June 12th 2026
Senator Bennet's campaign finance case delayed following amended complaint.
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet's campaign finance case has been delayed again following
a Colorado elections division amended complaint, and now won't be heard until after
Colorado's June 30th primary. A campaign-finance complaint alleges that Bennet's
senate committee improperly paid for travel tied to his gubernatorial bid. Four
complaints have been filed against the Bennet campaign. A hearing was set for next
Tuesday, June 16th, however, the Bennet campaign asked for a postponement due to a
scheduling conflict. That was denied last month. But, the elections division filed an
amended complaint, resetting the timeline for the Bennet campaign to submit its
responses. That has set a new hearing date for July 26th. Bennet's campaign is being
criticized for seeking to avoid even an answer to the complaint until after the primary
election.
Bear Fire in Las Animas County now 60% contained.
The Bear Fire, which is burning off of County Road 113.8 and County Road 78.9, east of
US 350, near The Pinon Canyon Maneuver site, is now 60% contained. According to fire
officials, all evacuation orders for the fire have now been lifted. An Arial mapping of the
fire show the size to be 128 acres last night. Officials say the fire was caused by lighting,
with the first crews dispatched to respond at 11am on Wednesday. Currently 80 fire
personnel are working the fire from agencies across the region. Officials expect that they
will begin releasing personnel from the fire today.
Walsenburg City Councilor announces resignation from seat.
Walsenburg City Councilor Ronald Stafford has resigned from his seat representing
Ward 1. Stafford was elected to the council in 2023. Stafford was sworn in on
December 5th, 2023, after he defeated incumbent Jacque Sikes. His four-year term would
have expired next year. In his resignation email, Safford said "please accept this email as
formal notification that I am resigning from my position on the city council...". He wrote
"I have appreciated the opportunity to serve the community, and I wish the council and
the city the very best moving forward". No reason was given for his resignation.
CDOT says teen traffic fatalities reached record high in 2025.
The Colorado Department of Transportation says that traffic fatalities among people ages
15 to 20 in Colorado reached a record high in 2025, with 86 drivers and passengers
killed, a 91% increase in youth traffic fatalities in the past 10 years. During the 100
deadliest days of summer last year, 225 people died on the road, and 16% of them were
between 15 and 20. CDOT says that teens are at the highest risk of crashing within the
first three months after getting their driver's license. CDOT is warning young drivers to
stay vigilant and to follow traffic laws this summer.
CDOT announces double lane closures on I-25 in Colorado Springs.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is planning double-lane closures on
Interstate 25 between 7pm tonight and 6am tomorrow morning. The closures will affect
the interstate between Fillmore Street and Garden of The Gods Road. Traffic will be
reduced to one lane in each direction. For northbound traffic, one lane will close
beginning at 7pm, followed by double lane closures from 10pm to 5am. For southbound
traffic, one lane will close at 8pm with double lane closures from 10pm to 4am. All lanes
are expected to reopen by 6am tomorrow.
June 11th 2026
Fight underway between CO State Legislature and Restore Our Roads coalition.
A fight is underway over a road-funding initiative on the November Ballot and The
Colorado State Legislature. Initiative 175, backed by the coalition "restore our roads",
would require that all transportation-related revenue be used exclusively for building and
repairing roads and bridges, improve safety, conduct transportation planning and
engineering and support The Colorado State Patrol. However, Democratic lawmakers,
claiming that approving the initiative could divert money from services such as health
care and education, introduced and passed HB26-1430, which lowers excise taxes on
fuel, certain registration fees, and road-use fees, which effectively guts-out any funding
for Initiative 175. The new law will only take effect if Initiative 175 is approved by
voters, effectively canceling out the initiative and subverting the will of the people if the
initiative passes. Restore our roads this week rejected legislators' attempts to "force" the
withdrawal of the Initiative by June 15th. Lawmakers say they have made "several good-
faith efforts" to reach a compromise, but all were rejected.
Small plane crash occured east of South Fork Tuesday.
A small plane crashed east of South Fork on Tuesday. According to The Rio Grande
County Sheriff's Office, a report of a plane crash near Shoshone Trail was received at
9:54am on Tuesday, June 10th. Crews arrived to find a small single-engine airplane on
fire in the middle of a field south of Shoshone Trail, east of South Fork. The fire ignited
the surrounding vegetation, resulting in a weed and grass fire that was extinguished by
responding crews. Both occupants of the plane received minor injuries and were able to
de-plane before authorities arrived. One occupant was transported to The Rio Grande
Hospital. The aircraft had taken off from a private airstrip near South Fork. After
experiencing engine power issues, the occupants were attempting to land at Chapman
Field when the crash took place.
Bear Fire broke out in Las Animas County yesterday.
The Bear Fire broke out yesterday afternoon around 1:35pm off of County Road 133.8
and County Road 78.9, in Las Animas County, east of US 350 between La Junta and
Trinidad, near the pinon canyon maneuver site. Evacuations are currently in place for
residents on both sides of County Road 78.9 and Bear Springs Road. The Red Cross has
set up a shelter for evacuees at The Las Animas County Fairgrounds in Trinidad. The
fire was approximately 148 acres with no containment as of 9pm last night. The division
of homeland security and emergency management area field manager is assisting in
fighting the fire.
Girlfriend in Custer County homicide case indicted on felony charges.
Nancy Medina-Kochis, the girlfriend of the man sentenced earlier this year for a 2023
triple homicide in Custer County, has now been indicted on multiple felony charges
related to the case. An 11th Judicial District grand jury returned an indictment against
Medina-Kochis, charging her with three counts of first-degree murder, on count of
attempted first-degree murder, one count of unlawful purchase of a firearm, and one
count of tampering with physical evidence. Medina-Kochis was taken into custody in
New Mexico in November 2023 alongside her boyfriend, Hanme Clark, following the
shooting that left three people dead and one person injured. Clark was found guilty of the
murders earlier this year and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences.
Pueblo woman killed in hit and run crash yesterday morning.
A Pueblo woman was killed early yesterday morning by a hit-and-run driver. According
to Pueblo Police, Leann R. Lucero, 31, of Pueblo was pronounced dead at the scene after
being struck by a vehicle along Northern Avenue about 2:30am yesterday. The vehicle
had left the area, but was located by police. 25-year-old Dahir Ortiz Espinoza was
arrested later yesterday and was charged with vehicular homicide, failure to remain at the
scene of a fatal crash, failure to report a fatal crash, reckless driving and DUI.
Deadly multi-vehicle accident closed US 160 over La Veta Pass yesterday.
US 160 over La Veta Pass was closed for about 4 hours yesterday due to a double-fatal,
multi-vehicle accident near Milemarker 279. According to Huerfano County Emergency
Management, the highway was closed in both directions due to the accident that occurred
around 4:56pm yesterday. Four vehicles were involved, including a pickup truck and
semi. Two people were killed in the accident and two additional people received serious
injuries and were transported to the hospital via flight for life. The highway reopened
around 9pm last night. No further information was available last night.
June 10th 2026
CO Gov Polis signs bill passed in reaction to USDOE order into law.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis last week signed HB26-1226 into law, a bill passed in
reaction to orders from The U.S. Department of Energy to keep older coal-fired electrical
power plants online. The new law requires installation of modern pollution controls and
cost reporting for any Colorado coal-fired power plants that continue operating beyond
their planned retirement dates. The new law also directs the public utilities commission
to support resource planning consistent with state clean energy goals. Supporters argued
that the legislation is necessary amid the federal government's push to preserve the coal
industry, which they say is an overreach. Critics say this is just another in a long line of
policies that go after energy sources that are stable and adds to a pattern of state policies
that penalize existing reliable generation before adequate replacements are available.
Custer County Secondary School Principal and Superintendent have resigned.
Custer County Secondary School Principal Ren Olson and Custer County School District
Superintendent Kyle Hebberd have unexpectedly resigned from their positions. Olson
says she is resigning to spend more time with family, citing her age and being almost 70
years old as the reason for her sudden departure. Hebberd announced his resignation
effective at the end of June due to unforeseen family health issues. Hebberd's contract
had been renewed earlier this year. The resignations come at a time when about a quarter
of the existing district staff is leaving, retiring, or did not have their contracts renewed.
Inmates killed at Bent County CF on Saturday identified.
The names of the inmates killed at The Bent County Correctional Facility in Las Animas
on Saturday are Charles Gates and Michael Fisher. No specific details on the incident
that took place at the prison were given. Gates was serving a nine-year sentence for car
theft, burglary and drug possession. He was eligible for parole in April. Fisher was
serving a life sentence without parole for the murder of Denise Ray Turner in 1996. A
third inmate has been hospitalized but is still alive.
CDOT announces new resurfacing project along US 350 next week.
The Colorado Department of Transportation announced yesterday that a new resurfacing
project along US 350 will begin next week. The resurfacing will take place between
County Road 9 and County Road 24, in Otero County, just southwest of La Junta. Work
will take place from sunup to sundown, Monday through Friday, with single-lane
closures and reduced speed limits through the work zone. Delays of up to 15 minutes
should be expected. Crews will also install new rumble strips, erosion-control and road-
sign replacement.
EPA and CDPHE to hold public Q&A period today in Creede.
The Environmental Protection Agency and The Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment will hold a public question and answer period this afternoon from 3 to
5pm regarding the coming commodore waste rock pile project near Creede. Crews are
planning to repair and stabilize the commodore waste rock pile between July and
September to help protect tourists and others traveling on bachelor loop and to prepare
the area for future nelson tunnel cleanup work planned for the fall. The meeting will be
held at San Juan Sports and The Sunny Side Bar in Creede.
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