Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1982, Gov. Richard Lamm designated the stegosaurus as Colorado’s official state fossil. The very first stegosaurus fossil in the world was discovered at Dinosaur Ridge near Golden in 1877.

Speaking of dinosaurs, everyone’s favorite purple triceratops landed in second place on a real-time, fan-voted ranking of the best MLB mascots, beating out baseball icons like Orbit, Blooper, and Mr. Met. Read more in Et Cetera, and vote for your favorite Colorado mascot in today’s Poll.

Life insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all, and picking the wrong policy can mean overpaying for coverage you don’t need or leaving your family short when it matters most. Who’s the most affordable? Who has the best customer service? Who’s the best if you want to skip the medical exam? On today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast, host Ayla Brown breaks down the top life insurance companies for seniors in 2026, shedding light on which one might be best for you. Tune in here!

Still figuring out what to get Mom? We did the hard part for you. Our 2026 Mother’s Day Gift Guide has picks she’ll actually use, love, and maybe even brag about.

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Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Dueling Data Center Bills Stalled

Two competing data center bills have stalled at the Colorado Capitol with less than three weeks left in the legislative session.

A rewritten version of the industry-backed bill, HB 1030, would offer long-term tax incentives to data center companies that meet requirements for major infrastructure investment, job creation, and energy, water, and labor standards. The bill had a hearing scheduled last week but was pulled from the calendar.

SB 102, an environmentalist-backed bill, would not offer tax breaks and instead impose stricter guardrails on development, including limits aimed at preventing higher electricity costs and increased emissions. The bill had a committee hearing in March, but no vote was taken.

The impasse comes as state utility regulators consider a special tariff ensuring data centers don’t drive up costs for other ratepayers.

Historic Lakewood Plaque Stolen

A bronze plaque installed in Lakewood in 1937 to honor the Depression-era workers who helped extend Alameda Avenue to Red Rocks Amphitheatre has been stolen, according to police.

The plaque, reported stolen April 10, recognized more than 5,000 workers who took part in the Works Progress Administration, a government-run program that provided steady work to Coloradans during the Great Depression.

Tom Quinn, head of the Alameda Corridor Business Improvement District, believes the plaque may have been stripped for scrap metal “by individuals facing their own modern economic instability.” He called this a “somber reflection,” noting the social safety nets recognized by the marker were “established to prevent this kind of desperate act.”

Because the plaque is federal property, anyone who steals, damages, or is found in possession of it could face significant felony charges, the district said.

April Ends with Rain

Snow fell in the mountains Monday, leaving about 2-5 inches and up to 8 inches closer to the peaks amid scattered rain showers at lower elevations.

Rainy weather is forecast to last through much of the week, with a mix of clouds, occasional sunshine, and periodic showers and thunderstorms across the state.

Highs will reach the low 60s today, then cool slightly Wednesday. They’ll dip into the lower 50s on Thursday, which looks to be the coolest and rainiest day of the week.

Mainly sunny skies and highs near the 70s will return Saturday, leading into even warmer weather Sunday.

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➤ Statewide: Amid budget cuts, pay raises for state lawmakers and statewide elected officials will take effect Jan. 1, 2027, unless changed by the legislature this year. The cost for the first full year is estimated at $400,000. (More)

➤ Boulder County: A woman pleaded guilty to felony manslaughter and tampering with evidence for assisting in her 91-year-old mother’s suicide, in a case prosecutors say violated the state’s medical aid-in-dying law. She’ll serve two years’ probation with no jail time under her plea deal. (More)

➤ Mesa County: A three-judge panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals denied former clerk Tina Peters’ request for a rehearing, a decision her attorneys plan to appeal. The panel upheld her conviction but ordered resentencing earlier this month. (See Details)

➤ Cherry Hills Village: A local man says he’s been pulled over repeatedly—and could be again—due to a still-unresolved court data-entry error that confused his license plate with that of a wanted criminal. (See Details)

➤ Statewide: The Senate confirmed one of three governor-appointed Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners last week. The other two, whom a Senate committee voted against recommending, withdrew their nominations just before the confirmation vote. (More)

➤ Littleton: A commercial fuel truck caught fire on S. Santa Fe Drive Monday morning, creating a potential hazmat situation, shutting down a portion of the street, and prompting evacuations of nearby buildings. (See Video)

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➤ The Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 125-113 last night thanks to a 27-point triple-double by Nikola Jokić. Game 6 is on Thursday night. (More)

➤ The Avalanche completed a first-round sweep of the LA Kings with a 5-1 win Sunday in the NHL playoffs. They’ll now face the winner of the Dallas-Minnesota series, which is tied 2-2. (More)

➤ Nikola Jokić was fined $50,000 and Julius Randle $35,000 after a late Game 4 altercation sparked by a layup in the final seconds. Both were ejected but cleared to play in last night’s Game 5. (More)

➤ The Colorado Rockies swept the New York Mets over the weekend for the first time since 2018. They’ve now won 13 games this season, a total they didn’t reach until June last year. (More)

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➤ G-Que Barbeque, a Denver barbecue chain, opened its fifth overall and first northern Colorado location in Timnath. Menu highlights include everything from pulled pork and brisket to jalapeño cheddar sausage and classic sides. (See Details)

➤ A Texas-based beverage distributor is laying off 320 employees and closing its Littleton facility as another distributor moves to acquire parts of the company. (See Details)

➤ More than 1,900 ski instructors have joined a lawsuit alleging Vail Resorts violated federal labor laws by not paying them for certain tasks. The employees who first filed the case in 2020 are seeking to sign up even more of the 24,273 eligible workers. (See Details)

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➤ A Colorado Springs man spent over 800 hours completing the world’s largest commercial jigsaw puzzle—a 60,000-piece, 8-by-29.5-foot map of the world—with some help from his granddaughter. (See Video)

➤ Dinger, the Rockies’ purple triceratops mascot, ranked No. 2 on a fan-voted, real-time list of the best MLB mascots, trailing only the Phillie Phanatic. (See List)

➤ Local animal shelters are bracing for kitten season, a spring-through-late-summer, often resource-intensive surge of newborn kitten arrivals. (See Details)

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