Monday, May 25, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 2001, 32-year-old Erik Weihenmayer of Boulder became the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Today’s edition of The Colorado Flyover is a bit shorter than usual as our team takes time to observe Memorial Day weekend with loved ones. We’ll be back Wednesday with your full roundup of the news that matters most across the Centennial State.

Want our news coverage delivered sooner? In just over a week, we’re launching Flyover Updates, an afternoon text with the biggest breaking stories of the day, delivered straight to your phone. You don’t have to wait till tomorrow to get the day’s biggest stories anymore. Get them same-day from Flyover Updates! Sign up here to get our very first edition, coming in June. We can’t wait to hear what you think about it.

Today’s sponsor, United States Tungsten, is working to restore America’s domestic tungsten supply as demand for this critical industrial metal surges amid rising prices, zero U.S. inventory, and growing government interest.

Vance to Speak at Air Force Ceremony

Vice President JD Vance will serve as the commencement speaker at the 2026 U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) graduation ceremony Thursday, May 28, at Falcon Stadium.

Tickets are required for the event, and gates open to the public at 6 a.m., three hours before the ceremony begins at 9 a.m.

The Thunderbirds, an Air Force demonstration squadron known for high-speed aerial maneuvers, will perform a flyover of the stadium, weather permitting. The air show is slated for 11:25 a.m.

According to USAFA, more than 900 cadets will commission as officers in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force during the ceremony.

Big Boy No. 4014 Returns

Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, will make a handful of stops in Colorado this July to round out its 2026 summer tour.

The train sets out today from its home base of Cheyenne, Wyoming. From there, it will journey to the East Coast and back as part of a first-ever coast-to-coast tour celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

The locomotive arrives in Colorado July 27, first stopping in Kit Carson and Strasburg before passing through Denver and Greeley on its way north to Cheyenne. See a schedule here.

As part of the tour, the Union Pacific Museum will sell tickets for rides in vintage passenger cars pulled by Big Boy through the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania.

Flying together with our sponsor

The $10 Billion Tungsten Boom

The global tungsten market is surging toward $10 billion by 2030 for one simple reason: modern industry has no substitute for it. From the precision drills that build our cities to the high-heat engines that power our flight, tungsten is the indispensable “backbone” of global manufacturing.

With global prices recently surging 557% and U.S. inventory at a critical zero, the demand for a domestic source has reached a boiling point. It’s happening right as United States Tungsten is aiming to reestablish domestic tungsten to supply the 25-year growth cycle of American industry.

They’re already in supply talks with the U.S. Government. This is your opportunity to invest in United States Tungsten as they bring this critical resource back online.

➤ These photos of iconic Colorado landmarks over the years show just how much the state’s best-known places have changed. (See Photos)

➤ This list of 11 Eastern Plains museums offering free admission this summer includes everything from the Bailey Saddleland Museum in Simla to an old jail in Cheyenne Wells. (See List)

➤ Three small towns in Colorado claimed spots on Travel + Leisure’s list of the country’s top 10 summer getaways. (See List)

➤ Four cities in the state were named among the best places to live in the nation on U.S. News & World Report‘s 2026-27 rankings. (See List)

➤ Colorado leads the nation in tattoo regret—ranking No. 1 for tattoo removal and cover-up searches per capita—according to a new study. (More)

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This Metal Jumped 557% and Is Still Climbing

From semiconductors to EVs, aerospace, and more, tungsten is used across $12.33 trillion in markets. And one company is unlocking this critical resource on U.S. soil for the first time in years.

United States Tungsten is aiming to reestablish tungsten on American soil. The company has a roadmap to dominate the domestic supply chain as the U.S. cuts its reliance on foreign imports.

Lock in your United States Tungsten investment as they aim to restart domestic tungsten production.

This is a paid advertisement for United States Tungsten Company’s Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.unitedstatestungsten.com/