All Entries in the "Hot Topics" Category
Op Ed from Representative Ty Winter regarding town of Hartman’s water crisis
There has been a lot of attention paid of late to the Town of Hartman here in Southeast Colorado. The community made headlines earlier this year when the last remaining town trustees abruptly resigned following a physical altercation at a town meeting. The resignation of the last three trustees plunged the Town into paralysis. There […]
Lamar City Council makes decision about Lamar Utilities Board proposal regarding transfer of waste water discharge permit necessary to move forward with new treatment plant, hires outside counsel to look into sale of Lamar Light and Power to Southeast Colorado Power
Prior to the regular Lamar City Council meeting of July 13, 2026, the Lamar Redevelopment Authority met to vote on approval for a façade grant reimbursement for Apex Performance, LLC for renovations made to its new location at 420 N. Main Street. Renovations have been completed per the agreement. The agreement was for 20% of […]
Colorado school districts post cellphone policies. But do they match research?
By Jenny Brundin/CPR News Hart Van Denburg/CPR News -A student uses a cell phone for research reference during a class at Cripple Creek-Victor Junior/Senior High School. Despite early research on school cellphone bans suggesting stricter, bell-to-bell policies can sharply reduce phone use and may bring small gains in attendance and test scores, many of Colorado’s […]
Colorado prepares overhaul of semiautomatic gun sales – New training requirements will cover many popular types of firearms
Firearms for sale are displayed at the Centennial Gun Club in Centennial on June 12, 2026. (Photo by Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) Article by Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline In one of the largest shifts to gun purchasing laws in Colorado, residents who want to buy some of the most popular types of semiautomatic firearms will soon […]
Domestic Safety Resource Center in Lamar forced to permanently close after 40 years
Only domestic violence shelter for four rural counties in Colorado permanently closes Article by Chelsea Casabona with Rocky Mountain PBS – Chelsea Casabona is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS covering Southern Colorado. more Outside the Prowers County Courthouse in Lamar, Colorado. File photo: Chase McCleary, Rocky Mountain PBS LAMAR, Colo. — The Domestic Safety […]
How trapshooting is teaching Colorado high schoolers gun safety
Students and adults take aim at an unseen hat belonging to an athlete on the Sterling High School Trapshooting Team who shot a “25 straight” — 25 clay pigeons in a row. The tradition is a rite of passage for young shooters, who say the sport gives them a sense of belonging. (Cheney Orr, Special […]
Letter to the Editor — “Hartman Deserves Better Than Last‑Minute Governance”
For years, Hartman has lived with the consequences of institutional neglect. Our water system didn’t collapse because of a single mistake — it collapsed because agencies delayed action, withheld information, and treated our town as an afterthought until the crisis became impossible to ignore. That pattern didn’t just break our infrastructure. It broke trust, endangered […]
Low water levels close west boat ramp at John Martin Reservoir State Park; East ramp remains open
The west boat ramp at John Martin Reservoir State Park near Hasty, Colo., is closed to trailer-launched boats due to declining water levels. The west ramp remains open to hand-launched watercraft. The east ramp is open to trailered-boats and park staff recommend higher-clearance tow vehicles at that ramp. CPW Photo/Sami Colvin HASTY, Colo. – Ongoing drought conditions and […]
Aspen Acres fire near Rye explodes in size to 23,000 acres after discovery early in morning of June 29 – high winds hampered any efforts at containing it throughout the day
Photo taken in Pueblo west near Pueblo Reservoir early Monday morning as the fire began expanding A wildfire broke out early Monday morning near the town of Rye. By late afternoon, it had expanded to over 23,000 acres and was growing rapidly with 0% containment. Due to extremely high winds measured at 80-100 mph, […]
Colorado wins federal approval to import prescription drugs from Canada
David J. Phillip/AP, File – The injectable drug Ozempic. Ozempic is one of more than a dozen prescription drugs Colorado can begin importing from Canada. By John Daley – CPRNews The federal Food and Drug Administration has granted Colorado approval to begin importing some prescription drugs from Canada, where they’re often cheaper. The governor’s office announced the […]
Colorado House Bill 25-1135 requires all public and charter school to adopt formal cell phone/electronic devices by July 1, 2026 – how local school districts are complying
An assistant principal at Girls Athletic Leadership School, a Denver charter school where cellphones were already prohibited, takes a phone from a student in September 2025 This fall, all Denver students will have to turn off or tun in their phones at school. Photo credit: Rachel Woolf for Chalkbeat The use of cell […]
Fort Lyon Canal Company Responds To CPW Announcement Regarding Adobe Creek And Thurston Reservoirs
LAMAR, Colo. — The Fort Lyon Canal Company recognizes the importance that Adobe Creek Reservoir and Thurston Reservoir have held for generations of southeastern Colorado anglers and appreciates Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s efforts over the past several decades to provide public recreational access at these facilities. For more than fifty years, Fort Lyon Canal Company […]
CPW concludes lethal removal efforts for uncollared gray wolf in Routt County
DENVER – On June 12, 2026, CPW and its agents lethally removed an uncollared wolf in Routt County. Visual evidence obtained at the scene confirmed the removed wolf is the same one that was depredating in Rio Blanco County in 2025 and early 2026. This wolf was originally a member of Copper Creek Pack but has […]
Prowers County Board of Commissioners work session of June 9, 2026
At the June 9, 2026 morning work session, the Prowers County Board of Commissioners heard an update from Tallie Harmon, Executive Director of Prowers Economic Prosperity. She said PEP’s BEAR committee recently held a roundtable discussion with local financial institutions that was very insightful and helpful. She has been in communication City Administrator Mitch Hammes […]
Colorado’s Arkansas Valley water confronts contamination, climate change and political drama
Article courtesy of High Country News – This article appeared in the May 2026 print edition of the magazine with the headline “The absence of clean water.” This story is part of High Country News’ Conservation Beyond Boundaries project, which is supported by the BAND Foundation and the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation. “If you don’t have clean water, you […]
