March 16th 2026
CO State Senate committee approves ballot measure to eliminate TABOR.
The Colorado State Senate Finance Committee on Thursday voted along party lines to
move senate bill 26-135 forward, a bill that would ask voters for permission to eliminate
taxpayer's bill of rights (or tabor) refunds and instead redirect those dollars to K-12
education. The ballot measure, which would go before voters in November, would allow
the state to keep surplus revenue above the current Referendum C cap. That surplus
would then go into an excess state revenue account, created under the bill, that would
then direct the dollars to K-12 education. Based on the December 2025 revenue forecast,
that would be about $817 million over the Referendum C cap, so the state would keep
and spend that money, instead of refunding it to taxpayers. The bill now moves on to the
senate appropriations committee for further consideration.
CPW announces death of another gray wolf.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has announced that female gray wolf 2310 has died. The
female wolf was part of the mating pair for the king mountain pack, who was among the
10 wolves brought to Colorado from Oregon in December of 2023. The male of the king
mountain pack mating pair died in January in Routt County following a botched collaring
operation. CPW did not identify the cause of the female's death nor where the fatality
took place. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service will conduct an investigation, including a
necropsy. Of the 25 wolves relocated to Colorado – 10 from Oregon in December of
2023, and 15 from British Columbia in January of 2025 – 14 have now died, or 56% of
those relocated. Another wolf, a yearling from the copper creek pack, was killed by
wildlife staff after it preyed on multiple sheep in Rio Blanco County. CPW's wolf
management plan directs the agency to examine the relocation efforts if survival rates
dropped below 70%.
City of Walsenburg issues disaster declaration Friday.
The City of Walsenburg issued a disaster declaration on Friday following a major water
main break that has left most of the city completely without water. The break took place
about 2am Friday morning. City crews have been working since then to find the break,
but have not been successful in finding or fixing the leak. As such, Walsenburg is under
a boil water advisory. Many residents do not have water at all, however some do. Those
who do have some water should boil the water for at least 1 minute before considering it
safe to injest. Both non-potable and bottled drinking water are available to residents at
The Walsenburg Community Center. Shower facilities are also being offered at Lathrop
State Park. And, school has been canceled today and tomorrow at all Walsenburg
Schools. There is no estimated time of repair.
Howard man identified in Pueblo Reservoir drowning Friday.
48-year-old Evans C. Downie of Howard, Colorado, has been identified by the Pueblo
County Coroner as the boater who drowned in The Pueblo Reservoir on Friday.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, two men were on a fishing boat near Pedro’s
point, when the boat capsized due to rough waters around 1pm on Friday. One boater
swam to shore and was able to flag down another boater for help. CPW officials used a
remote-controlled underwater vehicle to find the second man. The body of a dog was
also found underneath the capsized boat.
Division 3 water engineer announces water year opening.
Division 3 water engineer Craig Cotten has announced a staged approach to opening the
water year for producers in the upper Rio Grande basin. The water season will begin
today for surface and groundwater irrigators in the Conejos River Area (or water district
22), the Culebra Creek area (water district 24), the Trinchera Creek area (water district
35) and the La Jara creek area. The irrigation season will begin on March 23rd for all
surface and groundwater irrigation structures in The Rio Grande area (or water district
20).
March 13th 2026
CO GOP Chairman announces resignation last night.
Brita Horn, the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party announced last night that she
will resign on April 17th, which is about a week after Republicans in Colorado are set to
meet and vote on candidates for the June primary. Horn was elected as The GOP Chair
about a year ago. She says she is resigning because of what she calls violent threats and
hostility. Republicans passed a vote of no confidence against horn by a wide margin
earlier this month. Horn says she will wait to resign until after the Republican State
Assembly next month because she believes that being without a chairman and vice
chairman during the critical time leading up to the assembly is not conducive to ensuring
the event is successful. Horn said she will never stop fighting for freedom, limited
government and protecting the Conservative way of life.
CPW announces approval of wolf depredation claims.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife commission says that it approved more than $706,000
in wolf depredation claims last year during its meeting last week. That amount exceeds
the state's annual wolf compensation fund by more than double. The commission
rejected another $53,611 in claims, and more claims are expected. Of the claims
approved last week, $615,000 was listed on the commission's consent agenda. Another
claim for $125,265 was split, with $91,170 approved for payment and the rest denied.
CPW says there were 32 depredation events last year with more than three dozen dead
cows, calves, lambs and ewes, yearling heifers and dogs. The kills happened in Jackson,
Routt, Gunnison, Pitkin, Grand, Eagle, Rio Blanco and Montrose Counties. More than
$1 million in claims have been submitted for last year. The agency has now paid out
more than $1.3 million in claims in just the past two years.
Name the train campaign contest remains open for voting.
Within the first three days of launching the name the train campaign, more than 18,000
Coloradans have voted to help decide the name of the future front range passenger rail,
according to Governor Jared Polis. Officials say that early results show "Colorado
connector (or coco)" is slightly leading the contest, but the race remains extremely close.
The four names being voted on are: colorado connector, colorado ranger, front range
express destinations (or fred), and rangelink. The contest remains upon until March 23rd.
You can vote for your favorite by going to www.ridethefrontrange.com/namethetrain.
CDPHE announces additional measles cases in Broomfield County.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has identified two
additional cases of measles and are investigating another in Broomfield County residents.
all three individuals are household contacts of a previously confirmed case. A new
potential exposure location has been identified as the bout time pub & grub in Arvada on
this past Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Measles is a highly contagious
disease. Getting the MMR Vaccine is the best way to protect yourself, your family and
your community. Measles symptoms begin with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes,
followed by a rash that usually begins on the face and spreads. If you need medical care,
call your health care provider to alert them of your situation before your go.
St. Patrick’s Day DUI Enforcement period is underway.
The St. Patrick's Day DUI Enforcement period is underway. The Colorado Department
of Transportation, along with The Colorado State Patrol, AAA Colorado and mothers
against drunk driving reminds drivers to arrange a sober ride home before heading out to
celebrate. The heat is on St. Patrick’s Day DUI Enforcement period runs now through
March 18th. Drivers may see saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints and additional law
enforcement officers on duty. Last year, 255 people were arrested over the St. Patrick's
Day weekend.
March 12th 2026
CO State Auditors find serious accounting issues at the DLE.
Colorado State Auditors have found serious issues with the accounting practices of the
department of labor and employment's unemployment insurance division, finding that the
agency has underestimated and overestimated figures to the tune of billions of dollars.
The auditors found errors that required accounting adjustments, such as an overestimate
in payments owed to claimants to the tune of $1.5 billion, when it should have been only
around $86 million. The agency also underestimated bad debt expenses by almost $800
million, understated its revenue by $1.6 billion, understated its expenses by $2.5 billion,
and overstated deferred revenue by $75.5 million, according to auditors. The Colorado
Department of Labor and Employment says it has corrected the errors. Auditors placed
blame on the department's failure to follow its own documented policies and procedures
and failure to implement recommendations from previous audits.
Bill to add new fees on beer, wine and spirits making it's way through the Legislature.
HB26-1271, a bill making its way through The Colorado State Legislature, would add
new fees on beer, wine and spirits to help fund addiction recovery programs. Supporters
of the bill says the additional funding would help address growing alcohol addiction
issues across Colorado. Those opposing the bill say that the added costs could place even
more pressure on an industry that is already struggling. The proposal would create three
separate enterprises within the Colorado behavioral health administration to focus on
beer, wine and spirits. Fees would be charged to alcohol manufacturers and wholesale
distributors based on the amount of alcohol sold as follows: 5 cents per gallon for beer,
cider and apple wine; 7 cents per liter for wine, and 35 cents per liter for spirits. The bill
has been assigned to the house health and human services committee.
Monte Vista man arrested in connection to fatal stabbing Tuesday night.
Bryce Greenwall, 27, of Monte Vista, was arrested Tuesday night in connection to the
fatal stabbing at The Rio Grande Motel in Monte Vista. According to Monte Vista
Police, officers were called to The Rio Grande Motel at 25 Broadway Street in Monte
Vista about 9:24pm Tuesday, March 10th, for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival,
officers located a 44-year-old man who was suffering from an apparent stab wound. The
victim was transported to the hospital for treatment, but later succumbed to his injuries.
Officers identified Greenwall as a suspect in the incident. He has been jailed pending
charges from the 12th judicial district. The victim has not yet been publicly identified.
The investigation into the incident is continuing.
Attorney for Pueblo County SD70 candidates announces next steps.
Attorney Eric Maxfield, who is representing the 3 candidates for The Pueblo County
School District 70 School Board who were not chosen to sit on the board, says that his
clients' next steps could include litigation over violations of Colorado's open meetings
law. The three clients are Jonathan Lewis, Adolph Vigil and Tara Stroesenreuther. S
School Board President Ann Bennett appointed Susie Carnes, the 4th candidate, to the
open seat last month. Maxfield says that Bennett broke state law by appointing Carnes to
the vacant seat.
Colorado Snowpack continues to fall.
Colorado Snowpack fell again in the last week and now sits at 61% of average overall.
by river basin, snowpack as of yesterday is as follows: 71% in The North Platte River
Basin, 69% in The South Platte, 66% in The Yampa and White, 64% in The Colorado,
62% in The Gunnison, 54% in The San Juan & Dolores, 50% in The Upper Rio Grande,
and The Arkansas River Basin remains on the bottom at 46%. Warm temperatures and
low precipitation are expected to continue over at least the next few weeks.
March 11th 2026
CO State House passes labor law governing bill Monday.
The Colorado State House on Monday voted 42-22, along party lines, to advance
legislation that would repeal a longstanding labor law governing a requirement before a
unionized workplace can collect fees on all workers, regardless of whether or not they are
union members. The House approval will send the proposal to repeal the second election
requirement under the state's current laws to the Senate. Democrats argue that the
change would strengthen workers' ability to organize and negotiate higher wages, while
Republican say eliminating the second vote would force employees to pay union
representation fees without sufficient consent. A similar proposal was vetoed by
Governor Jared Polis last year. Polis has already signaled that he will likely veto this
year's measure, unless labor and businesses can reach a deal.
Bill to expand Colorado's mobile home park program passes State House.
HB26-1145, a bill that would expand enforcement of Colorado's mobile home park water
quality program, passed the State House by a vote of 42-22 last week. The legislation
would add to the definition of violations in the program was well as would increase fines
for noncompliance and comes as lawmakers move to crack down on park owners who
fail to fix problems that make the tap water unsafe to drink, according to residents.
Specifically, the bill would ban rent increases while water quality problems remain
unresolved, require owners to notify residents of test results without a complaint being
filed first, and would raise fines for failing to comply with remediation orders from
$1,000 a month to $10,000 a month. The bill now moves on to The Colorado State
Senate for consideration there.
Xcel Energy proposes solution to energy shortfall.
Xcel Energy says that it is facing a shortfall in electricity generating capacity for the next
two years, and has proposed to run its four coal-fired units until 2030. Comanche unit 2
in Pueblo, was supposed to close at the end of last year. One unit at The Hayden Station
is supposed to close in 2027 and the second unit at Hayden is slated to close in 2028.
Comanche unit 3 is set to close in 2030, but is currently offline after it suffered turbine
damage. Xcel expects it will take until this August to get the plant running again. Facing
increasing demand and trouble bringing new generation online, Xcel is suggesting
extending the life of the coal plants. The PUC has already approved extending the life of
four Xcel natural gas-fired plants to 2028. They were scheduled to close in 2026.
CDOT announces CO 69 HWY resurfacing project to begin.
The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced that it will begin a highway
resurfacing project next week on Colorado 69 from Hillside to Texas Creek. Work will
take place from Mile Marker 71.5, 12 miles north of Westcliffe, to mile marker 82.6, just
South of US 50, and will include resurfacing of the north- and southbound lanes,
constructing a maintenance pull-off, installing new guardrails to meet updated safety
standards, striping and new signage. Bridge deck repairs will also occur at mile marker
77.25. The project is scheduled for completion in August.
Application period for CO big game licenses underway.
The application period for Colorado big-game licenses is currently underway. Hunters
hoping to draw a big-game license in 2026 are urged to review the changes in licenses,
seasons and fees in the 2026 Colorado big game brochure. CPW encourages hunters to
submit their applications early to avoid complications or delays. Questions about setting
up accounts, planning hunts or applying for licenses should be directed to the CPW call
center, Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm by calling 303-297-1192. The primary
draw application period ends on April 7th at 8pm.
March 10th 2026
Senate Bill to decriminalize prostitution in Colorado postponed.
Senate Bill 26-097, a bill that would have decriminalized prostitution in Colorado, will
not move forward this year after its sponsor said it lacks the votes necessary to pass its
first committee. Senator Nick Hinrichsen, a Democrat from Pueblo, said that he will ask
to postpone the bill until after the legislative session ends, instead of advancing it to a
contentious hearing where supporters feared harassement and public exposure. The will
would have changed the term "prostitution" to "commercial sex activity". It would have
also eliminated four petty offenses, including solicitation, patronizing a prostitute and the
petty offense of prostitution itself. While the bill decriminalized prostitution, it did not
provide for a regulatory framework. It had been scheduled to be heard by the senate
judiciary committee tomorrow.
12th Judicial District Judge to allow Morphew daughters chance to speak in court.
12th Judicial District Judge Amanda Hopkins yesterday said that she will allow the
daughters of Barry and Suzanne Morphew an opportunity to speak in court after an
attorney for Macy and Mallory Morphew filed a motion to intervene, stating that the
daughters were asking for the remains of their mother, Suzanne. Their father, Barry
Morphew, is charged with one count of first degree murder in the death of his wife
Suzanne, who went missing in may of 2020. Her remains were found in 2023 near
Moffat in Saguache County. During a hearing in the case in Alamosa yesterday, Hopkins
said she will hear arguments on the motion filed on behalf of Macy and Mallory.
Alamosa District Attorney and Prosecutor Anne Kelly says that she believes the issue can
be resolved "without a hearing at all".
Pueblo County SD70 Superintendent announces retirement.
Pueblo County School District 70 Superintendent Ronda Rein has announced that she
will retire from the district, effective on June 30th. Rein started her career in the district
as a paraprofessional and teacher, then moved into leadership roles including assistant
principal, principal, director of curriculum and instruction, assistant superintendent and
superintendent. Rein made the announcement yesterday. She will continue to lead
District 70 over the next few months to support a smooth transition.
Missing Summit County snowmobiler found dead Sunday.
A missing snowmobiler was found dead in Summit County on Sunday. According to
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the snowmobiler was found in avalanche
debris. The slide was reportedly two feet deep, near treeline on a northeast slope, with
starting-zone angles of 33 to 36 degrees. The man was found by a flight for life
helicopter crew in the boss basin area near resolution creek, south of ptarmigan pass.
Considerable avalanche danger had been reported in the area where the avalanche
occurred. The man is the first person killed in an avalanche this season.
Front Range passenger rail district seeking public's help in naming railway.
The front range passenger rail district is asking for the public's help in naming the new
passenger train that will connect the north and south of the state. Coloradans can now
choose between four potential names for when the rail line launches in 2029. The four
names in the running for the train are: Colorado Connector (or coco), Front Range
Express destinations (or fred), Colorado Ranger, or rangelink. Front Range rail says its
vision is to onnect communities across the front range from Pueblo to Fort Collins. To
vote for your favorite, go to www.ridethefrontrange.com/namethetrain.
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