Monday, August 24, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1904, Arvada incorporated.

The School of Mines’ M Climb, a century-old freshman-initiation tradition, took place in Golden on Friday. Find out more below. Did your school have any time-honored traditions? Hit reply to tell us.

Today’s sponsor, Doroni, is giving investors an opportunity to get in early as the company advances its vision of personal flying cars, backed by hundreds of reservations, a growing urban air mobility market, and plans to trade under the Nasdaq ticker $DRNI.

Polis Requests Disaster Declaration

Gov. Jared Polis formally asked President Trump and FEMA on Friday to approve a major disaster declaration for the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain fires.

The request covers Pueblo, Custer, and Ouray counties after the two fires burned more than 140,000 acres, destroyed 324 homes, and forced roughly 11,600 residents to evacuate.

Polis extended the state declarations for both fires last week. Aspen Acres has burned over 102,000 acres and Gold Mountain over 39,700.

Trump denied Colorado’s request after last year’s Elk and Lee fires. Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith estimates losses across Custer and Pueblo counties could exceed $500 million.

Human-Bear Conflicts Hit Historic High

A female black bear knocked down an angler and bit his legs Friday evening near the confluence of the North Fork and main stem South Platte rivers in Jefferson County.

The man in his 60s was hospitalized, and he had no fish on him. A CPW and USDA dog team tracked the bear and euthanized it Saturday, standard policy after an attack.

It was the sixth reported attack of 2026. CPW logged 6,129 bear reports through Aug. 13, nearly double the 3,115 recorded a year earlier.

Officers also tranquilized a yearling in Denver’s Platt Park on Sunday. Drought has thinned natural food as bears enter hyperphagia before hibernation.

Mines Welcomes Freshmen with M Climb

Colorado School of Mines’ newest Orediggers climbed Mount Zion on Aug. 21, hauling 10-pound rocks from their hometowns three miles up Lookout Mountain Road.

At the top, students splashed whitewash onto the rocks and added them to the mountainside emblem. The tradition dates to 1908, and fall classes start today.

The Class of 2030 numbers 1,698 first-year and transfer students from 47 states and 31 countries, and 20% are first-generation college students.

This year’s school-issued hard hats were fuchsia. Once their rocks are part of the M, officials say, the newcomers officially join the Mines community.

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➤ Capitol: State Sen. Cathy Kipp filed a complaint over an Independence Institute deepfake video of her, possibly the first case under Colorado’s deepfake law. (More)

➤ Aurora: A city council committee backed a resolution opposing Initiative 85, which would make possession of any amount of fentanyl a felony. A full council vote is next. (More)

➤ Firestone: Local police arrested State Patrol Sgt. Ryan Holmes, on the force since 1998, on second-degree assault charges. (More)

➤ Larimer County: The county opened a $30 million Emergency Services Building on 50 acres northwest of Fort Collins, meant to speed response into Poudre Canyon. (More)

➤ Castle Rock: The Dean family says it carries $300,000 in medical debt after a Jeffco sheriff’s K-9 mauled their 2-year-old and her father at a 2024 birthday party. (More)

➤ Durango: Former Escalante Middle School teacher Benjamin Smith, 30, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for sex crimes against 37 teenage boys. (More)

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➤ The Colorado Rockies unveiled a statue of Hall of Fame outfielder Larry Walker outside of Coors Field yesterday morning. Walker, a .300 career hitter, won the 1997 NL MVP and made four All-Star teams with the Rockies. (See Statue)

➤ Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders showed flashes in his preseason game with the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, going 9-for-11 with 74 passing yards and one touchdown, though he did throw an interception on a deflected pass. The Browns have yet to announce their starting quarterback. (More)

➤ Air Force linebacker Blake Fletcher has been named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in the nation. (More)

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➤ About 100 Adams County residents packed a Thornton library Saturday over data center concerns. Commerce City weighs a six-month moratorium today. (More)

➤ Cobblestone Car Wash will pay over $1.3 million in restitution to more than 70,000 Coloradans under an attorney general settlement over membership practices. (More)

➤ Ted’s Backyard Patio in Windsor served its last customers Aug. 20, six months after the Water Valley hospitality group rebranded the former Ted’s Sweetwater Grill. (More)

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“The Future of Flight is Coming”

This statement from the U.S. transportation secretary after his historic flight in an eVTOL this June has captured Wall Street’s attention.

Just last month, the FAA’s MOSAIC rule took full effect, expanding the certification pathway for personal aircrafts like Doroni’s H1-X. And Florida’s leading the charge, selected as one of eight regions to lead the FAA’s flying car pilot program.

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➤ Arvada denied permits for the 101st Harvest Festival, so organizers moved a smaller version to the Jaycees’ Yukon Street property on Sept. 11 and 12. (More)

➤ Downtown Boulder shops are handing out free bags of Pearl Street Mall tulip bulbs, one per household, in the giveaway’s 20th year while supplies last. (More)

➤ Colorado’s state archaeologist spent days digging at Littleton’s Jackass Hill Park, where findings could force changes to a planned viewpoint redesign. (More)

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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. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Nearly two weeks after deadly storms hit Indiana, thousands are still in the dark, and residents want to know why. (Hear Story)

➤ Imagine a winter without a single sunset before 5 p.m. Congress could make it happen, but there’s a catch. (Hear Trade-Off)

➤ How to wake up without an alarm clock, according to sleep researchers. It only takes about a week to retrain your body. (Listen How)