Neurosurgeon Indicted for Shootout

A former Grand Junction neurosurgeon wanted on sexual assault charges in Colorado is now facing federal attempted murder charges related to a shootout in Florida earlier this year.

Authorities allege Thomas Earl Steffens, 72, drugged a woman with prescription medication and sexually assaulted her on Jan. 28. A warrant was issued Feb. 25.

In early March, marshals in Grand Junction learned Steffens was traveling to Florida’s Treasure Coast. During a traffic stop in Vero Beach, he allegedly fired on officers after refusing commands to exit the vehicle.

One deputy marshal was shot in the leg and released the next day, and Steffens was shot several times. He faces 11 federal counts and a possible life sentence.

Pedestrian Dies after Tour de Fat Crash

One person is dead and five others were hospitalized after a pickup truck drove onto a sidewalk in Old Town Fort Collins Saturday morning.

Police say the truck reversed from a parking spot on Mountain Avenue and hit another vehicle, then drove forward into pedestrians before striking a tree.

Six people, including the driver, were taken to hospitals, and one of the pedestrians was later pronounced dead.

The crashed happened as Tour de Fat, an annual bike parade and festival hosted by craft brewer New Belgium, drew crowds of bicyclists and pedestrians downtown.

Police don’t believe the pedestrians were targeted and are investigating whether impairment was a factor.

Waymo Not at Fault in First Denver Collision

A self-driving Waymo was involved in a crash in Denver for the first time on Thursday afternoon, and police say the empty vehicle didn’t cause the collision.

A driver on West 8th Avenue rear-ended a stopped van near Delaware Street, pushing it into the back of the Waymo. The trailing driver was cited for following too closely.

Both drivers questioned why the Waymo stopped in the road, but the company says it yielded to a pedestrian at the curb. There is no stop sign or marked crosswalk there.

Waymo has been testing in Denver since last September and says rides will open to the public soon, starting with a service area of roughly 50 square miles.

A Note from Cole, CEO of The Flyover

Dear Reader,

This week, The Flyover‘s editions, including The Colorado Flyover, crossed six million total readers.

Before anything else, thank you. A milestone like this belongs to the people who open our email every morning—that’s you.

But the number isn’t the point. The point is what six million of you showed up for, and what you have walked away from.

You know what’s on the other channel. Anchors telling you what to think before they’ve told you what happened. So-called “straight news” pages that read like opinion pages. The legacy media had one job, reporting the news, and somewhere along the way they decided their real job was converting you to their ideology.

The slant isn’t an accident, and it isn’t decided in front of you. It happens in rooms you’ll never see. Every so often the door cracks open: last fall, a leaked memo revealed that a legacy media outlet had spliced a presidential speech into something it never was. Two top executives resigned. That’s one leak from one room. The decisions that never leak? Those just become the evening news.

We run on the opposite principle: the truth survives the light. The facts arrive the way we found them. We don’t bend them toward a conclusion, and we don’t decide what you’re allowed to make of them. That’s your job.

We report what happened, not what to think about it.
We keep the spin out and trust you with the facts.
And The Colorado Flyover stays free.

That was the deal at reader one. It’s the deal at six million. It’ll be the deal at sixty million.

Because here’s what I’ve learned this year, watching those newsrooms shrink and quietly walk away from their readers: a promise like ours doesn’t get broken all at once. It erodes, one compromise at a time, when an outlet stops answering to its readers.

We keep ours by staying answerable to you.

So on the week you made us six million strong, I’m asking you to put your name behind the promise. If news that plays it straight is something you want to see thrive, this is how you feed it.

Support the news you can trust. Free, every morning.

Make a generous donation to support The Colorado Flyover.

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Our promise: we answer to you. Help us keep it.

– Cole
CEO, The Flyover

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Aurora: Attorney Matthew Haltzman says he sees a “startling” pattern of child sex crime cases tied to current and former Aurora police employees, which the department disputes. (More)

➤ Evergreen: The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating complaints that a deputy used threatening and inappropriate language during a driving safety talk at Evergreen High School. (More)

➤ Statewide: Denver’s crime lab re-tested 13 sexual assault cases handled by former CBI scientist Missy Woods, and six turned up DNA matches to possible suspects or other investigations. (More)

➤ Ouray County: A 55-year-old Pennsylvania man was airlifted with serious injuries after his SUV rolled roughly 140 feet off County Road 10 below Hurricane Pass. (More)

➤ Gilpin County: A family living beside the site of an Army Black Hawk crash says it has been given few answers about a fuel leak and the armed guard posted on their land. (More)

➤ Arapahoe County: Authorities say there’s been a significant drop in crime from 2024 to 2025, including a 45% decrease in auto thefts, a 23% decrease in burglaries, and a 14% decrease in robberies. (More)

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➤ The Denver Broncos cut ties with fifth-round rookie tight end Justin Joly yesterday, marking one of the most surprising cuts across the league on the NFL’s roster cutdown day. (More)

➤ The Colorado Rockies will need to finish 11-15 this season to avoid becoming the first team since the 1961-1964 Washington Senators to lose 100 games in four straight seasons. (More)

➤ Denver Summit FC routed the Chicago Stars 6-1 at Centennial Stadium, the most goals scored by any NWSL team this season, lifting the club to 27 points and ninth place. (More)

➤ Reggie Cannon headed in a corner kick and Adam Beaudry earned his first clean sheet as the Rapids beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 and held onto the Rocky Mountain Cup. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | IndyCar | LLWS

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➤ A 4.77% Xcel Energy rate increase is now in effect, adding about $5 to monthly residential bills and $7 for commercial customers, along with new affordability protections. (More)

➤ Boulder and Boulder County approved an updated comprehensive plan that officials say makes room for 35% to 40% more housing, mostly duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes. (More)

➤ CSU researchers say Colorado’s dry summers and cold winters may suit saffron, a spice selling for around $10,000 per pound that grew as well on rooftops as in the ground. (More)

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➤ County fairs in the state’s northeastern corner have everything from 4-H barns and rodeos to demolition derbies—summer traditions that anchor the region’s small-town families. (Read More)

➤ CoorsTek is renovating six blocks of downtown Golden, including the Fourth Street buildings where the family made glass bottles in the 1880s and where the aluminum can was invented. (More)

➤ 104-year-old Coloradan Vicki Herrell riveted P-61 fuselages in Akron, served as a Navy WAVE flight attendant, and later flew for TWA. She says the key to a long life is staying curious. (More)

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➤ Surgeon Warns About “Drunken Gut” Phenomenon. Former surgeon and gut expert Dr. Steven Gundry is shedding light on “Drunken Gut,” a phenomenon where poor gut conditions may cause the body to produce alcohol internally. If you struggle with bloating, fatigue, weight gain, or trouble concentrating, Gundry says these could be warning signs worth knowing. Check for the signs now ==>

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ One simple change to your eating habits could lower your risk of depression and dementia. It has nothing to do with what’s on your plate. (Hear Why)

➤ Canada is hiring away dozens of American researchers with a $362 million fund. The move opens a new front in the trade war. (Hear Details)

➤ A survival expert was dropped alone in the Arctic Circle with 10 tools, a camera, and grizzly bears for neighbors. His training began with boiling sea snails as a boy. (Hear Adventure)

Did you go to any county fairs this summer?

1. Yes
2. No

Yesterday’s Results:

Do you take a trip to see the fall colors?

1. Some years: 60%
2. Every year: 24%
3. Never: 16%

How many Colorado counties take their names from U.S. presidents?

Show me the answer