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SUV Hit D51 Wrestling Team Bus At Over 90 MPH In Lakewood
DENVER7, Approved, Local

SUV Hit D51 Wrestling Team Bus At Over 90 MPH In Lakewood

By Jeff Anastasio | Denver7 The SUV that slammed into a Mesa County School bus injuring members of a Grand Junction wrestling team was traveling over 90 mph, or 52 mph over the posted speed limit 2 seconds before the impact. LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The driver of an SUV that slammed into a Mesa County School bus carrying members of a Grand Junction wrestling team was traveling over 90 miles per hour, or 52 mph over the posted speed limit, 2 seconds before the impact, according to an arrest affidavit from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The driver of the SUV, 22-year-old Andrew Logan Miller, from Denver, was hospitalized with injuries as a result of the December 6 crash and later arrested on a list of charges. There were 12 people, including 10 students and 2 ...
Data Breach Fallout Leaves Douglas County Without Full Emergency Alert Coverage As Fire Danger Rises
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Data Breach Fallout Leaves Douglas County Without Full Emergency Alert Coverage As Fire Danger Rises

By Maggie Bryan | Denver7 The Douglas County Sheriff says his office is switching to Rave Alert to notify residents about local emergencies. The sheriff's office ended its contract with CodeRED last month after a data breach. CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — As high fire danger and strong winds are expected along the Front Range on Wednesday, a critical resource used to alert Douglas County residents to emergencies, such as fire evacuations, is in the midst of a transition. Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said his office signed a new contract to provide emergency alerts through Rave Alert, an emergency alert system owned by Motorola. In November, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) terminated its contract with CodeRED, an emergency alert system, after the company ex...
More Victims Coming Forward as Douglas County Tackles Growing Sex Crime Caseload
DENVER7, Approved, Local

More Victims Coming Forward as Douglas County Tackles Growing Sex Crime Caseload

By Allie Jennerjahn | Denver7 Sex crimes can range from internet crimes against children, to adult sex assault, and George Brauchler said the county is working to find a solution. DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — District Attorney for the 23rd Judicial District George Brauchler is speaking out about a surge in sex crime cases and why he thinks there's an increase. Sex crimes can range from internet crimes against children, to adult sex assault and Brauchler said the county is working to find a solution. “It's unclear to me if we're seeing an incredible uptick in it, or if because this jurisdiction that has invested so heavily in public safety, including creating subject matter experts in rape cases … if that, in and of itself, hasn't caused an increase in the number of...
Polis Extends Spending Cuts as Colorado Struggles With Deep Budget Gap
DENVER7, Approved, State

Polis Extends Spending Cuts as Colorado Struggles With Deep Budget Gap

By Katie Parkins | Denver7 Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in an executive order on Monday extended already-issued spending cuts through the end of February in an effort to achieve the $265 million in savings his office says is needed to balance the state's budget. Executive Order D 2025 22 extends orders Polis issued in August and October of this year, which ultimately laid out roughly $115 million in cuts from state departments and another roughly $148 million in transfers to the state's general fund. The prior orders expired on Nov. 30. A hiring freeze put in place by a separate order (D 2025 009) ends on Dec. 31, 2025. The state says that hiring freeze achieved $3 million in savings. Polis has said the $265 million in savings is needed due to a massive budget gap created by Pr...
Latest CPW Data Shows Wolves Moving Toward Boulder and Jeffco
DENVER7, Approved, State

Latest CPW Data Shows Wolves Moving Toward Boulder and Jeffco

By: Stephanie Butzer | Denver7 Since the 2023 approval of the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, CPW has said that wolves are expected to expand widely over the years, including to the Front Range. DENVER — A new map shows more gray wolf activity along the Front Range than previous records, with at least one animal — if not more — exploring central Boulder County and northern Jefferson County. According to the latest wolf movement map released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Wednesday afternoon, the wolves have been moving around the watersheds northwest of the Denver metro area up toward Boulder and appear closer than ever to the Front Range. The below map shows watersheds outlined in purple. If it is filled in, it means that at least one collared wol...
Data Breach Spurs Colorado Law Enforcement to Seek More Reliable Alert Systems
DENVER7, Approved, State

Data Breach Spurs Colorado Law Enforcement to Seek More Reliable Alert Systems

By: Maggie Bryan | Denver7 CodeRED is an emergency alert platform used by dozens of Colorado agencies to notify residents about fire evacuations, active shooters, and weather advisories. DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Several Colorado law enforcement agencies say they're either terminating or reevaluating contracts with CodeRED, an emergency alert system, after the company fell victim to a cyber attack earlier this month. Crisis24, the company that owns the CodeRED platform, confirmed that data including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and passwords of users signed up for alerts may have been leaked in the data breach. Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said his office was not contacted by Crisis 24 until deputies tried to send out a CodeRED alert to residents ab...
Xcel Energy’s Plans for 2026 Rate Hike Draws Pushback from Communities
DENVER7, Approved, State

Xcel Energy’s Plans for 2026 Rate Hike Draws Pushback from Communities

By Claire Lavezzorio | Denver7 Denver7 is listening to the community after Xcel Energy announced proposed rate hikes. COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Denver7 is listening to the community after Xcel Energy announced Friday it wants to increase electric rates in Colorado by nearly 10% in 2026. Commerce City resident Lucy Molina told Denver7 it's going to force some families to make difficult choices. "Do I pay my electric bill, or do I eat?" said Molina. Robert Kenney, President of Xcel Energy Colorado, told Denver7 Friday that the increase is to recover investments in safety and reliability, like transmission, distribution, and generating facilities the company has made over the past 3 years. The average residential customer would see their bill increase $9.94 per mont...
Denver Home Values Slipping Faster Than Any Major U.S. City
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Denver Home Values Slipping Faster Than Any Major U.S. City

By Scripps News Group | Denver7 Zillow said the trend reflects affordability pressures, high mortgage rates and weakening demand across large swaths of the country. DENVER — Denver is leading the U.S. housing downturn, with 91% of homes losing value over the past year, according to new Zillow data. The Denver metro area posted the broadest declines of any large city, outpacing Austin (89%), Sacramento (88%), and both Phoenix and Dallas (87%). Nationwide, more than half of American homes—53%—saw their Zestimate values fall as of October 2025, a sharp rise from just 16% a year earlier. It marks the highest share of homes losing value since April 2012. Zillow said the trend reflects affordability pressures, high mortgage rates and weakening demand across large swaths of the c...
Advocates Urge State Leaders To Protect Vulnerable Residents From Budget Reductions
DENVER7, Approved, State

Advocates Urge State Leaders To Protect Vulnerable Residents From Budget Reductions

By: Colette Bordelon | Denver7 For the second year in a row, Colorado is staring down a daunting budget deficit — and the governor believes cuts to Medicaid are one solution to balancing the budget. DENVER — With a budget deficit looming over the State of Colorado next year, one program in particular is under the microscope: Medicaid. A special session tackled some of the anticipated $1.2 billion budget shortfall, which was created in part by tax changes made in President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Act (H.R.1). As a result, Colorado will collect less revenue than expected when lawmakers approved the state budget in May. Some of that $1.2 billion revenue loss was absorbed by the state education fund and the affordable housing fund. Around $300 million that...
Salida Police Hunt Suspects Tied to Violent Home Invasion and Venezuelan Gang Activity
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Salida Police Hunt Suspects Tied to Violent Home Invasion and Venezuelan Gang Activity

By: Jeff Anastasio | Denver7 Salida police investigating a home invasion by suspects with alleged ties to a Venezuelan gang have connected the incident to an earlier assault in Buena Vista. Three suspects remain at large. SALIDA, Colo. – Police in Salida investigating a home invasion in which the victims were held at gunpoint against their will by suspects with alleged ties to a Venezuelan gang have connected the incident to an earlier assault in Buena Vista. According to the Salida Police Department, in the early morning hours of November 2, “multiple armed individuals” assaulted the two victims for around 20 minutes after forcing their way into the house before fleeing to the Denver Metro area. During the initial investigation, Salida police connected the home invasion susp...