The Dry, Dry, Dry Winter

Weld County Adds Data Centers to County Code During Drought

On April 6, Weld County Commissioners approved a county code that will define data centers and where they can be developed. The ordinance (2026?01) updates Chapter 23 of Weld County Code by adding language about data centers, and guidelines on where they can be built. While not specific to one data center project, it adds parameters to what future projects can look like.  The ordinance...

Erie mineral rights hearing divides council over control, transparency and who decides

The Town of Erie Colorado is weighing whether to sell or lease a portion of its mineral rights tied to the state-approved Draco oil and gas project, a decision that has exposed divisions on council, raised questions about the town’s negotiating process, and highlighted uncertainty about how much authority Erie actually has. At a special meeting on April 21, town staff emphasized that no...

Spotlight: Amanda Pascali

Amanda Pascali is a singer-songwriter, bilingual translator, and music scholar based in Austin, Texas. Her mixed-race heritage builds the backbone of her musical storytelling. She will perform for the first time in Colorado at Savoy Denver on May 7th, Cottonwood Cottage in Greeley on May 8th, and Chautauqua Community House in Boulder on May 9th. Photos Courtesy of Jayme Stone Jamie...

Spotlight: DJ CaveM

Dr. Ietef Vita is an artist, activist, educator, and vegan chef from Five Points, Denver. He primarily advocates through environmental hip-hop, performing with the stage name DJ CaveM in festivals, schools, and even grocery stores. His latest beat tape, Land of the Setting Sun, is available to stream on SoundCloud now. We sat down with CaveM (virtually) in his home in Oakland, California, to talk...

Scene Stealers | May 2026

True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show, May 9–Jun. 13 The Dinner Detective brings their True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show to Embassy Suites in Downtown Denver almost every Saturday—shows are scheduled until Jun. 13, but they run year-round. Each dinner will feature a night of comedy and crime in which no one is safe from being named a prime suspect, and the real culprit is hidden among...

Editor’s Note: A Victory for the Community

There were two big events in April that have helped to illustrate our goals as local journalists. We hosted our annual SuperKids Expo (more on that next issue), where we celebrated who we are as a community today, and we see in the eyes of our youngest residents who our community is going to be. But it was something else that created a reason to celebrate, not just for us, but for the...

Nelson’s Corner: Don’t Whine About Gas Prices

Oil hasn’t been in the news this much since Diddy’s trial last fall. In another essay I ranted about the media’s obsession with gas prices. Children are slaughtered in Iranian schools and thousands have died elsewhere in the Mideast, but those damn gas prices!  If I see one more entitled American whining about the cost of filling the ravenous tank on the pickup they use only to drive to...

Red Roads

Can the region make the roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists? If you are a pedestrian out for a walk anywhere in Colorado you may want to change your posture from “relaxed afternoon stroll” to “high-alert combat positioning.” That’s because one-fifth of all traffic fatalities in the state involve pedestrians. The shock of that number is naturally followed by a question: why. Or...

The New Farmers: Supporting Sustainable, Ethical, and Local Agriculture

Have you ever purchased a wonderful-looking container of strawberries from the grocery store, only to find those shiny, bright red berries are mere tasteless imposters? Or perhaps you’ve tried one of those little seedless personal watermelons on sale in February. You did all the tests—looked for the yellow "field spot," felt its weightiness in your hand, and noted a slight softness at the...

Affordable Housing vs Housing People Can Afford

Affordable housing is a glaring and urgent concern for metropolitan areas and their surrounding towns across America. In Denver, average home prices have almost doubled in the last decade. Boulder has seen a similarly steep trend in that time period while the average rent across Colorado is $2040 a month. Aside from inflation, these skyrocketing numbers have been attributed to the involvement of...

The Dry, Dry, Dry Winter

How do we make practical shifts to balance an environmental concern? At the beginning of April, Colorado scored 323 on the U.S. Drought Monitor drought severity and coverage index. At the end of 2025, that number was 127. In a place where winter usually does its most important work quietly, this year has felt alarmingly different. Across Boulder County and the broader Front Range, snow...

Front Range Foodie: How Mahi Mahi, Banjo Solos, and Pinball Machines Stole My Heart in Lyons

Photos by Florence McIntosh Lyons, Colorado doesn’t beg for attention. It just is—a scrappy little town at the foothills’ edge where the mountains rise like they own the place. And, honestly, they kind of do. It’s a place where development hasn’t marred the town’s character and time seems paused. Founded in 1880 on sandstone and pluck, Lyons used to ship its red rock everywhere...

Front Range Foodie: Building Community, One Tortilla at a Time

When Jesus Soto's grandparents began selling tortillas in Durango, Mexico, they had no idea how far their family business would go. Jesus immigrated to Colorado nearly 50 years ago, working his way through the Front Range's manufacturing scene at Longmont Foods and Coors before making the jump to starting something for his family and community. Today, Las Americas Tortilleria is 35 years...

Month in Review | April 2026

104th North Photo: Coal Creek (Courtesy of Friends of Coal Creek) [ Boulder County News ] The state and BNSF reached a $333M deal to take the next step forward in bringing passenger rail service to Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont and Loveland. The Sundance Film Festival is expected to bring thousands of visitors to the area and Boulder wants to be prepared. The City Council...

The Challenges and Rewards of Caring for Disabled Pets

Pouring love on pets who defy the odds Photos from Dustin Doskocil / Doskophoto The staff at Longmont Humane Society are ready to love any pet that comes through their door, whether it is a three-legged dog or a cat with no eyes. No pet is turned away, regardless of their disabilities or special care needs.  “We look at each dog individually,” Lynsey Georgen, the humane society’s...