Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Wednesday June 30th.

 

Preliminary maps for how legislative districts should be drawn were just released. 

 

Today - the biggest takeaways and what political ramifications the final maps will have for Coloradans.

 

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 June 30th, 1765 when Juan Maria Antonio de Rivera, a military engineer, crossed the modern boundary between Colorado and New Mexico. He was a part of a Spanish expedition. Rivera had been ordered to head northwest from the Rio Grande valley in search of silver.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Redistricting staff released preliminary maps for how state legislative districts should be drawn Tuesday. The once-in-a-decade process placed a number of incumbent lawmakers into the same districts, setting the stage for election battles next year.

 

The drafts are expected to change a lot over the next few months, as The Sun’s reporter Thy Vo reports, but they’re an important starting point for public debate as the commission starts collecting input from community groups and the public on how political lines should be drawn. 

 

Vo shares with reporter Olivia Prentzel the biggest takeaways from our first look at the district maps and what political ramifications the final maps will have for Coloradans.

 

To read the story, go to coloradosun.com.

 

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

 

The Arvada police officer who was fatally shot last week by a man investigators say was intent on killing as many officers as possible was remembered Tuesday as someone with “fundamental goodness” who knew how to love others -- whether it was his wife and two teenage sons or a student overlooked at school. Speaking at a memorial service, Arvada Police Chief Link Strate said Officer Gordon Beesley hated writing traffic tickets when he served as a motorcycle officer, but found his true calling when he was assigned to work with students as a school resource officer. In that role, he was able to identify those who needed his help the most. 

 

Colorado is becoming increasingly diverse, but professors who teach at the state’s four-year colleges are overwhelmingly white, department of higher education statistics show. Of the 3,500 professors who have tenure, just 15 are Black women. Another 38 are Black men. Hispanic students now make up about 20 percent of the state’s university students, but fewer than 8 percent of tenured professors are Hispanic. Who teaches students matters. Studies show that it affects a student’s sense of belonging, and whether students and families see colleges as being for them.

 

After 75 years, Grand Junction’s Central High School will keep the name Warriors, but the school’s mascot — that depicts a Native person — will soon be retired. Students and alumni are divided over the news. But a bill signed by Governor Jared Polis on Monday levies a $25,000 per month fine on schools that continue to use Native imagery or names. The 24 schools that still use this kind of imagery have until June 2022 to eliminate the practice.

 

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 with the Colorado Sun. It&rsquo;s Wednesday June 30th.
&nbsp;
Preliminary maps for how legislative districts should be drawn were just released.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Today - the biggest takeaways and what political ramifications the final maps will have for Coloradans.
&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 June 30th, 1765 when Juan Maria Antonio de Rivera, a military engineer, crossed the modern boundary between Colorado and New Mexico. He was a part of a Spanish expedition. Rivera had been ordered to head northwest from the Rio Grande valley in search of silver.
&nbsp;
Now, our feature story.
&nbsp;
Redistricting staff released preliminary maps for how state legislative districts should be drawn Tuesday. The once-in-a-decade process placed a number of incumbent lawmakers into the same districts, setting the stage for election battles next year.
&nbsp;
The drafts are expected to change a lot over the next few months, as The Sun&rsquo;s reporter Thy Vo reports, but they&rsquo;re an important starting point for public debate as the commission starts collecting input from community groups and the public on how political lines should be drawn.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Vo shares with reporter Olivia Prentzel the biggest takeaways from our first look at the district maps and what political ramifications the final maps will have for Coloradans.
&nbsp;
To read the story, go to coloradosun.com.
&nbsp;
And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:
&nbsp;
The Arvada police officer who was fatally shot last week by a man investigators say was intent on killing as many officers as possible was remembered Tuesday as someone with &ldquo;fundamental goodness&rdquo; who knew how to love others -- whether it was his wife and two teenage sons or a student overlooked at school. Speaking at a memorial service, Arvada Police Chief Link Strate said Officer Gordon Beesley hated writing traffic tickets when he served as a motorcycle officer, but found his true calling when he was assigned to work with students as a school resource officer. In that role, he was able to identify those who needed his help the most.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Colorado is becoming increasingly diverse, but professors who teach at the state&rsquo;s four-year colleges are overwhelmingly white, department of higher education statistics show. Of the 3,500 professors who have tenure, just 15 are Black women. Another 38 are Black men. Hispanic students now make up about 20 percent of the state&rsquo;s university students, but fewer than 8 percent of tenured professors are Hispanic. Who teaches students matters. Studies show that it affects a student&rsquo;s sense of belonging, and whether students and families see colleges as being for them.
&nbsp;
After 75 years, Grand Junction&rsquo;s Central High School will keep the name Warriors, but the school&rsquo;s mascot &mdash; that depicts a Native person &mdash; will soon be retired. Students and alumni are divided over the news. But a bill signed by Governor Jared Polis on Monday levies a $25,000 per month fine on schools that continue to use Native imagery or names. The 24 schools that still use this kind of imagery have until June 2022 to eliminate the practice.
&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.
 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/.

Advertisement