Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 2019, a juvenile mountain lion attacked trail runner Travis Kauffman in the foothills west of Fort Collins. Kauffman managed to wrestle and eventually suffocate the lion, sustaining injuries that later healed without lasting effects.

While the sports world gears up for the Super Bowl, Golden is getting ready for its own February tradition—Goldens in Golden, a massive golden retriever meetup that drew roughly 3,000 dogs to the city last year. Find out more in Et Cetera.

Today's sponsor, EnergyX, explains why surging lithium demand and breakthrough recovery technology are fueling a fast-growing "white gold" opportunity.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Calderón Launches Bid to Unseat Johnston

Lisa Calderón, a progressive Democrat, announced Tuesday she'll be challenging incumbent Denver Mayor Mike Johnston in the 2027 mayoral election.

Calderón, 57, leads a nonprofit, teaches at Regis University, and works as a political and legal consultant. She's run for mayor twice before, including in 2023, when she narrowly missed the runoff election against Johnston.

In her candidacy announcement, Calderón accused Johnston of breaking his campaign promises. She also outlined several of her own, including plans to boost city revenue, rethink homelessness, and add the "Mall" back to 16th Street's name.

The mayor's office has confirmed that Johnston plans to run for re-election. Mayors serve a maximum of three four-year terms.

Student Arrested in Murder-for-Hire Plot

Durango police last Thursday arrested Jackson Keller, a 19-year-old student at Fort Lewis College, after he allegedly tried to pay two other parties $500 to kill a fellow student.

According to court documents, one student claims Keller solicited him to commit the murder over a personal grievance. When the student refused, he allegedly saw Keller FaceTime with three men handling guns and send money via CashApp.

When confronted by college police and state investigators, Keller denied the plot, claiming the other students were "conspiring against him." He's also alleged to have brought a handgun into his room.

Keller faces charges of criminal solicitation for first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon on college grounds. He was released from jail on a $50,000 bond.

Fort Collins Girl Makes Medical History

An 11-year-old girl in Fort Collins became the 37th child in U.S. history to undergo a heart and liver transplant at the same time.

Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), Gracie Greenlaw had already undergone multiple open-heart surgeries. Because HLHS carries a long-term risk of liver failure, her care team determined a dual transplant offered the best chance for long-term survival and quality of life.

After about one month on the wait list, Children's Hospital Colorado performed the 16-hour marathon surgery in 2025, marking the hospital's first-ever dual heart-liver transplant.

Now several months post-transplant, Greenlaw has returned home and to school, resuming family life and, as she put it, "just being a normal kid."

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This Metal's Up 122% in the Last 12 Months

No, not gold. Lithium. Prices have more than doubled in the last year alone, spurring a modern-day "white gold" gold rush driven by AI, energy, and more.

With demand growing 5X by 2040, a major opportunity is emerging. No wonder 40,000+ people already invested in EnergyX.

Their patented tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods, in days instead of months. That combination of technological prowess and market demand are partially why General Motors led a $50 million investment round in EnergyX.

In the past 24 months, EnergyX has raised nearly $100 million from retail investors, acquired close to 150k+ acres of lithium-rich land across North and South America, and announced what could be one of the largest DLE lithium production facilities in the U.S.

Now, you can join for $11/share. But hurry. Invest before the price increases after Feb. 26.

➤ Aurora: A federal judge temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that imposed a seven-day notice requirement, preventing unannounced congressional oversight visits to ICE detention facilities, including Aurora's facility. Colorado Reps. Joe Neguse and Jason Crow were among the Democrats who sued over the policy. (More)

➤ Rio Blanco County: Colorado Parks and Wildlife provided an update on recovery efforts in response to the Lee and Elk fires. The work will include aerial and ground-based seeding to restore vegetation and assist impacted landowners. (More)

➤ Loveland: A Colorado House ethics committee has begun reviewing misconduct allegations against Rep. Ron Weinberg, who is accused of harassment, campaign finance violations, and making a copy of a master key to the Capitol. (More)

➤ Highlands Ranch: The family of Jalin Seabron, a man fatally shot by a Douglas County sheriff's deputy outside the Main Event entertainment venue last February, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the deputy. (More)

➤ Westminster: A local man pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge after authorities say he attempted to leave the U.S. to join ISIS in 2023. (More)

➤ Centennial: A man who stole two English bulldog puppies from a local pet store last year was sentenced to eight years in prison. (More)

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➤ The Broncos promoted quarterbacks coach Davis Webb to offensive coordinator, keeping him in Denver as the New York Giants looked to hire him for the same position. (More)

➤ University of Colorado football lost assistant coach Domato Peko to the NFL, where he'll become the Pittsburgh Steelers' new defensive line coach. (More)

➤ Colorado athlete Nikki LaRochelle is joining the Olympic broadcast team to provide commentary for the Games' newest winter sport, ski mountaineering. A former member of the U.S. ski mountaineering national team, LaRochelle competed internationally for years. (More)

➤ Yesterday's Results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer

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➤ Pueblo's Restaurant Month, an initiative aimed at supporting local businesses, launched this week and runs through March 2. Diners can stamp bingo cards at participating restaurants for a chance to win a grand prize. (See Details)

➤ Boulder is accepting applications for a festival-specific lodging license allowing homeowners to rent their homes for up to 29 days during the Sundance Film Festival, which will move from Park City to Boulder next year. (See Details)

➤ The Douglas County School District and real estate company Shea Properties are discussing a deal to build affordable housing for public school teachers at a site west of Parker. (More)

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The Tale Behind SpaceX's $1.5 Trillion IPO

SpaceX plans to IPO at a $1.5 trillion valuation. If true, they'd be the tenth-most-valuable public company by the time the average person can invest.

The lesson? Like Uber, which delivered 490,000% returns to First Round Capital, the biggest growth today comes at the private stage.

A similar dynamic is playing out in lithium, with EnergyX crossing a $1 billion private valuation. Only this time, you can invest at the private stage, too.

Why did big names like General Motors already back EnergyX? Because lithium powers everything from EVs to data centers. Demand will grow 5X by 2040, and EnergyX's tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods.

Now, they're preparing to unlock up to 9.8 million tons of lithium in Chile, a $1.1 billion/year revenue opportunity at projected market prices. Invest before EnergyX's share price increases after Feb. 26.

Comparisons to other companies are for informational purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. ("EnergyX") has engaged The Flyover to publish this communication in connection with EnergyX's ongoing Regulation A offering. The Flyover has been paid in cash and may receive additional compensation. The Flyover and/or its affiliates do not currently hold securities of EnergyX.

This compensation and any current or future ownership interest could create a conflict of interest. Please consider this disclosure alongside EnergyX's offering materials. EnergyX's Regulation A offering has been qualified by the SEC. Offers and sales may be made only by means of the qualified offering circular. Before investing, carefully review the offering circular, including the risk factors. The offering circular is available at invest.energyx.com/.

Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC.

➤ Thousands of golden retrievers will be in Golden Saturday for Goldens in Golden, an annual event celebrating National Golden Retriever Day. This year's event will last longer, have twice as many vendors, and include a free, dog-friendly shuttle service. (See Details)

➤ A Michelin-starred Denver chef will compete for the grand prize of $1 million on America's Culinary Cup, a televised cooking competition with 16 contestants. (See Details)

➤ Processed cheeses are Colorado's favorite Super Bowl snack, according to Instacart data tracking the biggest game-week food delivery surges by state. (See Map)

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