Colorado News & Current Events | Public News Service

There are no income or registration requirements for kids to participate in the state's Summer Meals program, which serves breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner to all youths up to age 18. (Adobe Stock)

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Summer meals for kids available to-go and by delivery in remote rural areas

With school cafeterias closed for the summer, community groups and nonprofits are working to ensure that Colorado's one in five children who go …

A new report shows the nation is still a long way from having fully functioning emergency mental health systems in place in every zip code. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Monday, July 1, 2024

Report: CO suicide, mental health crisis lifeline system needs more work

Two years after the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was introduced, a new report by the group Inseparable says Colorado and other states …

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits brought more than $700 million to local Colorado economies in 2017, creating more than $1.25 billion in economic activity. (Adobe Stock)

Farm Bill proposal would cut SNAP food assistance by $30 billion

One proposed version of the next Farm Bill, introduced by the Republican chair of the House Agriculture Committee, would cut the Supplemental …

Oso Outdoors offers winter and summer programs, including mountain biking, which aim to help bring more diversity to outdoor recreation in Summit County. (Adobe Stock)

Conservationists want free national park access for newest U.S. citizens

Conservation groups are asking federal agencies to give newly naturalized U.S. citizens a free America the Beautiful National Parks pass. Javier …

Oil companies have publicly championed tech-based carbon-capture solutions in part because it would allow them to continue selling fossil fuels. (Adobe Stock)

Tech-based carbon-capture projects making headway in local governments

By Ysabelle Kempe for SmartCitiesDive.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Pu…

The top eight oil and gas corporations alone are set to burn 30% of the world's remaining global carbon budget, the total amount of climate pollution scientists said can be released during a transition to clean energy. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Big oil continues to resist, block fast transition to clean energy

Big oil is dropping the ball when it comes to meeting the companies' public pledges to help avert catastrophic climate change, according to a new …

A majority of board members of the newly merged Clinica Family Health and Wellness will continue to be patients who receive services, working alongside community volunteers. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado health merger aims to unify behavioral and medical care

Clinica Family Health and Mental Health Partners have announced plans to merge operations by September of this year. Mental Health Partners co-CEO …

Trees provide shade to homes, businesses and streets; improve people's health; reduce noise pollution; provide habitats for birds and other wildlife; clean air and water and reduce storm water runoff. (Adobe Stock)

Tips to keep Colorado trees healthy during searing summer temperatures

With the heat of summer pouring into Colorado, tree experts are offering tips for keeping our shade-producing friends in good health now, and …

Voting by people who are not U.S. citizens already is illegal in federal elections, and there is no indication it's happening anywhere in significant numbers. (Adobe Stock)

Groups debunk claims of 'skyrocketing' numbers of non-citizen voters

After a recent flurry of claims that Democrats are allowing immigrants into the country illegally in order to register them to vote in the upcoming U.…

Amphibians and reptiles have more restricted geographic ranges than other vertebrates and are highly susceptible to threats like habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. (Adobe Stock)

BLM could throw lifeline to amphibians and reptiles

The recently finalized Bureau of Land Management Public Lands Rule could give a boost to America's most at-risk terrestrial vertebrates: amphibians an…

Of more than 7,300 lawmakers nationwide, just 116, or 1.6%, currently or last worked in manual labor, service industry, clerical or labor union jobs. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Working class missing in state legislatures

Half of Americans go to work every day in the service industry, doing clerical work or in construction and other manual labor jobs but fewer than 2% …

Research has shown the most effective tutoring is in person, 'high dosage' and tied directly to the school. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado drops two spots to 17th nationally for child wellness

Colorado lost ground - dropping from 15th to 17th overall - in this year's Kids Count Data Book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which ranks states …

A new Colorado law provides local and tribal governments with science-based resources for siting and permitting new renewable-energy projects, including maps identifying sensitive wildlife habitat. (Adobe Stock)

New resources available to site CO clean-energy projects, protect wildlife

To reach 100% clean energy by 2040 - a move seen as critical for averting the worst impacts of climate change - Colorado must generate five times more…

Authors maintain platforms' learning and influencing mechanisms can work together to transform a person's view of reality. (Adobe Stock)

Researchers compare social media algorithms to Shakespearian villains

The regularity of news stories with individuals being misled or even radicalized by social media brought two Colorado State University researchers to …

In early 2021, around four in ten adults in the U.S. reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. In Colorado, all behavioral health challenges have remained steady or increased since then.(Pcess609/Adobe Stock)

CO community mental health centers struggle with Medicaid drop

It's been about a year since the official end of the COVID public health emergency - which has led to a significant drop in Medicaid enrollments and a…

Methane emissions for oil and gas wellheads have accounted for roughly 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times, and are proliferating faster than at any other time, according to a United Nations study. (Adobe Stock)

CO methane verification protocol seen as 'major breakthrough'

Environmental groups are calling Colorado's new rules to measure methane pollution a "major breakthrough" in curbing it. The Greenhouse Gas …

Denver resident Jeff Gonzales often finds e-biking to work quicker but said even when the ride does not save time, it is more enjoyable.

Denver turns to e-bike vouchers to help get cars, pollution off roads

By Gabriela Aoun Angueira for Grist.Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-P…

The United States must double its existing regional transmission capacity to meet its clean energy goals by 2035, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy. (Adobe Stock)

New FERC transmission rules to benefit CO environment, ratepayers

New power transmission rules from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are aimed at states like Colorado, which is seeking a shift to renewable …

One of the historic roadblocks to helping consumers and businesses embrace energy efficiency and beneficial electrification has been securing access to the capital needed to make improvements to reduce energy costs. (Adobe Stock)

New program aims to help rural Coloradans pay less on monthly energy bills

Coloradans living in rural parts of the state tend to pay a lot more for their monthly energy bills than metropolitan customers but a new Biden admini…

In 2023, more than a third of Colorado high schoolers with major depression received no treatment, according to a recent Mental Health America report. (Adobe Stock)

More residential care coming for children with acute mental health needs

Colorado lawmakers are investing more than $15 million to ensure children experiencing complex behavioral challenges, including trauma, major …

At least half of the $32.8 million to replace lead pipes will be prioritized for areas overburdened by pollution and decades of underinvestment, including communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. (Adobe Stock)

Biden Infrastructure Law brings $32.8 million to Colorado to replace lead pipes

Nearly $33 million from President Joe Biden's bipartisan Infrastructure Law is headed to Colorado to help locate and remove hazardous lead pipes from …

A 2022 survey found that six in ten LGBTQ youths in Colorado reported experiencing symptoms of depression, and 45% seriously considered suicide. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado first in nation to offer free mental health care to youths

Amanda Dodson first noticed signs for a pilot program called "I Matter" at her ten-year-old daughter Hailey's school. After looking into it, she was …

Both the American Public Health Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recognized firearm injuries and deaths as a significant public health crisis. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Gun-related injuries on the rise among Colorado children

Firearm-related injuries in Colorado hit a peak in 2022, with over 7,000 health care claims and at a cost of $8.4 million, according to a new …

Fungal decay and fire both break down hydrogen and carbon bonds, a process that releases energy. But while fire releases heat, mushrooms absorb that energy like people do when digesting food. (Adobe Stock)

Mushrooms can help prevent mega-wildfires

By Stephen Robert Miller for the Food and Environment Reporting Network.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for t…

The Pikes Peak Challenge helps provide support to brain injury survivors, including stroke victims, in Colorado, one of just two states in the nation with a brain injury organization. (Adobe Stock)

Brain injury survivors aim to defy the odds climbing Pikes Peak

Several hundred hikers are expected to climb to a summit of over 14,000 feet for this year's Pikes Peak Challenge in Colorado Springs, an annual …

Deconstruction, basically construction in reverse, is helping cities reduce materials ending up in local landfills. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado embraces deconstruction to keep materials out of landfills

By Syris Valentine for Grist.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News…

The Denver Post reports the total number of Coloradans with Medicaid health insurance has dropped by 30% since 2023, just below Texas and Utah. (Adobe Stock)

Report: 86,101 Colorado children removed from Medicaid insurance rolls

More than 4 million children in the U.S. lost their health insurance after automatic Medicaid coverage renewals enacted during the COVID public …

More than 80 national park units, including Rocky Mountain National Park, sit next to public lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. (Adobe Stock)

New BLM rule could help protect America's national parks

As critics work to roll back new Bureau of Land Management rules, public lands advocates are defending the agency's move to put conservation uses on …

$A fracking operation is shown on Colorado's front range east of Denver. The state had more than 12,000 hydraulic fracturing well operations in 2023. (Adobe Stock)$

Film documents environmental battle with Colorado oil, gas industry

A new film documents the 2018 battle between Colorado environmentalists and the oil and gas industry over proposed fracking regulations. The film …

Salud Family Health Centers has served over 70 thousand patients, including migrant farm workers, and has created over 600 jobs. (Adobe Stock)

VIPs tour Salud Family Health Center’s mobile clinic

United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo - D-Thornton - recently paid a visit to Salud Family …

Women represent nearly two-thirds of Americans 65 or older living with Alzheimer's disease. (Adobe Stock)

New online tool helps people with dementia document future care decisions

The number of U.S. residents aged 65 or older living with Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is expected to double from nearly 7 …

According to Colorado College's 2023 Conservation in the West Poll, 82% of voters in the Rocky Mountain West support a national goal of conserving America's lands and waters in the next decade. (Adobe Stock)

BLM finalizes rule to prioritize protection of public lands in CO, West

The federal Bureau of Land Management has released its long-awaited final Public Lands Rule, which aims to reconcile a perceived imbalance between …

The 1922 Colorado River Compact gives priority to Lower Basin states: Arizona, California and Nevada, for rights to Colorado River Water. (Adobe Stock)

Study: 90% of CO River irrigation water goes to cattle

As Colorado and other states grapple with shrinking Colorado River water levels, new research pinpoints how much water is being diverted for cattle …

When the school year ends, millions of children from households with low incomes lose access to the school meals they rely on. Help is available. (Adobe Stock)

CO families must sign up to get $120 per child for food through Summer EBT

Colorado families must sign up before the end of April to receive $120 per child to buy food through the new Summer EBT program approved by Congress…

Restorative justice programs have increased the justice system's capacity to meet the needs of those harmed by adolescent misbehavior. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Diverting youth away from the justice system is working

Efforts to keep young people out of the criminal justice system are working, according to a new Sentencing Project report. Elie Zwiebel, attorney …

Most of the USDA produce samples tested in this year's Dirty Dozen list from the Environmental Working Group were within the legal allowance for chemical pesticide residue. (Adobe Stock)

Strawberries top Dirty Dozen list of produce packed with pesticides

Nonorganic fruits and vegetables are loaded with chemical pesticides, including fungicides which can harm male reproductive systems, according to the …

A new walk-in program provides immediate, in-person support for urgent mental health and substance use needs for anyone, regardless of their ability to pay, whether or not they are an existing client, or speak English. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Mental health urgent-care facility now available in northeast Boulder

Boulder and Broomfield County residents can now access mental health services the same way they can access urgent medical care. Dr. Nadia Haddad…

Colorado State University researchers identified a cybersecurity gap that could have exposed more than 14 million medium- and heavy-duty trucks that form the core of the U.S. shipping industry to hackers. (Adobe Stock)

Study: 14 million U.S. freight trucks vulnerable to hackers

New worker safety regulations meant to log how many hours truckers are on the road may have inadvertently exposed millions of U.S. 18-wheelers to …

Colorado is the fourth largest oil producing state in the country and eighth largest gas producing state. (Adobe Stock)

Study: Methane pollution from oil and gas production greatly underestimated

Data from new satellite-based technology show that the amount of methane pollution impacting communities living near oil and gas facilities is far gre…

Older Coloradans who may have never been issued a birth certificate because they were born at home qualify for assistance getting vital documents, including identification cards but many cannot access Colorado's Necessary Documents Program. (Adobe Stock)

Cutting red tape to access IDs and other vital documents

Advocates are urging Colorado lawmakers to make key improvements to a state program seen as critical to helping people fleeing domestic violence or ex…

Decades of policies like redlining, that forced people of color into neighborhoods surrounded by industrial polluters, have led to a host of negative health outcomes, including cancers and premature death. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado lawmakers eye ways to reduce pollution in vulnerable communities

In 2021, Colorado lawmakers took a first step toward addressing decades of toxic pollution disproportionately impacting low-income neighborhoods and …

Supporters of Colorado's House Bill 1379 said it will help protect Coloradans from flooding, help ensure safe and sufficient drinking water and help preserve fishing, boating, and other recreational opportunities across the state. (Adobe Stock)

Restoring protections for Colorado endangered waters and wetlands

Colorado lawmakers are considering legislation to restore protections to key waters and wetlands struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court last year in a …

The Colorado Local Food Program Guidebook can help farmers, ranchers, school districts and parents connect with resources available through organizations supporting the Healthy School Meals for All initiative, state agencies, and U-S-D-A Food and Nutrition Services. (Adobe Stock)

New guidebook aims to help local farmers and schools serve healthy meals

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Decades of underinvestment in affordable housing, recently cited by outgoing HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, have dramatically impacted families with children. (Adobe Stock)

Renaissance marks quarter century serving homeless, low-income kids

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Renaissance Children's Center, which serves low-income families and those experiencing homelessness with …

Firefighters and veterans stationed at military bases for at least one year, and who have cancer or other diseases may be eligible to receive financial compensation from the companies that produced PFAS forever chemicals. (Adobe Stock)

New bill would expand PFAS ban for tampons, other consumer items

Colorado lawmakers want to beef up legislation that bans PFAS, so-called forever chemicals, by 2028. Yahn Olson is an associate attorney with …

A wide body of research has linked traffic pollution to premature death, lung cancer, asthma and other negative health impacts. (Adobe Stock)

Nurses, environmental groups welcome Biden's clean car standards

On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced new tailpipe pollution standards that will give automakers more time to ramp up production of zero-…

Opportunity Next Colorado will provide guidance on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and college applications, and group coaching over the summer to prevent the drop-off of enrolled postsecondary students known as

New scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs

This year's high school graduates will be eligible for 14,000 new scholarships offered through Opportunity Next Colorado, a $21 million investment …

In November 2023, the Financial Times reported that Trump was

Report: Second Trump term would add 4 billion tons of climate pollution

As Coloradans begin to weigh their options in this year's presidential election, a new Carbon Brief analysis projects that a second Biden term would …

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