What we found while combing through election data

Good morning, Colorado.

I don't mean to alarm you, but we are now two weeks (plus a day) out from Thanksgiving. If you haven't yet started thinking about mains, sides and desserts, it might be time.

But let's set the cranberry sauce aside for a minute and turn our attention to the news.

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THE NEWS ELECTION 2024 We combed through Colorado's 2024 election results. Here's what we found.

Jesse Paul writes, "The story of every election can be told in numbers. This year is no different." So he pored through all the data coming out of the election to explain the various outcomes we saw. Here's what he found.

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Denver district attorney is investigating the leak of voting passwords in Colorado. The mistake came amid skepticism over voting systems and brought swift criticism from the Colorado Republican Party. Elections nationwide remain fair and reliable.

The Unaffiliated Colorado Democrats lost seats, but the state Capitol may still shift left. The new crop of state senators is further to the political left than many of the term-limited moderate Democrats they're replacing.

UCHealth agrees to $23 million settlement with the feds over false billing accusations

UCHealth, the state's largest medical provider, reached a $23 million settlement with federal authorities over allegations that it overbilled for emergency care. The allegations claim that hospitals automatically used the most expensive billing code possible for certain emergency department claims. John Ingold has more.

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LAW ENFORCEMENT Colorado sheriff who froze to death in 1881 to be honored in national memorial for fallen officers

Chaffee County's first elected sheriff reportedly froze to death in 1881 after he was stranded while trying to evict claim jumpers at a mine west of Buena Vista. Now, nearly a century and a half later, he will be honored in Washington, D.C., Olivia Prentzel reports.

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Colorado's past greenhouse gasses worse than thought, but the future may be better than expected

Colorado's newly revised inventory of greenhouse gas emissions says past consultants underestimated historical oil and gas related emissions. But are they just "accounting gimmicks"? Michael Booth has more.

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THE COLORADO REPORT

Pronghorn herds dying by the dozen on eastern Colorado roads after snowstorm. Last week's snowstorm has driven herds of pronghorns onto roads, where they are being killed in droves by drivers. The wildlife office for northeastern Colorado said 52 pronghorn were killed at once Tuesday. — The Denver Post

DirecTV says Dish purchase is off. DirecTV had previously announced it agreed to buy the distressed Colorado satellite business for $1, plus the assumption of roughly $10 billion in debt. — CNBC

BVSD moves forward with strict no cellphone policy, likely starting in 2025. The new policy would restrict use of smartphones, watches and headphones on campus for 10,250 Boulder Valley students at all times starting in January. — Boulder Reporting Lab

Reeling from the election, they met to breathe, then scream. Candice Wells put a pause on Scream Church, a wellness practice where people gather to breathe and scream their anxiety away, earlier this year. But Sunday morning saw a much-needed revival after a tense election week. — Denverite

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THE OPINION PAGE

For those who didn't believe Trump when he said he'd deport millions, believe him now. Trump has already picked mass-deportation hawks, including Stephen Miller and Tom Homan, to carry out his plan. — Mike Littwin

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 .

Poor Richard's Books suggests titles celebrating our animal friends

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun's literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Poor Richard's Books in Colorado Springs recommends:

"What the Chicken Knows" by Sy Montgomery, an appreciation of the most familiar bird

"Eight Bears" by Gloria Dickie, an examination of the few remaining species

"The Backyard Bird Chronicles" by Amy Tan, an avian devotional born of tumultuous times

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

OK, you may now resume previous thoughts about cranberry sauce. To add cinnamon or not to add cinnamon ...

— Danika & 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 .