Friday, August 15, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1870, the final spike was driven into the Kansas Pacific Railway—completing the first permanent, coast-to-coast railroad link across the U.S.—at Comanche Crossing in northeastern Colorado. The event is commemorated with a monument in Strasburg's Lyons Park.

This weekend is all about peaches—from the Palisade Peach Festival on the Western Slope to a pair of peachy celebrations on the Front Range. Find the details in our Top Stories. Then vote in our Poll or hit reply to tell us your favorite way to enjoy Palisade peaches.

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Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Polis to Withhold $280M Over Housing Laws

In an executive order signed Wednesday, Gov. Jared Polis declared that local governments will be ineligible for $280 million in grants unless they comply with a range of new housing laws.

The order expands on one Polis signed May 16, outlining regulations meant to boost housing affordability and capacity. Some have yet to take effect, and not all apply statewide.

The latest order, effective Oct. 6, threatens to cut off 34 different funding streams, including funds for housing development, transportation, energy, and more.

Six home-rule cities have sued to challenge the housing laws and the original order. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman plans to seek an injunction while the lawsuit is pending.

Plane Diverts to Grand Junction

A Los Angeles-bound Breeze Airways flight diverted to Grand Junction Regional Airport on Wednesday due to an intoxicated, unruly passenger, according to police.

Breeze Airways said the flight took off from Norfolk, Virginia, and was headed for L.A. when the passenger began yelling racist slurs and waving a skateboard around. Staff placed him in restraints twice, but he broke free both times.

The plane landed safely at 11:15 a.m. in Grand Junction, where local police took the man into custody at the direction of the FBI.

One flight attendant and one passenger were evaluated for minor injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.

Statewide Peach Festivals Kick Off

The 57th annual Palisade Peach Festival takes place today and tomorrow, celebrating more than 130 years of peach-growing tradition with vendors, live music, peach-eating contests, agricultural tours, and more.

The Lafayette Peach Festival is on Saturday. Besides 30,000 pounds of Palisade peaches, it will feature peach pies and cobblers, peach margaritas, peach-marinated tacos, and peach-scented skincare products.

The Fort Collins Peach Festival, also on Saturday, boasts a similar medley of peach products—from cobblers to craft beer—along with live music, food trucks, and vendors.

Lafayette's festival is free to attend. Fort Collins charges $10 for adults, while tickets for the Palisade Peach Festival start at $10.

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➤ Larimer County: A Boulder man died Wednesday when his ultralight glider crashed and caught fire southwest of Berthoud. (See Details)

➤ Colorado Springs: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security agents raided two local food markets on Wednesday as part of an apparent money laundering investigation, according to witnesses and court documents. (More)

➤ Western Slope: The Lee Fire, now over 120,000 acres, crossed the Garfield County line on Wednesday, prompting mandatory evacuation orders for areas northwest of Rifle. (See Details)

➤ Centennial: Four businesses occupying a strip mall were damaged in a fire early Thursday. Two were deemed uninhabitable and forced to shut down. (See Details)

➤ Routt County: The sheriff's office is warning residents that the Pagan's Motorcycle Club, deemed an "outlaw motorcycle gang" by the U.S. Department of Justice, plans to gather in Oak Creek Aug. 15-17. (See Details)

➤ Rocky Mountain National Park: Sections of the park will close Aug. 25 to 31 as wildlife officials remove non-native fish from Grand Ditch and its tributaries, allowing for the reintroduction of greenback cutthroat trout. (More)

➤ Denver: Disgruntled neighbors of a vacant, neglected home have been throwing bags of dog waste into its yard as a form of silent protest. (See Details)

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➤ Lionel Taylor, a Denver Broncos Ring of Fame member, died at age 89 this week. He was the first receiver in professional football history to have at least 100 receptions in a season. (More)

➤ The Denver Broncos were valued at $6.55 billion by Sportico, ranking them 15th out of 32 NFL teams. (More)

➤ The University of Colorado agreed to a seven-year deal to rename its indoor sports facility the Ford Practice Facility. Financial details about the agreement were not released. (More)

➤ Yesterday's Results: MLB | Soccer | PGA | LPGA | LLWS

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➤ Noodles & Company, a Colorado-based fast casual restaurant chain, plans to close up to 32 company-owned restaurants this year after a slight dip in quarterly revenue. (See Details)

➤ The Downtown Cat, a new cat cafe in Grand Junction, held its grand opening Saturday. The cafe has about 20 adoptable cats and charges $9 for a one-hour visit. (See Details)

➤ The Colorado Tourism Office partnered with GuideGeek to create Colorado Concierge, an AI chatbot offering custom travel tips, itineraries, and information for tourists. (See Details)

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➤ Firefighters on the Western Slope found a runaway mule named Tommy, who then spent several days following the crew around as they worked to protect a ranch from the Elk Fire. (See Photos)

➤ A shopper at a Durango Walmart found and safely removed a scared dog hiding in the lettuce section. (See Video)

➤ Spirit Halloween will open several pop-up stores across Colorado in the months leading up to Halloween. Some are already open, with many more set to open this month. (See List)

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