Colorado News

After weeks of covering the state's election system and asking numerous local election officials questions like "how can voters ensure their signature isn’t rejected?" — KUNC reporter Adam Rayes' ballot was rejected recently due to a signature verification issue. Here's how he fixed it.

With ongoing stressors like the coronavirus pandemic, a weakened economy, a divisive election and devastating wildfires, KUNC talked with several community leaders about how they are caring for their own mental health and what advice they have for others who are struggling.

Today on Colorado Edition: We talk with a public health official about recent coronavirus case numbers and additional public health measures. We also get a look at the state of Colorado’s travel industry and we check in on the mental health outlook for northern Colorado.

More than 200 homes have burned in the Cameron Peak Fire, according to damage assessments from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. 222 primary residences and cabins have been destroyed since the fire began in mid-August. In all, more than 440 structures have burned.

Denver will enforce tighter restrictions for restaurants, retail and offices, reducing maximum capacity from 50% to 25% amid rising coronavirus cases in the state.

In the midst of a record-breaking fire season, and as two of the largest fires our state has ever seen continue to burn, KUNC’s Colorado Edition spoke with Mike Lester, state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service, about how Colorado’s forests are managed.

In May 1920, while the country and the world were still recovering from the 1918 flu pandemic, the Rialto Theater was built in downtown Loveland. A century later, another pandemic has thwarted anniversary plans and forced budget cuts for the historic venue. But one group has found a way to make the theater's ghosts live on.

The Tri-County Health Department told Gov. Jared Polis that he does not need to quarantine himself after meeting with Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, the governor's office said Sunday.

Colorado, the U.S. Postal Service and county elections departments offer support services to ensure people can easily cast their ballot in tumultuous emergency situations. And officials say there's no need to stress about it — there’s still plenty of time.

Officials are tracking the explosive growth of the East Troublesome Fire on both sides of the Continental Divide and into the “crown jewel” of Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park. As flames burned on its eastern side, near the town of Estes Park, the western side was the main area of focus. The fire exploded to 188,000 acres as of Friday afternoon, making it the second-largest wildfire in state history.

By the time the Supreme Court allowed the Census Bureau to stop counting on Oct. 15, 99.9% of the Southern Colorado Area Census Office's caseload was reportedly completed. Just a few weeks earlier, one census door knocker who spoke with KUNC was concerned about how well his fellow Southern Coloradans would be counted.

Gov. Jared Polis traveled around the state on Friday to get a firsthand look at the efforts that are underway to contain several record-breaking wildfires. Capitol Coverage reporter Scott Franz spoke to Polis over the phone after he left a meeting this morning with evacuees of the East Troublesome Fire in Grand County.