Friday, May 23, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1868, Kit Carson died at Fort Lyon at the age of 58. A colonel, wilderness guide, and legend of the American frontier, Carson achieved folk hero status in his own lifetime through news reports and sensationalized stories of his contributions to westward expansion.

In today’s Top Stories, we tell you everything you need to know for Memorial Day weekend, featuring a list of 40 things to do across the state. We’d love to hear your plans for the holiday—vote in our Poll or hit reply to share.

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.

We’re sponsored today by a local Colorado favorite, Westbound and Down Brewing, offering you a chance to invest in this award-winning brewery.

Don’t feel like reading the national edition of The Flyover? Tune in to The Flyover Podcast! New episodes drop daily—watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, all in under 15 minutes.

Lawsuit Challenges Kelly Loving Act

Multiple organizations have filed a lawsuit challenging the Kelly Loving Act, a transgender rights bill signed into law last week.

The law expands Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws to include protections for gender identity, making it a discriminatory act to use someone’s former names or pronouns.

The lawsuit, filed by parental rights groups, a national advocacy organization, and a Colorado dermatologist, argues the law violates free speech and parental rights by suppressing traditional beliefs about sex and gender.

In addition to the suit, the plaintiffs filed a preliminary injunction seeking to block specific provisions of the law from being enforced while the litigation is pending.

Activists to Sue Over Renaissance Fair Elephants

Animal rights attorneys are threatening to sue Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) if the agency allows elephants at the Colorado Renaissance Festival.

In a letter sent on Tuesday, the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project (AALDP) demanded CPW revoke or not grant a permit to Trunks and Humps, a company that has previously brought elephants to the summertime festival in Larkspur.

AALDP claims the Texas-based exhibitor violates Colorado’s Traveling Animals Protection Act, a law passed in 2021, by displaying the elephants solely for entertainment. The festival’s website describes the elephants as an “educational experience.”

The Colorado Renaissance Festival is set to take place in June. Organizers for the festival have yet to comment on the letter.

Memorial Day Weekend: Weather, Tips, Events

Colorado is in for a soggy Memorial Day weekend. Scattered storms are likely Saturday and Monday, with more widespread rain expected Sunday, especially along the I-25 corridor.

Denver International Airport is bracing for a holiday travel surge, with up to 80,000 passengers moving through security each day. If you’re planning to fly, check out this list of travel tips.

Gas prices are also projected to spike. Colorado’s average of $3.55 per gallon, while better than last year’s $3.72 per gallon, will be higher this weekend through Labor Day.

Rain or shine, Colorado has plenty of ways to enjoy the holiday weekend, from Old West festivals and sporting events to parades and veteran tributes. See a list here.

Flying together with our sponsor

What’s Better Than Drinking Local, Award-Winning Beer?

Owning stock in the brewery that makes it. That’s the story of Colorado’s most-awarded brewery, Westbound & Down.

They blend gold-medal beer with a hospitality-first, premium dining approach—creating a brand customers seek out. 20+ awards from names like the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup don’t hurt, either. Neither does their retail partnership with Whole Foods.

With 1,835% distribution sales growth since 2019 and four locations with waitlists every weekend, they’ve already built the demand most craft brands can only dream of.

Now, they’re working to scale production 4X by 2028 to meet it—and inviting you to share in their growth as an early-stage investor.

But they’re getting close to their limit of dollars raised, so you’ll need to act fast.

➤ Douglas County’s upcoming home-rule vote will be allowed to take place on June 24 after a district judge denied a request to block the special election. (See Details)

➤ Colorado Springs: Police are warning the public about a postcard scam purporting to offer Amazon refunds after a police department staff member received one of the fake offers in the mail. (More)

➤ Denver: A suspect who fled the police and attempted to hide in a storm drain had to be rescued by West Metro Fire crews when he became stuck. (See Photos)

➤ Statewide: The National Weather Service released the results of a damage survey of Sunday’s tornado event. Three of the tornadoes were rated EF2, and one was rated EF1. (See Results)

➤ Evergreen: A historic one-room log schoolhouse—first built in 1877 and thought to be the oldest in the state—was transported via truck to Marshdale Park, its fifth location so far. (See Photos)

➤ Boulder County: Police arrested a 23-year-old in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a local cyclist on Sunday. (More)

➤ Statewide: Gov. Polis signed a bill to protect wild bison, which are often killed when they cross state lines, by classifying the animals as big game wildlife. (See Details)

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➤ The Denver Nuggets officially promoted David Adelman to full-time head coach on Thursday, dropping his interim tag after a strong postseason run that brought Denver within one win of the Western Conference Finals. He’s been with the team since 2017. (See Details)

➤ Broncos quarterback Bo Nix will throw the ceremonial first pitch today at 6:40 p.m. at Coors Field before the Rockies-Yankees series opener, continuing his offseason tour of local pro sports. (More)

➤ A new study shows the Colorado Rockies remain the most-searched MLB team on the web in both Colorado and Wyoming, according to Google Trends. Colorado stands out as one of the few states with fans deeply invested in its team despite enduring consecutive historically bad seasons. (See Study)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Celebrate Memorial Day with AARP and enjoy special savings! Join now for just $11 per year with a 5-year membership—plus, get a free trunk organizer as a bonus. Unlock exclusive benefits, discounts, and resources for travel, dining, finances, and more. Don’t miss this limited-time Memorial Day offer!

➤ Smashburger, a fast-casual chain founded in Denver, ranked No. 16 on Yelp’s list of the top 25 burger chains in the country. (See List)

➤ Veterans in Douglas County are seeking $15 million in donations to build Heroes Hall, a 14,000-square-foot building to serve as a dedicated space for the county’s veterans and their families. (See Details)

➤ Denver International Airport employees are pressing CEO Phil Washington for answers after reports he approved business-class flights costing up to $19,000 per ticket for executive staff to attend a conference in Madrid. (More)

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Three Men Walk Into A Brewery…

And realize they could do things infinitely better.

That realization turned into Colorado’s own Westbound & Down—a beer brand built by three best friends obsessed with beer, food, and hospitality. Their vision wasn’t just to brew great beer, but to rethink the American brewpub experience from the ground up.

The results speak for themselves: 20+ national awards, 1,835% growth in distribution sales, and packed brewpubs every weekend. With retail partners like Whole Foods and 600+ other accounts on board, demand is quickly outpacing supply .

That’s why they’re working to 4X production capacity by 2028. And you can currently join them as an early-stage investor.

Just know: there isn’t much space before W&D reaches its investment limit—so act fast.

This is a paid advertisement for Westbound & Down’s Regulation CF Offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.westboundanddown.com/

➤ “Sergeant” is the most commonly misspelled word in Colorado, according to a study of the most misspelled words by state. (See Study)

➤ A Girl Scout in Littleton was awarded the Girl Scouts Medal of Honor for saving her grandfather’s life by calling 911 in time to prevent septic shock. (Read Story)

➤ Erie has one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S., ranking 15th nationwide and more than doubling since 2010, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report. (See Report)

Flying together with our sponsor

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