Good morning, Colorado.
You already know this, but there are so many reasons to be worried about Colorado kids right now: worsening mental health, the way social media and smartphones dominate so much of their attention, mass shooting after mass shooting at schools across the U.S.
But, I think, there are just as many reasons to feel an undeniable sense of hope with this next generation. So many times I interview or simply talk to a student, I’m immediately reminded that the world is going to be OK in their hands. That was the case yesterday, when my colleague Parker Yamasaki and I spent an time with Boulder High School students, walking them through how we approach stories as journalists and giving them feedback on their own reporting projects.
One student has been exploring the rise of homelessness and hopes her work will inspire people to care more deeply about the unhoused people in their own communities. Another is framing her project around the staggering number of deaths among climbers in Boulders after she lost a coach to a fatal climbing accident. And yet another student, who said her whole world revolves around music, is looking at how local artists and buskers on Pearl Street shape local culture.
These students clearly care about their communities and bring a level of ambition to their work that I would consider far beyond their teenage years. So while they continue to grow up in a chaotic world that demands so much of them, from what I can see these students aren’t flinching.
And with that dose of morning optimism, let’s shift over to today’s news, shall we?
Erica Breunlin
Education Reporter
THE NEWS
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Uber says it will exit Colorado if bill aimed at boosting rideshare safety becomes law
The Uber app displayed on a phone Oct. 1, 2018. (Eric Lubbers, The Colorado Sun)House Bill 1291 was brought to the Capitol by state Rep. Jenny Wilford, D-Northglenn, in the wake of her sexual assault during a rideshare ride last year. The bill, which would require video recordings of all rideshares and prohibit offering drinks and snacks, has broad bipartisan support, but as Jesse Paul reports, rideshare giant Uber has said it can’t comply with the bill and would leave the state entirely if it becomes law.
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ENVIRONMENT
Colorado drillers must recycle fracking water starting in 2026 under first-in-the nation rules
Fracking site walls and equipment are pictured in this aerial image of oil and gas activity on the Mae J, Papa Jo and Yellowhammer pads in the Colliers Hill neighborhood in Erie in 2021. (Handout)4%
The amount of fresh water used in fracking that must be recycled in 2026
35%
How high the recycling requirement could go by 2038
Hydrofracturing — aka fracking — uses about 1.7% of Colorado’s fresh water on a yearly basis, and regulators with the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission issued new rules requiring at least some of it to be recycled. Mark Jaffe has more on the new rules, including why both industry reps and environmental groups are skeptical of the rule.
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Bill requiring climate warning label on gasoline pumps killed by Colorado lawmakers. Opposition from Jared Polis and the oil industry doomed the plan to require a cigarette-style alert for consumers at gas stations, Michael Booth reports. Denver Water vows to take Gross Reservoir Dam expansion fight to the U.S. Supreme Court. The agency is awaiting an emergency request in federal court to permanently secure its right to finish a $531 million dam expansion in Boulder County.POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
As state lawmakers mull tax breaks for tech giants, critics wonder: What’s in it for Coloradans?
The Novva Data Center in Colorado Springs on March 18, 2024. (Mark Reis, Special to The Colorado Sun)“We’re looking at a bill that’s offering up tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks and incentives for these companies. What are the guardrails, what are the protections for Colorado’s climate goals and for Colorado’s consumers? We’re not seeing those protections anywhere in the bill.”
— Parks Barroso, clean energy manager at Western Resources Advocates
Seeking to emulate Virginia’s tax-break-incentivized data center industry, lawmakers introduced a bill to give $15 million in tax breaks to companies building facilities in Colorado. But in a TABOR world, where tax exemptions directly remove money from the general fund, advocates are pushing back, Brian Eason reports.
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HEALTH
Boulder clinic that offered abortions in later pregnancy closes after decades of targeted threats
“Many of those doing this work with me have been with me for decades. They have shown the utmost courage and commitment to the women who have been our patients in the face of great personal danger from the constant threat of lethal anti-abortion violence that we have experienced. They have shown great personal strength in supporting women and their families in the worst moments of their lives.”
— Dr. Warren Hern, in a post on his clinic’s website
The clinic operated by Dr. Warren Hern for the past 50 years will close as Hern, now 86, retires. Jennifer Brown has more, including the clinic’s decades of threats and how Hern sees Colorado’s role in the changing landscape of reproductive rights nationwide.
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Colorado health officials remain optimistic about state’s measles preparedness despite new case in Denver. As the fourth case of measles was confirmed in the state, health authorities are feeling positive, noting that all the cases so far appear to have fizzled out, vaccinations are increasing and health care providers are more alert to the possibility of seeing an infection.MORE NEWS
With billions at stake, Colorado joins multi-state lawsuit to block Trump tariffs. A bipartisan lawsuit says the president-initiated tariffs are unconstitutional. The Trump administration is now considering lowering the tariffs on China.Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
COLORADO REPORT
Colorado’s largest credit union unveils plan for multistate merger, dual headquarters. The largest credit union in Minnesota, Wings, will merge with the largest credit union in Colorado, creating an institution with nearly $20 billion in assets.— Denver Business Journal ? Denver Police move to prioritize education over punishment for offending officers. The model DPD may adopt, known as Education-Based Discipline or EDP, is based on correcting behavior by teaching appropriate skills and/or procedures to an officer after they commit a violation. The Officer of Independent Monitor and the Citizen Oversight Board oppose the model, saying it lacks evidence of effectiveness and doesn’t address the root of officers’ misbehavior.— Denverite ? Southwestern Colorado’s only Mexican grocery store offers flavors of home. Esmeralda’s Ranchito in Cortez is southwestern Colorado’s only Mexican grocery store, serving fresh tortillas, tamales and imported Mexican goods.— Rocky Mountain PBS Loveland ski area announces plans for new lift. Loveland has the approval to replace Lift 7 on the Loveland Valley side of its footprint as part of upgrades across its trails.— Post-Independent Transgender student athletes can compete in sports aligned with their gender despite conflicting federal and state laws. Colorado law says transgender girls can keep playing school sports, despite a group of school leaders trying to ban them — and the Trump administration going after states that allow athletes to play in leagues that match their gender identity.— Colorado Public Radio A complete guide to 2025 metro Denver farmers markets. ’Tis nearly the season to get your veggies from local farmers — tariff-free.— The Denver Post ??=source has article meter or paywall
Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE OPINION PAGE
COMMUNITY
More funding for Colorado’s overwhelmed Outdoor Equity Grant Program is imperative to keep outdoors open to all. House Bill 1215 won’t solve the funding gap, but it’s another step toward breaking down barriers for young people to experience Colorado’s beauty.— Gabriel Romero, Colorado Mountain ClubThe 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.
What’s Happening
April 24-30
MAKfam, the Denver restaurant that received a Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2024, will participate in the third annual Mile High Asian Food Week by serving a special menu of Indo-Chinese dishes from the Tangra region. (Photo provided by Jeff Fierberg)Mile High Asian Food Week. There’s a scene in the TV show “Friends” that I still think about when I’m deciding where to grab dinner. Rachel wants Monica to join her at a new Italian restaurant.
“It’s supposed to be really good,” Rachel says. “I saw a lot of Chinese people eating in there.”
“What are you talking about?” Monica asks.
“Remember? You said some restaurant must be really good because you saw all these Chinese people eating in there?” Rachel says.
“That’s because it was a Chinese restaurant,” Monica says. Cue the laugh track.
That joke, for better or worse, genuinely influenced the way that I — an 8 year old with absolutely no sway — thought about dinner options.
And there’s a kernel of truth to that joke. People do often look for signifiers of culinary authenticity, whether that’s through ingredient choice, ambience or restaurant ownership, especially when it comes to ethnic foods.
This week is Mile High Asian Food Week. With more than 80 participating restaurants from Loveland to Colorado Springs, let the extensive vendor list take some of the effort out of your next dining decision.
Use the weeklong event as an excuse to try that new Chinese restaurant. Or maybe a Filipino one. Or Taiwanese, or Korean, Japanese, Hawaiian, Laotian. And keep an eye out for secret menu items, special deals and pop-up events throughout the week.
Various prices; April 27-May 3; Various locations
CEFF Film Screening. An Earth Day double feature with two favorites from this year’s Colorado Environmental Film Festival. Catch “Peaks to Prairie,” a short documentary about a restoration project in Boulder, and “Common Ground,” about regenerative farming, back-to-back in Golden. Pay what you can; 1 p.m., April 26; Green Center at Colorado School of Mines, 924 16th St., Golden Unsent Show. A live storytelling event where readers take the stage to recite their unsent messages — to themselves, to their family members, to long lost loves of their middle school days. The stories generally contain a mix of humor, heartbreak and a lot of schadenfreude. Friday night’s theme is money. $17.85; 6-9 p.m., April 25; Town Hall Collaborative, 525 Santa Fe Dr., Denver Indy Shopping Day. Spring is generally a time of emergence, but Saturday’s celebrations might have you curling back up into a wooly, winter corner. This year, independent yarn store day and independent book store day both fall on Saturday, April 26, with special deals and events happening at the small shops statewide. Check out participating yarn stores here, and participating bookshops here. Free; April 26; statewideSection by Parker Yamasaki | Reporter
Thank you for continuing to show up to start your days off on an informed note. We’ll see you back here tomorrow to cap the week with all the rest o’ the news you can use!
— Erica & the whole staff of The Sun
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