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After 4.25 Million Gallon Sewage Spill Arkansas River Faces a Long Cleanup
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, Local

After 4.25 Million Gallon Sewage Spill Arkansas River Faces a Long Cleanup

By John Ingold and Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun Are cantaloupes and peppers safe to eat? How will the river get clean? Everything we know about what comes next after a 4.25 million gallon sewage spill. A massive spill of raw sewage and untreated wastewater into the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado continues to wreak havoc on the region. Water in the river downstream of the spill, east of Pueblo, is still testing high for dangerous nasties like the bacteria E. coli. Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Wednesday issued advisories for people to stay away from the water in 10 state wildlife areas along the river, as well as the Las Animas State Fish Hatchery. And all of this is happening during one of the most agriculturally important times for the Lower Ark...
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Millions of Gallons of Untreated Sewage Spill Into Arkansas River Near Pueblo
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Millions of Gallons of Untreated Sewage Spill Into Arkansas River Near Pueblo

By Chierstin Roth | CBS Colorado More than four million gallons of untreated sewage containing harmful bacteria were dumped into the Arkansas River in Pueblo this week. While officials are working to mitigate any potential impacts from the contamination in Pueblo and communities downstream, some residents are concerned for their health.  "We walked earlier today from the City Park all the way to Runyon for a good two-hour walk, and the whole entire time we were walking, you could just smell it," said Nicoel Candelario.  Candelario and her friend Romy walked around Pueblo for hours Sunday, mostly along the Arkansas River. "A few times, I kept looking at it," said Candelario. "I'm like, this doesn't look like our water, you know. And like people have the...
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Colorado Homeownership Slips Further Out of Reach as Prices Outpace Incomes
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The Coloradoan, Approved, State

Colorado Homeownership Slips Further Out of Reach as Prices Outpace Incomes

By Nate Trela | The Coloradoan A new study on homeownership shows just how unaffordable buying a home is across the country, including two Colorado metro areas where homebuying is out of reach for most of their residents even if mortgage rates were set to 0%. The report using data .from Ziffy.ai, an AI-powered real estate investment platform, included the Boulder and Grand Junction areas among dozens of examples of markets where more than half of the homes are unaffordable for most households, even if mortgages did not require paying interest. The analysis defines affordability as when the total monthly housing costs — principal, interest, taxes and insurance — are no more than 30% of the median household income in a market. It based the mortgage calculations...
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NERC Report Raises New Questions About Colorado Energy Reliability
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

NERC Report Raises New Questions About Colorado Energy Reliability

By: Sarah Montalbano | Complete Colorado The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) 2026 State of Reliability report contains lessons for Colorado’s electricity sector. While the grid as a whole “continues to deliver reliable electric service,” challenges are mounting thanks in part to the “declining availability of aging combustion generation.”  NERC’s report finds that power plants failed more in 2025, with the fleet-wide forced outage rate climbing to 9.2 percent against “historical norms rarely exceeding” 8 percent. Coal-fired plants saw their forced outage rate rise from 11.2% in 2024 to 14.1% in 2025. NERC surveyed owners of generators that s...
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Colorado Lawmakers Debate Future Of Utilities Commission And Energy Policy
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Pueblo Today, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Debate Future Of Utilities Commission And Energy Policy

By Pueblo Today Staff | Pueblo Today Decision could impact clean air, water, and energy costs for residents. Colorado lawmakers are considering whether to reauthorize the state's Public Utilities Commission, which regulates energy, water, and other utilities. Advocates argue the commission plays a crucial role in promoting clean energy and protecting vulnerable communities from pollution, but past decisions have also favored the interests of investor-owned utilities over the public. Why it matters The Public Utilities Commission's decisions have a direct impact on air quality, water quality, and energy costs for Colorado residents, especially in communities like Pueblo and Commerce City that already face higher levels of pollution and health issues. Reauthorizin...
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Pueblo Bomb Squad Officers Injured After Seized Device Detonates During Investigation
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KOAA News, Approved, Local

Pueblo Bomb Squad Officers Injured After Seized Device Detonates During Investigation

By Ashleigh Quintana | KOAA News PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — Two officers with the Pueblo Police Department were injured after an explosive detonated while technicians were working to collect evidence. Both of the officers are with the department's Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad Explosive Ordinance Disposal (PMBS EOD) team. According to the city, around 10:35 a.m. on Thursday, PMBS EOD technicians and para-technicians were in the evidence-processing phase of an ongoing criminal investigation in the department's bomb range. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT KOAA NEWS
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Regulators Keep Pueblo Comanche Coal Unit Running While Xcel Repairs Newer Plant
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Regulators Keep Pueblo Comanche Coal Unit Running While Xcel Repairs Newer Plant

By Alexander Edwards | The Denver Gazette The Comanche Power Plant in Pueblo will continue to operate a coal-powered electrical generating unit that was slated for retirement this month for one more year. The move comes after Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility company, petitioned in November to keep one generator operating after an outage at the coal-fired power plant. Gov. Jared Polis backed the petition. On Wednesday, the Public Utilities Commission approved a variance submitted by the utility. This allows Comanche 2, which was slated to be retired on Dec. 31, to continue operating as Xcel fixes the Comanche 3. “The Commission found that the outage at Comanche 3 was the sole justification for the extension of Comanche 2,” a fact sheet released by th...
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Before Closing Pueblo’s Coal Unit Colorado Must Guarantee Reliable Power
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Before Closing Pueblo’s Coal Unit Colorado Must Guarantee Reliable Power

By The Gazette Editorial Board | The Denver Gazette To meet Colorado’s surging need for electricity, our state needs energy from a diverse array of dedicated sources. Unfortunately, with the pending closure of the two remaining, operational, coal-fired units at Xcel Energy’s Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, things are getting tricky. Comanche is the state’s largest power plant, with an original capacity of 1,410 megawatts. But its Unit 1 was shut down in 2022 as part of the statewide phaseout of coal-burning power plants. Unit 2 now is set to close at the end of this year, with Comanche Unit 3 scheduled for closure in 2030. It’s all part of Gov. Jared Polis’ green-energy agenda, which aims to move away from fossil fuels like coal in favor of renewable energy sources like wind a...
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Pueblo’s game changer: 2C asks who should run the city—a professional or a politician
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Pueblo’s game changer: 2C asks who should run the city—a professional or a politician

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Pueblo is about to decide–as Randy Thurston puts it—whether power belongs to a politician or a professional. On Unleashed with Heidi Ganahl: Pueblo pushback: the mayor, the vote & the battle for Colorado’s soul, Thurston, a former city councilman and broker called 2C “one of the most massive game changers” Pueblo has faced in decades. If approved, 2C would eliminate the strong-mayor system adopted seven years ago and return the city to a professional manager model—where council hires an administrator to run daily operations instead of leaving those duties to one elected office. “There are historic moments in every community, and this is one of the most massive game changers that’s on the table here,” Thurston said. “The question really is...
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