The ripple effect of Bennet’s run for governor 

---

Good morning, Sunriser readers! Earlier this week I spoke with a dancer who knows the exact moment she decided to become a ballerina. She was just a few years old, sitting in her living room in a tiny Montana town, watching a performance of “Romeo and Juliet” on PBS. She can still feel the touch of the couch and the way her feet tingled, she told me. Now she’s one of the principal dancers at Colorado Ballet.

Like the dancer, I can actually pinpoint the moment that I decided I wanted to be a journalist, sitting in an echoey science building on my university campus, unable to peel my eyes away from some bootleg website where dozens of old magazine articles had been copied and pasted onto a white background.

Sometimes these things happen slowly, sometimes they hit you all at once.

That’s why I’m super excited to participate in this year’s Rise and Shine program, a free, daylong workshop for high school students who want to learn more about journalism as a career path. They’ll hear from journalists who work in a variety of mediums — print, online, audio, photo, TV — and who report all over the state. Prior experience is not required, just a curiosity about the industry. Who knows where it could lead? Applications close on April 25.

But enough about me, how is Colorado doing?

P.S. We’re proud to give back to our state in many ways, and that’s made possible by our members and donors. If you haven’t joined The Sun community yet, now is the time.

THE NEWS

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Michael Bennet’s campaign for Colorado governor has officially begun. So has the power struggle to fill his Senate seat.

Michael Bennet’s Senate term isn’t over until January 2029. But as he throws his hat into the ring to become Colorado’s next governor — joining Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in the race — Jesse Paul examines the jockeying already happening, as a Bennet victory would allow him to choose his Senate replacement.

READ MORE

---

STATE LEGISLATURE

Colorado’s housing needs are colliding with water scarcity. Here’s what lawmakers are doing about it.

Tapping into a water system can cost developers tens of thousands of dollars, which is too high to keep some housing projects affordable. Shannon Mullane looks at how House Bill 1211 aims to rein in the fees to keep construction of new units going.

READ MORE

• Gov. Polis signs bill banning manufacture, drastically limiting sale of many semiautomatic guns. After weeks of debate and several significant changes, the gun bill put forward by Democratic lawmakers is now law. Starting in August 2026, the manufacture, sale and purchase of certain semiautomatic firearms that can accept detachable ammunition magazines will be outlawed in Colorado.
• Polis signs bill halting expansion of hard liquor sales in grocery and big-box stores. Senate Bill 33 was brought as a way to protect small businesses that sell alcohol from further economic decline following the expansion of beer and wine sales in grocery stores. Supporters worried Gov. Jared Polis would veto it.

---

WILDFIRE

Colorado counties take control of wildfire protection as DOGE slices federal funding

Years before Donald Trump and Elon Musk started slashing funding for public lands management, Chaffee County commissioners began work to take control of their own wildfire response destiny. Now, as Tracy Ross reports, the efforts have become models for other counties dealing with uncertain — and often scarce — funding.

READ MORE

• This is a good explainer of how communities on the wildland urban interface can end up at higher risk for fast-moving, destructive and unpredictable fires.
  — The Aspen Times

---

COLORADANS

The Aspen Divas, carving out a niche since 1998, are more downhill than Dior

You may not have heard of synchronized skiing, but that’s not stopping the latest generation of the Aspen Divas from carving their way through another season. Photojournalist Kelsey Brunner has the story — and the smiles — from the slopes.

READ MORE

---

MORE NEWS

• Support for Trump among Colorado Republicans remains overwhelming, even if they’re uneasy about economy. A recent poll revealed that 87% of registered GOP voters in Colorado had a favorable opinion of Trump at the end of March, though 61% felt the current state of the economy was fair or poor.
• Fact Brief ☀️ Are most Colorado gun deaths ruled suicides? Yes. Roughly 71% of Colorado’s 1,012 firearm deaths in 2023 were suicides, up 4 percentage points from a year earlier, health data shows.

THE COLORADO REPORT

• This is the one time that Colorado sports fans do not want to hear about a thrilling Broncos victory. Cheers to another great season, Pios.
  — Detroit Free Press
• Chalk this up to the “things I only learned about as they were being taken away,” but Denver currently has the largest program that allows users to ride the scooters for free if they receive subsidies like SNAP or Medicaid — and those rides accounted for 45% of all rides last year.
  — Westword
• As the USA Boxing International Open kicks off, this is a fun little walk through Pueblo’s pugilistic past.
  — The Pueblo Chieftain
• Homes are sitting on the market for far longer than in past years, but the final prices paid aren’t dropping yet.
  — Denverite
• The headline kind of says it all, but this is a fascinating look at what life serving the vacationers in Frisco looks like when you can only afford to live in a car.
  — New York Times
• A Delaware judge finds the right-wing network aired false and defamatory statements about Denver’s Dominion Voting Systems’ role in the 2020 presidential election. A jury trial is slated for late April.
  — Colorado Public Radio

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

THE OPINION PAGE

CARTOONS

In “What’d I Miss?” Ossie wonders why the White House correspondents group pulled its invitation to comic Amber Ruffin for fear she’d do … Amber Ruffin things.

CARTOON

Jim Morrissey lends his artist’s eye to the Trump portrait controversy at the state Capitol.

CARTOON

Drew Litton shows how in one brutal stroke the recent NBA champion Denver Nuggets fired their coach and GM. But is more housecleaning needed?

CARTOON

����ֱ�� is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. 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 bit of Colorado history, headlines and a thoughtful conversation. We keep it tight so you can quickly listen, or stack up a few and tune in at your leisure. You can download the Sun-Up for free in your favorite podcasting app, including , or to plug into your app.

• . Jason Blevins got into the impending mess that could leave residents driving 40 miles just to get their mail.
  
• . In this episode of the Purplish podcast, Jesse Paul talks to Colorado Public Radio about who is stepping up to lead as both parties deal with major changes.
  
• How can art stand up to something as huge and looming as climate change? Tracy Ross talks to installation artist Jessica Moon on how her works dovetail with advocacy.
  
• . Kevin Simpson talks with Stephanie Kane, the author of a memoir, “True Crime Redux,” built around a cold case murder that was revived by her previously published, fictionalized account.
  

🗣️ Also, remember to ask your favorite smart device to “play the Daily Sun-Up podcast” and we’ll be on the speaker. As always we appreciate your feedback and comments at podcast@coloradosun.com.

---

See you back here Monday!

— Parker & the whole staff of The Sun

Corrections & Clarifications

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

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.