Officials intercept stolen ballots in Mesa County

Last night I went to the opening reception for a lovely new show in a small gallery at the University of Denver. “Mi Vida en Colcha” displays 44 needlework scenes — colchas — by San Luis native Josephine Lobato. The pieces are heavy on history with little dashes of fantasy and folklore, each one depicting a different moment from the San Luis Valley of Lobato’s childhood. Lobato, now 88 and living in Westminster, was there, too — you can read more about her and her work in this week’s Colorado Sunday. It was interesting to think about how the daily changes that we witness will fit into a larger arc of Colorado’s history, and how they might be retold 50 years from now.

Let’s get to them.

THE NEWS

ELECTION 2024

Scheme to cast votes on stolen mail ballots thwarted by Colorado election officials

Election officials in Mesa County, a hot spot of conservative election conspiracies, intercepted a batch of fraudulently cast ballots mailed to the election office. The ballots were flagged because of suspicious signatures — when the voters were reached to remedy the situation, they informed officials that they hadn’t voted. Jesse Paul has the details.

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• The unconventional race that could decide the direction of Colorado’s legislature. The chaotic political culture at the Capitol caused the Democratic incumbent of House District 19 to drop out of the race in July. Now, the highly competitive seat is one of three that could thwart another Democrat supermajority, Lincoln Roch reports. 
• How your vote could affect housing in Colorado. Megan Verlee of CPR looks at which ballot decisions could affect the future of housing in Colorado, from presidential candidates down to local government measures.

OUTDOORS

National Park Service rewards Colorado with … city parks?

Denver will use the $8.4 million matching grant to brighten up La Alma Lincoln Park, a historic launch point for the Chicano movement in the city, that has fallen into disfavor with neighbors because of rising criminal activity. In Arvada, a revamped Gold Strike Park will honor the location of the first gold discovery in the state, and highlight the Indigenous people who originally inhabited the area. Michael Booth has more.

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• The Outsider ☀️The FAA just lobbed a grenade into Pitkin County airport voting. If voters pull back the power of county commissioners to change the Aspen airport, then the FAA could pull out millions of dollars in funding for much-needed updates to the runway. That and more from Tracy Ross. 🔑

BUSINESS

Future of Colorado Safeway stores up to Denver judge as antitrust trial over merger ends

The nearly monthlong antitrust trial between the state of Colorado and Kroger and Albertsons supermarkets over the proposed megamerger drew to a close Thursday, with all sides offering their final remarks. State attorney Arthur Biller emphasized high prices and potential closures should the merger occur, while the grocery store giants argued that prices would drop to Kroger levels, which are at least 10% lower than Albertson’s. Tamara Chuang reports.

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MORE NEWS

• Fact Brief ☀️Have fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. increased 800% in the past two decades? Officials are perplexed by a large reduction in deadly overdoses during the past year, but the number of deaths is still way, way up since 2000. Por Jaijongkit looks at the data. 

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Owners of Colorado funeral home where decomposing bodies were found plead guilty. Jon and Carie Hallford, co-owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
  — NBC News
• Worried about your ballot? Here’s how to keep tabs on it. If yesterday’s stolen-ballot news has you worried about your own votes, here’s how state law is working to assure yours is counted correctly.
  — CPR News
• Get ready for hands-free driving in 2025. A new state law cracking down on people holding phones while driving takes effect Jan. 1.
  — The Gazette 🔑
• Trailblazing Colorado disability rights advocate Dale Coski dies at 67. Coski’s career fighting for disability rights began when she lost her left leg after she was hit by a vehicle in 1983 while working as a Denver police officer. She died last month.
  — The Denver Post 🔑

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

THE OPINION PAGE

COMMUNITY

• PRO: Passing Amendment H is critical step in judicial discipline reforms in Colorado. Combined with action already taken by the legislature, Amendment H will make our current system more independent and transparent.
  — Mary Sooter, chair and an attorney member of the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline
  and Jim Carpenter, vice chair and a citizen member of the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline
• CON: Amendment H is a misleading step backward that would further erode the public’s trust in Colorado courts. The amendment’s creation of a private appeal process accessible only to judges would be a mistake.
  — Chris Forsyth, who has practiced law in Colorado for 30 years and is the executive director of The Judicial Integrity Project

CARTOONS

Jim Morrissey illustrates the high stakes of this year’s vote, from president all the way down to ballot initiatives.

CARTOON

In “What’d I Miss?” Ossie’s mom teaches him a fascinating lesson about Denver’s racial history, but a mother’s love has limits.

CARTOON

Drew Litton offers a sports- and politics-themed display of suitable garb for trick-or-treating in any Colorado neighborhood.

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, a bit of Colorado history, 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. This week, our conversations range from the ballot to poetry.

• Determined group digs into Colorado’s “Cyclopean Cave” lore.  An intrepid group of spelunkers think they are on the way to unearthing the mythical cave. Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins ventured to the dig site and met the eclectic mix of cavers.
  LISTEN
• Rural voters have plenty to decide. Our rural reporter Tracy Ross has been traveling around the state, and she discusses how voters outside of the Front Range are feeling and what local ballot measure they are deciding for their communities.
  LISTEN
• And speaking of voting … who needs help understanding their ballot? If you still haven’t filled it out (or even opened it), don’t be scared. Sun politics reporters Jesse Paul and Brian Eason have you covered, including info on judges and the state measures.
  LISTEN
• Hospital price transparency and feds fund local parks. Our Temperature team of John Ingold and Michael Booth talk about a new website to check hospital costs and how the National Parks Service is reviving historic city parks in Arvada and Denver.
  LISTEN
• “To stay alive a lot of things have to die.” Poet and hunter Erin Block’s debut collection “How You Walk Alone in the Dark” won the 2024 Colorado Book Award for poetry. She joins The Suns’ Tracy Ross to give voice to the idea of feeling alive outside.
  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.

The last chance to mail ballots back is Tuesday, Oct. 29! I’ll just set our Voter Guide down right here … 

— Parker & the whole staff of The Sun

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.

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