KSPK NEWS
March 31st 2026
CO Gov Polis signes social media warrant bill.
Governor Jared Polis signed SB26-011 into law yesterday, giving Colorado law
enforcement faster access to digital evidence by requiring social media companies to
acknowledge and respond to search warrants on a tight timeline. The new law also
requires social media platforms to establish a hotline for Colorado law enforcement to
contact them about new and ongoing search warrants. Platforms will be required to
acknowledge receipt of a search warrant within 8 hours and provide status updates to law
enforcement as the warrant is carried out. Last session, Polis vetoed SB25-086, which
established certain requirements for social media platforms to protect minor users,
including a requirement that the tech companies respond to search warrants within 72
hours. Polis said last year's bill had good intentions, but failed to guarantee the safety of
minors or adults. This year's bill was significantly narrowed and mirrors a policy
enacted in California last summer.
Morphew daughters withdraw motion to get mother's remains back.
The daughters of Suzanne Morphew yesterday withdrew the motion they filed last month
to get their mother's remains back so that her body could be cremated. Their father,
Barry Morphew, is facing a first degree murder charge in connection with Suzanne's
death. A hearing was scheduled yesterday in Alamosa District Court to hear the motion,
however, the motion was withdrawn before the judge could render a decision. No reason
was given as to why the motion was withdrawn. 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne
Kelly was fighting the request arguing that the body is material evidence in the case.
Barry Morphew chose not to take a side in the dispute. Suzanne Morphew's remains will
now stay with the state as evidence. Barry Morphew was indicted by a 12th Judicial
District Grand Jury after Suzanne's remains were found near Moffat in Saguache County.
His trial is scheduled to begin in mid-October.
CBI announces reward in Center death Investigation.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced yesterday, alongside The Saguache
County Sheriff's Office and The Saguache County Board of Commissioners, that a
reward of $2,000 is now being offered for tips that lead to the arrest of the person
responsible for the death of 78-year-old Charles William "bill" Mcclure on December
23rd of last year. Center Police officers found Mcclure dead inside his home off of east
Highway 112 on the morning of December 23rd. Officers responded to the home after
local construction workers reported that they had not seen Mcclure in days. Investigators
are seeking any information regarding suspicious activity between December 19th and
23rd. Tips can be reported anonymously by calling 719-589-4111. If your tip leads to an
arrest, you could be eligible for a $2,000 reward.
Costilla County Commissioners appoint interim County Sheriff yesterday.
Costilla County Commissioners, during a special meeting yesterday, appointed deputy
Joe Smith to the position of interim Costilla County Sheriff. Smith replaces former
sheriff Danny Sanchez, who resigned on Saturday after being indicted on a number of
charges, along with the undersheriff and three deputies. Smith, one other deputy, and an
inmate transportation officer are now the only current employees of the sheriff's office.
Smith will hold the position of sheriff until a new sheriff can be elected later this year.
I-25BL Walsenburg Northlands closure began yesterday.
The Interstate 25 business loop through the north part of Walsenburg, also known as The
Northlands, or mile markers 2.3 to 3, was closed yesterday and will remain closed
through Friday. Crews are installing a stormwater pipe under the roadway, bringing
about the complete closure. Traffic will be detoured onto I-25. Motorists traveling on
north and southbound I-25 will need to use Exit 49 or Exit 50 to access the City of
Walsenburg and West US 160. Full access to businesses along the closure will be
maintained, according to CDOT.
March 30th 2026
CO AG and Gov candidate Weiser secures top line on primary ballot.
Colorado Attorney General, and Gubernatorial Candidate, Phil Weiser earned 90% of
party delegates and secured the top line on the Democratic primary ballot for Governor
for The June 30th primary. The win comes after Weiser delivered a speech at The
Democratic assembly in Pueblo where he highlighted his record against President Trump
and corporations that have taken advantage of Colorado. Democratic Senator Michael
Bennet, announced last week that he had garnered enough valid signatures to become the
first gubernatorial candidate to make the primary ballot this year. Following Bennet's
announcement, Weiser's campaign stepped up the rhetoric and sharply criticized the
three-term senator, saying that Weiser is not relying on out-of-state billionaires to back
his campaign, but is powered by the people of Colorado. Bennet's campaign fired back
saying it was his strong grassroots team that propelled him to be the first candidate to
make the ballot.
Costilla County Sheriff resigned Saturday after indictment.
Costilla County Sheriff Danny Sanchez resigned on Saturday after he was indicted on
Friday. A 12th Judicial District Grand Jury has issued indictments for the sheriff,
undersheriff and three deputies in Costilla County. Costilla County Sheriff Danny
Sanchez and Former Deputy Keith Schultz were indicted on five counts of official
misconduct and one count of abuse of a corpse for their handling of the discovery of
unidentified human remains in the wild horse mesa area in October of 2024. Sergeant
Caleb Sanchez and Deputy Roland Riley were indicted on counts of second and third-
degree assault for use of force in an incident involving a community member having a
mental health crisis. Undersheriff Cruz Soto was also indicted on two counts of failing to
intervene and one count of third-degree assault related to the same incident. The Costilla
County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting today to consider the
appointment of a new county sheriff.
24 fire pre-evacuation status no longer in effect.
The pre-evacuation status for residents within the two-mile radius of Fremont County
Road F45 and Colorado 115 is no longer in effect. Fort Carson fire officials have
reported that the fire is now 86% contained. Officials say that fire crews continue to
patrol and monitor control lines. Officials also remind travelers in the area that they
should proceed with caution while driving on Highway 115 to avoid any distracted
driving while emergency services monitor containment lines. Smoke will still be visible
from the road, but does not require notification to emergency services, according to
officials.
City of Walsenburg boil water advisory lifted Friday night.
The City of Walsenburg announced late Friday night that the boil water advisory for the
city has been lifted. Once chlorine levels were found to be down on Thursday night, the
city sent off water samples to the state to be tested. The boil water advisory was placed
in effect after at least 3 massive leaks were found in Walsenburg's water system,
effectively shutting down the entire system over 2 weeks ago now. The City of
Walsenburg is now considering covering 25% of people's water bills due to the water
main break and the boil order, saying it’s the right thing to do. The Walsenburg City
Council is scheduled to vote on the matter at their meeting on April 7th.
CSU Extension hosting AG business management workshop tomorrow.
CSU Extension is hosting an AG business management workshop tomorrow, March 31st,
and Wednesday, April 1st, at The Rio Grande Water Conservation District, 8805
independence way, in Alamosa. Tomorrow will be "build your own enterprise analysis
with csu extension help from 6 to 8pm. Wednesday from 10:30am to noon will be cow-
calf enterprise budgets, followed by lunch and budgets for potatoes, barley, alfalfa,
quinoa and cover crops. Registration fee is $20. Be sure to preregister today, March 30th.
call Larry or Jennifer at 719-852-7381.
March 27th 2026
CO Gov Polis' office says state needs to open a new prison.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis' office this week told state lawmakers that the state must
immediately move to open a new prison to handle projected growth in inmate numbers.
The Governor's Office presented two options to the joint budget committee. The first, to
purchase and renovate a shuttered private prison in Southern Colorado, namely The
Huerfano County Correctional Center in Walsenburg, which would cost between $150
and $200 million to purchase and renovate. The prison was built in 1997 and closed in
2010. The second option would be to contract with a private prison to reopen a facility
somewhere in the state, such as The Kit Carson Correctional Center in Burlington. It’s
unclear exactly how much that will cost. The Governor's office said if the legislature
doesn't approve spending on a new prison, Colorado would face dire consequences in the
next year.
CO 115 reopened yesterday following 24 fire closure.
Colorado 115 reopened yesterday at 4pm after being closed for over a week due to the 24
fire east of the highway. The highway is expected to remain open, however, drivers are
cautioned that smoke and ash may be encountered in the area. Drivers are asked to
refrain from stopping on the highway to take photos of the fire. Fort Carson officials
announced yesterday that the 24 fire is now 61% contained. There have not been any
reports of the fire increasing in size. Crews yesterday were focusing on efforts to mop up
the fire, and to monitor the fire area, especially along Highway 115.
Human remains found in Costilla County Tuesday.
A hiker in the Sangre De Cristo Ranches area of Costilla County, near Bruce road, found
what they thought was human remains on Tuesday. The person notified The Costilla
County Sheriff's Office, who in turn, notified The Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
CBI agents met up with the sheriff's office and the hiker so that the hiker could show the
agents where the remains were found. CBI agents confirmed that the skeletal remains
were human. The remains have not yet been identified by The Costilla County Coroner.
An extensive search of the area was conducted on Wednesday. The investigation remains
ongoing.
Interview with CO House District 47 Representative Ty Winter.
Continuing today with my conversation with Colorado House District 47 Representative
Ty Winter... I asked Ty about the legislation to place a ballot initiative on November's
ballot to raise the Tabor cap, and his thoughts on that legislation... (cart cut 1). I also
asked Ty about his take on the recently scuttled legislation to legalize prostitution in
Colorado… (cart cut 2) District 47 Representative Ty Winter.
March 26th 2026
Turkey fire sprang to life in Huerfano County yesterday.
What is being called the turkey fire sprang to life yesterday afternoon in the eastern part
of Huerfano County, just south of the Pueblo/Huerfano County line. According to fire
officials, the fire began around 2:22pm yesterday near County Road 122 and Ridge Road
in Huerfano County, to the east of Interstate 25 between Colorado City and Walsenburg
in a sparsely populated area. It appears that the fire began at an area with buildings
before spreading. The fire had burned around 600 acres as of late yesterday and was 80%
contained as of last night. There are currently no evacuations planned or ordered.
Costilla County Chama Canyon fire at 100% containment.
The Chama Canyon fire, which has burned 141 acres in Costilla County, is at 100%
containment. State and local fire crews were called to the fire and worked over the
weekend last weekend with hotshot crews and air tankers to suppress the fire. The San
Luis Valley is currently under a fire weather watch through today. Several other
Wildland Fires were reported south of Alamosa yesterday, but no further information was
provided.
Containment increases on the 24 Fire.
The 24 fire, burning to the east of Colorado 115 in Fremont County and now mostly on
Fort Carson has reached 44% containment as of yesterday. The fire has not increased in
size and remains at 7,385 acres. Even though smoke was visible yesterday, the fire has
remained within its current boundaries. Smoke may be visible again today, due to the
increased heat during the day.
Walsenburg residents remain under boil order.
Walsenburg residents remain under a boil order, nearly 2 weeks after several major
breaks caused an almost complete failure of the city's water system. Crews are still
trying to lower chlorine levels in the water system as they cannot send samples to the
state for testing until those levels drop, so they are encouraging residents to use water.
Once samples can be taken, and the State of Colorado approves the samples, the boil
order will be removed. The city is considering covering a portion of resident's water bills
due to the ongoing water crisis.
Interview with CO House District 47 Representative Ty Winter.
I spoke with Colorado State House District 47 Representative Ty Winter on Tuesday
about bills he is sponsoring in the legislature currently. Ty continues to talk about those
bills... (cart cut 1). District 47 Representative Ty Winter. And we'll have more from Ty
Winter again tomorrow.
March 25th 2026
CPW seeking twice as much in funds this fiscal year as last fiscal year.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is seeking $450,000 in general funds for fiscal year 2026-
27, twice what it spent in 2025, to acquire more wolves, even though the agency has not
identified where the animals will come from. The request comes as Colorado is facing a
projected $1.5 billion shortfall in the general fund budget in next year's spending plan.
Joint budget committee staff had recommended creating a separate budget line beginning
in 2026-27 to clearly show the state's spending on wolf acquisitions. Currently, those
costs are included in a broader wildlife operations line item. CPW has maintained that its
annual wolf report provides sufficient transparency, although the most recent report did
not disclose the cost of acquiring 15 wolves from British Columbia last year. Of the 25
wolves imported to Colorado since 2023, 14 have died, a survival rate of only 44%. The
state’s wolf plan estimated the survival rate at between 70% and 85% in the early years.
Potential cause of the 24 fire released.
The 24 fire burning to the east of Colorado 115 has not grown in size since Sunday Night
and remains at 7,385 acres and was 30% contained as of last night. The fire is believed to
have been "accidental", caused by a vehicle malfunction. No structures have been
damaged or burned according to Fort Carson officials, who have taken control of the fire.
A pre-evacuation notice remains in place in a two-mile radius of County Road F-45 and
Highway 115. While officials say that the fire could continue to burn for several more
days or weeks, they say they do have it under control.
Interview with CO House District 47 Representative Ty Winter.
I had the chance to catch up with Colorado House District 47 Representative Ty Winter
yesterday. Ty talked about some of the bills he's been working on this session... (cart
cut 1) District 47 State Representative Ty Winter. And I'll have more from
Representative Winter tomorrow.
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