The legislative session is over. Let’s review. ...Middle East

Good morning, Colorado.

One of the best parts of my job is roving around the state and meeting all kinds of interesting people.

And, sometimes, sheep.

I hit the road first thing Monday morning to skedaddle out west to Oak Creek where I visited a school district with an impressive ag education program. Holding a lamb was never part of the reporting plan, but who would say no to cradling a fuzzy little guy like this?

An objectively cute lamb in Oak Creek. (Erica Breunlin, The Colorado Sun)]*

I later watched students castrate a few lambs (I’ll spare you the details), tag and vaccinate them, and dock their tails where maggots could otherwise nest. Students also gave me a thorough lesson on how to artificially inseminate a cow. What a way to start the week!

I ended the day with a conversation that has stuck with me. A teacher who doubles as a rancher shared with me how much the urban-rural divide touches every part of his life — whether we’re talking about wolves, land management or what he’s teaching his students so they’re prepared for a future in agriculture and food production.

That’s why our job is so important. As journalists, we can help bridge that divide or at the very least educate the folks on both sides of it through stories that inform, cast a light on different perspectives and maybe even inspire a little empathy. I’m grateful to all our readers who continually support our work here at The Sun so that I can drive far away from the Front Range and spend a full day with teachers and students whose stories matter.

Now while I scroll back through my camera roll and pore over more photos of adorable lambs, let’s shift into today’s news, shall we?

Erica Breunlin

Education Reporter

THE NEWS

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

101 bills debated by the Colorado legislature in 2025 that you need to know about

The voting board in the Colorado House of Representatives at the state Capitol on Saturday. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)

We did it, everybody. We made it through a legislative session that saw lawmakers scrambling to cover a $1.2 billion shortfall, vetoes, override attempts and lots of debate over artificial intelligence. Jesse Paul and reporters from the Colorado Capitol News Alliance pored over the more than 600 bills that were debated under the dome and highlighted the 101 most important in an easy-to-browse collection.

Snowboarder who fell from Keystone chairlift in December has died from his injuries

The sun breaks through the trees as seen from Keystone’s Montezuma Express chairlift on Dec. 7, 2020. (Andy Colwell, Special to The Colorado Sun)

“Who is the witness? Were they on the chairlift or down below? I have repeatedly asked Keystone for a copy of the resort investigation and they have repeatedly told me they would send it and they have not followed through. It just doesn’t make sense. I’m still really grieving but I’m also really mad.”

— Tonette Romero, Donovan Romero’s mother

Donovan Romero, a 32-year-old father of two, fell 47 feet from a chairlift at Keystone on Dec. 11 and died from his injuries May 2. As Jason Blevins reports, the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board report says Romero was adjusting his bindings with the bar raised before he fell, an account disputed by Romero’s mother.

School funding bill headed to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk after Colorado lawmakers approve spending plan

A quilt hangs in the lunchroom at Alice Terry Elementary School on Feb. 20 in Sheridan. (Jeremy Sparig, Special to The Colorado Sun)

In the final hours of the legislative session, Colorado lawmakers adopted a school funding plan that would increase funds for most of the state’s 178 districts next school year. Erica Breunlin dives into how the funding will work — and what lawmakers will face next session.

“We’ve now created a situation where an adult is having a conversation with a minor concerning that minor’s genitalia. That’s gross, it’s disturbing, and potentially a crime.”

— A father whose son, a District 49 student, has an extra X chromosome

As Trump cracks down on transgender athletes, a Colorado school district seeks new restrictions. The politically conservative District 49 in Colorado Springs is weighing a ban on transgender students playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity.

BUSINESS

MSU Denver students beat the market in investment class — using real money

MSU Denver finance student Dayna Marshall talks about Eli Lilly, one of the top performing stocks in the student-managed Coyote Fund, which was part of the spring 2025 investment class for finance majors at the college. (Alyson McClaran, courtesy MSU Denver)

Just before COVID-19 disrupted the world economy, the first class of Metropolitan State University students got control of $100,000 in real American dollars to create and manage an investment portfolio. Fast-forward 11 semesters, Tamara Chuang reports, and the fund is worth $190,000 and a new class of students is learning how to deal with a volatile market.

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

COLORADO REPORT

Brighton strikes “Dianetics Day” proclamation from agenda. Brighton City Councilor Tom Green moved to strike a proclamation honoring the publication of the Church of Scientology text by L. Ron Hubbard from the agenda and the board agreed unanimously. The board will also discuss the city’s proclamation policy at the next meeting.— Brighton Standard Blade Colfax bar hosts the first bus stop construction watch party in Denver history (as far as we know) The Tight End — a gay sports bar that has been in the thick of the Colfax bus rapid transit project for months — held a party to watch the installation of the route’s signature arch in front of the bar as a sign that the construction is getting closer to the goal line.— Denverite How Albuquerque transformed a nasty stroad with BRT. If you’re wondering what happens when a city builds a bus rapid transit system along its main commercial road, check out this video about our neighbors down Interstate 25, where the famous Route 66 is now home to a BRT system very similar to the one being built on Colfax — while being completely free to ride. (Quick vocabulary lesson: “Stroad” is an urban planning slang term to describe a dangerous cross between a street — a place where people interact with businesses and homes — and a road — a high-speed route between two places. Colorado Boulevard in Denver is a textbook example of a stroad.) — @CityNerd on YouTube Denver coffee roasters brace for higher costs as tariffs take effect. It’s the news that the caffeine addicts have been dreading. While many roasters still have pre-tariff supplies on hand, the price of beans, packaging and roasting tools are about to double in some cases.— The Denver Post ? Colorado’s Jena Griswold got over 1,800 death and harm threats last year: “It pisses me off so much.” Colorado’s secretary of state — and candidate for attorney general — sat down for a long interview with Vanity Fair.— Vanity Fair ? These major U.S. cities are all sinking. I don’t want to alarm you, but Denver is sinking into the ground as I type this! Of course, it’s moving at a little under 2mm per year, but even that level of sink could begin to pose increased flooding risks and cause damage to urban infrastructure.— Scientific American

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Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE OPINION PAGE

COMMUNITY

You know what’s better than flowers or a card for Colorado mothers? Reforming TABOR’s harmful limits that affect women. The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights ties the hands of Colorado legislators who want to fund programs to help families.— Renee Ferrufino, CEO of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado

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.

What’s Happening

A writer works at Lighthouse Writer’s on York Street in Denver. The nonprofit started out in the late 1990s as a small writing group in a college apartment. (Photo by Amanda Tipton, courtesy of Lighthouse Writers)

Friday 500. Long week? Lot to say? Grab a pen and write it out at the rebooted Friday 500, an informal writing group at Lighthouse Writers Workshop.

Lighthouse has been bopping around Denver since 1997, hosting literary classes, workshops, talks, summer camps, internships and even a yearly festival out of whatever venue could fit their growing community. With a wide range of programs, there are lots of entry points to the group, and the Friday 500 might be one of their most accessible, low-stakes offerings.

For $5 participants get a spot and some silence to spend one hour banging out 500 words on whatever they want. The second hour — typically with some snacks and drinks provided — is open to voluntary sharing and the occasional panel discussion.

This week, Lighthouse will use the second half to host a Q&A about their mentor program, book project and the newly launched portfolio year program.

$5; 4:30-6:30 p.m., Friday; Lighthouse Writers Workshop, 3844 York St., Denver

Books and Brews. Learn bookmaking with multimedia artist Bethany Economos, while enjoying local beers. Nonalcoholic options available. All materials included, no experience necessary. $25; 6-8 p.m., May 14; Museum of Art Fort Collins, 201 S. College Ave., Fort Collins Little Architects. Looking for something to do with the youngest ones? Geared toward families with kids 0-5 years old, this late-morning event showcases the Aspen Art Museum’s “Youth Art Expo” before guiding kids through building a block set to take home. Free for family-level members; 10 a.m., Friday; Aspen Art Museum, 637 East Hyman Ave., Aspen Curator Conversations. Tour the recently opened “Contemporary Fiber: Botanicals” and other gallery exhibitions at the Denver Botanic Gardens, led by a member of the curatorial staff. Tour ticket includes entrance to the gardens. $22; 10 a.m., June 12; Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St., Denver

Section by Parker Yamasaki | Reporter

Thanks so much for turning to the Sunriser to start the day in the most informed way. We’ll see you baaaaaaack (too much of a sheep pun?) here tomorrow!

— Erica & the whole staff of The Sun

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