Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1995, Dearfield, a ghost town east of Greeley, was added to the National Registry of Historic Places.

Did you know Pikes Peak has the highest-altitude doughnuts in the world? If that doesn’t impress you, the fourteener just set another doughnut record: most simultaneous dunks into coffee. Find out more in today’s Top Stories.

What if the biggest threat in your diet isn’t sugar or fat, but something hiding in more than half of everything you eat? Ultra-processed foods have been linked to plenty of chronic conditions, all of which can shorten your life. And they’re lurking in products you’d never suspect, from your morning bagel to the sauce on your stir fry. The good news? You don’t have to overhaul your kitchen or your budget to cut them out. On today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast, Ayla reveals six everyday swaps that push these foods off your plate, plus the one trick that exposes them on any label. Tune in here!

If you haven’t compared your car insurance in a while, there’s a good chance you’re paying more than you need to. Even if you checked rates a year ago, the market has changed. That’s why today’s sponsor, Insurify, makes it easy to compare quotes from more than 120 insurers in just a few minutes.

Aurora Officer Indicted by Grand Jury

An 18th Judicial District grand jury indicted Aurora police Officer Matthew Neely, 54, on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the 2025 fatal shooting of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield.

Neely fired three shots after Belt-Stubblefield, 37, crashed his car, tossed a handgun into the grass, and then advanced on the officer while refusing commands to get on the ground.

Arapahoe County District Attorney Amy Padden said the grand jury found probable cause for the charges, while Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said officers are often called to address dangerous situations in seconds.

Neely was placed on unpaid administrative leave and was released on a $200,000 bond after surrendering over the weekend, with his next court appearance set for Aug. 17.

Artemis Crew Visits Red Rocks

The four Artemis II astronauts took the stage at Red Rocks Monday morning to share mission highlights and never-before-seen footage from their 10-day flight around the moon.

Cmdr. Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen were scheduled to speak from 9:30 to 11 a.m. after a STEM fair opened on the Top Plaza at 8 a.m.

A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said the event was fully booked by more than 6,000 ticket holders in under 10 minutes, and the Denver Astronomical Society said its web traffic has more than doubled since March.

The mission took the crew almost 250,000 miles from Earth, farther than any humans in history.

Doughnut Record Set Atop Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak earned a Guinness World Records title over the weekend for the most people simultaneously dunking doughnuts into coffee, with 285 hikers taking part atop the 14,115-foot summit.

Guinness officials confirmed a successful attempt after the simultaneous dunk, which was staged on Saturday, Aug. 1, to mark the 150th anniversary of Colorado’s statehood.

Organizers had needed at least 250 people to dunk the mountain’s signature doughnuts, which come from a Summit Visitor Center recipe kept secret since the 1900s.

Sarah Braun, interim manager of Pikes Peak, said the record was “a memorable way to celebrate one of Colorado’s most iconic destinations.”

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➤ Commerce City: A grass fire briefly forced evacuations in the Reunion area Sunday afternoon. Crews put it out within about 35 minutes with no injuries or structures lost. (More)

➤ Keystone: Town Council unanimously approved a first reading of a measure declaring wildfire fuel hazards such as dead or diseased trees public nuisances, with a second and final vote set for Aug. 11. (More)

➤ Lake County: The Leadville 100 mountain bike and running races will follow new courses for the first time ever this month as organizers reroute the events around the Willow fire burning west of town. (More)

➤ Grand Junction: Family, firefighters, and community members gathered at the Avalon Theatre on Saturday to honor Rifle Helitack crew member Nathan Matthews, who died following injuries sustained in the Knowles Fire. (More)

➤ Northern Colorado: Ramon Parra, the 20-year-old driver in a July 25 rollover on Weld County Road 80, died over the weekend, becoming the crash’s fourth victim. (More)

➤ Longmont: A mother and daughter about whom the city’s public safety team had been concerned were found safe after last being seen Saturday evening. (More)

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➤ The Colorado Rapids agreed to sell 18-year-old defender Lucas Herrington to newly promoted English Premier League club Hull City in a deal worth up to $23 million. Herrington joined the Rapids in January, meaning he only spent about half a year with the club. (More)

➤ A federal judge in Colorado clarified her NCAA eligibility ruling, saying it does not cover football players who signed professional contracts this summer. The original Friday ruling granted Class of 2022 athletes a fifth year, but the clarification shut the door on players already on NFL rosters who had expressed interest in returning to college. (More)

➤ The Colorado Buffaloes could still benefit, though. Edge rusher Keaten Wade and kicker Alejandro Mata are among the CU players eligible to return, though Mata’s brief stint in the Indoor Football League may complicate his amateur status. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Tennis | Little League Softball World Series

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➤ Elk Mountain Lodge, Bill Koch’s 52-acre estate near Aspen, sold at auction for more than $33.5 million, roughly 75% below the $125 million he was asking when the compound first listed last year. (More)

➤ The beekeeping industry continues to be challenged by honeybee colony losses, though Colorado has fared better than some parts of the U.S., according to beekeepers who gathered at the Parker Honey Festival. (More)

➤ A Walmart Neighborhood Market on the Aurora-Centennial border will close Monday, Aug. 24, for a monthlong remodel. The pharmacy will remain open. (More)

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➤ CU Boulder tied for No. 105—the highest of any Colorado school—in U.S. News & World Report‘s new global university rankings. Four University of Colorado campuses made the list. (More)

➤ More than 400 hikers climbed 12,162-foot Mount Crested Butte for the 27th annual Living Journeys Summit Hike, which supports Gunnison County cancer patients and their families. (More)

➤ A stone mansion in Steamboat Springs, built over six years and finished in 2009 beside the ski area’s gondola, has returned to the market asking $13.95 million. (More)

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➤ The Real Reason Skin Starts To Thin After 50 (It’s Not What You Think. Remember when bruises faded fast and skin bounced back? New research shows a particular deficiency impacts strength and dark spots too—and you don’t have to accept paper-thin, discolored skin as the “new normal.” Unfortunately, most people don’t know that thinning, aging skin is often caused by this. Learn More

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:

➤ Hidden ultra-processed ingredients lurk in over half your diet, but there are six simple swaps to fight back. (Hear Details)

➤ The first deaths have been reported in the nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak, with two victims confirmed in Michigan. (Hear Episode)

➤ New Yorkers can finally camp overnight in Central Park, but scoring a free spot means winning a coveted citywide lottery. (Listen Now)