Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Wednesday July 14th.

 

Today - Many resort communities across Colorado are short on housing, employees and hospitality. But locals are in a tough spot, since they depend on tourism. As a solution, some towns are considering spending money on the housing crisis instead of marketing.

 

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 July 14th, 1938 when President Franklin D Roosevelt signed an executive order expanding the Dinosaur National Monument across the boundary in Utah into Colorado. Back in 1869 John W Powell noted that fossils remained in the area. 

 

Now, our feature story.

 

As people have flooded mountain towns during the pandemic, many resort communities are feeling overcrowded -- short on housing, employees and hospitality. Locals now are in a tough spot, understanding that they depend on tourism, but knowing that they may also be at capacity. Some towns are thinking about diverting money they usually spend marketing their towns as destinations toward solutions to the housing crisis. As outdoor reporter Jason Blevins tells Erica Breunlin, tourism is quickly evolving in Colorado’s mountain communities as they struggle to both preserve their own culture and share the beauty of the high country with outsiders.

 

To read more about how Colorado’s resort towns are pursuing more sustainable tourism, visit coloradosun.com.

 

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

 

An Idaho Springs police officer has been charged with third-degree assault for using a Taser on a 75-year-old man without warning less than a minute after he answered his door while holding a serrated sword, but after he had put down the weapon. The arrest warrant for Officer Nicholas Hanning says he was responding to a report that Michael Clark had punched his roommate in the face. A judge on Tuesday ordered the affidavit unsealed and also ordered that body camera footage in the case must be released to the public by July 29 under a new state law signed by Gov. Jared Polis on July 6.

 

Hundreds of aircraft are used to fight wildfires each year. But airport officials facing jet fuel shortages are concerned they’ll have to wave off planes and helicopters that drop fire retardants during what could be a ferocious wildfire season. Overall, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said jet fuel inventories in the U.S. are at or above the five-year average, except in the Rocky Mountains, where they are 1% below. Most larger airports, such as those in Denver, Seattle and Boise, are supplied by pipeline. But jet fuel is delivered by truck to many smaller, outlying airports, such as the one in Aspen, and to many of the airports with tanker bases, some of them hundreds of miles away from jet fuel refineries or pipelines.

 

The threat of flash floods shut Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon again Tuesday afternoon for the third time in less than a month. But ecologists working in parts of the Grizzly Creek burn zone high above the canyon have been racing since last winter to get seeds planted in every path of scorched earth that could slump to the highway below. The work is designed to stabilize soil and restore damage in areas of the 32,000-acre burn scar that can still grow plants. One ecologist said she’s seen encouraging signs of natural vegetation coming back -- including significant growth of snowberry, chokecherry and fireweed.

 

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 July 14th.
&nbsp;
Today - Many resort communities across Colorado are short on housing, employees and hospitality. But locals are in a tough spot, since they depend on tourism. As a solution, some towns are considering spending money on the housing crisis instead of marketing.
&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 July 14th, 1938 when President Franklin D Roosevelt signed an executive order expanding the Dinosaur National Monument across the boundary in Utah into Colorado. Back in 1869 John W Powell noted that fossils remained in the area.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Now, our feature story.
&nbsp;
As people have flooded mountain towns during the pandemic, many resort communities are feeling overcrowded -- short on housing, employees and hospitality. Locals now are in a tough spot, understanding that they depend on tourism, but knowing that they may also be at capacity. Some towns are thinking about diverting money they usually spend marketing their towns as destinations toward solutions to the housing crisis. As outdoor reporter Jason Blevins tells Erica Breunlin, tourism is quickly evolving in Colorado&rsquo;s mountain communities as they struggle to both preserve their own culture and share the beauty of the high country with outsiders.
&nbsp;
To read more about how Colorado&rsquo;s resort towns are pursuing more sustainable tourism, visit coloradosun.com.
&nbsp;
And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:
&nbsp;
An Idaho Springs police officer has been charged with third-degree assault for using a Taser on a 75-year-old man without warning less than a minute after he answered his door while holding a serrated sword, but after he had put down the weapon. The arrest warrant for Officer Nicholas Hanning says he was responding to a report that Michael Clark had punched his roommate in the face. A judge on Tuesday ordered the affidavit unsealed and also ordered that body camera footage in the case must be released to the public by July 29 under a new state law signed by Gov. Jared Polis on July 6.
&nbsp;
Hundreds of aircraft are used to fight wildfires each year. But airport officials facing jet fuel shortages are concerned they&rsquo;ll have to wave off planes and helicopters that drop fire retardants during what could be a ferocious wildfire season. Overall, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said jet fuel inventories in the U.S. are at or above the five-year average, except in the Rocky Mountains, where they are 1% below. Most larger airports, such as those in Denver, Seattle and Boise, are supplied by pipeline. But jet fuel is delivered by truck to many smaller, outlying airports, such as the one in Aspen, and to many of the airports with tanker bases, some of them hundreds of miles away from jet fuel refineries or pipelines.
&nbsp;
The threat of flash floods shut Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon again Tuesday afternoon for the third time in less than a month. But ecologists working in parts of the Grizzly Creek burn zone high above the canyon have been racing since last winter to get seeds planted in every path of scorched earth that could slump to the highway below. The work is designed to stabilize soil and restore damage in areas of the 32,000-acre burn scar that can still grow plants. One ecologist said she&rsquo;s seen encouraging signs of natural vegetation coming back -- including significant growth of snowberry, chokecherry and fireweed.
&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/.

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