Your Daily Guide

🚨 Fires Rage Across Colorado’s Drought-Stricken Landscape

On Sunday, the Aspen Acres fire southwest of Pueblo became the seventh-biggest fire in the state’s history. Spanning more than 91,500 acres and only 12% contained as of Monday, the fire has prompted evacuation notices for residents across four counties — Pueblo, Custer, Fremont, and Huerfano. [ Denver Post 🔒; Fox21; Colorado Public Radio;]

• How did the fire get so bad? The Aspen Acres fire has been difficult to contain due to low humidity, dry vegetation, and strong winds. Officials say the fire was caused by human activity, but no further details are currently available. [Newsweek]
• An update from local officials: In a press briefing held on Monday afternoon, Pueblo County officials said that rough terrain, strong winds, and thunderstorms continue to complicate containment efforts in the Aspen Acres fire. They also confirmed that hundreds of homes have been lost and that more than 10,000 people are still displaced due to evacuations.
• Four major fires burn statewide: Authorities are working to contain additional wildfires across the state, including the Gold Mountain fire near Ouray, the Willow fire near Leadville, and the Ferris fire in Dolores County. [9News]
• Decreased air quality: Wildfires across the West contributed to an ozone alert yesterday for sensitive groups on the Front Range. Hot temperatures can worsen air quality when combined with wildfire smoke, especially if you have sensitive lungs, says a local air quality expert. "They tend to reinforce each other, so the wildfire smoke has components in it that tend to make ozone worse, and the combination of those can make your lungs really inflamed.” [Denver Gazette; Coloradoan; 9News]
• What’s the air quality forecast this week in Denver? Search your location on AirNow to see smoke conditions near you and sign up for email alerts for when the air quality gets bad. [Airnow.gov]

🏘️ Nonprofit Plans New Life for Notorious Apartment Building

A nonprofit neighborhood coalition has purchased The Edge at Lowry, one of the Aurora apartment buildings that took center stage in President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. East Colfax Community Collective plans to transform the vacant complex — which Trump said was controlled by a Venezuelan prison gang and has sat vacant for more than a year — into housing for local working-class people and their families. [Denverite]

📔 Denver Public Schools Sued Over Racial Redistricting

Citing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a conservative Virginia-based law firm is suing Denver Public Schools, alleging that administrators had “illegal racial intent” when they redrew the school district seats in 2024. DPS declined to comment on the lawsuit, which quotes extensively from Denver school board meetings. The plaintiff firm’s president, J. Christian Adams, argues that the Voting Rights Act was meant to “remedy racial discrimination, not elevate Black and Brown voices.” [Denver Gazette; Denver Post 🔒]

• “Our students being represented by people that look like them is really important,” said former board member Scott Esserman in the 2024 debate over the district’s new map. Other board members reportedly also said they drew the maps to preserve Black representation and expand Latino representation.

🐘 GOP Nominee for Governor Still Undetermined

It’s been a week since election day, and the Republican gubernatorial primary is still too close to call. Though Barb Kirkmeyer was ahead in the early ballot count, Victor Marx recently took the lead by about 2,000 votes, while Scott Bottoms remains in third place. The race has still not been called as election officials continue counting votes. [Colorado Politics; Colorado Secretary of State]

• Will there be a recount? Colorado law requires a recount if the top two vote-getters in a race are separated by 0.5% or less of the top candidate’s vote count. Marx’s current lead is large enough to avoid an automatic recount.

🚉 1,700 People Want a ‘Better’ BRT on Colorado Boulevard

Denver Streets Partnership’s Executive Director Jill Locantore joins host Bree Davies on the pod today to talk about why right now is such a critical time for Denverites to pay attention to the bus rapid transit project being planned on Colorado Boulevard. Plus, Locantore responds to Mayor Johnston’s comments on our show last week about his new $5 downtown parking program. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

• What Locantore wants for Colorado Boulevard: More than 1,700 people have signed her and Denver Streets Partnership’s petition calling for a dedicated bus-only lane for BRT on Colorado. She’s delivering the petition to the Colorado Department of Transportation this week.