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State budget director warns Colorado could face 50–50 chance of recession in 2026
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

State budget director warns Colorado could face 50–50 chance of recession in 2026

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Mark Ferrandino, the executive director of the Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting, says the state has a 50-50 chance of going into a recession in 2026. Ferrandino says changes in tariffs, immigration policy and federal spending have created uncertainty for businesses and consumers. Colorado's effective tariff rate, he says, has increased from 3% in 2024 to 21%. Greg Sobetski, Colorado's chief economist, told lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) the full impact of higher tariffs has yet to hit.  "A lot of these impacts are being born at this point by firms because they can't pass that kind of price shock onto consumers," Sobetski said during the JBC meeting.  Sobetski says the state's economy is growing, but there are ...
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Shooting at Evergreen High School leaves 3 critically wounded
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Shooting at Evergreen High School leaves 3 critically wounded

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado At least two students were wounded Wednesday in a shooting at a high school in the Denver metro area. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the shooting took place just after noon at Evergreen High School. The school is located at 29300 Buffalo Park Rd. in Evergreen, which is 28 miles southwest of Denver. JeffCo emergency communications said there are reports of "an active assailant in the area of Evergreen High School." The sheriff's office said at least two students have been shot. St. Anthony's Hospital said there are three patients there in critical condition. It's still an active scene, and authorities asked those with students at the school not to go directly to the school at this time. A teacher told CBS Colorado that th...
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Democrats Push Business Tax Increases To Fill State Budget Gap
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Democrats Push Business Tax Increases To Fill State Budget Gap

By Shaun Boyd | CBS News Colorado State lawmakers passed four bills raising taxes on Colorado businesses as a special legislative session stretched into a fifth day. Gov. Jared Polis called lawmakers back to work after President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" cut taxes, leaving the state without enough revenue to cover expenses. This year's budget is short $750 million. The four bills raise about $330 million a year. Democrats say businesses are taking the biggest hit because they got the biggest breaks in the "Big Beautiful Bill" and Coloradans on food stamps and Medicaid need help more. "Small businesses are the backbone of our society, and so are teachers and nurses," said Democratic state Sen. Faith Winter. Republican state Sen. Lisa Frizell says the tax increases wi...
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Colorado Residents Say Government is Dysfunctional and Cost of Living is Crushing
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Colorado Residents Say Government is Dysfunctional and Cost of Living is Crushing

By Libby Smith | CBS Colorado Colorado Health Foundation launched the Pulse Poll in 2020 as a way to hear from adults all across Colorado on the issues that are impacting them the most. The latest poll was taken between April 19 and May 18, 2025. A bipartisan team of researchers talked with 2,333 Coloradans from across the entire state. One of the key findings in this year's poll is that concern over government jumped to the top of the list. Respondents feel like government is not going to address or ease their other problems. which includes rising prices. "This year cost definitely dominates the conversation. The top four issues that Coloradans identified as most serious are all related to cost. 90-percent nearly of Coloradans said that the cost of living is an extremely serious ...
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Taxpayer-Funded Mountain Retreat Moves Ahead Amid Denver Layoffs
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Taxpayer-Funded Mountain Retreat Moves Ahead Amid Denver Layoffs

By Brian Maass | CBS Colorado Ten of Denver's 13 city council members are planning to attend a $26,000, two night, one day retreat in Colorado's foothills next week for team building and professional development, at the same time the city is laying off workers and trying to find ways to cut costs and save money. "We signed this contract prior to knowing of any budget shortfall," said Council President Amanda Sandoval, who pushed for the trip at the Lone Rock retreat in Park County. "We signed this contract prior to knowing of any furlough days, we signed this contract prior to knowing of any layoffs," said Sandoval. She said the council retreat had been in the works since December 2024, and the contract was signed May 8. Two weeks later, Mayor Mike Johnston revealed the depths ...
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Polis Rejects DOJ Label as Sanctuary State and Defends Local Law
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Polis Rejects DOJ Label as Sanctuary State and Defends Local Law

By Jennifer McRae | CBS News Colorado The Justice Department put 11 other states on its list besides Colorado — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. It also included Baltimore County, Maryland; Cook County, Illinois; San Diego County, California; and San Francisco County, California, along with 18 cities from Seattle to Philadelphia. The letter states that a response to the letter must be submitted by Aug. 19 that "confirms your commitment to complying with federal law and identifies the immediate incentives you are taking to eliminate laws, policies, and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement." Gov. Polis' Office said in a statement to CBS Co...
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Colorado Teachers Priced Out of Their Communities
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Colorado Teachers Priced Out of Their Communities

By Tori Mason | CBS Colorado A new survey of more than 3,200 educators in Colorado says the housing crisis is pushing teachers out of their communities, and in some cases, out of the profession. The Keystone Policy Center's report, We Can't Live Where We Teach: Teacher Perspectives, finds that more than half of educators are spending well above the recommended share of their income on housing, with some paying more than 40%. Nearly 6 in 10 say they would be interested in district-provided affordable housing, and 70% would be comfortable with their school district as their landlord. "Colorado's ability to deliver quality education depends on having committed, effective teachers in every classroom," said Van Schoales, senior policy director at the Keystone Policy Center. "This repor...
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USDA chooses Fort Collins as one of five new hubs in major federal relocation effort
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CBS Colorado, Approved, National

USDA chooses Fort Collins as one of five new hubs in major federal relocation effort

By Dillon Thomas | CBS Colorado The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, will close down a major portion of its current headquarters in Washington, D.C., moving some of the staffers to Northern Colorado. Fort Collins was selected as one of five locations around the country where the headquarters will be relocated. "At first blush, everything about having offices out here makes sense," said Kenny Rogers, a cattleman in Yuma. Rogers has been a cattleman for decades, at times serving in leadership roles among his peers. He said the announcement of the partial move to Fort Collins was a surprise to him, but one he welcomes. "Getting boots on the ground where the action is occurring, rather than in an office in Washington, D.C., that is not a bad thing," ...
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Flood tragedy in Texas stirs old memories—and resolve—at Colorado’s Cheley Camps
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Flood tragedy in Texas stirs old memories—and resolve—at Colorado’s Cheley Camps

By Olivia Young | CBS News Colorado Among the victims of the devastating flooding in Texas are at least 27 campers and counselors from a girls summer camp, Camp Mystic. A thousand miles from Camp Mystic, the tragedy hits close to home at another summer camp nestled in the Rocky Mountains. This summer, the camp spirit is persisting at Cheley Colorado Camps, a family-owned summer camp with its own history of dealing with extreme weather. "Our great-grandfather, Frank, started camp in 1921 and he set up an amazing foundation and built most of the lodges that we use today," said Jeff Cheley, fourth-generation owner of Cheley Colorado Camps. "We feel that we have this wonderful opportunity to really make a difference in the lives of young people and create this space for them to ...
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ICE expansion in Colorado draws fire as private prison firms compete for contracts
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

ICE expansion in Colorado draws fire as private prison firms compete for contracts

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado Just days after the passage of President Trump's budget bill allocating $45 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to expand detention facilities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado made public documents submitted by private prison operators seeking to sign contracts with the federal government. The ACLU says the government provided the documents in response to its lawsuit filed in April. The Trump administration says it plans to build capacity for 100,000 ICE detention beds nationwide. Locations offered for new ICE detention centers in Colorado include Walsenberg, Colorado Springs, Hudson, and La Junta. "We sued the federal government because they were hiding these documents about their intent to expand ICE detention in Colorado...
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