April 28th 2026
CO State Supreme Court ruled on legislature's consumer protections bill yesterday.
The Colorado State Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the legislature's consumer
protections requiring insurance companies to take certain steps before they allege a policy
holder failed to cooperate do not apply to any obligation specifically laid out in the
policy. The state legislature, in 2020, changed state law to limit insurance companies'
ability to assert a failure-to-cooperate defense when they are sued for withholding
benefits. Among other things, an insurer must give a policyholder time to address any
specifically identified failures to cooperate in the claim investigation. The plaintiff
argued that the law captures an insurer's allegation of noncooperation across the board,
including obligations laid out in the insurance policy. The insurance companies argued
that extending the law's protections to cover things the policyholder is already aware of
would spawn unnecessary legal disputes. The State Supreme Court sided with the
insurance companies in a 6-1 ruling.
4th wolf depredation this year confirmed by CPW.
The 4th wolf depredation incident this year has been confirmed by Colorado Parks and
Wildlife in Pitkin County. According to CPW the depredation took place on April 23rd.
One calf was killed. No claim has yet been submitted. The wolf in question is one of the
introduced gray wolves and the depredation is the first kill of the wolf's biological year,
which CPW tracks from April 2026 to March of 2027. This is, however, the fourth
depredation of calendar year 2026. A cow was killed on February 20th in Pitkin County.
A dog was killed on February 7th in Jackson County. and, 11 sheep were killed in a
January 24th depredation incident in Rio Blanco County. No claims have yet been
submitted for any of the 2026 gray wolf depredation events. Claimants have 90 days to
file paperwork for CPW reimbursement unless they opt to delay until the end of the year.
CPW announced in Janaury that it will not translocate any more gray wolves this season.
Poitry Canyon Fire increased in size yesterday.
The Poitrey Canyon Fire burning near Kim in Southeastern Colorado grew to 2,113 acres
yesterday and remains at 0% containment. According to firefighters, high winds on
Sunday increased fire behavior, but firefighters were able to hold the flames within the
fire area, with interior pockets continuing to burn. Growth was limited to the
northwestern edge of the fire where rugged terrain aligned with shifting winds. Air
resources continue to assist firefighters, and rain was expected to help with containment
efforts.
Thril seekers once again wreaking havoc on mountain roadways.
Thrill seeking motorists are once again wreaking havoc on mountain roadways.
According to The Custer County Sheriff's Office, 3 separate accidents, all due to
excessive speed, took place on Sunday April 19th in the hardscrabble area of Colorado 96
and 165. A corvette traveling 104 miles per hour on the S-curves on hardscrabble at mile
marker 17 was the first casualty. Two other crashes about the same time involved
motorcyclists. Locals say motorcyclists often travel at over 100 miles per hour on the
highways, and a group of mini coopers was also noted traveling over the speed limit.
Thrill seekers are being asked to slow down. The life you save may be your own.
Fort Carson officials alerting public to increased military traffic.
Fort Carson officials are alerting the traveling public to increased traffic on several state
highways due to around 1,400 military vehicles traveling in convoys from Fort Carson to
The Pinon Canyon Maneuver site northeast of Trinidad. The following routes will be
affected beginning May 3rd and running through May 7th: From Fort Carson, east on
Colorado 94, then south on Colorado 71, to Pinon Canyon. And also, from Fort Carson,
south on Interstate 25, then east on US 350, to Pinon Canyon. Motorists are urged to
exercise caution when driving near military vehicles, maintain a safe distance, and avoid
merging into convoys.
April 27th 2026
CO State legislators introduce Bill to increase legislature/court security.
Responding to a string of high-profile attacks nationwide and growing safety concerns
inside Colorado's courthouses and capitol, State legislators introduced House Bill 26-
1422 last week, a bill that would dramatically expand protections for elected officials,
staff and judicial employees. The bill would establish an administrator of legislative
safety, a law enforcement officer who would serve as a point of contact for members and
employees of The General Assembly to discuss matters of personal safety and work
alongside The Colorado State Patrol. The measure also includes provisions regarding
members of the judicial branch and orders the creation of a courthouse security task force
and requires sheriffs to adopt the recommended standards established by that task force.
The bill is scheduled to be heard by the house state, civic, veterans and military affairs
committee today.
Co-owner of RTN Funeral home sentenced Friday.
Carie Hallford, one of the owners of the now-defunct return to nature funeral home in
Penrose, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, followed by 1 year of parole on Friday.
The state sentence will run concurrently to her federal sentence. Carie Hallford, along
with her husband Jon Hallford, were arrested in October of 2023 after 189 bodies were
found improperly stored in their funeral home. Victims said that Carie Hallford handled
the client-facing side of the business, including taking payments and handing off fake
cremains in urns. Carie Hallford took a plea deal in the state case, pleading guilty to
abuse of a corpes. The deal was accepted last December. She was facing a sentence of
25 to 35 years in prison. Carie Hallford was also ordered to pay $68,360.18 in restitution.
She is currently appealing her federal plea deal.
Poitry Canyon Fire broke out in Las Animas County Friday.
The Poitry Canyon Fire broke out in Las Animas County on Friday, burning northwest of
Kim. The fire had burned 2,065 acres as of last night with 0% containment. Governor
Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for the fire, directing the department of public
safety and its divisions of homeland security and emergency management and fire
prevention and control to assume control of the fire efforts. The Colorado Division of
Fire Protection and Control assumed control of the fire yesterday. Single-engine air
tankers, large air tankers and helicopters have been reportedly assisting fire crews in
fighting the fire. No injuries have been reported thus far and no evacuation orders have
been issued for the fire.
El Pomar Foundation approves grant for scseed in Saguache.
The El Pomar Foundation has approved a $5,000 grant through the foundation’s
competitive application process for scseed in Saguache for general operating support.
scseed, or Saguache County sustainable environmental and economic development, has
sponsored many community organizations and efforts to create a better life in Saguache
County. Scseed helps in planning strategies, facilitating community meetings, surveys
and data collecting, writing grants, building partnerships and networking across The San
Luis Valley and beyond. The El Pomar Foundation is one of the larges and oldest private
foundations in Colorado.
Body of Chaffee County Hunter discovered on Saturday.
The body of 27-year-old Kaden Sites was discovered on Saturday near Tabeguache Creek
in Chaffee County. According to The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, Sites body wasfound in a
wilderness area about 1-1/2 miles from his truck. Sites had gone turkey
hunting near Mount Shavano around 1:30pm on April 15th, and was expected back the
same afternoon. A search for sites has been going on for the past 10 days. Foul play is
not suspected and the cause of death has not yet been released.
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