August 26-30, 2024
Each week KUNC collects and curates some of the more important stories of the week that have aired on our daily newscast. We know how busy life can be, and that it's not always possible to get your news on our airwaves (or from streaming us right here on our website). Fill in the gaps and catch up right here. No one enjoys the feeling of missing out!
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Colorado represented by eight Paralympians in Paris
The Summer Paralympic Games began this week in Paris and Colorado has several athletes competing under the USA flag. Beatriz Hatz from Lakewood will be chasing gold in the long jump on Saturday.
Aurora's Jataya Taylor is in her first Paralympics going after a podium spot for parafencing next week. Six other Colorado Springs athletes are also vying for medals, including decorated Army veteran and triathlete Melissa Stockwell, who is in her fourth summer Games.
Special session ends with tax cuts, concerns about private interests
The state legislature wrapped up its special legislative session on property taxes Thursday. Lawmakers passed a bill that provides small tax cuts for homeowners and some businesses while putting new limits on future property tax growth. It was also part of a deal struck ahead of the session to remove two tax cut measures from the November ballot that would have stripped education funding.
Gov. Jared Polis said he will not sign the legislation until he has confirmation the ballot measures have been withdrawn.
Almost every other bill introduced this week was rejected. Some Democrats say the session catered to wealthy, special interests over lower-income constituents. KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods has more details here.
Steamboat Springs community effort saves Casey’s Pond
A Steamboat Springs group is finalizing a deal with bondholders to keep Casey’s Pond in operation after residents there were facing a 90-day deadline to move out. Community members and city leaders have contributed millions of dollars toward saving the senior living facility.
Yampa Valley Community Foundation said residents should have a seamless transition as Northwest Colorado Health purchases the facility. The foundation is hoping to raise an additional $500,000 to bridge operating expenses.
Animal rescue group opening new Greeley shelter
NOCO Humane will open a third animal shelter in Greeley next year. The rescue organization said last week its new campus will be near the intersection of Highway 34 and 65th Avenue.
The facility will house 30 enclosures for dogs, 60 for cats, a small mammal room and multiple spaces for adopters to meet and greet potential new family members.
NOCO Humane shelters took in 63% more animals this June than the same time a year ago.
The nonprofit is also planning to build another, larger site to serve Weld County in the future.
Summit County mail service hits snags amid post office robberies
Mail service to several delivery points in Summit County was suspended this week after officials arrested a person suspected of robbing post offices throughout the Rocky Mountains.
Summit Daily reports some area residents showed up to Dillon Post Office after getting an alert from USPS to pick up their residential mail there. USPS officials confirmed they are investigating burglaries at Dillon and Silverthorne post offices.
Dillon police say they suspect multiple people are involved in the burglaries and are asking postal customers to be vigilant and report any missing mail.
Some of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves are being relocated
State wildlife officials are planning to relocate some of the state’s reintroduced wolves and their new pups because of recent livestock depredations. Colorado Parks and Wildlife did not reveal where the Copper Creek Pack in Grand County would be sent.
The pack is made up of at least two adult wolves and their pups. Officials did say the relocation was a special case and would not become a precedent for similar wolf-livestock conflicts.
Environmental advocates criticized the move as potentially lethal for the pups and say ranchers have better options to prevent depredation.
The Copper Creek clan is the state’s first wolf pack to come out of a voter-mandated reintroduction program.
Which Colorado city has the tastiest tap water?
You’re never far from Rocky Mountain snowmelt in this state, so it’s no surprise that a competition to find Colorado’s best-tasting tap water ended in a three-way tie.
The taste test, held at the American Water Works Association Rocky Mountain Section conference in Keystone, pitted eight submissions from around the state against one another.
KUNC’s Alex Hager reports Denver water took the gold after a final sip-off. Bronze and silver also went to Front Range cities — Louisville took second and Broomfield took third.
On Sunday night, stop by the Starry Sky Soiree
The Northern Colorado Astronomical Society is inviting people to take in the night sky over the weekend. On Sunday, they’ll have telescopes set up at Eagle’s Nest Open Space in Livermore, north of Fort Collins, for people to look at stars, galaxies and planets.
The Starry Sky Soiree is free and open to the public, and you can show up anytime between 8 and 10 p.m. Carpooling is encouraged because of limited parking.
