Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Tuesday September 7th.

 

Today - The Bureau of Land Management recently herded mustangs into a holding pen in an effort to thin the herd of almost 900 roaming northwestern Colorado. Why? The BLM argues that drought has made life unsustainable for that many horses. Though not everyone involved agrees.

 

But first -- We’d like to thank our sponsor, Pinnacol Assurance. Pinnacol provides caring workers’ comp insurance. They were also named one of the most community-minded companies in Colorado. Pinnacol gives back through community investments, scholarships and apprenticeships. At Pinnacol, caring is more than kindness. It’s their powertool. See how they put care to work at Pinnacol dot com.

 

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 September 7th, 1968 when the town of Ridgway was transformed into Fort Smith, Arkansas for the filming of True Grit. Starring John Wayne, Glen Campbell, and Kim Darby, it earned Wayne his only Academy Award for the role of lawman Rooster Cogburn.

 

The film used a number of Colorado locations including Gunnison, Montrose, and Ouray. Wayne praised the “beautiful scenery” of the San Juans and raved about the steak at the Red Barn restaurant in Montrose.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

What could be more quintessentially Western than a wild horse roundup? The federal Bureau of Land Management used a helicopter to herd mustangs into a holding pen over several days in an effort to thin the herd of almost 900 roaming the hills canyons of far northwestern Colorado, where the BLM argues that drought has made life unsustainable for that many horses. But not everyone who caravaned to the roundup in the vast expanses near the Wyoming border agrees. And that made for a tense day on the range for Colorado Sun reporter Jennifer Brown.

 

Still dusty from the trip, she joined Sun colleague Kevin Simpson to talk about the experience, and the clashing views of how  to manage the expanding herd. 

 

You can read more from Jennifer Brown about the wild mustang roundup and the controversy surrounding it at ColoradoSun.com.

 

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

 

Demand for housing in Colorado has never been stronger and the proof is in the building permits. Six of the top 20 biggest months since 1988 have occurred since October. But a construction labor shortage is keeping builders from meeting demand -- so much so that most new homes are sold before they are constructed. The Colorado Homebuilding Academy has graduated hundreds of new workers since it started in 2017, but that’s still not enough to close the gap created as skilled laborers retired have or migrated to other work. 

 

Federal unemployment benefits dried up on Saturday. There were about 107,000 Coloradans still drawing the benefit. Another 30,000 people lost a $300 per week federal “bonus.” Colorado has distributed about $11.2 billion in state and federal unemployment benefits since March 29, 2020, when people began making pandemic-related unemployment claims. About $7.8 billion of the total flowed from federal programs. Colorado had to borrow $1 billion to keep up with state benefits and interest begins accruing on that sum on Tuesday. Unemployment premiums paid by Colorado businesses will be raised to pay off that loan.

 

A plan to log 345 acres of federal forest on Grand Mesa may have less of an impact on 30 miles of Nordic ski trails after forest managers and the Grand Mesa Nordic Council met to brainstorm on Friday. Two possible solutions that came out of the meeting were to cut a ski trail adjacent to Scales Lake Road so that both skiers and logging trucks could use the area at the same time, and to suspend logging on Nov. 15 and finish the operation later in the winter, when the prime Nordic skiing season is over. Now the ideas must be proposed to the Montrose logging company that holds the contracts. Logging near the Skyway trail system is expected to begin on schedule in October.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

 

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 with the Colorado Sun. It&rsquo;s Tuesday September 7th.
&nbsp;
Today - The Bureau of Land Management recently herded mustangs into a holding pen in an effort to thin the herd of almost 900 roaming northwestern Colorado. Why? The BLM argues that drought has made life unsustainable for that many horses. Though not everyone involved agrees.
&nbsp;
But first -- We&rsquo;d like to thank our sponsor, Pinnacol Assurance. Pinnacol provides caring workers&rsquo; comp insurance. They were also named one of the most community-minded companies in Colorado. Pinnacol gives back through community investments, scholarships and apprenticeships. At Pinnacol, caring is more than kindness. It&rsquo;s their powertool. See how they put care to work at Pinnacol dot com.
&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 September 7th, 1968 when the town of Ridgway was transformed into Fort Smith, Arkansas for the filming of True Grit. Starring John Wayne, Glen Campbell, and Kim Darby, it earned Wayne his only Academy Award for the role of lawman Rooster Cogburn.
&nbsp;
The film used a number of Colorado locations including Gunnison, Montrose, and Ouray. Wayne praised the &ldquo;beautiful scenery&rdquo; of the San Juans and raved about the steak at the Red Barn restaurant in Montrose.
&nbsp;
Now, our feature story.
&nbsp;
What could be more quintessentially Western than a wild horse roundup? The federal Bureau of Land Management used a helicopter to herd mustangs into a holding pen over several days in an effort to thin the herd of almost 900 roaming the hills canyons of far northwestern Colorado, where the BLM argues that drought has made life unsustainable for that many horses. But not everyone who caravaned to the roundup in the vast expanses near the Wyoming border agrees. And that made for a tense day on the range for Colorado Sun reporter Jennifer Brown.
&nbsp;
Still dusty from the trip, she joined Sun colleague Kevin Simpson to talk about the experience, and the clashing views of how&nbsp; to manage the expanding herd.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
You can read more from Jennifer Brown about the wild mustang roundup and the controversy surrounding it at ColoradoSun.com.
&nbsp;
And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:
&nbsp;
Demand for housing in Colorado has never been stronger and the proof is in the building permits. Six of the top 20 biggest months since 1988 have occurred since October. But a construction labor shortage is keeping builders from meeting demand -- so much so that most new homes are sold before they are constructed. The Colorado Homebuilding Academy has graduated hundreds of new workers since it started in 2017, but that&rsquo;s still not enough to close the gap created as skilled laborers retired have or migrated to other work.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Federal unemployment benefits dried up on Saturday. There were about 107,000 Coloradans still drawing the benefit. Another 30,000 people lost a $300 per week federal &ldquo;bonus.&rdquo; Colorado has distributed about $11.2 billion in state and federal unemployment benefits since March 29, 2020, when people began making pandemic-related unemployment claims. About $7.8 billion of the total flowed from federal programs. Colorado had to borrow $1 billion to keep up with state benefits and interest begins accruing on that sum on Tuesday. Unemployment premiums paid by Colorado businesses will be raised to pay off that loan.
&nbsp;
A plan to log 345 acres of federal forest on Grand Mesa may have less of an impact on 30 miles of Nordic ski trails after forest managers and the Grand Mesa Nordic Council met to brainstorm on Friday. Two possible solutions that came out of the meeting were to cut a ski trail adjacent to Scales Lake Road so that both skiers and logging trucks could use the area at the same time, and to suspend logging on Nov. 15 and finish the operation later in the winter, when the prime Nordic skiing season is over. Now the ideas must be proposed to the Montrose logging company that holds the contracts. Logging near the Skyway trail system is expected to begin on schedule in October.
&nbsp;
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow.
&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.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/.

The Daily Sun-Up

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/.

Our intro music is by Matt Skellenger Group: https://mattskellenger.bandcamp.com/album/subspace-transmission 

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we&rsquo;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 <a href="https://coloradosun.com/">https://coloradosun.com/</a>.
Our intro music is by Matt Skellenger Group: <a href="https://mattskellenger.bandcamp.com/album/subspace-transmission">https://mattskellenger.bandcamp.com/album/subspace-transmission</a>&nbsp;