The future of Colorado Safeways could be split 

Hello on this crisp Monday morning! I’ve been an early riser for most of my journalism career — someone has to update the homepage and write these newsletters, after all — but yesterday tested my status as a morning person.

That’s because I was trying to beat the traffic for the final morning ascension at the 52nd Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta down in New Mexico. It was my first time at the world’s largest gathering of balloonists and it was a magical experience that was worth every yawn I’ll be stifling through my meetings today.

And even though I was south of the state border, Colorado was well represented among the buoyant spectacles, including balloons emblazoned with our state flag and a multistory interpretation of the classic dog toy produced by Golden’s own Kong (visible here during the “special shapes glow-deo”).

If an early morning of balloons sounds fun to you, but you missed this year’s fiesta, you’re in luck! Many of the balloonists who flew in Albuquerque are headed to Durango for this weekend’s free Animas Valley Balloon Rally, complete with free tethered balloon rides!

This morning, though, we’ve got a whole bunch of news to read, so let’s hop in the basket, fire up the burners and take off, shall we?

THE NEWS

ECONOMY

In Colorado, Safeway would be owned by 2 companies post merger. Neither would be Albertsons.

During week two of the Colorado Attorney General’s antitrust lawsuit to prevent the merger of Kroger and Albertsons, the plan for who would own which stores around the state was laid out, painting a confusing picture for consumers and regulators alike. Tamara Chuang and Olivia Prentzel break down the highlights of the trial so far and explain the next steps.

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• What’s Working: Denver-area inflation slows again to 1.4% in past 12 months. Prices on items like meat, clothing and gas still increased in September, but not nearly as much as the rest of the country, Tamara Chuang reports in this week’s column.

ELECTION 2024

This Colorado clerk is among the few with ranked choice experience. Here’s what she says about Proposition 131.

Did you know that Boulder is one of the handful of cities and towns in Colorado that already use ranked choice voting? Jesse Paul talked with Boulder County Clerk Molly Fitzpatrick about the practical side of the voting format that could be statewide if Proposition 131 passes.

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• How a poll can represent your opinion even if you weren’t contacted for it. If you’ve ever seen a poll cited by a news outlet and wondered how they work, check out this explainer by the Associated Press for insight.
• ☀️The Colorado Sun Voter Guide. Click to see explainers of statewide ballot measures, debate schedules, latest news, issue guides and much more before you fill out your ballot.
• Care about immigration? Here’s where you’ll find it on your ballot.
• Care about the cost of living? Here’s where you’ll find it on your ballot.

POLITICS

Donald Trump, exaggerating crime in Aurora, calls for unauthorized immigrants who kill U.S. citizens to get death penalty

The former president is unlikely to win Colorado, but used a campaign rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort to exaggerate the impact of crime in Aurora and advocate for an intense crackdown on immigrants that invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. Jesse Paul and Brian Eason have more on the rally.

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NEWS

Man killed in Cripple Creek mine accident was 46-year-old tour guide, officials say

Patrick Weier, a 46-year-old tour guide at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, was identified as the person killed when the 1,000-foot elevator at the tourist attraction malfunctioned, leaving 23 people trapped underground, half of whom were stuck for more than six hours. Olivia Prentzel has more.

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MORE NEWS

• One-way traffic across U.S. 50 bridge to open 24/7 starting next week. The final repairs to prepare the bridge for two-way winter traffic will take place at night as full-time traffic is opening up starting Wednesday.
• Colorado wildlife managers give up on finding fifth Copper Creek wolf pup after 19 nights. CPW has called off the capture operation because temperatures are dropping and it would be unsafe to move the pup, which is about 6 months old, Jennifer Brown reports.
• Colorado’s naloxone fund is drying up, even as opioid settlement money rolls in.
  Unless additional money is found, the state’s Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund runs the risk of having to further limit distribution, leaving the hundreds of organizations with little or no access to free life-saving overdose treatments.
• Fact Brief ☀️ Are jackalopes real? After some AI-generated imagery surfaced on social media, Justin George dug into the history of the mythical half-hare, half-antelope that has fascinated people for more than 90 years.

COLORADO SUNDAY

A 20-year quest to bring back Colorado’s rarest apple that was once thought lost

After more than two decades of DNA testing, slogging through a long-forgotten archive of apple drawings and wax casts and sleuthing, the Colorado Orange apple is back. After the Colorado Apple was brought to Fremont County about 1859, in the form of a young fruit tree, it hung around for years, but nearly disappeared. Then a DNA match to a Colorado apple came back from an orchard in southeastern Cañon City 12 years ago and farmers have been trying to restore it ever since. Sue McMillin follows the apple’s history in the latest edition of Colorado Sunday.

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THE COLORADO REPORT

• A new Denver data center could use as much water as 16,000 people every day. Should the city give it a tax break?. City leaders are concerned about the energy and water needs of a three-building, 600,000-square-foot data campus in Elyria-Swansea.
  — The Denver Post 🔑
• Colorado astronauts return from historic mission with new appreciation for “gentle” and “austere” space. Sarah Gillis, who grew up in Boulder, became the youngest person ever to perform a spacewalk. She was accompanied by Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a former Air Force officer who until recently lived in Monument.
  — Colorado Public Radio
• Records show tourists got trapped at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine 30 years ago. In July 1994, 50 tourists were trapped for four hours after equipment failed and then a month later, 13 people became trapped for the same reason for 12½ hours.
  — KRDO

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Tina Peters gets headlines, but Judge Matthew Barrett deserves credit. In a high-profile trial, the judge acquitted himself very well despite multiple challenges presented by Peters’ continued attempts to undermine his orders.
  — Mario Nicolais
• Colorado’s Proposition 131 has many unknowns. Ranked choice voting isn’t one of them. Proposition 131 is expected to pass thanks to wealthy backers, but it won’t fix the ironic root of political problems: money.
  — Trish Zornio

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggest writers or provide feedback at opinion@coloradosun.com.

Thanks for launching your week with us. Now we’ll head up, up and away until tomorrow! See you then!

— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun

Corrections & Clarifications

Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.

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