The Pueblo Chieftain
Another Aspen Acres Fire lawsuit seeks damages
Well before Colorado fire investigators identified an aspen tree falling onto an electrified power line on June 29 as the cause of the Aspen Acres Fire, several lawsuits had already been filed alleging that San Isabel Electric Association (SIEA) was...
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Aspen Acres Fire cause determined
More than three months after the start of the Aspen Acres Fire, Colorado fire investigators have determined what sparked one of the largest and most destructive wildfires in state history. In a report obtained by the Chieftain through an open records...
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In their own words
Aaron Gutierrez is a local attorney running as a Democrat to represent all of Pueblo County in the Colorado State Senate District 3 seat. Pueblo County has historically been a Democratic stronghold, but has become more purple in recent years. In the...
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REBRANDING NICOTINE
An ironic development emerging alongside the “Make America Healthy Again” movement is the portrayal of nicotine as a wellness and performance-enhancing product. Across social media, podcasts, wellness communities and tech startups, prominent wellness...
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New video shows fatal police shooting
Editors’ note: The Pueblo Police Department critical incident briefing video embedded in this story online contains graphic language and footage that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. A man who was shot and killed by...
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Expect AI-generated political ads to increase
Tensions heightened in the race for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District between Rebecca Cooke, a Democrat, and Republican incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden on Sept. 30 when Cooke sent Van Orden a cease-and-desist letter directing him to stop posting...
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Pueblo D70 starts over on board appointment
A district court ruling and a dropped appeal may result in four Pueblo County School District 70 board candidates being reinterviewed for a vacant seat. In a 3-1 vote on Oct. 6, the board opted to abandon its appeal in the suit filed by the three...
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‘Murder. I killed him’
A Pueblo West woman was found guilty on Oct. 6 of killing her 3-year-old son. Following a three-week jury trial, Samantha Kimberly was convicted of firstdegree murder and two counts of child abuse in the June 8, 2024, death of the toddler. During...
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Driver in DUI crash sentenced to probation
A Pueblo woman was given 10 years of probation on Oct. 2 after striking and killing a motorcyclist while driving under the influence in May 2025. Christina Herrera, 49, pleaded guilty in July to vehicular homicide, a Class 3 felony, in connection with...
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More than $18M earmarked for post-fire flood protection
Pueblo County and other Colorado communities still reeling from this summer’s wildfires and ongoing flooding are getting additional state support to aid in their long-term recovery. The state recently announced it will cover 75% of the local cost...
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‘A lot of blame, accountability, and problem solving’
The Pueblo Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution on Oct. 1 to demote Chief Financial Officer Craig McBrain. McBrain remains an employee of the county’s Budget and Finance Department and is “expected to compete for a lower level position...
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‘How sport can bring people together’
An October film screening at the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center will be a homecoming for Pueblo native Katie Stjernholm. The Centennial High School alumna produced “Champions of the Golden Valley,” an award-winning film documenting the...
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PUMPING PRICES
President Donald Trump’s move to reduce the sticker shock on new cars by rolling back federal economy rules could end up costing most drivers more money in fuel costs than they would save on new vehicles, according to analysis from Trump’s own Highway...
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Family-friendly fun this spooky season
As summer turns into fall and the leaves change colors, the Pueblo area is getting into the spirit of Halloween. The month of October features numerous events and activities for kids and families, including a Halloween Bash at a local children's...
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Pueblo museum gets a rare F-14 Tomcat
The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum is now one of just a few museums in the country to feature the “triple threat” display of the F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, and F-16 Fighting Falcon, according to Jeannie Sandidge, the museum’s president. With the recent...
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Man killed at Lake Pueblo identified
A 41-year-old man killed in a wakeboarding accident at Lake Pueblo State Park on Sept. 27 was identified Monday as a decorated off-duty officer with the Pueblo Police Department. Cpl. Stephen Biggs, a 16-year Pueblo PD veteran, was reported missing...
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Who’s on County ballot in 2026?
It may not be a presidential election year, but a significant number of federal, state and local races are on the November 2026 ballot in Pueblo County. An “everything ballot” provided by Pueblo County government shows two elections for federal...
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Layoffs loom for county workers
A wave of layoffs is likely coming for Pueblo County employees. During a Sept. 24 work session, the Pueblo Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) discussed cutting between 5% and 15% of the total county payroll to address the county’s ongoing budget...
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Fall foliage fail?
The first signs of autumn have arrived in Colorado and the seas of green that dominate millions of acres of Colorado forests are already being overtaken by waves of gold. Hikers, photographers, and all forms of “leaf peepers” will soon be headed to...
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New report alleges censorship at colleges
A “widespread, McCarthyite censorship” campaign by the Trump administration led to the suppression of speech at colleges and universities across the nation, a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International concluded. The...
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‘For some reason, (it) is really rare’
A mysterious artifact stored by the Pueblo Heritage Museum for many years has grown into an international research effort, just in time for spooky season. The artifact is a late 19th-century horse-drawn hearse — a carriage that little is known about...
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FEMA rejects additional funding for fire damage
Colorado secured a Major Disaster Declaration for the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain earlier this month, but additional portions of the state’s request were recently denied by the federal government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied the...
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Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival wraps 3-day run
The smell of roasted chiles and the sounds of live music permeated downtown Pueblo throughout the weekend as thousands of people gathered on Union Avenue for the 32nd annual Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival. The three-day celebration that honors...
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INSIDE, 5A
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 | CHIEFTAIN.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
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This summer was Pueblo’s second hottest in history
The summer of 2026 was the second hottest in Pueblo’s history, with 19 days above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and an average daily temperature of 77.5 degrees. While this summer was well below the scorching highs seen during Pueblo’s hottest summer of...
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Report details issues at Alligator Alcatraz
Detainees at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz lived in cramped metal cages, drank dirty water, showered in bug-infested bathrooms and were subjected to inhumane daily conditions, an inspection of the facility found. The Department of Homeland Security’s...
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Chile & Frijoles Festival returns to Downtown Sept. 18
Pueblo’s spiciest event returns this week as the 2026 Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival is set to take over downtown Pueblo. The three-day celebration, which started in September 1994, begins Sept. 18 and honors Pueblo’s signature crop, the Pueblo...
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Breaking down what led to Pueblo’s sewage spill
An old concrete patch used to repair a hole in a Pueblo wastewater pipe that ultimately failed and leaked millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Arkansas River in late August was unknown to the city wastewater department prior to the...
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No incentive for da Vinci Museum
A five-member Pueblo City Council majority struck down an $885,000 halfcent sales tax incentive for the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of North America on Sept. 14. The ordinance, championed by Mayor Heather Graham, would have funded building signage,...
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NEW LEASE ON LIFE
The McLaughlin Building in Downtown Pueblo is getting a new lease on life. The long-shuttered building in the Union Avenue Historic District is set to be restored after funding was secured through a large grant from the Colorado Historical Foundation...
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‘Producers have done everything they can’
Despite a 4.2 million-gallon sewage spill into the Arkansas River, state officials say Lower Arkansas Valley produce like Pueblo chiles and Rocky Ford melons is considered safe to eat this fall. Robert Sakata, senior advisor to the commissioner with...
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State fair sees nearly 80K more people than 2025
Nearly 80,000 more people attended the Colorado State Fair in 2026 than in 2025, marking an 18% increase and the fair’s second-highest attendance in the past 15 years. A total of 507,970 people attended Southern Colorado’s largest annual celebration...
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25th anniversary of 9/11 commemorated
NEW YORK – As the United States marked 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Americans across the country gathered to honor the nearly 3,000 people who perished and reflect on the day that forever changed the nation. A quarter-century...
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A GENERATION OF AFTERSHOCK
Aquarter-century later, 9/11 still echoes. h The worst terrorist attack in U.S. history has been followed by other seismic events, from a once-in-a-century global pandemic to the rise of artificial intelligence that is transforming commerce, education...
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Creme come true
Nick’s Dairy Creme enters a new era after being sold to native East Siders who grew up only a few blocks from the local ice cream shop. David and Ieshia Jiron took ownership of Nick’s Dairy Creme, 528 E. Eighth St., on Aug. 28. David, a U.S. Marine...
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2026 Colorado State Fair wraps up local 11-day run
The 2026 Colorado State Fair concluded its 11-day run in Pueblo on Sept. 7, with this year’s event celebrating the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In addition to...
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Federal recovery funding approved
President Donald Trump has approved public assistance for Colorado’s Major Disaster Declaration request to support Pueblo, Custer and Ouray counties as they recover from the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain fires. The request also covers some of the...
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Iran aims to tackle economic issues
DUBAI – Iran said it will step up efforts to tackle problems created by the U.S. sanctions that are crippling its economy, while a senior Iranian official warned of a “painful response” if it comes under further attack. Six months after U.S.-Israeli...
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Inspiring instructor
Pueblo School District 60’s 2025-26 Elementary School Teacher of the Year is another step closer to Colorado’s top honor for teachers. Arjun Sahdev, a fifth-grade teacher at Minnequa Elementary in his sixth year of teaching after coming to the school...
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‘Once in a while, problems happen’
About a week after millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Arkansas River through a defective wastewater pipe, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and state and local leaders met at Pueblo’s Confluence Park to discuss a path forward. Approximately...
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Food truck’s bite-worthy brisket wows CO governor
Pueblo’s own Double D’s BBQ took home the top prize at the Colorado State Fair’s Governor’s Harvest Table on Sept. 1. The local barbecue food truck run by co-owners Elmer “Chico” and Jaymi Chavez served smoked brisket made with Colorado beef, wowing...
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‘Turning up the fun’
Set to once again be the most popular day at the Colorado State Fair, the colorful pageantry of Fiesta Day returns to Pueblo on Sunday, Sept. 6. Colorado State Fair Fiesta Committee President Susan Huertas told the Chieftain that the people of...
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‘It’s up to the voters’
Members of the Front Range Passenger Rail District’s Board of Directors voted 14-1 to refer its Colorado Connector (CoCo) funding measure to the November ballot during an Aug. 28 meeting inside Pueblo County’s Transportation Technology Center...
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Defective pipe spews raw sewage into river
An accidental sewage discharge reported by the city of Pueblo on Aug. 27 spewed approximately 4.25 million gallons of raw sewage into the Arkansas River, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Testing by the Pueblo...
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Victims of fire still dealing with aftermath
Two months after the Aspen Acres Fire destroyed almost 300 homes in Pueblo County alone, the road to recovery from the fire and subsequent flooding in the Beulah Valley may take years. The total cost of the wildfire in property damage alone is...
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Cup of care &ambition
In 1973, Dolly Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” to soften the blow of leaving her business partner Porter Wagoner after years of producing hit country duets together. Parton was ready to pursue a solo career. So she played the song for Wagoner to...
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‘DEVASTATING’
Amid devastating flash flooding and debris flows in Aspen Acres Fire burn scar areas, Pueblo County commissioners are urging residents to “remain vigilant and take flooding seriously.” The community of Beulah, in particular, has experienced extreme...
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3 proposed sales tax ballot measures denied
Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham proposed four sales tax increasing measures in July, but only one will appear on the ballot in November. Pueblo City Council voted down three of the four measures’ appearance on the ballot – each presented as a 0.25%...
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Colorado seeks federal aid to support recovery
With Colorado still reeling from two devastating wildfires and destructive subsequent flooding in three counties, Gov. Jared Polis has requested aid from President Donald Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Polis officially requested a...
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PUEBLO OFFICER CLEARED IN DEATH
Editor’s note: This story includes a screenshot from Pueblo police camera footage showing a shoplifting suspect being struck by a police vehicle. Viewer discretion is advised. The 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has determined Pueblo police...
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‘We should be able to support both’
Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham and a former promoter of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of North America do not see eye to eye on how the museum should be funded. Graham held a press conference on Aug. 20 to advocate for Pueblo City Council to approve an...
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‘You’re not alone’
More than a decade after their son’s death, the parents of Isaiah Vialpando are creating a support group for Pueblo families of murder victims. h “When Isaiah was first killed, we went to a support group called the Parents of Murdered Children, and...
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Midterms are key to Social Security’s fate
Odds for Social Security reform may have dimmed after Aug. 11, when one of the program’s biggest champions lost his primary. But advocates say this only highlights the importance of November’s midterm elections. Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut,...
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Signs of slowdown continue for residential real estate market
On the heels of a sluggish June, Pueblo’s residential real estate market had another down month in July. “The Pueblo County single-family home market is showing some interesting signs of a slowdown in 2026,” David Ramirez, a local real estate agent...
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Mission Foods closing its Pueblo tortilla plant
Ninety employees are being laid off as the Mission Foods tortilla plant at 2110 Santa Fe Drive in Blende has ceased operations and is scheduled to close in October. The total closure of the plant, which has operated in Pueblo County since 1994, is...
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Planner earns national honor for transportation planning
Eva Cosyleon, the manager of the Pueblo Metropolitan Planning Organization, recently received national recognition for her work in transportation planning. Cosyleon was selected for an honorable mention in the 2026 Rising Professional Awards by the...
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‘Our hearts are heavy’
A man was killed Aug. 16 after being swept away by fast-moving floodwaters following heavy rain in the Beulah Valley and Aspen Acres burn scar. Henry R. Humphreys, 80, was standing outside near the intersection of Colorado Highway 78 and Central...
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‘An outstanding choice’
Former All-Pro linebacker Karl Mecklenburg is coming to Pueblo to serve as the grand marshal of the Colorado State Fair Parade on Aug. 29. Mecklenburg spent his entire NFL career with the Denver Broncos. He racked up 1,118 tackles and 79 sacks between...
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Judge says school board violated law
A Pueblo judge has invalidated the controversial appointment of a Pueblo County School District 70 Board of Education director after finding the board violated Colorado Open Meetings Law by failing to provide public notice of her appointment. On Aug....
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Could mysterious object be Earhart’s plane?
What happened to Amelia Earhart? That question has eluded countless researchers, biographers and devoted enthusiasts for almost 90 years. Over the decades, researchers have scanned swaths of the ocean floor, traversed remote islands and scoured...
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‘Creates this unique kind of community’
Pueblo School District 60 students, staff and community members gathered on Aug. 12 to usher in a new era for the west side of Pueblo as the district cut the ribbon on Hyde Park Precollegiate Middle School, 2500 W. 18th St. A middle school serving...
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Fair food competition to feature 3 local food trucks
The annual Governor’s Plate food truck competition at the Colorado State Fair is evolving this year, but Pueblo food trucks will once again have a strong presence at the competition. The Governor’s Table – a twist on the annual food truck competition...
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Suicide Memory Walk to raise awareness
Genevieve and Rodney Gonzales’s son Jacob was 20 years old when he took his own life in November 2022. After his death, his parents sought to create a lasting legacy for their son by founding an annual Suicide Memory Walk. “I was in prayer one night,...
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Evacuations cleared
All Aspen Acres Fire evacuations have officially been cleared, vegetation is returning to the burn scar, and the firefighting presence on the seventhlargest wildfire in Colorado history continues to scale down. As of Aug. 10, the fire that began June...
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‘A really educated audience’
Weeks away from a scheduled vote on whether or not to refer a November ballot question, Front Range Passenger Rail District officials stopped in Pueblo for a town hall on Aug. 6. The district is contemplating a November 2026 ballot question proposing...
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COME ONE, COME ALL
Tourism contributed $29.2 billion to Colorado’s economy last year, and travel activity in Pueblo resulted in the Home of Heroes generating $41 million worth of lodging gross sales. A Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce news release reported that Pueblo...
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Reports: U.S. missile supply badly depleted
The war on Iran has severely depleted key U.S. missile stockpiles and left the nation and its allies in a vulnerable position for potentially years to come, several experts and reports say. U.S. missile stockpiles were low before President Donald...
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Free concerts, acts on tap at Colorado State Fair
From a strongman show and a chile cookoff to free live music, the upcoming Colorado State Fair is set to offer families more than a quarter-million dollars’ worth of entertainment for just the price of admission. This year’s fair, which begins Aug. 28...
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2026 Riverfest event to showcase extreme sports
About 8,000 guests are anticipated at the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo for a free event on Aug. 15. Riverfest, an annual celebration of extreme sports, will take place from 1 to 9 p.m. After hosting its inaugural event in 2022, Riverfest 2026...
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Pueblo sets all-time heat record for month
Coming off the seventh hottest July in its recorded history, the Pueblo area is off to a blistering hot start in August. Pueblo saw its hottest August day on record Aug. 3 — a sweltering 107 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather...
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Aspen Acres Fire now 67% contained at 101,961 acres
The response to the Aspen Acres Fire continues to scale down as the fire remains just under 102,000 acres with 67% containment. In a daily fire update posted Aug. 3 by Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3, officials said fire management...
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‘We just want to keep wildlife wild’
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is warning Pueblo County residents to watch for wildlife displaced by the Aspen Acres Fire. Due to lower snowpack over winter, there was less food available for large animals such as bears, elk, and deer to begin with this...
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RISING FROM THE ASHES
have been displaced. Matt Medina, who earns his living flipping houses, saw his current projects burn down, and his tools, which were in the garage of his home, did not survive the fire. The couple was also working to build a “healing center” on the...
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Attack sparks fears wars could merge
WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States insisted that leaders in Kyiv are not playing “a game of chess” with their recent drone strike on an Iranian ship and have no interest in leveraging their conflict with Russia into a wider, global...
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Teachers, students push for school funding plan
Southern Colorado educators, students, and community members gathered in front of Pueblo County High School on July 29 to show support for a November 2026 initiative to restructure education funding in Colorado. Proposition NN would raise a 1992...
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