Polis Delivers Final State of the State Address

Speaking to the Colorado Legislature in his final State of the State address on Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis reflected on the past seven years of his tenure and the work still to be done. See the speech here.

Polis touted his administration’s achievements—such as tax cuts, housing and transit initiatives, and crime reductions—as well as “curveballs” like the COVID-19 pandemic and three of the largest wildfires in state history.

Looking to the future, the governor urged lawmakers to address health care affordability and double down on a long-term goal of 100% clean energy, while calling for unity in what he said is a “time of great division.”

“Now more than ever, we must come together as Coloradans, leading with kindness and respect to move … our great state forward,” Polis said.

Power Shutoffs to Impact Northern Colorado

Xcel Energy will shut off power beginning around 8 a.m. today in parts of Fort Collins and Weld County, a precaution taken to reduce fire risk amid dry, windy weather. Here’s a map of planned outages.

The shutoffs will impact about 9,000 customers, though additional unplanned outages may occur due to high winds and enhanced safety settings. Several schools in the region will be closed.

A red flag warning is in effect today for most of the northeastern plains, with humidity as low as 13% and wind gusts between 60 and 75 mph. Conditions are forecast to improve late this afternoon.

During last month’s windstorms, Xcel cut off power to roughly 69,000 customers; nearly 89,000 lost power overall. The utility restored power to 90% within 24 hours, but some outages lasted days.

CPW Unveils Wolverine Plan

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) on Thursday unveiled a 106-page plan to reintroduce wolverines—long-haired, beagle-sized carnivores that haven’t lived in Colorado since 1919.

Legislation authorizing wolverine reintroduction passed in 2024 with bipartisan support. The federally threatened species has never been restored to a former habitat, making CPW’s plan the first of its kind.

According to CPW, Colorado contains “probably 20%” of suitable wolverine habitat in the contiguous U.S. While no release dates have been set, the agency aims to release up to 45 wolverines in the mountains over three years, establishing a stable population of 50 to 100.

Due to their small size, wolverines rarely prey on livestock. But CPW plans to establish a compensation program in case of any depredation.

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➤ Mesa County: A three-judge panel expressed concern about the severity of former clerk Tina Peters’ sentence during a state appeals court hearing Wednesday. One judge said it raises a First Amendment issue that “fundamentally calls into question the fairness of the sentence.” (See Details)

➤ Denver: Police arrested an Aurora man on suspicion of arson in connection with the city-block-sized, five-alarm fire that destroyed an under-construction apartment project earlier this month. (More)

➤ Statewide: Officials released a complete list of all gas stations that received diesel-contaminated gas last week. The list spans 46 stations across the Front Range, in multiple counties. (See List)

➤ Denver Public Schools blocked student access to the artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT, citing safety concerns over new features such as group chats and adult content. (More)

➤ Aurora: Six Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, say they are being investigated by the Justice Department for releasing a 90-second video urging military members to resist “illegal orders.” (More)

➤ Lafayette: The city filed a federal court petition against the Federal Aviation Administration, arguing flight path changes at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport were made without public engagement or environmental review, and have led to increased air traffic in the region. (More)

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➤ Colorado’s new women’s soccer team, Denver Summit FC, will open its season at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as its temporary stadium in Centennial won’t be ready. Construction is expected to wrap up later this spring. (More)

➤ The Denver Broncos’ playoff game against the Bills on Saturday will be their coldest home game of the season, with kickoff temps near 43 degrees—bringing typical January weather to a mild winter. (More)

➤ Former Colorado defensive back Chris Hudson was selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame this year—the 12th Buff overall to receive the honor. (More)

➤ Former Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt is joining the Athletics’ scouting department this season, while former manager Bud Black will serve as senior advisor to baseball operations for the San Diego Padres. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer | Golf

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➤ Mountain Village Mayor Marti Prohaska resigned Wednesday night as the town council announced an investigation into her late-December trip to meet with Telluride Ski Resort owner Chuck Horning. During the visit, she and another official offered to buy a majority stake in the ski area amid an ongoing strike. (See Details)

➤ Oil and gas companies declined to bid on 40% of the parcels of Colorado land offered by the Bureau of Land Management in its Dec. 9 sale, the first federal lease sale under major land use reforms in the Big Beautiful Bill. (See Details)

➤ Stan Kroenke, owner of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, is now the largest private landowner in the U.S. following his purchase of 937,000 acres of New Mexico ranchland. (See Details)

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➤ Broncos superfans, such as Ralph the Limo Driver and Orange Vader, are preparing for the Broncos’ Saturday playoff game against the Bills and hoping for a long-awaited Super Bowl run. (More)

➤ A Denver sandwich sold by La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal made Michelin’s new list of the best sandwiches in North America. (See Sandwich)

➤ Colorado’s black license plate—a specialty plate whose sales support the Colorado Disability Funding Committee—is now more popular than all other specialty plates in the state combined. (More)

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Will you be watching the Broncos’ playoff game this Saturday?

1. Yes, on TV/streaming
2. Yes, I have tickets
3. No, but I’ll check the score
4. No, not interested

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie?

1. Thin Mints: 18%
2. Samoas: 16%
3. Tagalongs: 14%
4. Do-si-dos: 13%
5. Trefoils: 13%
6. Other: 13%
7. None: 13%

Where is Colorado’s only active volcano?

Show me the answer