Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up from the Colorado Sun. It’s Friday April 30th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you.

 

Today - Lumber prices through the roof, and are adding tens of thousands of dollars to the price of a new home. What’s causing this and what’s in store for the future?

 

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 1890 when Denver’s first zoo, Elitch Gardens, opened its gates. Animals were donated by PT Barnum. In addition to lions, camels and wolves, there were bears in a pit who would beg for treats from crowds. Eventually the zoo evolved into an amusement park with a ferris wheel, carousel, roller coasters, and a haunted house. 

 

Now our feature story.

 

Record lumber prices are adding an average of $35,000 to the sale price of a new home and raising the cost of renovating existing dwellings. Reporter Tamara Chuang talks with Lucy Haggard about what’s causing the high prices, and when they might taper off once more.

 

To read more about politics in Colorado, go to coloradosun.com.

 

Finally, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

The coronavirus pandemic, low pay and overwhelming workloads are leading to a so-called leaky pipe of an education industry. In response, state lawmakers are seeking $13 million through Senate Bill 185 to improve in teacher recruitment and retention efforts. The bipartisan bill also hopes to diversify teacher demographics while compensating for an expected flood of retirement in the next few years. Almost 40% of educators recently surveyed by the Colorado Education Association indicated they are considering leaving the profession. 

 

At least 11 skiers were killed at Colorado’s winter resorts this past season, a Colorado Sun analysis found. Colorado doesn’t require ski areas to report deaths, accidents or injuries, so the data came from a survey of sixteen county coroners. Ten counties reported no fatalities at their ski area. Data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment showed as many as 10 skiers and snowboarders are treated in emergency rooms every day of the season.

 

A former head of Denver’s elections division may soon join the governing board for the U.S. Postal Service. Amber McReynolds helped Denver transition to a fully vote-by-mail system during her time at the city from 2011 to 2018. She now leads the nonprofit National Vote At Home Institute. McReynolds and two other nominees were confirmed by a U.S. Senate committee on Thursday and will soon face a confirmation hearing before the full Senate. If approved, the governing board would lean to Democrats, who have been calling for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s resignation.

 

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 April 30th, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you.
&nbsp;
Today - Lumber prices through the roof, and are adding tens of thousands of dollars to the price of a new home. What&rsquo;s causing this and what&rsquo;s in store for the future?
&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 1890 when Denver&rsquo;s first zoo, Elitch Gardens, opened its gates. Animals were donated by PT Barnum. In addition to lions, camels and wolves, there were bears in a pit who would beg for treats from crowds. Eventually the zoo evolved into an amusement park with a ferris wheel, carousel, roller coasters, and a haunted house.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Now our feature story.
&nbsp;
Record lumber prices are adding an average of $35,000 to the sale price of a new home and raising the cost of renovating existing dwellings. Reporter Tamara Chuang talks with Lucy Haggard about what&rsquo;s causing the high prices, and when they might taper off once more.
&nbsp;
To read more about politics in Colorado, go to coloradosun.com.
&nbsp;
Finally, here are a few stories that you should know about today:
&nbsp;
The coronavirus pandemic, low pay and overwhelming workloads are leading to a so-called leaky pipe of an education industry. In response, state lawmakers are seeking $13 million through Senate Bill 185 to improve in teacher recruitment and retention efforts. The bipartisan bill also hopes to diversify teacher demographics while compensating for an expected flood of retirement in the next few years. Almost 40% of educators recently surveyed by the Colorado Education Association indicated they are considering leaving the profession.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
At least 11 skiers were killed at Colorado&rsquo;s winter resorts this past season, a Colorado Sun analysis found. Colorado doesn&rsquo;t require ski areas to report deaths, accidents or injuries, so the data came from a survey of sixteen county coroners. Ten counties reported no fatalities at their ski area. Data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment showed as many as 10 skiers and snowboarders are treated in emergency rooms every day of the season.
&nbsp;
A former head of Denver&rsquo;s elections division may soon join the governing board for the U.S. Postal Service. Amber McReynolds helped Denver transition to a fully vote-by-mail system during her time at the city from 2011 to 2018. She now leads the nonprofit National Vote At Home Institute. McReynolds and two other nominees were confirmed by a U.S. Senate committee on Thursday and will soon face a confirmation hearing before the full Senate. If approved, the governing board would lean to Democrats, who have been calling for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy&rsquo;s resignation.
&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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