Facing voter pushback, Colorado lawmakers are shifting mandatory surcharges into optional fees and insurer levies to fund wildlife crossings and hail‑resiliency grants.

Warm, windy Thursday gives way to a cold front and snow Friday. Red Flag Warning in effect today; protect plants and drain hoses.

Albertsons agreed in principle to a roughly $774M settlement framework to resolve opioid claims; Colorado is set to receive at least $32M for treatment, prevention and infrastructure.

Jefferson County Public Health is offering no‑scalpel vasectomies on Fridays at its Lakewood clinic on a sliding fee to expand access to permanent contraception.

Denver-based Tendit Group says it will wind down operations April 30, cutting 107 Colorado jobs and 36 in Arizona as the company cites profitability problems.

HB26‑1202 would let cities and counties form multijurisdictional homelessness authorities, allow limited redirects of documentary filing fees for housing and require DOLA to present a statewide plan by January 2027.

Starbird Chicken is opening its second Colorado location in Castle Rock with a community party, free entrées and donations to local schools.

The Rapids host Inter Miami and Lionel Messi at Empower Field for the team's 30th anniversary. More than 60,000 tickets are gone and kickoff is 2:30 p.m. on Apple TV.

Denver police named Joseph DeLaCruz Salazar a court-designated sexually violent predator now living in Green Valley Ranch. The department shared registry resources and hotlines.

Union Pacific reached a seven‑year supply deal with Rocky Mountain Steel in Pueblo, ending a pricing fight and locking in domestically made long rails as the mill comes online.

Manuel Bargas, wanted by the Colorado Department of Corrections on escape and violent charges, was arrested near 16th and Fenton after a multi‑agency operation.

A heavy black plume from the Suncor refinery rose over Commerce City after a Plant 2 shutdown; state inspectors and fenceline monitors are watching air quality.

A 19-year-old Aurora driver pleaded guilty in a July high-speed crash that killed two; prosecutors dropped homicide counts and sentencing is set for June 1.