Breakthrough in cloning endangered species

Good morning! Are you doing OK? Why do I ask, you say? It’s just that today is:

• A Monday
• The day after a Broncos blowout loss
• The day before a huge election
• Full of rainy, snowy sloppy roads
• The first business day after the end of daylight saving time

That is a lot of stuff to deal with in one morning! Luckily, we’ve got stories about how voters are dealing with election anxiety and cute baby wildlife in today’s newsletter to help (also some hair-raising election spending numbers, but save those for the end).

So let’s take two deep breaths, double-check that our clocks have updated, and dive right in, shall we?

Eric Lubbers

CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

???? P.S. — Feeling inspired to support your local news? Right now, your donation to The Sun will be doubled thanks to a dollar-for-dollar match made possible by the national NewsMatch program. Thanks to the match, if you give $20, The Sun will get $40 — plus a boost from the Colorado Gives Day incentive fund! If you believe in the work we’re doing, will you give today to double the impact of your donation? Thank you!

THE NEWS

WILDLIFE

Cloned black-footed ferret gives birth for first time ever, a landmark in Colorado-based reintroduction efforts

In 1981, the discovery of a black-footed ferret — thought to be extinct — in Wyoming kicked off a reintroduction effort based in Colorado that has turned just seven of the remaining animals into several thriving colonies. And as Michael Booth reports, a clone of one of the original animals giving birth could lead to major breakthroughs in the revival of endangered species.

READ MORE

• Gray wolf tracked south of Interstate 70 in Colorado for the first time since reintroduction. Some of the wolves released from Oregon have now made it into Lake County near Leadville for the first time, something that officials say is expected as the predators start to explore their new territories. 

COLORADO POLITICS

To close $1B budget gap, Colorado’s governor proposes Medicaid provider pay freeze, transportation fee cut and K-12 funding slowdown

A combination of Medicaid growth, property tax cuts and inflation has left the state facing a shortfall of more than $1 billion in the next fiscal year. Brian Eason reports on Gov. Jared Polis’ proposed fixes — and the protracted, difficult negotiations with state lawmakers to come.

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ELECTION 2024

Spending on Colorado’s 14 statewide ballot measures surpasses $42 million

Just last week, Kent Thiry, the wealthy proponent of Proposition 131, donated $1.45 million to the proposition’s issue committee. Jesse Paul breaks down the rest of the spending on the hotly contested ballot measures this year.

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• Nearly $13 million has been spent by state-level super PACs on Colorado legislative races this year.  Just a few legislative races could determine whether Democrats can hold a supermajority in the House or gain one in the Senate. And the state-level groups trying to influence which way that particular shoe drops have spent a pretty penny in the process, Jesse Paul reports.

ECONOMY

Colorado still searching for cause of labor data that shows state lost 72,700 jobs in Q1

Just looking at the numbers, it seems as though all of the job gains in 2024 in Colorado were wiped out by the state overcounting the number of jobs at the beginning of the year by more than 70,000. And while that would typically ring alarm bells, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment says other indicators say the economy is healthy and that a big technological switch last year may be to blame. Tamara Chuang has more in this week’s “What’s Working” column.

READ MORE

COLORADO SUNDAY

Yoga, puppies, tacos: How some Colorado voters are dealing with their election anxiety

While Colorado isn’t considered a competitive state in the presidential election, millions of dollars still have been spent here, resulting in a barrage of political texts, mailers, TV ads and social media posts that could have Coloradans on edge. From belly laughs to deep breaths, Coloradans across the political spectrum are managing their mental health in different ways, Erica Breunlin writes.

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MORE NEWS

• Colorado has made it easier for Native communities to vote, but barriers remain. Despite an increase in voting among tribes in the state, the lack of access to Denver-based media and high-quality voting information remains a challenge.
• Fact Brief ☀️ Are vinyl license plates legal in Colorado? If you see someone with a sticker that merely resembles a real Colorado license plate, feel free to cite this Gigafact Fact Brief by Por Jaijongkit to set the record straight.

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Denver’s cyclists are furious about a canceled bike lane on 29th Avenue. The Colorado Department of Transportation said it had to “balance the needs of the community” when canceling plans for the 2-mile protected bike lane, but some cyclists aren’t satisfied.
  — Denverite
• Lyft offering free and discounted rides to polls on Election Day. The rideshare company is offering free and discounted rides for voters wanting to cast their ballots. RTD is also waiving fares for voters Tuesday.
  — Denver7
• How a secretive Catholic society admonished by Pope Francis established itself in Colorado. The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae’s U.S. presence is based out of a Denver-area Catholic church.
  — The Denver Post ????

???? = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Guess how much money has been spent in Colorado’s 2024 election so far. You won’t believe it. Campaign expenditures reveal staggering numbers that could top $100 million or more for this year’s election cycle. It’s too much.
  — Trish Zornio
• Stressed out by the presidential campaign’s final days? Me, too. In which your local columnist admits that it’s stressful to even write about the stress that comes with the chance of a Trump restoration.
  — Mike Littwin
• When will the Rockies hold their ticker-tape parade for the Dodgers? For the second year in a row, I was part of a group that got into trouble for cheering for the Rockies and against the Dodgers — only this time we got kicked out for the affront.
  — Mario Nicolais
• With the holiday season of this wild norm-busting year bearing down on us, are any traditions worth saving? Let’s look past the election and go straight to the holidays. Many family traditions have been tossed aside.
  — Diane Carman 

CARTOONS

• 8 ways to survive Election Day (and the aftermath).  Feeling stressed before Titanic Tuesday? Wackadoodle Wednesday? And the dystopian days that follow? Help is on the way!
  — Peter Moore

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.

Thanks for starting this busy week with us, and make sure to tune in tomorrow for an Election Day live blog, a great results dashboard and more. Have a great week!

— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun

The Colorado Sun is part of The Trust Project. Read our policies.

Corrections & Clarifications

Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.