Tornadoes Rip Through Eastern Colorado

Dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed on the Eastern Plains as four confirmed tornadoes swept through the region Sunday afternoon. No injuries or deaths were reported.

At least 19 homes were damaged near Elizabeth in Elbert County, while 17 structures—including six homes—were hit around Bennett, where one tornado touched down three times. See video here.

The National Weather Service confirmed four tornadoes in total—two near Bennett and two others in Adams and Arapahoe counties. While none were reported along the I-25 corridor, more than 900 flights out of Denver were delayed amid the storms.

The storms were part of a larger system that swept across the Midwest and South, where severe weather killed at least 27 people.

Cross-Burning Hoax Trial Begins

The trial began Monday for two people accused of staging a cross burning and defacing a campaign sign with a racial slur in the run-up to Colorado Springs’ 2023 mayoral election.

Authorities said the stunt was a hoax intended to generate support for Yemi Mobolade, who later won the election and became the city’s first black mayor.

Mobolade is expected to testify as a victim, though defendant Ashley Blackcloud alleges he was involved in the scheme.

Mobolade has emphatically denied his involvement. Deanna West, the third person indicted in the case, pleaded guilty in March and is cooperating with prosecutors.

North Pole Opens for Season

The North Pole-Santa’s Workshop, a mountain amusement park in Cascade, officially opened for its 2025 season on Saturday.

Designed for families with kids under 12, the vintage Christmas-themed park features restored classic rides—including the world’s highest Ferris wheel by elevation—along with a North Pole village and the chance to meet Santa Claus.

Manager Austin Lawhorn, whose family has run the park since it opened in 1956, says it offers a nostalgic experience largely unchanged by time.

The North Pole will stay open through Christmas Eve. Entrance to the park is free during its summer and fall seasons, though it is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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➤ Northglenn: Authorities briefly evacuated Boondocks Food and Fun Center on Sunday after the venue received threats, which were found to be not credible. (More)

➤ Denver: The FBI is seeking the public’s help in identifying three suspects, dubbed the “One-hit Wonders,” linked to three separate bank robberies across the city. (See Details)

➤ Monument: Police arrested a man accused of deliberately causing an explosion in a home while three deputies and two officers were inside. (See Details)

➤ Boulder County: The Colorado State Patrol is searching for a suspected hit-and-run driver who allegedly struck and killed a cyclist on Sunday. (See Details)

➤ Grand Junction: A man convicted in a series of deadly pipe bombings in 1993 has been granted a new trial after an appeals court found expert testimony from the original trial was undermined by new evidence. (More)

➤ Aurora: Police issued a warning that the department’s Street Racing Task Force is “actively monitoring” the city after three vehicles were towed for illegal street racing on Sunday night. (More)

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➤ Former Nuggets coach Michael Malone joins ESPN’s NBA Countdown for the Western Conference Finals, just weeks after Denver’s surprise dismissal and second-round playoff loss to the Thunder. (See Details)

➤ The Broncos promoted Reed Burckhardt to assistant general manager, part of a nine-person front office shakeup by George Paton following offseason departures and Darren Mougey’s move to the Jets. (More)

➤ Deion Sanders, aka Coach Prime, is teaming up with Netflix for a new docuseries chronicling his life and journey as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s results: MLB | WNBA | NCAAB | Soccer

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➤ Old Elk, an award-winning, Fort Collins-based craft whiskey brand, was acquired by Middle West Spirits, an Ohio-based distillery that aims to “secure the future” of the brand with a dedicated production facility. (See Details)

➤ Construction is underway on the Clayworks Project, a new mixed-use district bringing office and retail space, apartment buildings, and a boutique hotel to downtown Golden. (See Renderings)

➤ Denver is considering a proposal to allow outdoor alcohol consumption in certain areas of the 16th Street Mall when it reopens in the coming weeks. (More)

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Zillow’s Co-Founder Has a Big New Idea

Spencer Rascoff co-founded Zillow, scaling it into a $16B real estate giant. But everyday investors couldn’t invest until after the IPO, missing potential early gains.

“I wish we had done a round accessible to retail investors prior to Zillow’s IPO,” Spencer later said. 

Now he’s doing just that. Spencer has teamed up with Austin Allison, another Zillow exec, to launch Pacaso. Pacaso’s co-ownership marketplace is disrupting the $1.3T vacation home market. And unlike Zillow, you can invest in Pacaso as a private company.

With more than $110M in gross profits and rapid international expansion, Pacaso is scaling fast. Investors like SoftBank, Maveron, and more are already on board. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

But you don’t have to wait. Join them as a Pacaso shareholder for just $2.80/share by 5/29.

This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals. Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC.

➤ The Denver Animal Shelter is seeking volunteer musicians to take part in Wild Tunes, a program that brings live music to shelter pets to provide enrichment and reduce stress. (See Details)

➤ Loveland police collaborated with a local high school student to orchestrate a promposal—a surprise prom invitation—for his friend. (Watch Video)

➤ Law school applications in Colorado surged by up to 20% in the past year, part of a nationwide trend attributed to economic uncertainty and high-profile court cases. (More)

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When does Christmas season start?

1. After Halloween
2. After Thanksgiving
3. Advent Sunday
4. In December
5. It never ends

Yesterday’s Results:

Which of these classic arcade games is your favorite?

1. I don’t like arcade games: 23%
2. Pac-Man: 16%
3. Galaga: 14%
4. Other: 13%
5. Donkey Kong: 12%
6. Street Fighter II: 11%
7. Mortal Kombat: 11%

In what year did the first legal, post-Prohibition whiskey distillery open in Colorado?

Show me the answer