Colorado News & Current Events | Public News Service

The U.S. Department of Education's civil rights office is charged with protecting students from discrimination and sexual assault and making sure all Americans have equal access to education. (Adobe Stock)

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Colorado takes Trump to court over efforts to abolish Education Department

As the Trump administration makes good on promises to abolish the U.S. Department of Education, educators and parents are raising concerns about the …

Before its 1,700 workers were sent home, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was set to regulate X, Elon Musk's social media site, as it rolls out financial transactions similar to PayPal and Venmo. (Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Consumer protection agency cuts put Coloradans at risk for predatory banks

Coloradans with low bank balances would be on the hook for an extra $225 a year if Congress votes to roll back a new rule capping overdraft fees at $5…

Some 557 Colorado schools serving more than 206,293 students are projected to be affected by a proposed $12 billion in cuts to federal school meal funding. (Adobe Stock)

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Blowback on GOP's proposed cuts to school meal programs

Children's advocates are crying foul after House Republicans called for $12 billion in cuts to school meal programs, including the Community …

Court challenges warn the Trump administration's cuts to staff, funding and contracts will directly impact visitor safety, wildlife protection and wildfire prevention. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, March 17, 2025

Court challenges of recent mass firings of federal workers making headway

The Sierra Club is taking the Trump administration to court, joining a slew of legal challenges over the mass firings of federal workers. Sierra …

Among the 5,722 companies in Colorado exporting goods to Canada and Mexico in 2022, the number one manufactured export was food. (Adobe Stock)

After USDA funding freeze, Colorado farmers brace for tariffs

Colorado farmers and ranchers are feeling frustrated and concerned since the Trump administration froze U.S. Department of Agriculture funding…

In past deportation programs, for every half-million people the government deported, 44,000 U.S.-born workers lost their jobs. (Adobe Stock)

High moral stakes of proposed cuts to federal programs

A new report commissioned by faith leaders outlines the high moral stakes at play as the Trump administration pushes to cut federal programs to pay fo…

A new trend, forests releasing more carbon than they capture, is expected to continue with prolonged drought and bigger and more frequent wildfires. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado forests emit more CO2 than they absorb due to insects, wildfire

Researchers at Colorado State University have found the state's nearly 23 million acres of forests are currently releasing more carbon dioxide into th…

Workers covered by a union contract earn 10.2% more than nonunionized counterparts on average, and are more likely to have employer-provided health and retirement benefits. (Adobe Stock)

Report: 1943 law suppressed Colorado union membership rates

A Colorado law passed in 1943 amid intense big-business and white-supremacist campaigns to block worker organizing has suppressed unionization in the …

There are more than 500,000 buffalo in North America today, but nearly all of those are livestock, in commercial herds and owned by private landowners. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado lawmakers consider protecting wild buffalo from poaching

Colorado lawmakers could add buffalo, also known as bison, to a long list of wildlife that have been restored to their natural habitat across the …

Colorado's 20 Community Health Centers provide primary care to 857,000 patients, employ over 7,500 people and contribute $1.7 billion to the state's economy each year. (Adobe Stock)

Cuts to Medicaid considered to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts

The budget resolution recently passed by the U.S. House calls for cutting $2 trillion in government spending to extend tax cuts passed during the …

In the short time that AllHealth Network's Violence Prevention Team has been at work, it has investigated and intervened in ten reported cases, and has seen an increase in referrals and requests for trainings. (Adobe Stock)

Trainings help communities recognize signs of potential targeted violence

The U.S. had more than 500 mass shootings last year, and a new program launched in Denver hopes to prevent targeted violence before it happens…

According to new polling from Hart Research, 60 percent of Trump voters say cutting SNAP is unacceptable, and nearly half think the wealthy pay too little in taxes. (Adobe Stock)

SNAP cuts would disproportionately impact Colorado's rural communities

A budget resolution recently passed by the U.S. House calls for reducing agriculture funding to the tune of $230 billion. But critics warn that the …

Volunteer lobbyists next Tuesday will encourage legislators to improve the infrastructure needed to address homelessness across the state. (Adobe Stock)

Volunteer lobbyists to press Colorado lawmakers on homelessness

Coloradans who want to help move the needle on homelessness can still sign up for a lobbying day next Tuesday at the State Capitol. Cathy Alderman…

After public outcry over the firing of thousands at the National Park Service and the Forest Service, the Trump administration has moved to re-hire some dozens of employees and additional seasonal workers. (BLM)

Poll: MAGA voters oppose cuts to parks, forest, wildlife agencies

People in Colorado and seven other Mountain West states may want to see changes in the federal government writ large but they oppose cuts to agencies …

Median wages for methane mitigation jobs are $127,000 a year in manufacturing, and as high as $145,000 in service-sector jobs. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado's methane waste-reduction industry surging

An industry that got its start in Colorado finding and fixing methane leaks at oil and gas sites is on the rise. There are now some 74 sites where …

Fewer than 1% of cattle are lost to wolves, compared to 11.3% killed by dogs and 9.3% that succumb to weather. (Willy Mobilo/Adobe Stock)

Livestock industry flexes muscle over Democrat-controlled CO Legislature

A bill to exempt any Colorado livestock producer's personal information from the Colorado Open Records Act when they collect public dollars for livest…

Immigrant farmworkers make up an estimated 73% of agriculture workers in the United States. (Adobe Stock)

Challenges facing farmers in Colorado, across U.S.

By Seth Millstein for Sentient.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collabora…

Each year, visitors flock to Monte Vista in Colorado's San Luis Valley for a chance to see Greater Sandhill Cranes. (Adobe Stock)

Connecting the recreation dots with a two mile bike and pedestrian trail

By Ilana Newman for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collabora…

AARP Community Challenge grants have helped launch community gardens, which help improve livability for residents in a number of ways. (Adobe Stock)

Grants available to make Colorado communities more livable

AARP Colorado is accepting applications from nonprofits and local governments across the state for this year's Community Challenge grant program…

Health experts say the Scandinavian concept of Hygge, the art of cozy winter living, is one way to beat the winter blues. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado health expert has tips for shaking winter blues

Nearly four in ten Americans say they feel gloomy during colder, darker months, according to a recent American Psychiatric Association study…

Advocates for public lands warn that even drilling on lands adjacent to such places as Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and Utah can lead to industrial contamination of shared waterways. (Adobe Stock)

Trump order could open CO national monuments for drilling

As the Trump administration considers oil, gas and mining on lands owned by all Americans, including in national monuments designated under the …

Colorado State University researchers said communities are drawn closer together after natural disasters such as the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire to rebuild homes, schools and churches, which strengthens social bonds and resilience. (Adobe Stock)

Charting Colorado's emotional and practical destruction of wildfires

In 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire burned more than 200,000 acres, destroyed 469 structures and forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 residents in …

People who earn professionally recognized certificates or college degrees beyond high school are more likely to see significant long-term financial, social and health benefits. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado tops in nation for residents with education beyond high school

Colorado is number one nationally, tied with Massachusetts, for its percentage of residents who have a credential or degree beyond high school…

Most of the 50 people detained in a recent Denver raid have no criminal charges pending, according to the Colorado Rapid Response Network, and at least two people detained are U.S. citizens. (Adobe Stock)

Rapid response network monitoring ICE raids in Colorado

As President Donald Trump ramps up deportation efforts, immigrant advocates have mobilized a rapid response network to protect their neighbors…

Currently, insurance companies get to decide how much of a public ambulance service's rate to pay, which can lead to patients being charged the unpaid balance. (Adobe Stock)

CO lawmakers aim to close ambulance surprise-billing gap

Colorado lawmakers are working to ensure all Coloradans with health coverage for ambulance services are not hit with surprise bills or charged higher …

Proponents of factory farms argued moving millions of livestock off pastures and into high-density operations, where in many cases animals cannot even move around, conserves valuable farmland. (Adobe Stock).

Factory farm advocates’ blind spot on food system reforms

Recent editorials in The New York Times and Washington Post defending factory farms make one critical mistake, according to environmental advocates: …

Rental application fees alone create $276 million in profits for landlords each year, far above the actual cost of background checks and processing applications, according to a Biden-era report. (Adobe Stock)

Cost of living tops Denver lawmaker’s priorities

Addressing Colorado's rising cost of living and protecting clean air and water are priorities for Democratic Representative Emily Sirota of Denver in …

Private health insurance administrative costs in the U.S. are nearly six times higher than the costs of Canada's single payer system. (Adobe Stock)

Universal ‘Medicare for All’ bill advances in CO legislature

As health insurance premiums keep rising, Colorado lawmakers are advancing a bill to look at a universal Medicare for All option. A 2020 report in …

We Don't Waste serves more than 100 hunger relief organizations across Denver, and has so far saved 220 million servings of food. (Galatas)

Denver nonprofit tackles food waste, hunger

By Taylor Haelterman for Triple Pundit.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-P…

Numerous studies have shown immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than people born in the United States. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado legislators stand up for immigrants

As President Donald Trump makes good on his promises for mass deportation, some Colorado lawmakers are standing up to protect immigrant families now …

Last year, Press Forward funded 205 local publications. (DN6/Adobe Stock)

Press Forward supports small-town CO newsrooms

By Ilana Newman for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collabora…

The average Colorado feedlot now holds 13,000 cattle. (Adobe Stock)

Map spotlights drinking water risks of CO factory farms

Some one million cattle confined in Colorado factory feedlots produce 24 billion pounds of manure each year. That's four times the amount of feces …

Health providers in rural Colorado, which operate on thin margins, could see more uncompensated care costs if proposed Medicaid cuts clear Congress. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Medicaid cuts would disproportionately affect rural Coloradans

As the new Congress considers cutting Medicaid by more than $2 trillion, a new report details how the move would disproportionately affect rural …

The hottest year on record was 2024, as average global temperatures continue to rise due to the use of fossil fuels. (Adobe Stock)

Worker's coalition aims to address climate emergency, economic inequality

As President Donald Trump abandons a promise the U.S. made in Paris nearly a decade ago, organized workers across Colorado are joining forces to …

Coloradans are nine times more likely to be forced to choose an out-of-network provider for mental health care, than for primary physical care, which leads to higher out-of-pocket costs for patients. (Adobe Stock)

Insurance companies denying coverage for Coloradans' mental health care

More than 1 million Coloradans are living with a diagnosed mental health condition but insurance companies are denying coverage for care their policie…

Women of color are often the sole providers of care for their families and communities and are far too often the last to receive nurturing care, rest and recreation for themselves. (Women's Wilderness)

Mountain retreat to 'pamper' Colorado’s caregivers of color age 50+

If you are a woman age 50 and older, and you provide care for a parent, a child, a loved one or neighbor, you are invited to sign up for a weekend …

Nationally, just one-third of state lawmakers are women. In the 2025 session, 52% of Colorado lawmakers are women. (Adobe Stock)

Veteran CO lawmaker sets sights on climate, child care in 2025

In 2019, Colorado lawmakers set goals for cutting climate pollution by at least half by the year 2030, and by 90% by 2050 - compared with 2005 levels…

Dungeons and Dragons, a fantasy game filled with sorcerers, warlocks and wizards, could offer important lessons for today's political leaders. (Adobe Stock)

At 50, Dungeons and Dragons offers lessons for leaders

As the popular role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons turns 50, one Colorado State University instructor suggests today's political leaders could …

As apex carnivores, wolves sit at the top of the food chain, affecting everything in surrounding ecosystems, from elk to soil. (Adobe Stock)

Livestock industry still howling about wolves' return

It's been 30 years since wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park, a move that remains controversial today - as Colorado's livestock …

Colorado's safety-net community health centers deliver coordinated dental, medical and behavioral health care. (Adobe Stock)<br />

CO community health centers saved $17.3 million in Medicare dollars

The Community Health Provider Alliance improved health care quality and saved $17.3 million in taxpayer money that would have been paid out by Medicar…

Researchers are testing a number of propulsion systems, such as hydrogen, electricity and biofuels, to reduce the aviation industry's carbon footprint or cut it to net-zero. (Artist's Rendering/Adobe Stock)

Colorado strategizes with stakeholders to decarbonize future of air travel

By Ethan Brown for The Sweaty Penguin.Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network…

Toxic PFAS chemicals have been detected in the blood of 99% of Americans, including infants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Adobe Stock)

Rising risks of toxic PFAS chemicals in CO drinking water

More than 143 million Americans are at risk of toxic PFAS, so-called forever chemicals, in their drinking water, according to new test results …

Colorado lawmakers are hoping better coordination between state agencies, local governments and nonprofits can prevent and reduce homelessness. (Adobe Stock)

Number of CO homeless families up by 134% in single year

The number of Colorado families experiencing homelessness rose by 134%, from 3,600 in 2023 to more than 8,500 families in 2024, according to new …

UCHealth, which reports medical outcomes above state averages in many areas, recorded nearly $840 million in 2023 profits. (Galatas)

Patients call for end of UCHealth lawsuits

Advocates for patients are calling on UCHealth to end its practice of filing lawsuits over unpaid bills, after a 9News report found that the state's …

Colorado patients have been hit with surprise bills for ambulance services as high as $2,500. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Most ambulance rides in Colorado billed out-of-network

Colorado's surprise billing law does not currently limit out-of-network billing for ambulance services, and new analysis shows the true costs to …

To avoid phishing and smishing scams, more than 40 million people have already signed up for

USPS warns Coloradans to delete 'smishing' texts about packages

Many folks are still expecting holiday packages this week and the United States Postal Service is warning customers not to fall for "smishing" scams…

Colorado's San Luis Valley produces two billion pounds of potatoes a year, the second largest yield in the nation. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado’s new tool for preserving aquifers for farming

By Jennifer Oldham for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public…

SNAP recipients currently receive as little as $23 per month to purchase food, and the average SNAP benefit is just $6 a day. (Adobe Stock)

SNAP funding in question as Congress works to avoid shutdown

Congressional efforts to avoid a government shutdown could extend funding for SNAP, the program formerly known as food stamps. And if the continuing …

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