King Soopers strike is over (for now)

Good morning, Colorado.

The other day, while standing in front of the bakery case in Boonzaaijer’s Dutch Bakery, I wasn’t alone. Four others who had walked into the Colorado Springs’ family-owned bakery for a midday pick-me-up also stood with their eyes fixed on the dozens of pastries, unable to decide. This bakery, north of downtown Colorado Springs, never fails to impress me with their large array of desserts that *all* look so good — from salted caramel almond truffles to cheesecake domes to eclairs. They also sell fresh bread, cakes, pies and coffee.

They made it on to The Colorado Sun’s Best of Colorado, which is a list of our readers’ favorite local businesses, nonprofits, parks and more, from the part of the state they call home. So, the next time you’re looking for some inspiration to try something new, check it out.

But before we make an emergency stop at our favorite local bakery, we’ve got a packed Sunriser ready for reading. Let’s get to it.

Olivia Prentzel

Reporter

THE NEWS

NEWS

King Soopers and grocery workers end strike for 100 days as bargaining resumes

There may not be a contract on the table, but the union representing more than 10,000 grocery store workers agreed to end the strike and enforce a “100-day period of labor peace” as the negotiations continue. Tamara Chuang has more.

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POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Democratic state senator abruptly resigns from Colorado legislature amid ethics investigation

State Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat, took to Facebook to make the announcement that she is immediately resigning from the legislature — without mentioning the ethics probe looking into her alleged yearslong mistreatment of her Capitol staffers. Jesse Paul has the story.

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OUTDOORS

Boulder-based Outside adds Inntopia to its growing stable of businesses

Remember when Outside was just a magazine? Jason Blevins digs into the latest expansion of the brand as CEO Robin Thurston adds Inntopia, a developer of software to help resorts handle booking, to the Outside Interactive Inc. umbrella to create a “retail media” giant in the outdoor space.

READ MORE

ENERGY

Interstate power lines threaten farmers’ land in southeastern Colorado

The Southwestern Grid Connector would run major power transmission lines from south-central New Mexico up through Baca, Prowers and Kiowa counties as part of a Biden administration project to boost the nationwide energy grid. But for the ranchers whose land was suddenly included on maps of the project, fears of losing land to eminent domain are running high. Parker Yamasaki has more.

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• Colorado company can’t avoid $1.9M fine for oil and gas violations, even if it shuts down, court rules. The Denver operator of low-producing oil and gas wells argued that Colorado regulators imposed excessive fines for violations, which now number 148 since 2020. But a Denver District Court judge firmly rejected each of the company’s arguments, Mark Jaffe reports.

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE COLORADO REPORT

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• Protesters gather outside Rocky Mountain National Park to support federal workers. One protester wore a Sasquatch costume and park ranger vest as others chanted “This is what democracy looks like” and “Save our parks” during the demonstration at the east entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park to protest a federal hiring freeze that could imperil park operations.
  — The Denver Post ????
• Colorado “mystery wolf” might be from Wyoming. Some local Moffat County residents have concluded that a wolf seen wandering with an orange collar was from Wyoming. But representatives of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department say the collar is not part of their tracking program, leaving the wolf’s origins a mystery.
  — Cowboy State Daily
• Two Colorado men arrested after attempting to use a cannon to smuggle meth, tobacco into Louisiana prison. Two Greeley teenagers are in custody after an investigation in Louisiana tied them to an attempt to load hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of contraband into a compressed air cannon and launch the package over a security fence on the prison grounds.
  — KRDO
• Some local governments say they won’t follow new Colorado laws requiring denser housing, less parking. As some of the biggest communities on the Front Range move to reshape local rules, officials in Westminster, Arvada, Colorado Springs and Northglenn have suggested — or outright stated — that they will not follow a suite of statewide laws trying to address climate change and housing shortages.
  — Colorado Public Radio
• Denver proposes $2.5 million settlement over police actions against protesters in 2020. If the settlement is approved, the total amount spent in settlements stemming from police officers using excessive force against people protesting the murder of George Floyd in 2020 will rise to $15 million.
  — The Denver Post ????

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

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SunLit

REVIEW

“As Joan Approaches Infinity”: Biting satire of suburban existence

Kika Dorsey’s darkly comedic novel, “As Joan Approaches Infinity,” begins with her deeply flawed protagonist reeling from a DUI arrest, and then proceeds into Joan’s desperate and dysfunctional efforts to rise above her mundane existence to be seen and heard. Her escapist tendencies and escapades provide both a fascinating character portrait and sharp social commentary in this Colorado Authors League finalist for Literary Fiction.

READ AN EXCERPT

• Interview with the author. Dorsey’s novel represented a departure from her roots as a poet, and through a series of short stories led her unexpectedly to a longer narrative.
• Listen to a podcast with the author.

Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer

I finally settled for a coconut tart with a flaky crust bottom, filled with a mound of cream and topped with toasted coconut shreds. It was perfect.

— Olivia & the whole staff of The Sun

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