Author: reporter

Trevor Vaughn entered Vapor Maven in Aurora last week and immediately took in the lay of the land. “We’re going to be here for a bit,” said Aurora’s manager of licensing, noting that the strip mall vape shop near South Buckley Road and East Mississippi Avenue had no license to sell cannabis. “There is a ton of THC product in here.” Vaughn then eyed a neatly stacked collection of Infuzd nitrous oxide canisters on display at the center of the small shop. He asked the store manager why they were there. “They are supposed to be used to make whipped…

Three years after Gov. Jared Polis christened Fishers Peak State Park near Trinidad as Colorado’s 42nd state park, he celebrated the debut of a trail to the 9,600-foot summit of its namesake mountain by hiking to the top. There he presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony with a dramatic view of the Spanish Peaks in the distance. “It’s a bit of a hike, but to those who are adventuresome, nothing beats it,” Polis said that day in 2023. “One of the greatest state parks in the state of Colorado.” Polis regards the addition of Fishers Peak State Park in 2020 as…

By LISA MASCARO, Associated Press Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan visited Capitol Hill just weeks after Inauguration Day, with other administration officials and a singular message: They needed money for the White House’s border security and mass deportation agenda. By summer, Congress delivered. The Republican Party’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts that Trump signed into law July 4 included what’s arguably the biggest boost of funds yet to the Department of Homeland Security — nearly $170 billion, almost double its annual budget. The staggering sum is powering the nation’s sweeping…

Nuggets fans have already experienced a full range of emotions in the 21st century.It started with a transfer of team ownership, a new arena to break in and the accompanying renewed hope for the future after a decade of bleak basketball. It stalled with years of playoff disappointment and a falling out with Denver’s franchise player. It peaked two years ago with the city’s first NBA championship, under the guidance of an idiosyncratic all-time great. All in all, the Nuggets have reached the playoffs 17 out of 25 seasons in the new millennium, winning 55% of their regular-season games with…

SAND WASH BASIN — Robin Wadhams reviews the list of wild horses that still need to be darted this summer before she sets up for target practice. Each mare has a name: Angel, Bisbee, Calamity, Dust Devil, Eeyore, Kamchatka. Next to them are notes on whether the horse needs a first dose of contraceptive, or just a booster. Some notes offer more specific guidance. For Gretchen: “Hard to dart — not a priority unless opportunity presents.” Robin Wadhams, left, takes a practice shot with her dart air gun as her husband, Gary Wadhams, watches to see where the dart hits…

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The last time the world should’ve seen Audric Estime, they didn’t see him. He’s a hard man to miss. The biggest running back on Denver’s roster, after all. The Broncos spent a fifth-round pick on him in 2024 for this 227-pound frame. And yet in the most prominent game of his rookie year — a week after he picked up 12 carries against the Chiefs — head coach Sean Payton scratched him for the Broncos’ wild-card game at Buffalo. It was a blow to his backfield standing. It was an unceremonious end to a rookie year…

When Yorkiss Ramos and her family first arrived in Denver two years ago, she heard about an apartment complex that offered cheap rent and required little documentation to lease. The 35-year-old Venezuelan immigrant and her family moved to a building on Aurora’s Nome Street in 2023. When she wasn’t cleaning houses and offices, she felt confined to the dilapidated apartment, with its rats and bed bugs. She was fearful of the rumored gang activity outside and the growing national backlash toward recent immigrants like her. The property’s owners, CBZ Management, ignored requests for help, she said. The apartments “were already…

My husband and I experienced an unimaginable loss when our son, Lucas, was stillborn seven years ago. On May 14, 2018, just a day after Mother’s Day, my husband and I went to the hospital. I was 39 weeks pregnant with our first child. With joy and anticipation, we were looking forward to meeting our son, Lucas. His name means “light,” because his arrival would light up our world. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, I experienced a placental abruption — a serious condition where the placenta separates from the uterus, cutting off oxygen and nutrients to the baby. I…

When the 2025 Rockies take the field, there’s a good chance something extraordinary will happen. It’s usually not good, but it is unique. Case in point: Their 13-6 loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field. The Rockies trailed just 4-3 when Arizona came to bat in the fifth. Right-hander Tanner Gordon retired the first two hitters, but the D-backs rifled out nine consecutive two-out hits and scored eight runs. The D-backs had never done that before, and the Rockies had never had it happen to them before. The Rockies had their chances to avoid the fifth-inning carnage.…

One of the largest wildfires ever recorded in Colorado persisted Sunday as gusty winds and low humidity fueled the flames and officials stood ready to order additional evacuations in Garfield and Rio Blanco counties. The Lee Fire exploded in size over the weekend and as of 6 p.m. Sunday, it was blazing across 106,672 acres or 167 square miles, making it the sixth-largest wildfire in the state’s history. The fire, south of Meeker, continued to push south toward Garfield County. Crews had reached 6% containment on the fire on Saturday, according to Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3. No…