The sky was dark and rumbling at my house for a couple of hours yesterday, the kind of brewing storm that seemed like a downpour was imminent. But nope. It was a lot of bluster and only a few drops.
Meanwhile, in western Colorado, there was an actual fire tornado as wind fueled the now 113,000-acre blaze near Meeker. It’s August in the West, and every year, it brings me back to 1988 when Montana was on fire and our cabin in the woods burned to a pile of ash.
The rains will come, the air will turn crisp and it will snow in the mountains in another month or so. For now, we’ve got updates on that Meeker fire, the federal budget’s effects on Colorado and an interesting e-bike survey.
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THE NEWS
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Colorado tax revenue was especially susceptible to changes in the “big, beautiful bill.” Here’s why.
Colorado is one of just four states that use federal taxable income to determine how much people pay in state taxes. This is an issue when it comes to how much the state budget will be impacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Jesse Paul explains.
WILDFIRE
Lee fire tops 113k acres as firefighters in northwestern Colorado start to gain containment
Firefighters were able to gain initial containment on the two wildfires burning near Meeker, but not before the Lee fire more than doubled since Thursday. We’ll have more updates today (as of late Sunday night it topped 113,000 acres), but right now, the Lee fire is the fifth-largest wildfire in state history. The Elk fire is about 30% contained. David Krause has more from the weekend developments.
WATER
$2B northern Colorado dam complex losing its largest customer as Fort Collins-Loveland drops out
Fort Collins-Loveland Water District was intended to be the largest water buyer by far for a long-troubled $2 billion northern Colorado dam and pipeline complex. Now, it’s dropping out of the project, Michael Booth reports.
NEWS
Colorado e-bike survey shows rebate users cutting car trips, still facing weather and street challenges
34,000
People who applied for Colorado’s $10 million e-bike rebate program. About 8,000 make it through the application process.
Thousands of Coloradans who received state rebates for buying an e-bike say they are cutting out at least two car trips each week, for some even more. About 3,100 people responded to a state survey, and as Michael Booth reports, at least a third are using their e-bikes to replace shorter car trips during a week.
HEALTH
Trainee doctors allege the University of Colorado retaliated against them over union demand
The CU Housestaff Association, which represents doctors in training at the University of Colorado, filed a complaint alleging that as soon as the association announced its goal to unionize, the university broke off long-running discussions on a document that would have codified the association’s relationship with the school. John Ingold has more on the complaint.
OUTDOORS
After defeating plan to sell public land, coalition of Colorado advocates keeps up the fight
For decades, a patchwork of advocacy groups dedicated to one facet of public lands or another have tried — and largely failed — to come together and agree on something. Jason Blevins reports on how that diverse group of causes came together to oppose Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell off public lands — and how Colorado groups are working to keep these new allies working together.
TECHNOLOGY
What’s Working: Google fiber skips public funding, expands gigabit internet in Colorado
Google’s fiber internet business, now renamed GFiber, is on an expansion run around the Denver metro area — including a major new expansion into unincorporated Douglas County. And as Tamara Chuang reports in this week’s What’s Working column, they’re doing it without the federal support recently revoked by the Trump administration.
COLORADO SUNDAY
Open space vs. safety: The debate goes nuclear at eager-to-please Rocky Flats
Is Rocky Flats dangerous? Or is the better question “does anyone care?” Michael Booth breaks down the past (the manufacture of 70,000 plutonium “buttons” that were each as powerful as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima) and the future (a rare wide-open green space nestled amid a fast-growing metro area) of Rocky Flats in this week’s Colorado Sunday feature.
Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE COLORADO REPORT
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Section by David Krause | Editor
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