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False claims, real consequences: Judge rejects activist’s First Amendment defense

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For more than a year, Derrick Wilburn – father, community leader and now an elected school board member – was publicly branded a “child predator” by a vocal district parent. The accusations, repeated at school board meetings, online and even in state legislative testimony, painted him as a man who preyed on children. 

Wilburn filed a defamation lawsuit in December 2024, seeking accountability. And on April 29, a Colorado judge drew a legal line. 

El Paso County District Court Judge Gregory Werner denied defendant Bernadette Guthrie’s motion to dismiss Wilburn’s defamation lawsuit. Judge Werner ruled that Guthrie’s accusations went far beyond protected speech under the First Amendment.

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Burning Man event in Las Animas County cancelled over ‘non-consensual fentanyl drugging’ concerns

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LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) – A suspected attempted drugging involving fentanyl forced the cancellation of a Burning Man event in southern Colorado.

Apogaea is a Burning Man-sanctioned event held every June in Colorado, according to their website. Over the weekend, they were set to hold their event in Las Animas County near Trinidad. As the weekend kicked off, though the Apogaea Board of Directors instructed everyone to leave the event, and asked anyone on the way to turn around, for safety reasons.

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U.S. Supreme Court sides with rail developers in Eagle County fight over NEPA

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Getting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant revisions – until now. In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has changed a big part of the game.

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President Trump clears the skies: Colorado Boom’s supersonic jet project gets federal boost

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President Trump signed an executive order Friday that could clear the skies for Boom Supersonic’s Overture, the sleek craft being designed and tested at Centennial Airport that could become the world’s first faster-than-sound jetliner since the Concorde’s final flight in 2003.

The White House described the order as one that ended “decades of stifling regulations” that had grounded U.S. efforts to reestablish supersonic airline flights.

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State transportation project shutters 22-year-old Grand Junction auto sales business via eminent domain

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For 22 years, GJ Auto Sales was a fixture in the Grand Junction community, a family-run business operated by Amber Colunga Martinez and Mike Martinez. But now, the lot at 320 S. First St. will be transformed into a state-led mobility hub, part of Colorado’s climate-focused transportation plan.

Selling the property to the state of Colorado, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County due to impending eminent domain has left the couple without enough to financially open up again in a viable location.

The Martinezes said they first learned of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s plans not through official communication, but by reading a story in The Daily Sentinel.

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Mayor Mobolade’s town hall tour met with mixed reviews across Colorado Springs

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Friday marks two years since Yemi Mobolade was sworn in as Colorado Springs’ 42nd mayor. His achievements so far have drawn mixed reactions from the city’s residents who attended the Report Out Community Tour events this week.

Mobolade launched the tour on May 23, holding a meeting in each of the six Colorado Springs City Council districts to hear how residents felt about the progress made on the goals. The largest turnout was Tuesday night, when several dozen people sat in the auditorium of The Classical Academy for the District 2 meeting.

The crowd was unhappy to find out that Mobolade would not be appearing. City staff and council members said he had attended Monday’s town hall while sick but had begun feeling worse. Mobolade was absent from the events Tuesday and Wednesday and the city rescheduled his telephone town hall to June 25.

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“Not one mention of sexual abuse”: Parents slam Jeffco union as Title IX storm builds

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Jeffco Public Schools is at the center of a storm as teachers and parents clash with Superintendent Tracy Dorland over leadership, transparency, and the district’s handling of cultural and safety concerns. 

Tensions hit a breaking point on May 29, when the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA)—representing roughly a quarter of Jeffco’s 5,000 teachers—declared a vote of no confidence in Superintendent Tracy Dorland. The move came just days before news broke of a federal Title IX investigation into the district.

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Illegal immigrant faces 118-count indictment for firebombing pro-Israel demonstrators

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BOULDER — The man accused of tossing Molotov cocktails into a group of peaceful demonstrators in Boulder was charged Thursday in state court with 118 counts, including attempted murder.

Mohamed Soliman, 45, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. He appeared in court at the Boulder County jail on Thursday afternoon where he was advised of the charges against him. Soliman is being held in lieu of a $10 million bond. 

The 118 charges included 28 counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of first-degree assault, court documents show. Soliman’s next appearance in Boulder court is scheduled for July 15. Victims in the attack ranged in age from 25 to 88, three of whom remained in the hospital Thursday.

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D-Day remembered: Fort Carson’s Sgt. Simmons honors family legacy of valor on 81st anniversary

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A Fort Carson soldier honored his family’s history this week in France ahead of commemorating the 81st anniversary of D-Day on Friday.

On Monday, Sgt. John Simmons visited the grave of his great-great-uncle Cpl. Raymond Parry in St. Mihiel American Cemetery, marking the first time in 95 years a member of the family visited the grave of the World War I soldier who never went home to Wyoming.

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