Breaking a COVID pattern in Colorado

Good morning! We’re finally within the 10-day forecast realm of Christmas Day (which is also the first day of Hanukkah for the first time in nearly 20 years), which means whatever is left to do for your holiday prep, it’s time to get serious.

There’s at least one line on the holiday checklist we can skip this year — the annual spike in COVID hospitalizations around Thanksgiving since 2020, as we’ll get into below. But that list is still plenty long, so let’s put down the wrapping paper for a few minutes and talk through some news, shall we?

Eric Lubbers

CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE NEWS

COVID

Colorado’s COVID trends just broke a pattern that had occurred every fall since 2020

For the past four years, hospitalizations of COVID patients reached their peak right around the beginning of the holiday season. But as John Ingold reports, some FLiRT-y summer variants and the evolving nature of immunity mean that our relationship with COVID — and how we keep tabs on it — is changing.

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EQUITY

Colorado’s pro-transgender laws — and scientific studies — can’t solve the sports controversy

Colorado is widely considered a safe harbor for transgender people, with a collection of some of the strongest laws designed to protect rights and prevent discrimination. But as Jennifer Brown reports, the fight over who can participate in sports stretches beyond the laws (and the data) to bring controversy into the state.

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OUTDOORS

Southern Colorado ski area, which has been closed for 24 years, gets $250K from state, boost from community

Skiers may still need to be hauled up the mountain on a trailer fitted with school bus seats and dragged by a snowcat, but the future of the Cuchara Mountain Park is looking brighter after a big grant to bring the ski area back to life, Jason Blevins reports.

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HEALTH

A 10-year-old Parker girl’s disease is one in a million, and advancements in her lifetime made all the difference

Juliette Picard is just one of 33 kids worldwide testing a drug for her one-in-a-million disease — and it’s all a matter of timing. Jennifer Brown reports on the leaps being made in precision medicine at Children’s Hospital and what the future of treatment may hold.

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MORE NEWS

• How Colorado’s mandatory retirement plan is working out. SecureSavings, a retirement plan for those who don’t have access to one, now has 68,500 enrolled. But it’s not for everyone, as Tamara Chuang reports in this week’s “What’s Working” column.
• A nonprofit leader, a social worker, a Denver anti-violence activist: Here are the people on Biden’s clemency list. Johnnie Early Williams, a 58-year-old Denverite, was among the roughly 1,540 people whose sentences were commuted or who were pardoned by President Joe Biden in the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.
• Fact Brief ☀️ Can you be ticketed for driving with a phone in your hand under a new Colorado law? Reporter Por Jaijonkit digs into the new state law that kicks in Jan. 1.

COLORADO SUNDAY

Colorado has spent $360M preserving its history since 1990. Here are some success stories.

An old gymnasium in Buena Vista. A historical railroad depot in Leadville. A school in Trinidad. These are just a few of the landmarks across Colorado that were once on the verge of disappearing from a community — from cancer-causing asbestos, crumbling roofs and other concerns — that came back to life with the help of Colorado’s State Historical Fund. Tracy Ross explores some of the projects, and the passionate people behind them, in this week’s Colorado Sunday and shows how the careful preservation of buildings, landscapes and structures has helped breathe new life into communities across the state.

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Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE COLORADO REPORT

• What are Flock cameras and why is Silverthorne getting them? The automated license plate reader technology will help Summit County track stolen vehicles, the sheriff’s office said. Meanwhile, Elbert County officials discontinued their contact with the system over privacy concerns in January.
  — Summit Daily
• Disbarred District Attorney Linda Stanley sued by multiple counties for allegedly using tax dollars for her legal fees. Fremont, Chaffee and Custer counties hope to recoup $111,971.35 in taxpayer money that Stanley allegedly used to pay for her ethics trial.
  — KRDO
• Federal hiring freeze thaws for avalanche forecasters. Avalanche centers across the Mountain West are close to fully staffed after avalanche forecasters became exempt from a federal hiring freeze, but still face funding concerns.
  — KUNC
• Colorado two-way start Travis Hunter wins Heisman Trophy. “I never thought I would be in this position,” said a tearful Hunter, who grabbed the trophy with two hands and let loose a happy roar. “It’s crazy.” He is the second CU player ever to win the award.
  — ESPN

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Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Now that we know RFK Jr.’s top aide asked FDA to ban polio vaccine, isn’t it time for Polis to admit his mistake? When asked, a Polis spokesperson said the governor supports the polio vaccine. But Polis said nothing about his Kennedy endorsement.
  — Mike Littwin
• Our health care system is a patchwork jumble no one would build. Broad public support for Luigi Mangione exposes a broken system — not just in health care, but in populist acceptance of violence.
  — Mario Nicolais
• The new Trump administration could have huge impacts on public lands. Here’s how that might play out. From public lands to community resilience and access to data, a CU professor shares her thoughts on what Coloradans can expect.
  — Trish Zornio

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.

You know what makes a great stocking stuffer if your shopping list is getting longer than the time you have left? A gift membership to The Colorado Sun! We’ve got Basic Plus and Premium options available so you can give a whole year’s worth of great journalism your giftee can’t get anywhere else.

Thanks for starting your week with us. Have a great day and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun

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Corrections & Clarifications

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