DOGE comes for the ferrets

Good morning, Sunriser readers! And happy National Cereal Day to you all.

I only know it’s National Cereal Day because I got a PR pitch about it. That pitch also broke down Colorado’s most popular cereal based on search volume (not sure how that’s a better metric than sales) and the winner is … drumroll please … Cheerios! Really?

I get a lot of these studies in my inbox. Most of them are sponsored by a related business. For example, a company that sells restaurant furniture sent over a study about the “10 worst states to work as a chef in the U.S.” (Colorado ranked 41st, or ninth best!).

I rarely ever read them, but the Cheerios insight made me curious what else I could glean about our state from a scan of inbox stats. So, here you go, a handful of ways that Colorado ranks according to a completely unverified list of PR headlines. We are:

Forty-fifth in median marriage length and the 20th most sour toward Valentine’s Day, but the 10th best state for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. We’re the ninth most productive state, which probably contributes to our ranking as seventh in internet spending and sixth when it comes to clothes and footwear. Coloradans are the fourth most likely to experience power outages, a bummer for the 1.8 million remote workers who make us the second most remote worker-heavy state. And, coming in tops, we are the No. 1 most dangerous state for car ownership.

Again, all of these statistics are real headlines in my inbox, and also, completely unverified. There’s more where that came from, a couple years ago reporter Kevin Simpson did a deep dive on the marketing behind “best of” lists.

With that, go check on your car, put away your credit card, open up Slack and meet me back here for a bowl of Cheerios and some news.

Parker Yamasaki

Reporter

THE NEWS

EDUCATION

Colorado, seven other states sue Trump administration after abrupt end to teacher training grants

The lawsuit, filed by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and the AGs from seven other states, alleges that the immediate funding halt is a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, which Weiser said is what prevents the federal government from making decisions “willy-nilly.” Erica Breunlin has more.

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ENVIRONMENT

DOGE firings rattle Colorado ferret program as populations are on the mend

After nearly 30 years working on species conservation for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Tina Jackson took a job as the black-footed ferret recovery coordinator with the federal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last March. The recency of her hiring meant she and others on her small team were on the chopping block for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — and the ferrets will have less help with their comeback. Parker Yamasaki has more.

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• U.S. Small Business Administration is moving out of Denver because it’s a “sanctuary city.” In the wake of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s testimony to a Republican-led U.S. House committee over the city’s immigration policies, the Small Business Administration announced that Denver would be the first of six regional offices that will be relocated from “sanctuary cities.”

OUTDOORS

Wounded soldiers find reprieve at Vail with program introducing veterans to the joys of snow

It’s been 21 years since Cheryl Jensen began her program to bring injured soldiers to the slopes of Vail, growing from a fun week on the snow to now involving care from doctors at the Steadman Clinic and physical therapy at the renowned Howard Head Sports Medicine at Vail Health Hospital. Jason Blevins has more on the healing power of snow.

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MORE NEWS

• Arapahoe Basin to offer unlimited skiing with the Ikon Pass after years of work to reduce crowds and cars. After selling to Alterra Mountain Co. and easing parking issues, Arapahoe Basin will offer unrestricted access to Ikon Pass skiers next season.
• Colorado may soon add gender identity to death certificates. A proposal in the General Assembly would add “gender” to the list of details recorded about the deceased, along with “sex.” The move is already another battle line between conservatives and progressives.
• Fact Brief ☀️ Are wildfires becoming more frequent in Colorado? Yes. The average number of wildfires in Colorado between 2020-2023 was more than double that of the annual average between 2000-2003.

THE COLORADO REPORT

???? = source has article meter or paywall

• Police warn “Assassins” game endangers Fort Lupton students. Fort Lupton High School students have allegedly modified a nationwide trend game — where the goal was to shoot a small water gun at another student — by using a toy that is modeled after a Glock handgun to shoot small Orbeez water-filled gel pellets that can cause eye injuries.
  — Fort Lupton Press
• Arvada-based company Lunar Outpost becomes first to land commercial rover on the moon. After launching Feb. 26, the company’s MAPP rover landed about 5 degrees from the moon’s South Pole yesterday — though the craft may or may not be resting on its side.
  — Arvada Press
• Her motel became home to hundreds of immigrants. Now, a developer’s suing her. Yong Cha Prince’s old motel off Vasquez Boulevard became an accidental sanctuary for hundreds of newly arrived immigrants in 2023. But now, the developer who had a contract to buy the property before the immigrants arrived is suing Prince for violating the terms of the sale.
  — Denverite
• Pedestrian dies after being struck by snowplow in West Vail. Around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, emergency response was called to the intersection Lions Ridge Loop and Glacier Court where a pedestrian had been struck by a snow plow and killed. Officials say it’s the first snow plow-related fatality in Vail’s history.
  — Vail Daily
• 5 injured in “odor investigation” in Adams County apartment building. The building, located just south of Federal Heights in unincorporated Adams County, was evacuated and five people were hospitalized after reports of a strange odor. Hazmat teams found traces of pepper spray inside the building but have not released any conclusive cause as of this writing.
  — The Denver Post ????
• 25,000 sandhill cranes — spared by bird flu — arrive in San Luis Valley just in time for Monte Vista festival. After a week like this, let’s all take a moment and just think about the beauty of a massive flock of migrating cranes soaring over southern Colorado.
  — Colorado Public Radio

THE OPINION PAGE

COMMUNITY

• For Colorado’s younger generations gripped by climate anxiety, taking action is a tangible remedy. Getting involved ensures Colorado’s climate goals are a promise that future citizens are as valued as those acting now.
  — Sofia Sanchez, University of Colorado senior and intern at 350 Colorado

CARTOONS

In “What’d I Miss?” Myra addresses Ossie’s frustration in the face of billionaire bullies with a reminder that the powerful bank on their opponents’ sense of futility.

CARTOON

Drew Litton captures the essence of the Colorado Avalanche welcoming back difference-making forward Valeri Nichushkin for the home stretch of the regular season.

CARTOON

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.

Podcast Playlist

CONVERSATION

Each weekday The Daily Sun-Up podcast brings you a thoughtful conversation and headlines of the day. We keep it tight so you can listen on the go, or stack up a few and tune in at your leisure. Download the Sun-Up for free on your favorite podcasting app, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or RSS to plug into your app. Check out this week’s lineup from The Sun team:

• How legislative vacancies are filled back in spotlight. Are appointments the right way for so many people to start or advance their legislative careers? Sun politics reporter Jesse Paul discusses with KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods and Bente Birkeland of CPR.
  LISTEN
• Digging into the Brown backstory. There’s plenty of Colorado lore about the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, but what about the rest of the family? Sunlit editor Kevin Simpson talks with author Jody Pritzl about her passion to find out more.
  LISTEN
• Colorado AG sifts through 24k consumer complaints in 2024. The annual list of consumer complaints was released recently, and Sun business reporter Tamara Chuang breaks down this year’s data and how it compares with years past.
  LISTEN
• Colorado’s forests have a carbon problem. A recent report from the Colorado State Forest Service says the trees covering 23 million acres in the state are putting off more carbon than they absorb. What gives? Sun rural reporter Tracy Ross has the details.
  LISTEN
• The story behind Bob Jackson’s iconic Oswald photo. Sun reporter Kevin Simpson talks about finding a fresh angle into the life of Colorado’s Bob Jackson, the photographer who took the photo of Lee Harvey Oswald being shot by Jack Ruby.
  LISTEN
  

????️ Remember, you can ask Siri, Alexa or Google to “play the Daily Sun-Up podcast” and we’ll play right on your smart speaker. As always we appreciate your feedback and comments at podcast@coloradosun.com.

Section by David Krause | Editor

To give credit where credit’s due, the inbox compilation was inspired by reporter John Ingold, who shared some of his favorite Valentine’s Day-themed PR pitches in our weekly health and environment newsletter, The Temperature. One of the perks of being a Premium member!

— Parker & 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.