Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Monday August 9th.

 

Today - A group called the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is keeping track of the tens of thousands of people who climb the state’s most popular routes. They’re also hoping to enhance safety for climbers and help protect the peaks.

 

Before we begin we’d like to thank our sponsors at Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network. Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network fights for justice by providing free immigration legal services to individuals, children, and families in Colorado. Join them on Thursday, August 19th, for their annual Immigrant Liberty Awards, celebrating immigrants and advocates in our community. The event is virtual and free to attend. (www.rmian.org/ila)

 

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 August 9th, 1859 when Captain John N. Macomb’s US Army expedition skirted the northern flank of Mesa Verde. They were searching for a route to connect New Mexico and Utah Territories. Why? Because the federal government and Mormon settlers were clashing over authority in Utah and the army sought new avenues to enter the territory.

 

 Now, our feature story. 

 

Colorado is blessed with more than 50 peaks rising at least 14,000 feet above sea level. And many Coloradans are motivated by the idea they should risk the thin air and steep slopes to climb as many of those fourteeners as they can. A group called the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is keeping track of the tens of thousands of people who climb the most popular routes every year. They are also trying to build better paths up the steepest slopes so that visitors don’t love the mountains to death, as they have in other popular parts of the state. The Colorado Sun’s Jennifer Brown trekked up high on Mount Elbert, the tallest fourteener in the state, to meet with the trail builders and find out what it takes to protect our most majestic peaks. 

 

You can read more from Jennifer Brown about building better paths up Colorado’s tallest mountains at Coloradosun.com

 

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

 

New economic data has economists concluding that Colorado is now in full recovery. New business filings were up in the first half of the year. Colorado’s labor force participation is third-highest in the nation and our gross domestic product growth was the fifth fastest, according to the state’s quarterly economic update. Not all the news was rosy. Weekly wages are up about 4.7% and that suggests a labor shortage. The 6.2% unemployment rate, which is higher than the 5.4% for the nation as a whole, also is troubling. Economists also are worried about the high cost of housing. A minimum-wage worker now must work 72 hours a week to afford a fair market one-bedroom apartment in Colorado.

 

Smoke from wildfires in northern California made the air quality in Denver the worst among large cities in the world on Saturday, according to IQAir, which tracks air pollution in real time. The National Weather Service in Boulder says fire smoke will persist at least until Monday afternoon at levels that could be dangerous for people with respiratory problems or who are sensitive to smoke.

 

Passengers on a Greyhound bus had to be rescued from 23 miles up a forest service road on Friday night. The Garfield County Sheriff’s office says the bus attempted to get around the closure of I-70 in Glenwood Canyon closure by driving up Coffee Pot Springs Road, a dirt road typically used by 4-wheel drives and A-T-Vs to reach wilderness areas in the White River National Forest. The bus was stopped when a hole was ripped in its oil pan. The 21 passengers spent about five hours stranded.

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, you&rsquo;re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It&rsquo;s Monday August 9th.
&nbsp;
Today - A group called the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is keeping track of the tens of thousands of people who climb the state&rsquo;s most popular routes. They&rsquo;re also hoping to enhance safety for climbers and help protect the peaks.
&nbsp;
Before we begin we&rsquo;d like to thank our sponsors at Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network. Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network fights for justice by providing free immigration legal services to individuals, children, and families in Colorado. Join them on Thursday, August 19th, for their annual Immigrant Liberty Awards, celebrating immigrants and advocates in our community. The event is virtual and free to attend. (<a href="https://www.rmian.org/ila">www.rmian.org/ila</a>)
&nbsp;
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 August 9th, 1859 when Captain John N. Macomb&rsquo;s US Army expedition skirted the northern flank of Mesa Verde. They were searching for a route to connect New Mexico and Utah Territories. Why? Because the federal government and Mormon settlers were clashing over authority in Utah and the army sought new avenues to enter the territory.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;Now, our feature story.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Colorado is blessed with more than 50 peaks rising at least 14,000 feet above sea level. And many Coloradans are motivated by the idea they should risk the thin air and steep slopes to climb as many of those fourteeners as they can. A group called the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is keeping track of the tens of thousands of people who climb the most popular routes every year. They are also trying to build better paths up the steepest slopes so that visitors don&rsquo;t love the mountains to death, as they have in other popular parts of the state. The Colorado Sun&rsquo;s Jennifer Brown trekked up high on Mount Elbert, the tallest fourteener in the state, to meet with the trail builders and find out what it takes to protect our most majestic peaks.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
You can read more from Jennifer Brown about building better paths up Colorado&rsquo;s tallest mountains at Coloradosun.com
&nbsp;
Thanks for listening. Finally, here are a few stories you should know about today:
&nbsp;
New economic data has economists concluding that Colorado is now in full recovery. New business filings were up in the first half of the year. Colorado&rsquo;s labor force participation is third-highest in the nation and our gross domestic product growth was the fifth fastest, according to the state&rsquo;s quarterly economic update. Not all the news was rosy. Weekly wages are up about 4.7% and that suggests a labor shortage. The 6.2% unemployment rate, which is higher than the 5.4% for the nation as a whole, also is troubling. Economists also are worried about the high cost of housing. A minimum-wage worker now must work 72 hours a week to afford a fair market one-bedroom apartment in Colorado.
&nbsp;
Smoke from wildfires in northern California made the air quality in Denver the worst among large cities in the world on Saturday, according to IQAir, which tracks air pollution in real time. The National Weather Service in Boulder says fire smoke will persist at least until Monday afternoon at levels that could be dangerous for people with respiratory problems or who are sensitive to smoke.
&nbsp;
Passengers on a Greyhound bus had to be rescued from 23 miles up a forest service road on Friday night. The Garfield County Sheriff&rsquo;s office says the bus attempted to get around the closure of I-70 in Glenwood Canyon closure by driving up Coffee Pot Springs Road, a dirt road typically used by 4-wheel drives and A-T-Vs to reach wilderness areas in the White River National Forest. The bus was stopped when a hole was ripped in its oil pan. The 21 passengers spent about five hours stranded.
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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