DOJ Sues Colorado over Tuition Law

The U.S. Department of Justice sued Colorado on Thursday to stop the state from charging in-state tuition to illegal immigrants at its public colleges.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Denver, targets the 2013 ASSET Act and is the department’s 14th such lawsuit. Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Nebraska have already ended the benefit.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said Congress has barred states for three decades from extending education benefits to illegal immigrants unless the same benefits reach every American citizen.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, who co-sponsored the bill as a state senator, called the suit “a slap in the face to countless Colorado children.” ASSET drew Republican votes in both chambers and was signed by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Colorado Springs Panel Clears Data Center

The Colorado Springs Planning Commission voted 6-2 late Thursday to reject neighborhood appeals against an artificial-intelligence data center planned for the old Intel plant off Garden of the Gods Road.

The vote came just before midnight, closing a hearing that opened at 9 a.m. and ran 14 hours. More than 100 residents signed up to speak against Project Taurus; 13 signed up to speak for it.

Commissioners attached four conditions on developer Raeden, an Oakland, California, firm: a 50-megawatt power cap, a decade of utility-use reporting, corrected building plans, and broader sound monitoring.

Raeden co-founder Jason Green said the site will draw a one-time 200,000 gallons for closed-loop cooling and stay inside the city’s 45-decibel limit. A company-commissioned report projects 600 construction jobs.

Bill Would Block Glenwood Quarry Expansion

Colorado’s Western Slope congressman and both U.S. senators introduced legislation Thursday to stop the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from approving a limestone quarry expansion above Glenwood Springs.

The Glenwood Hot Springs Protection Act came from Rep. Jeff Hurd (R) with a Senate companion from Democrats Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper. It follows a June BLM finding that the expansion application is complete.

Rocky Mountain Industrials wants to grow the Mid-Continent Limestone Quarry from roughly 16 acres to 56, which would raise gravel truck traffic through town from about 20 a day to 400.

Hurd, who grew up in Grand Junction, said he is pro-mining and pro-energy, but that “not every location is the right place for every project.”

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➤ Custer County: San Isabel residents returned home Friday under pre-evacuation status, with Highway 165 open only to those carrying reentry cards. The Aspen Acres Fire held at 101,546 acres and 61% containment, with 1,023 personnel still working it. (More)

➤ Statewide: Responding to and recovering from Colorado’s four largest wildfires this summer could cost taxpayers about $266 million, state emergency officials told the Drought Task Force on Thursday. The 90-day projection lands after $2.5 billion in state budget cuts. (See Details)

➤ Pueblo County: The Colorado State Land Board approved the Mirasol Solar Project, a $500 million build on 1,140 acres of state trust land expected to power about 36,000 homes. Lease payments should send more than $26 million to the Public School Trust. (See Details)

➤ Garfield County: Residents picketed Forest Service open houses in Glenwood Springs and Gypsum this week over a draft plan to build a lodge, 20-site campground, cabins, and equestrian facilities at Sweetwater Lake. Their chief objection: one 12-mile road in and out. (See Details)

➤ Weld County: Mosquitoes trapped in the Johnstown, Milliken, and Platteville area tested positive for West Nile virus, the county health department said Thursday. No human cases have been reported locally, though officials expect that to change as Culex numbers climb. (More)

➤ Boulder: Councilmember Mark Wallach resigned Thursday night, minutes after the council voted 8-1 to keep Boulder Municipal Airport open indefinitely and pursue Federal Aviation Administration grants. Wallach, 73, cast the lone no vote and had pushed for years to redevelop the airport’s 179 acres. (See Details)

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➤ USA Team Handball is hosting a Futures Festival in Colorado Springs this week where 48 athletes are competing for a chance to try out for the national team ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The U.S. hasn’t appeared in Olympic handball since 1996 but will receive an automatic bid as the host country. (More) 

➤ Peyton Watson’s contract expectations with the Denver Nuggets are “completely out of whack,” according to a local radio host, with the restricted free agent reportedly seeking $125 million over five years. Watson flashed during a 16-game stretch while Nikola Jokić was sidelined, but played in just 54 games overall last season. (More)

➤ Former Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson was hired as associate head coach of the Ohio State women’s hockey team. He won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022 and played 19 seasons in the NHL. (More) 

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NWSL | Golf

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➤ The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region ran a small-animal evacuation center in Pueblo for 19 days during the Aspen Acres Fire, caring for 337 animals: 169 dogs, 161 cats, and seven others. Evacuees are now starting to come home. (See Details)

➤ Meanwhile, two miniature therapy horses named Baylee and Pearl have been working the Aspen Acres Fire base camp at CSU Pueblo, where crews climb out of their trucks to hug them. Owner Tara Holmes says the pair gravitate to whoever needs it most. (More)

➤ American Vampires, a horror film shot in Grand Junction, gets its first public screening Aug. 14 at Avalon Theatre before heading out to film festivals. The filmmakers will be there for a Q&A, along with vampire costume prizes, trivia, and a rooftop party. (See Details)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Dangerous myths about dementia are shaping how millions protect their brains, and a neuroscientist says most of them are wrong. (Hear More)

➤ Scammers posing as a major bank convinced a Florida woman to hand over $50,000 that was meant for her first home. (Listen Now)

➤ Researchers studying why aging muscles stop repairing themselves have found a compound doing something they did not expect. (Podcast Available)

Will you watch the American Vampires film?

1. Definitely
2. Yes, just because it was made in CO
3. Definitely not
4. Don’t know

Yesterday’s Results:

How much did it rain where you live this week?

1. Not that much: 46%
2. Quite a bit: 24%
3. Not at all: 18%
4. A ton: 12%

What is Colorado’s oldest continuously occupied town?

Show me the answer