June 9th 2026
County clerks in Colorado began mailing out ballots yesterday.
County clerks in Colorado yesterday began mailing primary ballots to voters. Voters will
face a long list of choices in both the June 30th primary as well as the November general
election with every major state-level office, including the governor's seat, on the ballot.
County Clerks must mail all ballots by June 12th for the primary election. Coloradans
who are affiliated with The Colorado Democratic Party, Colorado Republican Party,
Libertarian Party of Colorado, or Unity Party of Colorado as of yesterday will receive
only the ballot of the party with which they are affiliated. Unaffiliated voters will be sent
a ballot for both the Democratic and Republican party's primaries. They may also
contact their county clerk to request a Unity Party ballot. Unaffiliated voters may only
vote one ballot. Voters must return their ballots by 7pm on June 30th.
CO Gov Polis announces response plan in response to the new world screwworm.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis yesterday announced a new "response plan" to protect
Colorado's cattle industry from the new world screwworm, which reached South Texas
last week and New Mexico yesterday. Screwworms are parasitic fly larvae that feed on
living tissue. The screwworm is a threat to livestock and is capable of causing extensive
and potentially life-threatening tissue damage to affected animals. Officials say the
Colorado State veterinarian's office is working with The USDA and Colorado Livestock
industry partners to prepare for potential impacts, specifically concerning trade and
interstate movement of livestock. The plan also includes The Department of Agriculture
working to ensure that animals coming from infested zones do not pose a risk to
Colorado livestock. Officials say the screwworm does not pose a food safety risk and
The U.S. Food Supply continues to be safe.
CO DOC announces visitation restrictions except for BCCF lifted yesterday.
The Colorado Department of Corrections announced yesterday that it has lifted visitation
restrictions for prisons across the state, with the exception of The Bent County
Correctional Facility in Las Animas. The CDOC temporarily suspended visitation at all
state correctional facilities following an incident at The Bent County Facility on Saturday
where two inmates were killed and a third was injured. No further information about the
nature of the incident has been provided other than to say that the incident remains under
investigation.
Pedestrian hit by car on US 50 Saturday identified.
46-year-old Robert J. Hepler has been identified as the pedestrian who was pronounced
dead after he was struck by a car on US 50 at Milemarker 312 in Pueblo County around
9:50pm Saturday. According to The Colorado State Patrol, a Chevrolet Trax was
eastbound on US50 when Helpler attempted to cross the highway. Hepler was traveling
southbound across the highway. The Chevy Trax was traveling eastbound. The driver of
The Chevrolet began to brake to avoid a collision, but the car's front struck Hepler,
killing him.
CDOT formally approves comprehensive 10 year plan.
The Colorado Department of Transportation has formally approved its comprehensive
10-year plan for over 250 projects across colorado. The comprehensive plan serves as an
action-oriented investment strategy roadmap, designed to enhance the state's economy,
preserve the quality of life for all residents and ensure a more connected and efficient
transportation network for the next decade. The plan is built around three core pillars:
fix our roads, advance transportation safety, and sustainability increase transportation
choices. For more information on the 10-year plan, and to view the complete project list,
go to www.codot.gov and search on "10-year vision plan".
June 8th 2026
CO Gov Polis signed tamale act into law Thursday.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Thursday signed HB26-1033, the "tamale act" into law
on Thursday. The new law will remove the barriers that existed around selling
homemade food and will allow residents across Colorado to sell temperature-controlled
homemade foods. Homemade food sellers in Colorado now must complete a food safety
course that includes proper food handling, including time and temperature control. Food
sellers must maintain proof of the course completion. Food sellers also may not transport
the food more than once or transport it longer than two hours. The tamale act expands
the cottage food act which allowed the sale of some homemade food items, including
coffee beans and pickles. Food sellers can now sell products that include ingredients
such as butter, milk and meat.
CO DOC suspends visitations at facilities after Bent County incident.
An incident that took place at The Bent County Correctional Facility on Saturday evening
left two inmates dead and injured a third. No members of the jail staff were harmed. No
further information was made available about the incident, however, The Colorado
Department of Corrections has suspended visitations for all inmates in Colorado
indefinitely due to the incident. CDOC says this is a precautionary decision intended to
support department operations and maintain the safety and security of its facilities. There
are no known threats to the surrounding communities at this time. There is currently no
timetable for when visits will be allowed again. The CDOC office of the inspector
general is leading the investigation into the incident at The Bent County facility.
Two fatal car crashes take place in Pueblo County over the weekend.
Two fatal car crashes took place over the weekend in Pueblo County. According to The
Colorado State Patrol, just before 10pm Saturday, troopers responded to a crash between
a pedestrian and a Chevy SUV on Easbound US 50 at Milemarker 312. The pedestrian
was reportedly crossing US 50 when the driver of the SUV began to brake to avoid the
pedestrian, however, the front of the car struck the pedestrian. The 46-year-old died at
the scene. At 11:21pm Saturday, troopers responded to a single-car crash on Colorado
165 at Milemarker 36. A Subaru outback was reportedly traveling eastbound on
Colorado 165 towards Interstate 25 in Colorado City when it failed to make the right-
hand curve, drove across oncoming traffic and drove off the left side of the roadway,
struck a fence and rolled several times. 36-year-old Crystal Case died at the scene.
Rio Grande County S&R rescue overdue hiker last week.
Rio Grande County Search and Rescue was advised of an overdue female hiker on
Wednesday, June 3rd, at approximately 5:20pm. The woman in her 60s from Texas had
left around 7:30am Wednesday to hike the palisade trail. Friends reported her missing
after she did not return at the expected time. Crews searched the area unsuccessfully on
Wednesday evening, then resumed the search early Thursday morning. The woman was
located using a drone and contact was made with her at 12:59pm Thursday in Raven
Park. She was dehydrated, but otherwise was uninjured.
Homicide case against Trinidad man dismissed.
The homicide case against Bill Blatnick, 63, of Trinidad, who was accused of throwing
the alleged victim over a bridge during a fist fight has been dismissed. The 3rd Judicial
District Attorney's Office last week moved to dismiss the case after video evidence
showed the alleged victim, Troy Anthony Gutierrez, 63, of Trinidad, had started the
confrontation, and that the defendant had tried to prevent the fatal fall. The incident took
place in August of 2024.
June 5th 2026
CO Gov Polis issues statewide drought emergency declaration.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has activated phase 3 of The Colorado Drought Response
plan and has issued a statewide drought emergency declaration. The declaration and plan
activation are a result of months of monitoring water and worsening drought conditions
across Colorado. The U.S. Drought Monitor, released yesterday, shows that all 64
counties in Colorado are experiencing at least abnormally dry conditions, and 93% of the
state is in moderate to exceptional drought. With phase 3 activated, the drought task
force will meet regularly to monitor conditions, coordinate inter agency response efforts,
identify unmet needs, elevate local impacts and share drought resources and support.
Besides low snowpack and low streamflows, this water year has also been the warmest
on record in Colorado.
Colorado to soon require apps and online services to verify users approximate age.
Colorado will soon require apps and online services to verify a users approximate age
under a new law signed by Governor Jared Polis yesterday. SB26-051 creates a
statewide framework that sponsors say would shield minors from inappropriate content
while limiting how companies can share age-related data. The new law will require
websites, apps and other online services to ask users for their age or age range and will
transmit that information to the device's app store. The new law also imposes penalties
on developers who have "clear and convincing" evidence that a user is lying about their
age, but still acts as if it is their actual age. The new law takes effect on July 1st of 2028.
Alamosa City Council approves first reading of intergovernmental agreement.
The Alamosa City Council approved the first reading of an intergovernmental agreement
with The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Alamosa County for a required re-
evaluation report of the 6.4-mile long Rio Grande levee system through the city on
Wednesday. An army corps inspection rated the levee as "unacceptable" and removed it
from the federal agency's rehabilitation and inspection program in 2008. The action puts
Alamosa at risk of losing its accreditation from The Federal Emergency management
agency. Rebuilding the Alamosa levee system is expected to cost $25.5 million. City
Council has scheduled a public hearing for June 17th to hear from the community before a
final vote on the agreement is taken.
Las Animas County Coroner's office released autopsy results in April case.
The Las Animas County Coroner's Office last week released the results of the autopsy
for Christina Annette Sanchez, 53, of Trinidad, who was found dead in April. According
to the coroner's office, "the remains were too severely decomposed to identify potential
lethal natural diseases or injuries." Sanchez was found dead to the west of Trinidad in
early April after she went missing in April of last year. She was pronounced dead around
8:30pm on April 7th. The autopsy took place in Pueblo on April 14th. The Coroner's
Office says that its investigation into Sanchez's death is closed "unless additional
information becomes available..."
Alamosa City Crews to begin working intersection safety improvement project.
Beginning on Monday, June 8th, Alamosa City Crews will be working on Victoria
Avenue at the intersection of Stuart Avenue and First Street to install safety
improvements. This project was necessitated by a notable increase in vehicular crashes
and near-miss incidents involving eastbound traffic traveling from Stuart Avenue to First
Street. The planned safety improvements include installing a 3-way stop and eliminating
eastbound movements from Stuart Avenue to First Street and southbound movements
turning east from Victoria Avenue onto First Street. Temporary closures will occur on
Stuart Avenue and First Street. Please plan to use alternate routes during the work
period.
June 4th 2026
CO Gov Polis vetos bill to bar companies from using price/wage-setting algorithm.
Colorado Govenor Jared Polis has vetoed the Democratic-backed HB26-1210, which
sought to bar companies from using a "price or wage-setting algorithm", defined as any
technology that uses statistical modeling, data analytics or artificial intelligence to
analyze "surveillance data". The bill would have prohibited companies from using
personal data to set individualized prices or wages, saying the proposal was overly broad
and could unintentionally restrict legitimate consumer discounts. While the bill included
exemptions for loyalty and discount programs, polis argued that its definitions of
consumer discounts may not go far enough. Polis also noted that another bill he recently
signed into law already addresses some of the issues identified in HB26-1210.
Gov Polis signs bill to conduct lethality assessments into law yesterday.
Governor Jared Polis yesterday signed a bipartisan bill, HB26-1009, into law. The bill
requires law enforcement to conduct "lethality assessments" when responding to
domestic violence incidents and to include that assessment in their report. If the
assessment indicates that the victim is in a high-risk situation, the officer responding is
required to contact a community-based victim's advocate and to give the victim the
opportunity to speak with the advocate. The lethality assessment includes questions
about the frequency of physical violence in the past year, whether there is a gun in the
house, and other questions about drug and alcohol abuse, and is designed to "better
protect survivors from harm". The new law will go into effect on July 1st of 2027.
CBI announces missing Alamosa person found safe yesterday.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced yesterday that it was looking for 27-
year-old Anne Ciccariello of Alamosa who was reported missing on Tuesday. Cicariello
was last seen walking at 8:20pm Tuesday near First Street and Faculty Drive in Alamosa
and was last seen wearing blue hospital scrubs. CBI said law enforcement was concerned
for her safety. CBI reported later yesterday that Ciccariello had been found safe. No
further information about Ciccariello or where she was found was made available.
Fort Carson officials announce safety teams to conduct training exercises this Morning.
Fort Carson officials say that safety teams from butts army heliport and the 4th combat
aviation brigade will conduct an incident response training exercise on base this morning.
An increase in machine-generated smoke and noise is expected. The annual exercise is
expected to last about two hours. The exercise will simulate an incident at the heliport
while also testing response capabilities between civilian and military response units. You
are asked not to call emergency services for smoke during the exercise. If you have a
noise complaint, you can call The Fort Carson Public Affairs Office at 719-526-9849.
CPW announces free fishing weekend this weekend.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife invites resident and non-resident anglers of all ages to
participate in a free fishing weekend this weekend. This Saturday and Sunday, June 6th
and 7th, Colorado fishing license and habitat stamp requirements will be waived, allowing
anyone to fish in Colorado's 6,000 miles of streams and over 1,300 lakes and reservoirs
for free. All Colorado fishing regulations still apply, however, and anglers are required
to follow any posted signage regarding water or fishing closures. Specific events taking
place at state parks throughout Colorado on Saturday are posted on The CPW event
calendar at cpw.state.co.us.
June 3rd 2026
CO Gov Polis signs bill to increase Uber/Lyft customer protections into law yesterday.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis yesterday signed HB26-1424 into law. According to state
lawmakers, the goal of HB26-1424 is to increase protections for people using rideshare
companies like Uber and Lyft. Governor Polis' signature on the bill comes almost one
year after he vetoed a similar bill last year. This year's bill is more lenient on food and
drink, allowing them to be provided under the condition that they are factory sealed.
Another change is that instead of making audio and video recording mandatory, it is
optional on the driver's or rider's request. The law also requires rideshare companies to
do background checks on their drivers every 6 months and to take steps to prevent
imposter drivers, account sharing and account renting.
Hazmat incident near Avondale closed US 50 yesterday.
U.S. 50 was closed near Avondale yesterday for several hours after a tanker-truck rolled
over and caused a hazmat incident. According to The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office,
the incident took place around 11:41am when a tanker truck was making a right turn
when a tire dropped into a ditch, causing it to roll at Milemarker 13, west of Avondale.
there was no immediate danger to the public. Residents living within a mile of the crash
were asked to shelter in place while the spill was cleaned up and the truck was recovered.
The tanker truck was carrying ammonia nitrate, a liquid fertilizer. There are no concerns
about water contamination at this time. No one was injured in the incident. The highway
reopened around 2:25pm.
Monte Vista woman arrested in connection to Salida overdose.
Vanessa Salvio, 34, of Monte Vista, has been arrested in connection with a fatal fentanyl
overdose that took place in Salida in January. According to Salida Police, Salvio was
arrested last week on charges of criminally negligent homicide and theft related to the
January 26th death of Lukas Brown, also of Monte Vista. Investigators say that Brown
died from a fentanyl overdose in a Salida motel room after Salvio provided the drug and
administered it to him. Shortly afterward, brown reportedly experienced a medical
emergency and died despite attempts to save his life. Investigators say that Salvio
admitted to stealing property belonging to Brown from the motel room following his
death. Salvio has been charged in Chaffee County with one count of criminally negligent
homicide and one count of theft.
New measles case reported in Delta County last Saturday.
A new case of measles in a vaccinated child under the age of 5 in Delta County was
reported on Saturday. The new case has no known connections to other measles cases in
the state and no recent history of out-of-state travel. You may have been exposed if you
were at The Delta Health Urgent Care or Delta Health Emergency Center last
Wednesday. Anyone who believes they may have been exposed should monitor for
symptoms for 21 days and avoid public gatherings or high-risk settings. Symptoms
include a fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes and a rash that starts on the face and
then spreads.
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad announces delay to summer season.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has announced that it will postpone the beginning
of its summer season due to drought conditions and elevated wildfire danger. The
railroad, which travels between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico. Was
originally scheduled to open on May 23rd, but will instead postpone its opening until
Tuesday, June 9th. The railroad's grand opening celebration on June 13th will coincide
with Chama Western Heritage Days.
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