Boulder Firebomber Reaches Federal Plea Deal

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, already serving life for the June 2025 firebombing on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall, has agreed to change his plea on federal hate crime charges.

Friday’s filings didn’t reveal the terms, which are expected at an Oct. 29 hearing. Soliman also agreed to drop his bid to keep his ex-wife and children from being deported.

He wanted them as defense witnesses if prosecutors sought the death penalty. The 46-year-old Egyptian national faces 12 federal counts in the attack on a weekly walk supporting the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Prosecutors say he targeted victims for their perceived ties to Israel. His lawyers have argued he was driven by opposition to Zionism, which they call a political motive outside federal hate crime law.

In May, he pleaded guilty to 101 state counts and got life without parole plus 2,128 years. One victim, 82-year-old Karen Diamond, later died.

Labor Force Participation Hits Record Low

The share of Coloradans working or looking for work fell to 65.2% in September, the lowest on record in data going back to 1976.

The labor force shrank by 3,100 people in a month, to about 3.18 million. That’s down roughly 75,000 from a year ago, a drop The Colorado Sun ties to working-age adults retiring and fewer people moving in.

Participation has fallen from 67.8% as recently as October 2024. As of August, Colorado still ranked ninth among states, according to the state labor department.

The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%, just under the national 4.2%. Employers still added 2,400 jobs, led by construction with about 1,900.

Private-sector pay averaged $40.19 an hour, up from $39.40 a year earlier and $2.38 above the national average.

Winter Outlook Favors Southern Colorado

A very strong El Niño is tilting the odds toward a wetter winter in southern Colorado, according to NOAA’s winter outlook released Thursday.

The December-through-February outlook favors above-average precipitation across the southern U.S., from California to Florida. NOAA expects drought to ease in the Southwest and southern Great Plains.

The wetter pattern could reach Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and the Eastern Plains, with near-normal temperatures. Southern Colorado should feel El Niño’s effects from December through March.

Farther north, parts of the northern Rockies face drier odds and worsening drought. NOAA’s outlook doesn’t project snowfall totals, since snow can’t be reliably forecast more than a week out.

In an average year, Colorado Springs sees its first snow around Oct. 25, and Pueblo around Nov. 5.

Love reading The Colorado Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family. 

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Statewide: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is urging states, including Colorado, to review wolf protections and allow lethal removal to protect livestock, following President Trump’s Sept. 4 executive order. Gray wolves remain endangered under state and federal law here, with an estimated 45 in Colorado. (More)

➤ Also Statewide: The Department of Regulatory Agencies wants lawmakers to repeal Colorado’s 1940s-era ban on Sunday car sales, noting buyers can already shop online any day. A Colorado Springs dealership said it opposes the change because owners would lose a guaranteed day off. (More)

➤ DIA: The TSA pulled Denver International Airport from Gateside, a new program letting TSA PreCheck members without a plane ticket pass through security to meet travelers at the gate. The program is back to its original 13 pilot airports, with no timeline for a return. (More)

➤ Castle Rock: The Town Council takes up an ordinance Tuesday that would make it a crime for large retailers not to report thefts to police within 96 hours. Councilmember Max Brooks cites lost sales tax revenue, but Police Chief Jack Cauley says the law isn’t needed. (More)

➤ Fort Morgan: Deputies are searching for Byron Roth, 33, who ran from an inmate transport vehicle on I-76 Friday morning after telling the driver he felt ill. Roth, who wasn’t shackled, was headed to Weld County to be booked on felony robbery charges. (More)

➤ Kremmling: Prosecutors charged Samuel Conger, 26, with five counts of criminally negligent homicide in the Highway 9 crash of Aug. 4, 2025 that killed a Kremmling family of five. An affidavit says witnesses saw him appear asleep as his pickup drifted into oncoming traffic at up to 86 mph. (More)

➤ Colorado Springs: Deborah Nicholls, 59, has been denied bond as she awaits a new trial in the 2003 house fire that killed her three children. A judge vacated her murder convictions in August, ruling prosecutors withheld a state analysis that found no sign of accelerants. (More)

Enjoy reading The Colorado Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family. ✈️

➤ Colorado hosted No. 11 Utah at Folsom Field on Saturday as a 14.5-point underdog, while Air Force welcomed UNLV to Falcon Stadium as a 1.5-point favorite. (See Scores)

➤ Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon had one of his best games of the young season on Friday, tallying four points in a 5-2 comeback win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. (More)

➤ Denver Nuggets promising swingman Julian Strawther is set to miss six weeks after suffering a left knee injury in a recent preseason game. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | MLB | WNBA | NHL | Soccer | Tennis

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Peptides are the newest breakthrough in anti-aging, longevity, weight loss, and muscle growth. But not every peptide works the same way for every person. Your DNA never changes, so you only have to test it once. The Pep Report analyzes more than 710,000 genetic markers against published research to show which peptides your biology actually supports—before you spend a dollar guessing. Flyover readers get 10% off automatically, no code needed. See Which Peptides Match Your DNA

Flying together with our sponsor

Most scams don’t look like scams anymore. A text about a missed delivery. An email about an unpaid toll. One click, a few details entered, and thousands of dollars can disappear in hours. Americans lost over $5.75 billion to online threats like this in 2025 alone.

Surfshark works quietly in the background to flag sketchy links and block dangerous sites before they load, so you’re protected even when you’re too busy or too tired to catch it yourself.

Get Surfshark One this Black Friday for just $2.49/mo on the 2-year plan, 88% off + 3 months extra.

[Stay a step ahead -> Get the deal]

➤ Colorado Springs’ first LEGO fan convention wraps up today at the Colorado Springs Event Center, with a Star Wars zone, retired sets for sale, and professional LEGO artists on hand. Tickets are $14.99, and part of the proceeds buys holiday LEGO sets for kids in need. (More)

➤ Durango’s Community Connections won a $494,000 OpenAI Foundation grant to test AI tools that cut paperwork for caseworkers serving people with disabilities. The tip came from an AI agent that its partner, the Center for Rural AI, built to hunt for grants. (Read Story)

➤ Fort Collins’ downtown holiday lights switch on Nov. 6 after a 6:30 p.m. countdown in Old Town Square. Crews spend about six weeks stringing more than 65,000 lights in more than 334 trees, which glow each evening through February. (See Details)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Why Do Bruises Suddenly Show Up After 50? You don’t remember bumping into anything—yet another bruise appears. While many people chalk it up to aging or medication, easy bruising may be a clue worth paying attention to. It’s one of 7 commonly overlooked warning signs that can become more noticeable with age. See all 7 warning signs—and what they could be telling you.

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. 

➤ A grandfather built a $2 million business by giving families a reason to get lost in a cornfield. (Hear More)

➤ The NBA has built an AI detective to sniff out suspicious bets. (Listen Now)

➤  Three studies suggest that the cold shoulder sometimes conceals a guilty conscience. (Podcast Available)

Watch two days’ worth of snow fall in 60 seconds in this timelapse of a winter storm in Denver.

When do your holiday lights go up?

1. Before Thanksgiving
2. Thanksgiving weekend
3. Sometime in December
4. I don’t put them up 

Yesterday’s Results:

Do you think you could pass the U.S. citizenship civics test?

1. Probably: 36%
2. Definitely: 34%
3. Not sure: 19%
4. Probably not: 11%

Which Colorado location holds the record for 24-hour snow accumulation in the lower 48 states?

Show me the answer