlife officials, ranchers seek their own solution.
Ranchers meet in the shop of McCabe Ranch in Old Snowmass on June 11. (Kelsey Brunner, Special to the Colorado Sun)It’s been nearly five years since Coloradans voted for a mandate to reintroduce wolves to the state’s ecosystem after humans eradicated the native predators in the 1900s. But from the outset, ranchers with livestock on the Western Slope have been struggling to keep herds safe while following the still-being-written rules. Tracy Ross explains the history of this conflict — and a plan that ranchers hope would bring stability and a new normal to the region.
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Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE COLORADO REPORT
? = source has article meter or paywall
Immigration arrests in Colorado have surged under the Trump administration. Now we know how much. ICE arrests in Colorado this year amount to more than nine per day, on average, since Jan. 20, according to new data that shows a nearly 300% increase compared to the same period in 2024.— The Denver Post ? New trails, public gathering places and “discovery” play areas could all come to this Breckenridge natural area. Workforce housing, a free overflow skier parking lot and a nonprofit hub have eaten up much of Breckenridge elected officials’ conversations around the town’s 128-acre McCain property, and now they’ve shifted the conversation to focus on what many feel is the land’s most valuable asset: nature. — Summit Daily Colorado named one of the worst states for road rage. Sadly, we’re up to No. 3 in the country. The problem with road rage can be hard to square with Colorado’s easygoing reputation as other studies have called Colorado one of the kindest and friendliest states. — Coloradoan ? One man’s quest to rank 38 hamburger joints in Durango area. This is Steve Harris’ second burger-specific tour of Durango. In 2017, he was inspired to visit all of the restaurants serving a burger for lunch that he could walk to from his engineering office near City Hall.— The Durango HeraldSection by David Krause | Editor
THE OPINION PAGE
COLUMNS
Alligator Alcatraz assault on detainees eclipses even the worst facilities in Colorado. Likened to the Nazi-run Auschwitz concentration camp, the Florida facility endangers its residents in order to undermine their legal rights.— Mario NicolaisThe 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 [email protected].
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Have a great week and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
— Shannon and the whole staff of The Sun
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