Gun bill — after major change — advances

Happy Valentine’s Day, Sunriser readers! During the past couple weeks we asked for your Colorado valentines and you showed up. Read some of the responses here.

According to our readers, to love Colorado is to love big Eastern Plains skies and tiny alpine wonders (hello, pika!); it’s to love billowing thunderheads, lots of sunshine and warm downslope winds. One of you wrote about the view from the windows at DIA, another wrote about seeing dogs in Home Depot.

And many — many — of you wrote about the people who make this state so wonderful. We couldn’t agree more. So thanks for showing each other some Colorado love. That’s what this day’s about!

Now, about that state we’re all gushing over …

Parker Yamasaki

Reporter

THE NEWS

STATE LEGISLATURE

Colorado Senate gives preliminary OK to ban on sale, manufacture of certain semiautomatic guns after adding major carveout

After hours of negotiations, lawmakers added a carveout to the ambitious gun regulation bill that gave it a stronger chance of surviving the governor’s veto pen. Jesse Paul digs into the debate that stretched long into the night to explain what exactly changed — and why it would still be one of the biggest changes to gun laws the state has ever seen.

READ MORE

• Colorado lawmakers eye term limits, transparency rules for PERA board. Senate Bill 147 has wide-ranging support from groups, from labor to lawmakers, that want the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association to disclose more information to the public.

COLORADANS

Meet the crooners spreading a chorus of Valentine’s Day love across Colorado’s Western Slope

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. So a German teacher, a mechanic, a pastor, a carpenter and a mailman walk into a bar Grand Junction bagel shop … But seriously, this story from Nancy Lofholm about the Bookcliff Barbershop Chorus is bound to put a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Bonus fun fact: One of the group’s gigs this year is at a reservation-only, white-tablecloth Valentine’s Day dinner at a McDonald’s in Clifton.

READ MORE

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Bipartisan bill would allow Colorado counties to triple local lodging taxes to pay for more than housing

Lawmakers are looking to help communities pay for housing and other much-needed infrastructure projects by letting cities increase the taxes on people flocking to enjoy this beautiful state. Jason Blevins digs into the bill — and how mountain towns helped prove the concept.

READ MORE

OUTDOORS

Crested Butte Mountain lift mechanics reach strike-dodging deal with Vail Resorts

With the threat of another strike hanging in the crisp, snowy air, Vail Resorts and the lift mechanic union at Crested Butte Mountain struck a deal that gives workers an across-the-board pay raise, as well as annual stipends to pay for things like skis and safety gear used at work. Jason Blevins has more.

READ MORE

MORE NEWS

• Judge tells Colorado Springs to “take all actions necessary” to remove recreational marijuana repeal measure from ballot. After a flurry of court motions, a district court judge ordered the city to remove a referred ballot measure to avoid “confusing the electorate,” Olivia Prentzel reports.
• Fact Brief ☀️ Did Colorado have one of the highest marriage rates in the US in 2023? Yes. Colorado’s marriage rates among men and women were in the top 5 in the U.S., beating the national average.

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE COLORADO REPORT

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• Arvada workshop finds around 500 unlicensed short-term rental properties. Of the 800 short-term rentals in the city, only between 250 and 300 are licensed, Arvada’s Director of Community and Economic Development Jessica Gardner told city council during a session focused on fixing enforcement of rental regulations.
  — Arvada Press
• Denver investors want to build WNBA arena for potential new team: report. If it took more than $100 million to get Denver’s NWSL team in the door, it’s looking like it could be even more expensive to land a new team in the established (but expanding) WNBA. But a group involving a hotel dynasty and the founder of Ibotta say they are ready to spend.
  — Denverite
• Aria grande: The opera singers who fell in love and had kids. This telling of the love story between tenor Zach Borichevsky and soprano Kathryn Lewek hits all the right high notes.
  — The Denver Post ????
• Montrose pastor who allowed unhoused residents to camp on church grounds appears in court. Rev. Kevin Young amassed so many citations from the city of Montrose that one of the first orders of business for Judge Erin Maxwell was to ask if it was OK to waive the reading of all the citations and ordinances to save time.
  — Colorado Public Radio

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE OPINION PAGE

COMMUNITY

• All students new to Colorado schools have to be fully supported in the classroom. Students in Colorado should not have to depend on luck to receive the education they deserve.
  — Katia Necoechea Madriz, Aurora Public Schools third-grade teacher
  

CARTOONS

In “What’d I Miss?” Ossie’s fanciful “dream” conjures a powerful allegory for dealing with the challenges headed our way like so many asteroids.

CARTOON

Jim Morrissey looks at the recent immigration raids through the Valentine’s Day lens of a non-citizen named Cupid who has some explaining to do.

CARTOON

Drew Litton isn’t fazed at all by the Nuggets stand-pat posture as the NBA trade deadline passed. They’re on an 8-game heater.

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.

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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:

• So, what’s it like to ride the Ski Train to Winter Park? Skiers have more options and lower prices to entice them to ride the rails. Sun reporter Jennifer Brown hopped aboard the train recently and talks about why the state wants the line to go to Steamboat Springs.
  LISTEN
• Has Nebraska crossed the (state) line? The Cornhusker state wants to pull water from the South Platte River to store in new reservoirs. Sun reporter Parker Yamasaki explains why Colorado landowners are getting threatened with eminent domain letters.
  LISTEN
• Following our “Shadow Self.” Colorado author Kika Dorsey gives context to her latest literary fiction work — “As Joan Approaches Infinity” — and discusses her 30-year progression from poetry in high school to short stories to novelist. She chats with SunLit editor Kevin Simpson.
  LISTEN
• King Soopers strike enters second week. There hasn’t been any movement on the contract front, and Sun business reporter Tamara Chuang has more on the strike and how it hurt stores over the busy Super Bowl weekend.
  LISTEN
• Breaking down this year’s biggest gun bill. Sun political reporter Jesse Paul is joined by Lucas Brady Woods of KUNC and Bente Birkeland of CPR to discuss Senate Bill 3, which would ban the manufacture and sale of certain semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and handguns that can accept detachable ammunition magazines.
  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

It’s always hard to share a birthday with a holiday. If you get the chance, wish YouTube a happy 20th birthday today, too! The site launched Feb. 14, 2005, as an online dating service and happened to have an exceptional video upload feature. The dating service failed. The video uploads, well, have come a long way.

— 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.