Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up from the Colorado Sun. It’s Friday February 5th, and we’re lucky to start the day with you.

 

Today - COVID-19 has slowed Colorado’s push to get the Amache incarceration camp National Park designation. Supporters hope that the site in Granada will be put under federal management.

 

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’re going back to February 5th, 1868 when President Andrew Johnson escorted nearly a dozen prominent Utes on a tour of the executive mansion in Washington D.C. This was part of an East Coast tour for the Utes, intended to impress.

 

Now our feature story.

 

John Tonai had for years heard the stories from his father, Minoru, about the Amache incarceration camp in southeastern Colorado, where the U.S. government transported thousands of Japanese Americans from California and held them behind barbed wire and guard posts for three years during World War II. The family lore became a constant soundtrack that, over time, receded to a kind of background noise -- always heard, seldom absorbed.

 

But in 1990, as a master’s student at the University of Northern Colorado, Tonai actually visited the site just outside the town of Granada. He explored the remnants of building foundations and other landmarks for an independent study project in photography.

 

His father had described the exact location of the family barracks -- Building 9L, Apartment B. Tonai approached a slight dip in what remained of the foundation, a subtle reminder of the doorway to another time. 

 

Just stepping across that threshold proved a life-changing experience.

 

Kevin Simpson, a reporter for The Colorado Sun is joining today to tell us more about whats going on with Amache now.

 

Kevin, Thank you so much for your time. Can you start off by explaining the significance of Amache, and who’s working to get it designated as a national park? 

 

The Amache incarceration site already has been designated aNational Historic Landmark. But to become a unit of the National Park System, it would need to pass four additional tests during the site study. On average, about one in four studies results in a recommendation for inclusion.

 

Even with approval, the NPS notes, it can take as long as 10 years to get a new national park up and running.

 

For now, Amache is hoping to clear four hurdles of the site study:

 

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

 

An avalanche in the backcountry east of Vail buried a skier around noon on Thursday. Rescue crews performed CPR before the skier was taken to the hospital. The Vail area saw roughly 13 inches of snow Wednesday going into Thursday and experts warned of high avalanche danger.

 

Colorado will receive almost $10 million of a settlement with McKinsey and Company for the consulting firm’s role in the opioid crisis. Attorney general Phil Weiser helped lead the settlement process, which included 46 other states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Colorado’s money will be distributed to local governments and regional groups working to address the crisis.

 

Some of Colorado’s biggest metropolitan areas are taking a pass on the point-in-time survey of people who are homeless. Because of coronavirus, the federal government waived the requirement that cities count people living outdoors, in addition to those in shelters, in order to access money for housing and programs. Some areas, including Mesa County, went ahead with the count to get data that backs up what organizers already know: that many people on the Western Slope are unhoused.

 

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up from the Colorado Sun. It&rsquo;s Friday February 5th, and we&rsquo;re lucky to start the day with you.
&nbsp;
Today - COVID-19 has slowed Colorado&rsquo;s push to get the Amache incarceration camp National Park designation. Supporters hope that the site in Granada will be put under federal management.
&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&rsquo;re going back to February 5th, 1868 when President Andrew Johnson escorted nearly a dozen prominent Utes on a tour of the executive mansion in Washington D.C. This was part of an East Coast tour for the Utes, intended to impress.
&nbsp;
Now our feature story.
&nbsp;
John Tonai had for years heard the stories from his father, Minoru, about the Amache incarceration camp in southeastern Colorado, where the U.S. government transported thousands of Japanese Americans from California and held them behind barbed wire and guard posts for three years during World War II. The family lore became a constant soundtrack that, over time, receded to a kind of background noise -- always heard, seldom absorbed.
&nbsp;
But in 1990, as a master&rsquo;s student at the University of Northern Colorado, Tonai actually visited the site just outside the town of Granada. He explored the remnants of building foundations and other landmarks for an independent study project in photography.
&nbsp;
His father had described the exact location of the family barracks -- Building 9L, Apartment B. Tonai approached a slight dip in what remained of the foundation, a subtle reminder of the doorway to another time.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Just stepping across that threshold proved a life-changing experience.
&nbsp;
Kevin Simpson, a reporter for The Colorado Sun is joining today to tell us more about whats going on with Amache now.
&nbsp;
Kevin, Thank you so much for your time. Can you start off by explaining the significance of Amache, and who&rsquo;s working to get it designated as a national park?&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Amache incarceration site already has been designated a<a href="https://www.colorado.com/historic-sitelandmark/camp-amache-national-historic-landmark"> National Historic Landmark.</a> But to become a unit of the National Park System, it would need to pass four additional tests during the site study. On average, about one in four studies results in a recommendation for inclusion.
&nbsp;
Even with approval, the NPS notes, it can take as long as 10 years to get a new national park up and running.
&nbsp;
For now, Amache is hoping to clear four hurdles of the site study:
&nbsp;
Thanks for listening. Finally, here are a few stories that you should know about today:
&nbsp;
An avalanche in the backcountry east of Vail buried a skier around noon on Thursday. Rescue crews performed CPR before the skier was taken to the hospital. The Vail area saw roughly 13 inches of snow Wednesday going into Thursday and experts warned of high avalanche danger.
&nbsp;
Colorado will receive almost $10 million of a settlement with McKinsey and Company for the consulting firm&rsquo;s role in the opioid crisis. Attorney general Phil Weiser helped lead the settlement process, which included 46 other states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Colorado&rsquo;s money will be distributed to local governments and regional groups working to address the crisis.
&nbsp;
Some of Colorado&rsquo;s biggest metropolitan areas are taking a pass on the point-in-time survey of people who are homeless. Because of coronavirus, the federal government waived the requirement that cities count people living outdoors, in addition to those in shelters, in order to access money for housing and programs. Some areas, including Mesa County, went ahead with the count to get data that backs up what organizers already know: that many people on the Western Slope are unhoused.
&nbsp;
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>. Now, a quick message from our editor.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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