More than $6.5 million was wagered on table tennis matches in Colorado in May, accounting for about a quarter of the state’s first month of sports betting. Gamblers shelled out a total of $25.6 million in sports bets in May as they contended with a shutdown of professional American sports because of the coronavirus crisis. […]
Colorado Water Plan
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Protecting Colorado’s rivers and water is investing in our future
As Coloradans know, exploring the great outdoors is an essential cornerstone of our quality of life and with many of us confined to our homes during this spring’s shelter-in-place order we’re seeing people craving the freedom and tranquility of nature more than ever. Right now this means enjoying the trails, rivers and streams that are […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government, Water
The closure of Colorado coal-fired powerplants is freeing up water for thirsty cities
Colorado’s rapid switch to renewable energy is having a surprising side effect: The closure of coal-fired power plants is freeing up precious water. Any newfound source of water is a blessing in a state routinely stricken by drought and wildfire, where rural residents can be kept from washing a car or watering a garden in […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Water
Water is Colorado’s most critical resource. So why isn’t it central to every local land-use decision?
In the early 1980s, the small city of Woodland Park started strategically planning how to protect its water supply for the future. “Because we have all junior water rights and a limited water supply, we knew we must be very careful about how we grow,” said Sally Riley, planning director for Woodland Park, which is […]
Posted inColoradans, Environment, Outdoors
Determining how much water Colorado’s snowpack will yield is an inexact science, but researchers persist
On a sunny April day at the tail end of last winter, Jeff Deems, a researcher at the Boulder-based National Snow and Ice Data Center, and Nathan Elder, the water supply manager for Denver Water, used snowshoes to reach a point high above the Blue River in Summit County. There they dug a pit, which […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Sports betting won’t generate any money for Colorado’s water needs in first year, new analysis says
When Colorado voters OK’d Proposition DD last month, they were told sports betting would deliver millions in tax revenue toward solving the state’s water problems. But a new analysis from the Polis administration shows that likely won’t happen in the first full year of wagering. The Division of Gaming expects sports betting, which starts in […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, Health, News, Politics and Government, Water
U.S. water chief praises Colorado River deal, but she also sees challenges
By Ken Ritter, The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — States in the U.S. West that have agreed to begin taking less water next month from the drought-stricken Colorado River got praise and a push for more action Thursday from the nation’s top water official. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman told federal, state and […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Environment, Politics and Government
Agriculture is part of the climate change problem. Colorado wants farmers’ soil to be part of the solution.
When Daniel Fullmer founded Tierra Vida Farm in 2015, he had two main priorities for his two-acre plot nestled at the base of the rugged San Juan Mountains: soil health and profitability. “Within the current paradigm of input-based agriculture, where nationally we rely on a tremendous amount of fertilizers and pesticides, we use the soil […]
Posted inEnvironment, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Colorado may legalize sports betting with Prop. DD. But a different gambling expansion didn’t make it.
In an overwhelming bipartisan vote, the General Assembly agreed to put a question before voters Tuesday to legalize sports betting. But in a little-noticed vote in this year’s legislative session, top Colorado lawmakers rejected a different request to expand state-sanctioned gambling. Colorado Voter Guide 2019: What you need to know about propositions CC and DD […]
Posted inUncategorized, Water
Here’s what you need to know about Colorado’s water plan before voting on Proposition DD
When then-Gov. John Hickenlooper set out to create Colorado’s first comprehensive water plan in 2013, he called the chasm between the state’s water supply and its demand “real and looming.” Colorado’s water supply is already struggling to meet the demands of a growing state today. By 2050, Colorado is expected to add another 3 million […]