Boulder Reporting Lab

Boulder wildfire burning southwest of Chautauqua, crews responding The roughly half-acre blaze is burning in light fuels and spreading into trees as crews work to secure a water supply.

Bluebell Fire update: Size revised down from 5 acres to about 1.5 acres after updated aerial mapping. More than 100 firefighters now responding. Evacuation warning remains in place for Chautauqua Cottages. Fire moving away from #Boulder. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/28/b...

Boulder wildfire burning southwest of Chautauqua, crews responding The roughly half-acre blaze is burning in light fuels and spreading into trees as crews work to secure a water supply.

UPDATE: Bluebell Fire burning southwest of Chautauqua in #Boulder, now estimated at ~5 acres. Evacuation warning issued for Chautauqua Cottages. More than 50 firefighters on scene, helicopters assisting. Fire moving away from Boulder. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/28/b...

Boulder wildfire burning southwest of Chautauqua, crews responding The roughly half-acre blaze is burning in light fuels and spreading into trees as crews work to secure a water supply.

BREAKING: A roughly half-acre blaze in #Boulder is burning in light fuels and spreading into trees as crews work to secure a water supply, with a helicopter called in to assist. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/28/b...

Protests planned at Boulder’s BI Inc. over its role in ICE monitoring Boulder County also contracts with BI Inc. Advocates criticize the company’s role in immigration surveillance and are urging local entities to end ties.

#Boulder-based BI Inc., which operates ICE’s Alternatives to Detention program, faces protests as its federal contracts expand. Advocates are urging Boulder County to cut ties. The county says its use of BI monitors is separate from immigration enforcement. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/24/b...

Inside Boulder’s forgotten sanitarium, where guests sought health and got strange cures In the late 1800s, visitors came to Mapleton Hill seeking wellness, faith and fresh air at the Boulder-Colorado Sanitarium, a place known for strict diets, outdoor cures and some unusual treatments.

In the late 1800s, visitors flocked to Mapleton Hill’s #Boulder-Colorado Sanitarium for fresh air, strict diets and some unusual “cures.” From granola to electric shock treatments, a look inside Boulder’s forgotten wellness retreat. Latest from Silvia Pettem: boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/23/i...

City of Boulder sues former city council candidate over unspent campaign funds The complaint alleges that a former city council candidate failed to repay a portion of unspent campaign funds as required under a matching funds agreement.

The City of #Boulder is suing a former city council candidate over unspent public matching funds. The city says Aaron Stone owes about $375; Stone says it’s closer to $220. A judge has ordered mediation. The case appears unusual in recent city records. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/24/c...

Boulder’s climate lawsuit against Exxon and Suncor is heading to the Supreme Court The justices will decide whether federal law shields fossil fuel companies from local damages claims. The ruling could determine whether Boulder ever gets its day in court.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear #Boulder’s climate lawsuit against ExxonMobil and Suncor, taking up a case that could shape whether cities nationwide can seek damages from fossil fuel companies — and whether Boulder’s long-running case moves toward trial. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/23/s...

U.S. representatives press NIST for answers on limits to international researchers after Boulder Reporting Lab report Two members of the House Science Committee urged NIST to halt any new restrictions on foreign researchers until Congress reviews them.

After #Boulder Reporting Lab reported on new limits affecting international researchers at NIST, two U.S. representatives are pressing the lab for answers and urging a pause until Congress reviews the policies. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/20/r...

Opinion | Adrienne Karpen and Ron Sinton: Boulder leads on clean energy — cleaner EV charging is the next step As electric vehicle use grows in Boulder, when residents charge could shape emissions, grid costs and the region’s renewable energy future.

OPINION — "Over the course of a year, a 10 a.m. EV charge has less than half the climate impact of a 9 p.m. charge. At that time of day, emissions fall to roughly one-seventh of those from a gas-powered car," write Adrienne Karpen and Ron Sinton. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/19/a...

Boulder City Council approves annexation for tennis courts near East Boulder Rec Center The 24 acre plot sits just southeast of East Boulder Community Center. The city plans to install outdoor tennis courts on the land.

#Boulder City Council approved annexation of land near East Boulder Rec Center for new outdoor tennis courts as court space shrinks citywide. Earlier plans for an indoor facility are unlikely to proceed. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/19/b...

Boulder's modular housing factory takes on Marshall Fire rebuild project The BoulderMod factory will produce 10 affordable homes for Marshall Fire recovery through a city, Habitat and school district partnership.

#Boulder’s modular housing factory is taking on its next project: building 10 net-zero affordable homes for the Marshall Fire burn area. The BoulderMod partnership between the city, Habitat and BVSD aims to cut costs and speed rebuilding. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/19/b...

'It’s not working': Boulder Police Oversight Panel says city limits are restricting its role The oversight group, created to review complaints of officer misconduct, is raising questions about its independence and authority.

#Boulder’s civilian Police Oversight Panel says new limits on which misconduct cases it can review, access to legal advice and how members can meet are raising questions about its independence, and whether the city’s oversight system is working as intended. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/17/i...

Opinion | Rachel Friend and Bob Yates: Why we need to increase the number of Boulder County commissioners from three to five Boulder County voters will have the opportunity this fall to decide whether and how to improve county government.

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OPINION — "It’s simply no longer optimal for each of our three commissioners to effectively represent more than 100,000 people," write former Boulder City Councilmembers Rachel Friend and Bob Yates. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/17/r...

More Boulder parks and rec service cuts likely in 2027 as revenue flattens Expenses are continuously outpacing flattening revenues. Service reductions have already persisted for years.

#Boulder Parks and Recreation warns more service cuts may come in 2027. Costs keep rising while revenue stays flat, and officials say reductions have been building for years — with possible impacts to hours, classes and programs. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/17/b...

NIST responds after Boulder Reporting Lab report on limits for international researchers The policies will cap how long many international researchers can work at the lab at three years, which scientists say could seriously disrupt research.

NIST issued its first public response after BRL reported new limits for international researchers. Scientists say the policy is already affecting some #Boulder researchers and could impact hundreds of others and federally funded projects. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/17/n...

A growing beetle outbreak could change Boulder County’s forests for years As dry conditions weaken trees and mountain pine beetles take hold, impacts could range from recreation danger to wildfire risk.

A mountain pine beetle outbreak is intensifying in #Boulder County, with experts warning forests could look very different this year. Drought, warming and dense stands are helping beetles spread, raising concerns about potential wildfire and other risks. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/15/m...

After 51 years, Boulder’s Dark Horse is closing March 14 — fans are already saying goodbye The longtime Boulder bar will close on its anniversary as redevelopment moves forward and weekly drop-in gatherings begin.

After 51 years, #Boulder’s Dark Horse will close March 14, its anniversary, as redevelopment moves forward. Weekly informal farewell gatherings are already underway. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/15/a...

After delays, Boulder set to finish LED streetlight conversion this spring The multiyear effort to take control of Boulder’s streetlights is nearly complete, promising savings and faster repairs.

#Boulder expects to finish converting its streetlights to LEDs by April, wrapping up a yearslong effort to buy more than 4,400 lights from Xcel. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/15/a...

Opinion | Five current and former Boulder County commissioners: Don’t expand the commission to five seats Bigger government won’t improve accountability, representation or decision-making, but it will cost taxpayers and weaken countywide leadership.

OPINION — “Increasing accountability and transparency in government does not come from increasing the size of government; it comes from making systemic changes to elections and governance,” write five current and former #Boulder County commissioners. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/15/f...

Boulder City Council advances Area III expansion study with potential for 8,700 homes The vote allows continued study of expanding into the 493-acre planning reserve northeast of the city, a move supporters say could address Boulder’s housing shortage.

#Boulder City Council voted 7-2 to keep studying expansion into the 493-acre Area III planning reserve, a move that could eventually allow up to 8,700 homes. The decision sends the question back to Planning Board and keeps the long-debated expansion alive. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/12/b...

New federal rules at Boulder's NIST could force international scientists out Researchers at NIST say the new policy will push out hundreds of international scientists, weakening a cornerstone of U.S. research.

The Trump administration has imposed a 3-year cap on international grad students and postdocs at #Boulder’s National Institute of Standards and Technology. Scientists warn it could push out hundreds and stall quantum and AI research at the 125-year-old lab. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/12/a...

Boulder gets its first romance-only bookstore as Sugar and Spice Books opens near Pearl Street The new shop is the first romance-only bookstore in Northern Colorado, reflecting the genre’s explosive growth and BookTok-driven popularity.

#Boulder’s first romance-only bookstore is open. Sugar and Spice Books debuted Feb. 7 near Pearl Street, the first of its kind in Northern Colorado. Owner Hannah Morgan says BookTok-fueled demand is booming. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/12/b...

North Boulder’s Pekoe café to leave historic Broadway shopping center as rents rise The café is the latest change at the 1958-era center, as corporate expansion and higher lease costs reshape the neighborhood.

Pekoe café, part of North #Boulder’s Broadway shopping center for decades and under its current owners for five years, is leaving amid rising rents and corporate expansion. A look back at the 1958 center and what its latest shift means for the community. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/11/f...

Opinion | Clif Harald: Breaking up NCAR could endanger lives — and hit Boulder especially hard Our congressional delegation, state officials and local leaders must defend NCAR before decades of climate and weather research are reversed.

Opinion — “A lab built over decades could be broken up in a few years; rebuilding it could take generations, if it happens at all," writes Clif Harald. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/11/c...

How Boulder's Kimbal Musk appears in the newly released Epstein files Newly released court documents and emails reference Musk’s social and personal connections to Jeffrey Epstein and people in his orbit.

More than 300 newly released Epstein files reference #Boulder entrepreneur Kimbal Musk, show social contact and an on-off relationship with a woman in Epstein’s circle. Musk says many emails were mass newsletters and denies meeting him beyond one visit. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/11/h...

East Boulder’s first housing project under new rules is approved — and already drawing criticism The proposal would replace "auto-oriented" buildings and surface parking lots with 300 units of housing and a "production business space."

#Boulder City Council approved the first housing project under East Boulder’s new development rules: a 300-unit, mixed-use development at 55th and Arapahoe. The vote clears a test case for the city’s new form-based code, and sparked criticism over design. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/08/f...

Boulder police and sheriff say they’ll respond to ICE-related 911 calls 'I want people to be confident that when they call the Sheriff's Office, that we're going to come and we're going to do what's right.'

#Boulder police and the sheriff say they will respond to 911 calls involving ICE like any other emergency call. Both agencies emphasized they do not enforce immigration law, won’t ask about status, and won’t share residents’ information with ICE. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/08/b...

Three Longmont pizzerias are teaming up to fight food insecurity 'Pizza With Purpose' will donate proceeds to hunger relief and planning a statewide pizza festival to support local communities.

What started as concern over SNAP disruptions is now a new Longmont nonprofit. Three Main Street pizzerias—Urban Field, Antonio’s and Rosalee’s—launched Pizza With Purpose to support hunger relief with donations Feb. 9-15 and a statewide pizza festival coming. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/08/l...

Opinion | Nicole Speer and Celeste Landry: We can do better than just adding more Boulder County commissioners Expanding the Board of County Commissioners without changing how county elections work risks reinforcing the same representation gaps voters want to solve.

OPINION — "Going to five commissioners is a structural change in terms of county administration and the county budget, but it is not a change in terms of better representation," write Nicole Speer and Celeste Landry. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/08/n...

Boulder council seeks changes to Polis-backed bill that would override local zoning The HOME Act would allow some housing projects to bypass local zoning and public hearings.

#Boulder City Council is pushing for changes to a Polis-backed housing bill that would override local zoning to address a regional housing shortage, especially for low-income residents. No councilmembers support it as written. boulderreportinglab.org/2026/02/05/b...