The Colorado Flyover

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 2019, the largest hailstone ever recorded in Colorado fell in the small town of Bethune, measuring 4.83 inches in diameter.

The Farmers’ Almanac published its 2025-2026 winter forecast for North America. Read what it has to say about Colorado’s winter in our Top Stories.

What time of year do you like best? Do you thrive in the cold, or do you want summer to last forever? Vote in our Poll or hit reply to tell us your favorite season and why.

Today’s sponsor is M2i Global, presenting an investment opportunity in the U.S. minerals market.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Congressional Members Visit ICE Facility

Colorado’s four congressional Democrats said they faced significant obstacles trying to conduct oversight at the ICE detention center in Aurora on Monday.

Reps. Jason Crow, Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, and Brittany Pettersen gave seven days’ notice before touring the facility under a federal policy they are suing to overturn. Crow is also suing the Trump administration for allegedly blocking his unannounced visit in July.

Crow said workers at the facility, run by private company GEO, declined to provide the number of detainees or how many had prior or pending criminal charges.

Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, who has also visited the center, said in June that about 1,300 detainees were there, with 57% having a criminal record or pending charge. ICE has not responded to the lawmakers’ claims.

Wheat Ridge Police Adopt AI Tech

The Wheat Ridge Police Department (WRPD) is the latest to begin using artificial intelligence to help officers write reports.

Draft One connects OpenAI’s GPT-4o to body cameras, listening to their audio in real time and auto-generating a first-draft report for officers to review, expand, and edit. It purposely places mistakes in the draft to ensure it’s thoroughly read.

The technology, developed by Axon Enterprise, costs WRPD about $100,000 annually. Police estimate it cuts down on report writing time by 40 to 60%, freeing up roughly two hours per shift.

While several other Front Range law enforcement agencies have implemented Draft One, some worry about the legal and ethical questions raised by its use.

Almanac Predicts “Winter Wonderland”

The Farmers’ Almanac, a 232-year-old periodical known for its long-range weather forecasts, is predicting a “very cold, snowy” winter in Colorado for 2025-2026.

Colorado, as part of the north-central U.S., will be a “classic winter wonderland,” the almanac says. Nationally, it forecasts a “wild ride” with lots of “dramatic swings,” calling for cold snaps in January and February.

In its long-range forecast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is leaning toward above-average temperatures for Colorado’s winter, with the bulk of snow falling farther north.

The Farmers’ Almanac fall forecast, released in July, says to expect a “season of contrasts” with a warm start and cold, rainy finish in Colorado.

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What the U.S. (and Investors) Learned From Israel vs. Iran

When Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a gateway for 20% of the world’s oil, it reminded us why the U.S. keeps up to 714M barrels in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

As for the critical minerals we rely on for national defense and consumer electronics, the situation is far worse. For example, China controls 80% of the global lithium supply, but the U.S. has no strategic reserves of these critical minerals.

M2i Global plans to fix that. They’re shoring up the U.S.’s critical mineral supplies by rolling out a three-tiered approach—revitalizing abandoned mines, recycling reclaimed scrap metal, and forging public-private partnerships across industry, academia, and government at all levels.

The federal government is actively working with them at Nevada’s Hawthorne Army Depot to launch the first phase of a U.S. Strategic Mineral Reserve. They recently secured a $850M copper offtake agreement. It’s not hard to understand why M2i is already publicly traded.

But now that M2i Global’s finalized a reverse takeover of Volato Group, they’re preparing to uplist onto the NYSE and open even bigger doors. Even better? For a limited time, investors in this round can unlock up to 20% bonus shares as M2i scales across a $163B+ U.S. market.

➤ Arvada: Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife held a public meeting Monday to address a surge in coyote attacks on residents’ pets. (See Details)

➤ Dacono: Police arrested a man suspected of murder in Texas and wanted by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. He’s held at Weld County Jail pending extradition. (See Details)

➤ Fort Collins is selling trees to residents for $25 each under its Rooted in Our Community initiative to bolster and diversify the city’s canopy. (See Details)

➤ Clear Creek County: An injured skier was airlifted from St. Mary’s Glacier in a Medevac helicopter on Monday. (More)

➤ Aurora City Council voted to enforce a ban on psychoactive products and drug paraphernalia sold at convenience, vape, and liquor stores, closing a loophole in the law and eliminating a legal “gray area.” (See Details)

➤ Aspen: Former city planner Phillip Supino launched a nonprofit to help create attainable housing options for locals who have been priced out of mountain towns. (More)

➤ Boulder: A University of Colorado Boulder alumna donated a 476-acre land gift comprising a wildlife reserve and an endowment valued at $10.4 million to the university. (More)

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➤ Denver Broncos star pass rusher Nik Bonitto has been ranked as the No. 38 player in the NFL Top 100, which other NFL players vote on. (More)

➤ ESPN reports Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, 36, is unlikely to return next season after an up-and-down year with 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in 75 games. (More)

➤ Colorado Rockies first-round draft pick Ethan Holliday has been ranked the top player in the Rockies’ minor league system and the No. 17 overall prospect among all MLB teams in MLB Pipeline’s newest rankings. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA

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➤ Black-eyed Pea, a Colorado-based, Southern-style restaurant known for its homestyle cooking, announced it will open its ninth Colorado location in Fort Collins. (See Details)

➤ The Pub on Pearl shut down on Sunday after 35 years in business, becoming the latest in a series of recently shuttered Denver bars. (More)

➤ Texas Roadhouse will hold a grand opening tomorrow for its new Aurora restaurant, offering expanded seating and parking in the same lot as its previous location. (See Details)

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The Government-Backed Minerals Stock Hiding in Plain Sight

The U.S. has set aside billions to secure the minerals that power EVs, missile defense systems, and grid-scale storage batteries.

But while most companies are years from breaking ground and bolstering supply, one is already working with federal officials to produce real results. No wonder they’re publicly traded.

Meet M2i Global ($MTWO). Combining abandoned mine revitalization, recycled metals, and public-private partnerships, they’ve become an authority on U.S. minerals.

Their Nevada facility is on track to generate $8.3M by 2027. They’re working with the federal government to launch the nation’s first Strategic Mineral Reserve. They recently secured a $850M copper offtake deal and just completed a reversed takeover that will allow for an NYSE uplisting.

Best of all? Investors in this round can unlock up to 20% bonus stock.

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This is a paid advertisement for M2i’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.m2i.global/.

➤ Twister III: Storm Chaser, the third iteration of Elitch Gardens’ iconic wooden roller coaster, Mr. Twister, reopened over the weekend. The coaster features a 90-foot drop and a 100-foot tornado-themed tunnel. (See Details)

➤ A woman was reunited with her pet cat six years after the cat went missing during a move in Westminster. (See Video)

➤ The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is welcoming a pair of bearded emperor tamarin sisters, 4-year-old Mattessich and 3-year-old Gianna, who arrived at the zoo in July. (See Photos)

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