Near the finish line, a legislative special session looms

Plus: How Michael Bennet ended up in the Senate in the first place, body identified near origin of last year’s Stone Canyon fire and more

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Apr 30, 2025 - 09:11
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Near the finish line, a legislative special session looms
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Good morning and happy almost-May!

Last week, while cleaning a head of lettuce, I had an epiphany (stick with me). It was a nice hardy romaine from my CSA share delivery, but it was just shockingly dirty. Every leaf I peeled from the stem revealed a new layer of dirt and debris, including dozens of papery little things that looked like flower petals.

But reader, they weren’t from a flower. They were tiny little cottonwood seed pods, which I recognized from the piles and piles of them that have been collecting outside my back door as the spring winds ripped them from the trees by the thousands. That’s when it hit me: This little head of lettuce and I actually have a shared experience. The same windstorm that shook my apartment windows shook the leaves of this plant; the same ecosystem of trees covered both the farm and my doormat with their seed pods.

Maybe this wasn’t as revelatory as I’m making it out to be, but in a world where nearly everything feels like it was produced “somewhere else” and served up on a store shelf or a website cart, it really stood out to me. Whether it’s vegetables or, I don’t know, journalism, shared experience is a powerful thing — and something we need now more than ever.

So as we enjoy the harvest of news brought to you by journalists who live and work in Colorado, remember to shop local when you can — and support truly local news like The Sun.

OK, lettuce get going, we have a full bushel to get through.

Sen. Michael Bennet, right, is congratulated by then-Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, left, on Nov. 3, 2010, at Denver’s City Park, where Bennet delivered his victory speech after the election the day before. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Sen. Michael Bennet has been doing that job for nearly 16 years, so you’d be forgiven if you don’t remember exactly how he made the leap from superintendent of Denver Public Schools to one of the most powerful legislative positions in the country. Jesse Paul talked with former Gov. Bill Ritter and his then-chief of staff to get the inside story.

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As viewed through a fish-eye lens, a maintenance worker cleans the hand rail on the stairs in the rotunda of the Colorado Capitol on March 25 in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

With just seven days left in the legislative session, there are growing worries that cuts to Medicaid funding — the state’s biggest expense — in the federal budget being authored by Republican lawmakers could bring lawmakers back under the dome to deal with up to a billion-dollar shortfall, John Ingold reports.

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President Donald Trump speaks during an April 2 event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Donald Trump has been pushing the boundaries of executive power like no other president in recent history. Caitlyn Kim with the Colorado Capitol News Alliance rounded up what Colorado’s delegation thinks about the apparent “new age of the imperial presidency.”

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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.

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from The Bookies Bookstore in Denver recommends:

Read what the bookstore staff had to say about each. Pick up a copy and support your local bookstores at the same time.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The romaine made for a couple of delicious salads and a great tuna sandwich, for what it’s worth. Have a great day and see you next month!

— Eric & the whole staff of The Sun

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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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