Friday, July 17, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1911, three telephone companies merged to form the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company in Denver. At the time, the company served 160,000 phones across the Rocky Mountain region, a number that tripled to nearly 500,000 by 1930.

A new lawsuit claims an electric company is responsible for the nearly 100,000-acre Aspen Acres Fire in southern Colorado. Meanwhile, officials say a squirrel is to blame for a small brush fire that broke out in Douglas County. Read the full stories below.

Today’s sponsor is Miso Robotics, offering investors the opportunity to get in early on an AI-powered restaurant automation company before it goes public.

Lawsuit Filed Over Aspen Acres Fire

Four people have filed a civil lawsuit alleging the San Isabel Electric Association is responsible for the Aspen Acres Fire, now the seventh-largest fire in state history.

The fire, sparked June 29 in Pueblo County, has burned 99,820 acres and is 36% contained as of Thursday morning. More than 800 structures, including at least 337 homes, have been destroyed.

The lawsuit’s plaintiffs claim powerline-related fires were burning on and leading up to the morning of June 29. They accuse San Isabel of negligence, arguing the company failed to maintain the lines and is liable for damages.

Fire officials have said the fire is human-caused and remains under investigation.

Man Allegedly Switched at Birth Sues Hospital

Two families are suing a North Dakota hospital, alleging staff mistakenly switched two newborns over 36 years ago.

Jeremy Morrison, a southern Coloradan, says he learned through an ancestry website’s DNA test that he’s biologically unrelated to his parents. When his aunt provided DNA, a man named Kyle Bylin matched as her nephew.

According to the lawsuit, Morrison and Bylin were both born at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota, on Jan. 26, 1988. The plaintiffs claim they were switched at birth and raised by the wrong families without their knowledge.

Unity Medical Center denied the allegations—asking the court to dismiss the case with prejudice—and said the hospital records that “might have provided additional clarity no longer exist.”

Summer Festivals Return

Several festivals and events kick off across the state this weekend, from art fests and county fairs to a Colorado Springs rodeo and a chainsaw-carving contest in Frederick.

Today through Sunday, Alma, a small mountain town, will host its 28th annual Festival in the Clouds, featuring musical acts, artists, a beer garden, and more. In Fort Collins, meanwhile, a giant puppet parade will take over the streets of Old Town.

The Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, which runs through Saturday, has everything from bull riding and steer wrestling to pony rides and a roadhouse saloon. North of Denver, top chainsaw sculptors will go head to head at Chainsaws and Chuckwagons, with completed wood carvings on display Saturday.

The Colorado Renaissance Festival opens tomorrow for its third-to-last weekend of the summer. This weekend’s theme, Love and Romance, features renewals of vows and a “wooing” competition.

For a more complete list, click here.

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Big Money Gets In Pre-IPO in AI

AI stocks now make up about 45% of the S&P 500. But, in AI, the smart money increasingly moves sooner because the biggest breakout gains often happen when investors get in before companies go public. In fact, last year, a whopping 67% of private-stage investments were in AI companies, up from 9% in 2022.

And yet, those opportunities are almost always reserved for the 1%.

Restaurant robotics pioneer Miso Robotics isn’t, and 40K everyday folks like you have already joined big money players like industry powerhouse Ecolab as investors.

Miso’s Flippy Fry Station AI robot has logged 200K+ hours in kitchens across the $1T fast-food industry. Its tech is used by big-name customers like White Castle, Jersey Mike’s, Cinnabon, and more. And Miso just acquired ~300 patents from Zume Pizza, a food robotics pioneer that raised $450 million.

Flippy alone represents a $4B/year revenue opportunity in the US. Become an early-stage shareholder in Miso today. Hurry to earn bonus shares.

➤ Aurora: The state health department gave GEO Group until today to grant the access, records, and information necessary for an investigation into a reported case of tuberculosis at the city’s ICE facility. (More)

➤ Douglas County: Fire officials traced the cause of a 2-acre brush fire that threatened multiple homes to a squirrel that came into contact with a power line. (More)

➤ Denver: Police arrested two children, ages 12 and 14, who allegedly shot and killed the driver of a vehicle in a possible attempted carjacking on June 30. (More)

➤ Thornton: A grandfather faces child abuse charges after allegedly leaving his 7-year-old granddaughter locked in a hot car, forcing her to break out by smashing a window with a mallet. (More)

➤ Boulder County: High temperatures are causing the pavement to buckle on the U.S. 36 Bikeway. Officials say warning signs have been posted and repairs are underway. (See Photos)

➤ Paonia: A wildfire broke out east of the town Wednesday afternoon. Crews extinguished the blaze later that night. (More)

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➤ Denver Broncos safety JL Skinner said he has been fully cleared for training camp after undergoing offseason surgery to repair the torn labrum he played through last season. (More)

➤ Colorado high school products Christian McCaffrey and Lauren Betts each earned honors at Wednesday’s 2026 ESPYS. The 49ers running back was named Best Comeback Athlete, while the UCLA center won Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports. (More)

➤ Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton placed No. 68 in the NFL Top 100 after being left off the rankings last year. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: The Open | MLB | WNBA

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➤ Bennett and Adams County leaders are working to attract health care, advanced manufacturing, and aerospace industries to the fast-growing town with a prime location along I-70. (More)

➤ A family ranch in Pueblo County has lost roughly 280 of its 306 acres to the Aspen Acres Fire, leaving cattle without grazing land and jeopardizing the herd’s future. (More)

➤ Guthrie’s, a fast-casual franchise billed as the original chicken finger chain, opened its first-ever Colorado location off I-25 and S. Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs. (More)

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“Cobots” Are Transforming This $1T Market

They’re not replacing humans; they’re working with them. That’s the promise of “cobots,” or collaborative robots.

In a robotics market NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang called “one of the largest industries ever,” the cobot segment is projected to grow 15X by 2035.

And Miso Robotics is proving its value in the $1T fast-food industry.

Their Flippy fry station AI robot boosts restaurant profits up to 4X, already logging 200K hours in live kitchens alongside human employees for brands like White Castle.

Flippy carries $4B/year in U.S. revenue potential on its own. And that’s just one piece of Miso’s platform.

Big-name brands like Jersey Mike’s and Cinnabon just became customers. Industry powerhouse Ecolab already invested. Join them as an early-stage shareholder in Miso today. Hurry for bonus shares.

This is a paid advertisement for Miso Robotics’ Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.misorobotics.com

➤ The most snake-filled body of water in the state is Lake Pueblo—followed by the Arkansas River, Boyd Lake, the South Platte River, and the Republican River—according to a World Atlas report. (More)

➤ Capt. Chresten Wilson, a retiring pilot with Colorado roots, has become the first female pilot to hold the No. 1 spot on United Airlines’ seniority list. (More)

➤ If Japanese beetles are plaguing your garden, this guide on how to get rid of them may be a midseason lifesaver. (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:

➤ President Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator is accused of using inside knowledge of the president’s speeches to win $100,000 in bets. (Hear Details)

➤ Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth is now mandating annual testosterone screening for service members over 30 years old across the entire military. (Hear Episode)

➤ The Trump administration is moving to fence off a historic public square beside the White House, escalating a broader security overhaul. (Listen Now)