Friday, March 21, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1801, the French Republic and the Spanish Empire signed the Treaty of Aranjuez. The treaty confirmed France's reacquisition of the Louisiana Territory, which encompassed the lands that would eventually form the Colorado Territory.

In today's Top Stories, you'll read about a million-dollar grant program looking for solutions to one problem: human-bear conflicts. Data shows the incidents—which mostly involve black bears ransacking trash—are on the rise in Colorado. Have you ever had a close bear-encounter of your own? Vote in our Poll or hit reply to share your experience.

Did you know that the team that makes The Colorado Flyover also produces a national publication called The Flyover? Click here to subscribe and stay up to date with the latest national headlines—without the bias of legacy media outlets.

In Thursday's edition, we mistakenly reported that Interstate 25 was closed from E-470 to the Kansas border when we intended to say Interstate 70. We sincerely apologize for the error.

We're sponsored today by Organixx, offering health products to combat collagen deficiency.

Two Escape ICE Facility During Outage

Two detainees at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora escaped on Tuesday night, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Around 9:30 p.m., a power outage at the facility caused a door to unlock, allowing the two detainees to walk off the premises. A headcount at midnight revealed they were missing.

ICE stated that local authorities were notified of the escape immediately but "declined to assist with the search." However, local officials dispute this, claiming they were not informed until two hours after staff reported the individuals missing.

The escapees remain at large. They were identified as Geilond Vido-Romero, who was pending removal from the U.S., and Joel Jose Gonzalez-Gonzalez, who was awaiting immigration proceedings.

Pueblo Chief Blames State Laws for Shootout

In a press conference Wednesday, Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller said Colorado's "soft-on-crime legislation" led to a shootout that left three officers injured and the suspect dead on Tuesday.

Noeller said the suspect, Billy Soto, was a gang member with 14 felony arrests, most of which were pleaded down to misdemeanors. He was wanted in connection with a Feb. 3 shooting that occurred while he was out on bond.

On Tuesday evening, police responded to a call about shots fired and an injured officer. When backup arrived, Soto fired an additional 80 rounds in the ensuing gunfire exchange.

"Our officers were ambushed and shot by a malicious person who should have been in jail, but wasn't," Noeller said. "The blood of my officers lays at the steps of the Capitol." He added that the officers are in stable condition, but "have a long road to recovery."

Grants Offered to Reduce Human-Bear Conflicts

Coloradans can now apply for the next round of grants from the Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant Program, an initiative to mitigate conflicts between black bears and residents.

The program began in 2021 and has since awarded $2.9 million in grants. The money goes to local governments, organizations, and individuals who use it for a variety of conflict-reduction projects.

Last year, those projects included bear-resistant trash cans, campground food lockers, and electric chicken coop fences, totaling nearly $1 million in funds to recipients across the state.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is accepting applications for this year's grants through May 30. According to CPW, human-bear conflicts increased by nearly 15% in 2024.

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➤ Douglas County opened its first continuous flow intersection Thursday on U.S. 85 near C-470, aiming to reduce congestion and improve safety for drivers. (See Intersection)

➤ Aurora: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra, who was detained by ICE on Monday, is pending removal from the United States. (More)

➤ Lakewood: Police are searching for a suspect who cut Tesla charging cords at the Colorado Mills mall, the latest in a series of Tesla-related criminal mischief cases. (More)

➤ Elizabeth: A U.S. District Court judge ruled on Wednesday that the Elizabeth School District must return all the library books it removed for "inappropriate content" in 2024. (See Details)

➤ Colorado Springs: Kimberlee Singler, a Colorado Springs woman accused of killing her two children before fleeing to the United Kingdom, has filed an appeal to the January ruling allowing her extradition to the U.S. (More)

➤ Arapahoe County: Investigators are looking for a woman who scammed residents out of nearly $10,000 by purporting to sell cheap Super Bowl tickets and package deals. (More)

➤ The Colorado Avalanche lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Wednesday night after the Maple Leafs were gifted a goal when a referee slipped and stopped the puck in the perfect position for them to score. (Watch Video)

➤ Denver Nuggets stars Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray missed their second consecutive game on Wednesday night, resulting in a 120-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. (More)

➤ The Colorado State Rams will face fifth-seeded Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament today at noon on TBS. (More)

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➤ Flight for Life helicopters, ambulances, and fixed-wing aircraft in Colorado are changing from their iconic orange to pink as part of CommonSpirit Health's rebranding. (More)

➤ Casinos in Colorado are seeing a sports-betting surge with the start of March Madness, just two months after sports betting in the state hit a record-breaking pace. (More)

➤ Two groups campaigning to repeal Denver's ban on flavored tobacco have gathered enough signatures to place the issue on the November 2025 ballot. (More)

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➤ The Populus Hotel in Denver has been named one of Time's World's Greatest Places of 2025. (See the List)

➤ A rare white squirrel—most likely the result of leucism, a genetic trait similar to albinism—was spotted in a Centennial resident's backyard. (See Photos)

➤ Seven dogs are frequent guests at the state Capitol, where they often accompany a handful of Colorado lawmakers to work. (See Dogs)

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