Rabu, 22 Juli 2026

CoCo Plan, Odyssey Issues, and DIA 5K

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1893, schoolteacher and poet Katharine Lee Bates wrote what would later become “America the Beautiful” after climbing to the top of Pikes Peak.

Mudslides shut down part of Interstate 70 on the Western Slope yesterday. Meanwhile, the town of Carbondale had its own road trouble when a sinkhole opened up in the middle of West Main Street. Read the full stories below.

Colorado just came off one of its driest winters on record, and the question hanging over the state is whether next season will provide relief. Forecasters say the answer may already be forming in the Pacific. NOAA has confirmed El Niño is back, with an 81% chance it reaches "very strong" status by winter, and climatologists say Colorado should be paying close attention. In today's episode of The Flyover Podcast, Ayla breaks down what El Niño actually is and the five ways it could shape the months ahead. So is Colorado about to flip from record dry to buried in snow? Tune in here!

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Mudslides Close I-70

Interstate 70 was closed in both directions between Silt and New Castle Tuesday after a landslide pushed mud, water, and debris across more than 300 yards of highway Monday night.

CDOT said the debris was up to 3 feet deep in places, and crews were still working Tuesday with no estimate for when the highway will reopen.

Flash flooding also closed roads near Peach Valley and County Road 214, where deputies reported swift-moving water and multiple logs blocking the pavement.

More rain is expected on the Western Slope today as monsoonal moisture pushes into Colorado, raising fresh concerns about flash flooding in burn-scarred areas.

CoCo Plan Unveiled

State officials Monday unveiled a phased plan for the Front Range Passenger Rail District's Colorado Connector (CoCo), with a Fort Collins-to-Denver starter service still on track to launch by 2029.

If voters approve a one-third-cent sales tax in November, the district says two daily round trips could run the full 190-mile Pueblo-to-Fort Collins route within five years.

District general manager Sal Pace said full buildout would cost $2.7 billion, run on existing BNSF and Union Pacific tracks, and be operated for the district by Amtrak.

Planners expect most riders to be headed to concerts, games, and day trips rather than commuting. The plan takes shape as RTD grapples with falling ridership and a budget shortfall topping $200 million.

Technical Issues Crash Odyssey Screenings

Technical failures have plagued screenings of blockbuster epic The Odyssey at Denver’s Regal UA Colorado Center, one of only 25 theaters in the U.S.—and 41 in the world—that can play the film in its original IMAX 70mm format.

Just days into the film’s run, the theater’s projector broke down, forcing Regal to switch to a digital projector. The switch blindsided fans, some of whom traveled hours for a 70mm screening at the booked-out venue.

Several moviegoers who opted to stay for the digital screening reported even more technical difficulties. Experts attribute the trouble to the huge digital file size needed to project the film.

It’s unclear when Regal’s repairs will finish. Colorado's only other 70mm theater, in Colorado Springs, says its own reel damage has already been fixed.

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➤ Centennial: Arapahoe County deputies cited and released four protesters Monday during a "die-in" outside the city's ICE field office. (More)

➤ Aurora: Two operators of a local residential care facility face charges after an investigation into mistreatment of at-risk adults, including allegedly tying one resident to a wheelchair. (More)

➤ Fort Collins: The city paid $500,000 to settle a lawsuit from a Nebraska man wrongfully arrested for DUI after he stopped to help crash victims in 2021. (More)

➤ Roggen: A fire earlier this month destroyed a local farm's $250,000 storage building and about $200,000 in equipment, prompting a community fundraiser that's already raised $40,000. (More)

➤ Carbondale: The town closed part of West Main Street early Tuesday after a large sinkhole formed in the road. (See Photo)

➤ Castle Rock: A former Denver Nugget, Tywon Lawson, was arrested on suspicion of stealing vodka from a local store last week. (More)

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➤ The Colorado Rockies traded reliever Seth Halvorsen to the Dodgers this week for two minor leaguers, the first deal between the NL West rivals in over a decade. Halvorsen averaged 98.8 mph on his fastball this season but currently has a shoulder injury. (More)

➤ The Denver Broncos are likely bringing back Michael Wilhoite, the team's former outside linebackers coach, following the dismissal of all criminal charges from his 2025 arrest for allegedly assaulting a police officer. (More)

➤ Former Colorado State head football coach Leon Fuller died earlier this month at age 87. Fuller led the Rams from 1982 to 1988 and is credited with hiring Sonny Lubick as his offensive coordinator, laying the foundation for CSU's success in the 1990s. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA

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➤ AdventHealth and Intermountain Health, two of Colorado's largest hospital systems, signed a letter of intent Monday to form a joint venture combining their Denver-area hospitals, including three Intermountain sites AdventHealth would take over. (More)

➤ Denver City Council voted unanimously Monday to postpone a final vote on an ordinance letting some bars and clubs stay open until 4 a.m. The vote was taken in the wake of a deadly nightclub shooting that stoked community concerns. (More)

➤ Xcel Energy is burying power lines along U.S. 36 and 75th Street as Boulder develops a broader strategy to fight outages, which hit the city nearly twice as hard in 2024 as the rest of Xcel's Colorado customers. (More)

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➤ Loveland Ski Area is holding a lottery sale of 130 chairs from its retired Lift 5, a 1975 chairlift. (More)

➤ Denver International Airport (DIA) will host a sunrise 5K on one of its runways Sept. 12, the second such race in DIA's history. (More)

➤ Montrose Regional Health's Tiffany Stewart won the 2026 Community Hospital Corporation Mike Williams Award, which recognizes hospital employees for compassion and service to caregivers and their community. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Forecasters warn a record-strength El Niño could decide whether your state floods or dries out. (Hear Details)

➤ Mass shootings swept through eight states last weekend, leaving dozens of victims as investigators continue to search for suspects. (Hear Episode)

➤ The Secret Service officer who took a bullet stopping a gunman at the White House Correspondents' Dinner is being honored. (Listen Now)

Will you ride the Colorado Connector when it's finished?

Yesterday's Results:

How often do you visit Guanella Pass?

Never been: 40%
Rarely: 21%
Now and then: 16%
I used to visit: 14%
Often as I can: 9%

What is the only Colorado county named after a fictional character?

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2519 S Shields Street.
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Fort Collins, CO 80526

Jurors Get $26K, Flood Sirens Worked, and a Year's Supply of Dr Pepper

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1947, Eagles co-founder and drummer Don Henley was born in Gilmer. He was raised in nearby Linden, deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas.

Yesterday, we asked for your go-to recommendations for cowboy boots and other Western gear. Readers revealed a deep loyalty to their long-time suppliers, including Tecovas, Lucchese, Cavender’s, Double D Ranchwear in Yoakum, and Mingo Boot Company in El Paso for boots, along with O'Farrell Hat Company in Santa Fe and Resistol for hats.

A reader named Randy shared his approach to Texas hat fashion: "I went country in 1970 when rock and roll went stupid. I have an everyday hat and a dress hat that I keep clean and shaped for marrying and burying occasions. Never change your felt hat to straw before Memorial Day or your straw to felt until after Labor Day."

Forecasters now put the odds at 81% that El Niño reaches "very strong" status by winter, potentially one of the largest on record. And Texas is sitting squarely in its path. When a pattern this powerful takes over, it doesn't just tweak the forecast; it rewrites the whole season. In today's episode of The Flyover Podcast, Ayla breaks down the five ways forecasters say this El Niño will shape the months ahead. So what does a record-setting El Niño mean for the Texas winter? Tune in here!

Bertha Takes Aim at Louisiana, Texas

Tropical Storm Bertha is expected to come ashore in southeast Louisiana tonight before drifting toward Texas as a weakening system.

The second named storm of the season peaked with 60 mph winds Tuesday, and forecasters expect gradual weakening as Bertha crawls west along the northern Gulf Coast.

The storm isn't expected to be a high-impact event for Houston. Tropical moisture arrives in Southeast Texas this evening, with scattered downpours and breezier conditions possible into Friday.

In the Brazos Valley, heavier rain bands remain possible if the track shifts south, though confidence is growing in a northerly track that would weaken the storm more quickly.

Texas Leads Nation in June Jobs

Texas added 43,400 nonfarm jobs in June, the largest gain of any state, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

Total nonfarm employment reached a record 14,469,600, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, and the 177,900 jobs Texas added over the past year also led the nation.

Construction did much of the lifting: Texas added 24,800 construction jobs over the year, the most in the country, including 5,200 from May to June. Still, the state's unemployment rate rose to 4.4% in June, up from 4.1% a year earlier and above the national rate of 4.2%.

Gov. Greg Abbott credited the state's "highly skilled workforce, welcoming business climate, and exceptional quality of life."

Travis County Jurors Get $26,700 Each

Fourteen Travis County jurors will each be paid $26,700 for a criminal trial that heard just three days of evidence.

Judge Karen Sage ordered the payments after the evidence-tampering case against former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and assistant county district attorney Jason Nassour stalled for nearly two years during an appeal.

The jury was seated in August 2024 and remained on call until prosecutors dismissed the charges this month. Sage awarded the state's $58 daily rate for 460 days, excluding weekends and holidays, for a total of $373,800.

District Attorney Jose Garza called the order "absurd," arguing jurors should be paid only for the days they heard evidence. Sage wrote that "citizens of this county who perform their public service should be compensated."

The payout will consume more than half of Travis County's $698,605 trial-jury budget for the year.

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➤ Hill Country: Gov. Greg Abbott said flood sirens and early warning systems installed after the July 2025 floods helped save lives in this month's Hill Country flooding, and signaled lawmakers will take up expanding those systems next legislative session. (More)

➤ Maryland: Kaylee Hottle, an 18-year-old Texas School for the Deaf senior who starred as Jia in the movie Godzilla vs. Kong, was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Frederick County, Maryland. Investigators believe excessive speed contributed to the crash. (See Details)

➤ El Paso: The Fire Department's Water Rescue Team joined statewide search and rescue efforts near Sonora, with Chief Rick Pando and planner Mario Ontiveros coordinating damage assessments and logistics from Fredericksburg after this month's Hill Country flooding. (See Details)

➤ Arlington police and the FBI arrested real estate agent Mayra Velasquez on July 16, charging her with capital murder in the 2012 cold-case killing of Irasema Chavez, who was stabbed 100 times in her apartment. The FBI's genetic genealogy program broke the case. (See Details)

➤ San Antonio ISD trustees voted 5-2 Monday to hire Adrian Bustillos as superintendent. Bustillos, most recently Aldine ISD's chief transformation officer, takes over a district facing a $23.2 million deficit, declining enrollment, and 18 campuses that have received three straight failing state ratings. (See Details)

➤ Austin removed the rainbow crosswalks at Fourth and Colorado streets early Monday under state and federal directives that officials say make roads safer. (See Photos)

➤ San Angelo ISD trustees voted 5-0 Monday to give all employees a one-time $1,000 insurance stipend for 2026-27, opting to keep the district's monthly health insurance contribution at $479 rather than raising it during a projected deficit budget year. (More)

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➤ Texas Tech led all college football programs with 27 players named to the Shriners Children’s East-West Bowl 1000, topping the nation for the second straight year. (More)

➤ Texas State extended the contract of baseball coach Steven Trout through 2030 after a season that included an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and a school-record 116 home runs. (More)

➤ Bailey Voss, a Water Valley High School junior, is representing a U.S. team at an international volleyball tournament in the Dominican Republic through July 27. The setter led the Lady Wildcats to last year's Class 1A state final. Water Valley opens this season ranked No. 2. (More)

➤ Tommy Horal, a 13-year-old from Killeen, earned a spot on the USA Gymnastics Junior National Team and will make his international debut for Team USA in China in November. His coach says most gymnasts don't make the junior team until 15 or 16. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA

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➤ El Paso's City Council approved an additional $1 million to subsidize renovation of the century-old Popular Dry Goods building downtown, on top of a $6.72 million incentive package. Developers plan to build apartments in the National Register of Historic Places landmark by 2028. (See Details)

➤ Legends Global, backed by Jerry Jones and the New York Yankees, was named owner's representative and lead sales agency for the new Dallas Mavericks arena planned at the old Valley View mall site in North Dallas. The firm handles concessions and ticket sales at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. (More)

➤ Tornado Terry's Family Amusement Center in Keller will close Aug. 9 after 35 years, citing declining traffic amid Keller Hicks Road construction that began in February 2024 and isn't expected to finish until spring 2027. The arcade will auction its game cabinets on Aug. 2 and sell commemorative tokens. (More)

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➤ Waco resident Kenlea Conner won a year's supply of Dr Pepper, 365 cans delivered in 31 12-packs, in the Dr Pepper Museum's annual giveaway. Museum staff and the Dr Pepper mascot brought the prize to her home on Monday. She chose Creamy Coconut as her flavor. (Read Story)

➤ Kerr County's flood memorial cross at Flat Rock Park, dedicated just weeks ago to victims of last year's Fourth of July flood, was knocked down by last week's floodwaters. Commissioner Rich Paces says it's "bent, not broken," and crews will reinstall it with a reinforced steel sleeve. (More)

➤ Domestic violence survivor Dianna Powell will host a live butterfly release and guest speakers Aug. 29 at Odessa's Sherwood Park, honoring victims and survivors. The event, organized through the nonprofit Stand Together, is open to anyone. (See Details)

➤ The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley is collecting canned proteins, ready-to-eat meals, peanut butter, and bottled water for flood-impacted Texas families at its Pharr loading dock, with deliveries headed to the South Texas Food Bank on Thursday. Donations are due by this evening. Volunteers are also welcome. (See Details)

➤ KPOPWORLD Festival, the first in Texas, hits San Antonio's Alamodome Oct. 28-31 with Jay Park, The Rose, SB19, and a 32-team international dance championship. Tickets go on sale Thursday through the Alamodome website. (See Lineup)

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➤ Forecasters warn a record-strength El Niño could decide whether your state floods or dries out. (Hear Details)

➤ Mass shootings swept through eight states last weekend, leaving dozens of victims as investigators continue to search for suspects. (Hear Episode)

➤ The Secret Service officer who took a bullet stopping a gunman at the White House Correspondents' Dinner is being honored. (Listen Now)