June 16-20, 2025
Each week, »Ê¹ÚÍøÖ· collects and curates some of the more important stories of the week that have aired on our daily newscast. We know how busy life can be, and that it's not always possible to get your news on our airwaves (or from streaming us right here on our website). Fill in the gaps and catch up right here. No one enjoys the feeling of missing out!
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Colorado temporarily removes lawmaker information after deadly attack in Minnesota
Home addresses and other personal information about Colorado state lawmakers and other officials are now offline. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold temporarily approved the removal of public campaign information after recent politically targeted killings in Minnesota. Vance Boelter allegedly killed a Minnesota state lawmaker and her spouse at their home outside of Minneapolis. He shot another lawmaker in a separate attack. Federal authorities say Boelter had been planning the attacks for some time.
More Albertsons, Safeway stores join Denver in authorizing a strike
Ongoing strikes at Albertsons and Safeway grocery stores . Employees at additional stores in Fort Collins, Greeley, Longmont and Loveland voted to authorize a strike Tuesday. Workers at Denver area stores began striking Sunday after ending a contract extension. The union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, wants the company to fix understaffing issues at stores. A representative from Safeway says the chain remains committed to negotiating with employees.
Jury finds MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell defamed former executive at Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems
A federal jury has found that businessman Mike Lindell defamed Eric Coomer, a former employee of Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, and is ordering him to pay roughly $2.3 million in damages. That amount falls far short of the $62.7 million award requested by Coomer, in part because the jury rejected a number of the claims that Lindell and two of his companies, MyPillow and FrankSpeech, were responsible for comments made by others on platforms he controlled. Coomer’s attorney said he doesn’t expect the verdict to stop broader election conspiracy theories from flying around, but hopes that it will keep people spreading them from targeting individuals by name.
Ted Cooke tapped to run Bureau of Reclamation amid pivotal Colorado River talks
President Donald Trump has tapped longtime water manager Ted Cooke to be the next commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The nomination, submitted Monday to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, attempts to fill a pivotal role at the top federal agency for Western rivers, reservoirs and dams. If confirmed, Cooke will become the main federal official overseeing Colorado River matters. His nomination comes at a tense time for the river. The seven states that use its water appear deadlocked in closed-door negotiations about sharing the shrinking water supply in the future. Cooke will likely try to push those state negotiators toward agreement about who should feel the pain of water cutbacks and when. If they can’t reach a deal ahead of a 2026 deadline, the federal government can step in and make those decisions itself.
What to know about the GOP plan to sell Western public land
Republicans in Congress are again pushing to sell off millions of acres of public land as part of the GOP’s tax cut and spending bill. A draft budget from the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), calls for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service to sell between two and three million acres over the next five years. Land in every western state except Montana would be eligible for sale under the proposal. A similar land sale idea previously failed in the U.S. House of Representatives, facing opposition from environmental groups and some Republicans. The version released by the Senate involves far more land in more states.
Viral TikTok post of Summit County trail sends vehicles spilling onto roadway, prompting Sheriff’s Office response
Acorn Creek Trailhead north of Silverthorne got a lot of attention last week, with enough visitors on Saturday that the Summit County Sheriff's Office had to enforce parking regulations there. The trail, known for having good early-season wildflower viewing, got attention on social media recently. In one TikTok touting the trail's beauty, user jacelyncg said she saw Acorn Creek on her For You Page the night before and decided to visit. She called the view the most beautiful scenery she had seen in her life, and showed her view of flowers and mountain peaks. The video garnered over 600,000 views and 101,000 likes
Switches swiped from semi
More than 2,800 from a truck stop in Bennet last week. The truck driver hauling the merchandise believes his trailer was broken into during a pre-trip inspection. The estimated loss is more than a million dollars. The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. The Switch 2 has been a hot commodity since it came out. Many retailers sold out within minutes when the console was put on preorder in May.
The best books you suggested for »Ê¹ÚÍøÖ·'s 2025 summer reading list
We asked for summer reading recommendations, and we got suggestions from you, our Northern Colorado readers, as well as librarians and bookstore staffers. Some of our »Ê¹ÚÍøÖ· staff also provided a shortlist of what they have loved reading so far this year. We think there is something for everyone in this list, from cozy mysteries to thrillers, romantasy to rock history. We hope it helps you find a few companions for your summer adventures and staycations. Happy reading!
