Reports: Colorado Aerospace Losing Ground

Two industry reports warn that Colorado’s $14.2 billion aerospace sector is losing ground to competitor states.

A competitive assessment commissioned by the Colorado Chamber Foundation found the industry still supports more than 61,000 direct jobs, but the state shed 171 net aerospace jobs last year. Core manufacturing employment fell 4.3%.

Foundation Executive Director Rachel Beck said stakeholders describe an industry being taken for granted while the state coasts on momentum. The assessment lists 18 recommended fixes, from faster permitting to a targeted tax credit.

A separate Colorado Space Coalition study found federal aerospace spending here has grown, just far slower than in Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida.

The state has moved on workforce. In August, the Colorado Space Institute at Arapahoe Community College was named one of seven NASA Space Hubs and awarded $1.3 million.

Judge Takes No Action against ICE

A federal magistrate judge in Denver declined this week to act against ICE after new records showed agents held warrants for three men he had ordered released.

Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott Varholak had summoned the government over what he called an apparent repeated violation of the law, after freeing three detainees who said they were arrested without warrants.

ICE lawyer Anh Weinberg then filed documentation showing warrants existed beforehand or were obtained shortly after each arrest. She argued the fuller record did not support treating the detentions as indefinite and warrantless.

Varholak said the evidence showed something other than “the blatant violation of the law that had concerned me.” Attorneys for the three men disputed parts of ICE’s account.

A separate judge is still weighing sanctions against the agency over a man rearrested days after an immigration judge released him on bond.

Mesa Verde to Return Ancestors, Artifacts

Mesa Verde National Park has finished a two-year inventory and will return the remains of 85 Native Americans and 4,304 funerary objects to tribes.

The park identified a cultural connection to 27 tribes, including Colorado’s Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute, along with the Hopi, the Navajo Nation, and 19 New Mexico pueblos. Tribes may now file repatriation requests.

Much of the collection came out of University of Colorado Boulder excavations between the 1950s and the 1980s. Other remains sat for decades at institutions including New York University’s College of Dentistry before transferring back to the park in 2025.

A second notice covering 23 unassociated funerary objects opens for repatriation Monday. The work falls under NAGPRA, the 1990 law requiring federal agencies to return Native American remains and cultural items.

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➤ Colorado Springs: Police used anti-drone technology called Dedrone at Labor Day Lift Off, watching for unauthorized craft near the balloons and the crowd. Sgt. Jeff Edmonds said the system spots a drone, locates its operator, and sizes up the threat. (See Details)

➤ Las Animas: Officer Thomas Dunagan, who also serves as Prowers County coroner, faces two counts of criminal extortion and one count of first-degree official misconduct after a CBI investigation. The department placed him on unpaid administrative leave Friday. (More)

➤ Broomfield: Vail Resorts confirmed that activist shareholder Oasis Management nominated four candidates to its board, among them two-time Olympic medalist Picabo Street and former Disney CEO Robert Chapek. Oasis holds roughly 6.5% of the company’s stock. (See Details)

➤ Statewide: Colorado’s average price for regular gas hit $4.34 a gallon Friday, about 5 cents above the national average, after crude topped $100 for the first time since July. Diesel set a national record above $6. (More)

➤ Silverthorne: Bomb squads from Jefferson County cleared The Block Hotel and Commons on Friday evening and found no explosives. A phoned threat at 2:13 p.m. emptied the hotel and two nearby neighborhoods, and shelter-in-place orders held about three hours. (More)

➤ I-70: The Colorado State Patrol issued its first chain-law citations of the season, ticketing two commercial vehicles near Avon and Vail on Sept. 7. Trucks over 16,000 pounds must carry chains on the mountain corridor from Sept. 1 through May 31. (More)

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➤ Julian Lewis threw four touchdown passes in the opening half against Weber State, the first Colorado quarterback to do it before halftime. The Buffaloes won 52-21. (More)

➤ Air Force hosted new Mountain West foe North Dakota State as a slight underdog last night in Colorado Springs. (See Result)

➤ Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic told reporters in a recent interview that he wishes to “play every game” next season after missing 17 games during the 2025-2026 season. (More)

➤ The Denver Broncos held no players out of practice ahead of tomorrow’s season debut against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. The Chiefs, meanwhile, had three players who were either limited or did not participate at a recent practice. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | US Open | MLB | Soccer | FIBA Basketball

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➤ Cheyenne Mountain Zoo turns 100 this week with live music, vintage cars, half-price admission for military families Sept. 14 through 20, and a Tuesday grand opening for its new Giraffe Center and 12,000-square-foot barn. (See Details)

➤ Deputy Michael Ratai of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office received the Purple Heart on Friday, 15 years after enemy fire and a blast left him unconscious in southern Afghanistan on Sept. 11, 2011. His wife pinned on the medal. (More)

➤ Colorado linebacker Gideon Lampron is raising money for the American Heart Association through its Player of Impact campaign, asking Buffs fans to chip in and saying he’s chasing the program’s top fundraising spot. (Read Story)

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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. 

➤ America’s colleges receive a brutal free speech report card. (Hear More)

➤ While other retailers chase AI, one legendary retailer chooses models, cameras, and catalogs over tech shortcuts. (Listen Now)

➤  This tiny workout creates a surprisingly mighty molecular response. (Podcast Available)

It’s just about pumpkin patch season in Colorado. Take a look at the massive 1,783-pounder said to be the biggest in state history.

Would you pay extra to hand-feed a giraffe?

1. Absolutely
2. Only with the grandkids
3. Not a chance

Yesterday’s Results:

Would you buy a classic car for 50 cents?

1. Sure: 45%
2. What’s the catch?: 36%
3. Not me: 19%

Which Colorado ski town trademarked “champagne powder”?

Show me the answer