Colorado Gets $615M in Meta Settlement

Meta agreed to pay $17 billion and add child-safety features to Facebook and Instagram to settle claims brought by 47 states, attorneys general announced Wednesday.

Colorado will receive nearly $615 million over nine years, Attorney General Phil Weiser said, plus $11.4 million resolving separate claims over how Meta shared Facebook user data.

The agreement requires a combined two-hour daily limit for teen accounts, mandatory pauses during long sessions, nighttime blocks, age-verification tools, and stronger parental controls.

The deal, which still needs court approval, cut short a federal trial in Oakland, California, before CEO Mark Zuckerberg was scheduled to testify. Colorado sued Meta in 2023.

Denver to Ban Lawn Watering Early

The Denver Board of Water Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to end the lawn watering season a month early, ordering sprinklers off starting Oct. 1 with no set date to resume.

Trees, shrubs, gardens, and vegetables can still be watered by hand or drip line. Spray irrigation is barred, and no new grass may be planted after Sept. 30.

Denver Water pointed to the driest April-through-July stretch in 110 years of record-keeping, with natural streamflow into its reservoirs measuring just 22% of normal.

Storage sits in the low 70% range against a historic median of 94%, and staff project it could drop to 60% before spring runoff. Violations can bring fines of up to $2,000.

Parton Legacy Lives on in Colorado

Dolly Parton died Tuesday at 80, and flags across Colorado will fly at half-staff until sunset on Sept. 1 under orders from Gov. Jared Polis and President Trump.

Parton’s Imagination Library has mailed 3.5 million free books to Colorado children since the statewide program began in 2021, funded by the state and nonprofits at about $1.6 million a year.

More than 6,600 Aurora kids are enrolled, and local affiliates pay roughly $2.40 per book. Organizers say a quarter of surveyed families own no other books at home.

Two of Parton’s stage costumes will appear in DIVA, a Denver Art Museum show opening Oct. 4 and running through January. It’s the exhibition’s only stop in the United States.

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➤ Statewide: Secretary of State Jena Griswold says nothing changes for now after the U.S. Supreme Court unblocked President Trump’s mail-voting order, and more litigation is expected. (More)

➤ Also Statewide: Most Colorado universities have not decided whether to answer a federal questionnaire on speech, research, and admissions. Colorado Mesa University said it will not respond. (More)

➤ Boulder County: Boulder Valley School District proposed a consolidation plan involving 16 schools and cutting 1,906 seats. The board takes public comment Sept. 8 and votes Sept. 22. (More)

➤ Mesa County: Two men were arrested across the border in Vernal, Utah, in connection to a hit-and-run that killed a 35-year-old man south of Loma. (More)

➤ Denver: City Attorney Miko Brown faces a second ethics complaint in two days, this one alleging she pushed to steer airport legal work to her former firm. Her office denies it. (More)

➤ Florence: George Hall, 55, was found unresponsive at the U.S. Penitentiary in Florence on Monday and later died. The FBI was notified, and no staff or other inmates were hurt. (More)

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➤ Air Force football unveiled its 2026 Air Power Legacy Series uniform honoring the B-21 Raider stealth bomber. The Falcons will wear the special uniform Oct. 3 against Navy at Falcon Stadium. (More)

➤ Colorado Rockies pitcher Mason Adams struck out five batters in his major league debut Tuesday, beating the Nationals 3-1. Adams came over from the White Sox in the Brenton Doyle trade. (More)

➤ Denver will build a pedestrian bridge connecting the Broadway light rail station to the planned 14,500-seat stadium for its new women’s soccer team, Summit FC. The city has set aside up to $25 million for the project. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | U.S. Open | Soccer | Little League World Series

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➤ Grand Junction broke ground on Liberty Apartments, a 72-unit workforce housing project funded partly by $8 million from Proposition 123. (More)

➤ In Aurora, meanwhile, leaders broke ground on Wagoner on the Creek, a 60-unit development offering on-site behavioral health care and job support for people leaving the justice system. (More)

➤ The Rockies are adding a Buffalo Chicken Donut to the Coors Field menu for their final home games of the season. (More)

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➤ The name of a metal troll installed underneath Palmer Lake’s pedestrian bridge in June will be decided by a public vote open through August. The winning name will be announced Sept. 1. (More)

➤ A near-total lunar eclipse will be visible across much of Colorado tonight into early Friday, with the best viewing around 10 p.m. and almost 100% totality expected in the state’s northeast corner. (More)

➤ A black bear was caught on camera strolling into a Colorado Springs fire station and leaving with a bag of firefighting gear. (See Video)

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➤ Student behavior is getting worse, and teachers are pointing the finger at parents, a new survey says. (Hear Details)

➤ Cuba’s power grid collapsed for the third time this month, leaving millions in the dark again. (Hear Episode)

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Will you try to watch the lunar eclipse tonight?

1. Yes
2. No

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your favorite Dolly Parton hit song?

1. I Will Always Love You: 32%
2. Jolene: 18%
3. Coat of Many Colors: 13%
4. 9 to 5: 11%
5. Islands in the Stream: 11%
6. Here You Come Again: 9%
7. Other: 6%

In what year did a total solar eclipse, dubbed the “Great Eclipse,” run down the spine of the Rocky Mountains, drawing several astronomy expeditions to Colorado?

Show me the answer