Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Friday December 4th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every week day we’re sharing a closer look at one of our top stories. Today we’re focused on Colorado’s LGBTQ community, and the challenges they’ve encountered during the coronavirus pandemic.

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 December 4th, 2002. 

Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell introduced a bill to add the Old Spanish Trail to the roster of federally designated National Historic Trails in 2002, and on December 4th of that same year, President George W Bush signed the Old Spanish Trail Recognition Act.

Now, our feature story. 

The coronavirus pandemic has altered how all sorts of communities find ways to connect, and the changes have been particularly palpable for Colorado’s LGBTQ community. Reporter Lucy Haggard has more on how folks are finding ways to adapt to this challenging time.

Thanks for listening. Finally, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

Health officials in Colorado say they never received one of two deliveries sent as part of an effort to test the nation’s vaccine distribution system because of a mistake on a mailing label, offering a glimpse into what could go wrong when the actual vaccine for the coronavirus is distributed in the coming weeks and months.

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The largest wildfire in Colorado history, the Cameron Peak, has been fully contained by authorities after burning for about four months, fire officials said.

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“Intentional discharge of an aimed firearm” leads to rare criminal charges in the death of a Colorado hunter. Suspect Harry Watkins was “horrified” after fatally shooting his hunting buddy, Simon Howell, in Grand County. His attorney says “It was reasonable to fire,”

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The number of newly out-of-work Coloradans has tripled since new COVID restrictions went into effect in mid-November. More than 32,000 workers filed a claim for regular benefits in the two weeks that ended Nov. 28, while another 21,600 self-employed or gig workers filed for pandemic benefits.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. Now, a quick message from our editor.

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