Friday, February 28, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1861, the Colorado Territory was created by an act of Congress. Combining lands previously part of the Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, and New Mexico territories, the new territory was signed into law by President James Buchanan shortly before the incoming President Abraham Lincoln took office.

This Denver-based clothing company may not be up for an Oscar, but it will be playing a part at the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday. Learn more in today's Business section.

We're sponsored today by 4Patriots, a trusted provider of emergency preparedness solutions, offering high-quality survival food kits in today's edition.

Budget Cuts Hit Developmental Care, Schools

As lawmakers look to cover the state's $1.2 billion budget shortfall, support and services for children with developmental delays or disabilities are among the first to lose funding, with similar cuts on the table for education.

Colorado's Early Intervention program supports children from birth through age 3 who have developmental needs. On Tuesday, a memo stated the program's funding will be cut as part of "temporary cost containment measures" induced by the shortfall.

Effective Mar. 3, services will be limited to four hours per month and non-Medicaid services will lose state funding, reductions some say will severely affect higher-need families.

Gov. Polis' most recent budget proposal would also cut funding to K-12 schools, which experts argue would disproportionately affect smaller, rural districts with already-tightened budgets.

Wolf Data Shows Movement Across State

The first full month of GPS data from 29 collared wolves translocated to Colorado has been mapped, indicating the wolves have spread toward Grand Junction and Teller County.

According to the data, wolves roamed as far as the Wyoming and Utah state lines. Several major cities are now inside the data's watershed borders, including Vail, Grand Junction, and Aspen.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says the wolves have not "necessarily settled" in any one area. CPW also noted the wolves' breeding season begins around this time.

Wolf movement continues to raise concern among livestock producers, particularly after a cow was killed by wolf depredation earlier this month.

Denver Archaeologist Uncovers Ancient Throne

Dr. Michele Koons, curator of archaeology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, helped lead a team that uncovered an ancient Peruvian throne room possibly belonging to a female ruler.

The room is located at Pañamarca, an archaeological site off Peru's northern coast, and is thought to be over 1,300 years old.

Inside, mural imagery suggests a queen once sat on the throne, ruling over the Moche people before the well-known Inca dominated Peru. Human hair found at the throne is awaiting analysis.

Koons led the project, known as "Archaeological Landscapes of Pañamarca," with two other female researchers. She'll return for the project's next dig this July.

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➤ Statewide: Former Speaker of the House Cristina Duran, a Democrat, announced her bid for Attorney General yesterday, entering the race with Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty. (More)

➤ Arapahoe County: Authorities are searching for suspects after about 100 dirt bikes and motorcycles blocked an intersection in Four Mile Square on Sunday by driving in circles. (More)

➤ Commerce City: A garbage truck driver in Commerce City won the title of best small-container garbage truck driver in North America in the 2025 ROAD-EO National Championship. (More)

➤ Ouray County: A rockslide created "life-threatening" conditions and resulted in a temporary road closure near Highway 550 on Tuesday. (More)

➤ Custer County: Authorities seized 86 animals, including 77 dogs, during the raid of a commercial kennel on Monday. The rescued animals were transported to various care facilities. (More)

➤ Statewide: While drug overdose deaths have declined nationwide, Colorado's rate remains the same, raising questions about how to curb drug-related mortality in the state. (See Details)

➤ I-70: The control room of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel has received a long-awaited, $5-million upgrade aimed at improving traffic management. (See Details)

➤ The Colorado Avalanche offense went off in the final period of Wednesday night's game against the New Jersey Devils, scoring four goals to secure a 5-1 victory. (More)

➤ Colorado Buffaloes star and 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter told reporters that he still plans on playing both cornerback and receiver full-time in the NFL. "They say nobody has ever done it," said Hunter. "But I'm different." (More)

➤ An anonymous sports bettor has placed a wager on the Denver Nuggets to win the NBA finals that would pay out $350,000. (More)

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➤ Southwest Airlines confirmed it will reduce the number of flights out of Denver by about 4,800 through Oct. 2025 compared with the same time period in 2024. (See Details)

➤ The Colorado Public Utilities Commission decided Wednesday it will hold hearings on Xcel Energy's $155 million plan to address gas shortages in the mountains of Summit and Grand County. (See Details)

➤ Oscar nominees will receive graphic undershirts from Bored Rebel, a Denver-based apparel company, in gift bags at this year's Academy Awards. (See Shirts)

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➤ A Colorado Springs family took home the grand prize of $20,000 in Tuesday's episode of the popular game show Family Feud. (More)

➤ The "sober curious" movement is gaining popularity in Denver, a trend both influenced and reflected by local non-alcoholic beverage companies. (More)

➤ A kitten with hind-limb paralysis up for adoption in Lakewood has gone viral on TikTok after the shelter shared a video of her reaction to ukulele music. (More)

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