Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Wednesday April 14th, and even though there’s a lot of turmoil right now we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you.

 

Today - Bills are still rolling in following February’s storm that affected the southwest. Now, even more Coloradans are finding that their energy bills are much higher because of it. 

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to April 14th, 1935 when, after enduring years of the great depression, one of the worst dust storms ever recorded beset the Great Plains. The cause of the Dust Bowl was, oddly, prosperity. There was an agricultural boom that had field settlement and broke up native grasses and soils.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Energy systems went haywire in February when a frigid storm settled over much of the southwest. Yet even in places that didn’t experience the cold, people and organizations are finding their energy bills are much higher than they anticipated. Reporter Michael Booth talks with Lucy Haggard about the latest organization to get sticker shock from the cold snap.

 

To read more about the energy industry, go to coloradosun.com. 

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

The state health department stopped distributing Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines Tuesday as federal regulators investigate reports of rare blood clots. More than 120,000 Coloradans have already received the one-dose vaccine, and most have experienced mild side effects or none at all. The J&J formula has been considered a potentially powerful tool to pull the state and country out of the pandemic faster, especially by reaching disadvantaged populations. 

https://coloradosun.com/2021/04/13/johnson-and-johnson-vaccine-colorado-3/ 

 

A bill in the state legislature would expand Colorado's early release program for some juvenile offenders to include people who were under age 21 when they committed serious crimes. Current law offers a pathway for people jailed for crimes committed before they turned 18 to return to society after serving 20 to 30 years of their sentence. House Bill 1209 would expand the program, which is available to people who committed serious felonies other than sex crimes and first-degree murder. The bill passed the house judiciary committee with bipartisan support and will head now to appropriations.

 

Colorado has $800 million in coronavirus stimulus money that will be distributed through a number of bills working their way through the legislature. The money became available after last year’s tax revenue ended up better than expected and severe state budget cuts turned out to not be as needed. Industries expected to receive a financial boost include education, agriculture, transportation, mental health services and more. To track the bills, go to coloradosun.com. 

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you&rsquo;re listening to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Wednesday April 14th, and even though there&rsquo;s a lot of turmoil right now we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you.
&nbsp;
Today - Bills are still rolling in following February&rsquo;s storm that affected the southwest. Now, even more Coloradans are finding that their energy bills are much higher because of it.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
&nbsp;
Today, we take you back to April 14th, 1935 when, after enduring years of the great depression, one of the worst dust storms ever recorded beset the Great Plains. The cause of the Dust Bowl was, oddly, prosperity. There was an agricultural boom that had field settlement and broke up native grasses and soils.
&nbsp;
Now, our feature story.
&nbsp;
Energy systems went haywire in February when a frigid storm settled over much of the southwest. Yet even in places that didn&rsquo;t experience the cold, people and organizations are finding their energy bills are much higher than they anticipated. Reporter Michael Booth talks with Lucy Haggard about the latest organization to get sticker shock from the cold snap.
&nbsp;
To read more about the energy industry, go to coloradosun.com.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:
&nbsp;
The state health department stopped distributing Johnson &amp; Johnson coronavirus vaccines Tuesday as federal regulators investigate reports of rare blood clots. More than 120,000 Coloradans have already received the one-dose vaccine, and most have experienced mild side effects or none at all. The J&amp;J formula has been considered a potentially powerful tool to pull the state and country out of the pandemic faster, especially by reaching disadvantaged populations.&nbsp;
https://coloradosun.com/2021/04/13/johnson-and-johnson-vaccine-colorado-3/&nbsp;
&nbsp;
A bill in the state legislature would expand Colorado's early release program for some juvenile offenders to include people who were under age 21 when they committed serious crimes. Current law offers a pathway for people jailed for crimes committed before they turned 18 to return to society after serving 20 to 30 years of their sentence. House Bill 1209 would expand the program, which is available to people who committed serious felonies other than sex crimes and first-degree murder. The bill passed the house judiciary committee with bipartisan support and will head now to appropriations.
&nbsp;
Colorado has $800 million in coronavirus stimulus money that will be distributed through a number of bills working their way through the legislature. The money became available after last year&rsquo;s tax revenue ended up better than expected and severe state budget cuts turned out to not be as needed. Industries expected to receive a financial boost include education, agriculture, transportation, mental health services and more. To track the bills, go to coloradosun.com.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>. And don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.
&nbsp;
The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.
&nbsp;
Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you&rsquo;ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow.
&nbsp;See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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