The two snowboarders talk about snow conditions and route selection as they drop in, one at a time. Gusting wind is blowing snow across the ridge as they wind between reefy rocks. “Avalanche!” yells Tyler DeWitt as he cranks to a stop below his friend Evan Hannibal. The two watch the slide — captured on […]
Colorado Department of Transportation
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Health, Politics and Government, Transportation
Is Colorado leading or lagging on climate policy? It depends on which states you’re comparing us to.
States from coast to coast – faced with President Donald Trump’s insistence that climate change is “a hoax” – are taking the lead in creating climate policy and programs, and in this multifaceted exercise Colorado is either a leader or a laggard. On the one hand, the state has adopted some of the most ambitious […]
Posted inUncategorized
After a small Colorado city paid cyber attackers a ransom, there’s concern about the rest of the state
If Debbie Wilmot could turn back time, the city of Lafayette would have scanned its computer network regularly. It would have hunted down and plugged holes that tempt cyber prowlers. And there would have been more training sessions to keep cybersecurity awareness high among the town’s 200 employees. The town of about 30,000 people is […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, Environment, News, Politics and Government, Water
College students find $564 solution to the million-dollar problem with Gillette Flats spring in Teller County
Two sophomores at the Colorado School of Mines designed a $564 system to allow an unclaimed but locally beloved artesian spring in Teller County to remain open. Installation not included. That is mostly because getting permission to install the few feet of connecting pipes, a water meter and a self-closing valve is among the last […]
Posted inPolitics and Government, Transportation
Amid budget crunch, Colorado nets much-needed windfall for road projects with strong debt sale
For once, some good budget news. Colorado received a $111 million premium on a debt issuance of $500 million, thanks to strong investor demand for state-issued debt. As a result, budget writers say that $100 million in planned cuts to the Colorado Department of Transportation over the next two years — and some additional cuts […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Transportation
Mount Evans Highway, Independence Pass into Aspen will remain closed because of coronavirus
ASPEN — The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced that Colorado 82 over Independence Pass will remain closed until at least June 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The highway usually opens the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, which would have been May 21 this year. But multiple counties requested the closure be extended to curtail […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Technology
Internet service in western Colorado was so terrible that towns and counties built their own telecom
Internet outages became a distant memory this month as a good chunk of western Colorado turned on a new broadband system. But this wasn’t built by a typical telecom. It took a band of local governments and partners from 14 rural communities to stitch together the 481-mile network, dubbed “Project Thor.” Communities from Aspen to […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Technology, Transportation
How SamSam ransomware took down CDOT and how the state fought back — twice
In the early hours of Feb. 21, 2018, malware began spreading rapidly throughout the Colorado Department of Transportation computer network. As employees turned on their computers, messages popped up on screens that files had been taken hostage. If users wanted them back, they would have to pay — in bitcoin. “The impact was fast and […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Colorado can’t withstand more growth without modernizing our aging bridges and water infrastructure
It’s a new year, new decade and a new legislative session, which also brings fresh opportunities for the state of Colorado. Touching on issues from healthcare to education, thankfully Gov. Jared Polis’ State of the State address also mentioned another hot-button voter issue: infrastructure. However, additional steps must be taken to ensure we have systems […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Culture, Transportation
Polar Express rings in the holiday season, but wide-ranging themes power Colorado tourist trains year round
Nostalgia for trains years ago launched a scenic railroad industry across North America and savvy train owners now are adding themed excursions to extend the business season and bring in new customers Nowhere is that more apparent than in Colorado, where specialty trains have boosted revenues to maintain the rail lines that once served miners […]