Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1896, an explosion at the Vulcan Mine in Garfield County killed 49 miners, becoming one of the deadliest mine disasters in state history. The explosion was so large, reported the Colorado Springs Gazette, that “the town of New Castle was shaken as if by an earthquake.”

Fifteen years after opening Colorado’s first-ever IKEA store in Centennial, the Scandinavian home furnishings giant has plans for a second full-size location in Fort Collins. Find out more in today’s Top Stories.

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Mountain Snow Arrives amid Fire Danger

A winter storm is forecast to bring heavy, blowing snow to the mountains today through Thursday morning, creating hazardous driving conditions and heightened avalanche risk.

Northwest Colorado is set to get the most snow, with totals up to 24 inches. Gusts up to 70 mph may result in blizzard-like conditions and reduced visibility, and avalanche danger could rise to the highest levels of the season.

The storm’s arrival in the high country coincides with a bout of critical fire weather in Eastern Colorado, where thousands lost power and hundreds of flights were delayed due to high winds Tuesday.

Dry, warm weather will linger through the week across the eastern half of the state, though there’s a chance for light snow and rain showers today into Saturday.

IKEA to Open Fort Collins Store

IKEA, the Swedish furniture retailer known for its ready-to-assemble products and big-box stores, plans to open its second full-sized Colorado location in Fort Collins this year.

The new IKEA will be located at 4250 Corbett Drive, just west of Interstate 25. It will join IKEA Centennial, which opened in 2011, and a smaller order-and-pickup location in Colorado Springs.

The 64,000-square-foot store will have a central planning area and space for 3,200 items. It will also feature the brand’s popular in-store food, including Swedish meatballs.

IKEA aims to open 10 new U.S. stores in 2026, with others slated for Chicago, Tulsa, and Los Angeles.

Purgatory Resort Celebrates Presidents Day

Actors portraying George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln visited Durango’s Purgatory Resort to celebrate Presidents Day on Monday.

Clad in top hats, wigs, and ski goggles and bearing a colonial-era American flag, the founding fathers spent the day hitting the slopes and stopping to pose for selfies with resort guests. See a video here.

Resort officials said the event, organized by the Presidents Day Society, has become an annual tradition, giving families the chance to combine history with fun. Here’s a photo gallery from a past appearance.

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➤ El Paso County was the top county in the state for extreme speeding citations in 2025, with 1,727 in total, according to Colorado State Patrol data. (See List)

➤ Centennial: Police are looking for two suspects caught on video stealing a poodle-mix puppy valued at $2,200 from a local pet store. (See Details)

➤ Costilla County: A multiday San Luis Valley land dispute hearing takes place this week. It will decide whether ranch owner William Harrison can add a 233.6-acre “buffer zone” around a new home on his land, which locals are allowed to access under a 1844 land grant. (See Details)

➤ Erie: Authorities are searching for the driver who fatally struck a 2-year-old child in a hit-and-run collision Sunday evening. (More)

➤ Ouray: A backcountry rescue team safely rescued two skiers who became stranded on a frozen waterfall in the dark. (See Photos)

➤ Denver: People gathered outside an apartment complex Monday to protest plans for a new ICE detention facility at a dormant Hudson prison, which is owned by a real estate group with properties across Denver. (More)

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➤ A youth hockey coach in Southern Colorado was arrested and charged with felony child abuse after allegedly tripping a teenager on the ice. One parent said that the coach “has a history of picking out kids he doesn’t like.” (More)

➤ CSU assistant football coach Kashif Moore was hired away from the program to become Penn State’s new wide receivers coach. (More)

➤ University of Denver’s Grayson Manning was named National Lacrosse Player of the Week following a 20-save performance against Utah this weekend. (More)

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➤ J.R. Crickets, a famous Buffalo-style chicken wing chain with 17 locations across Georgia and Alabama, plans to open its first Colorado location in Fort Collins. (See Details)

➤ Sauvage Spectrum, a Palisade winery and vineyard, received national recognition from Wine Business Monthly as one of the fastest-growing brands in the industry. (See Details)

➤ Montrose Regional Health has been named a 2026 Top Rural and Community Hospital, the 10th time the hospital has received the distinction. (More)

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➤ Rodeo Dunes, a new six-course golf resort in the sandhills northeast of Denver, is slated to open in 2027. Tee time reservations open in March and are expected to sell out in days. (See Details)

➤ Five historic sites, including Bent’s Old Fort and a 19th-century castle, have been added to Colorado’s Most Endangered Places list, a catalogue of historic sites across the state. (See List)

➤ A Colorado Springs jeweler is the exclusive manufacturer of the figure skating pins awarded to medalists at the 2026 Winter Olympics. (More)

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