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07_02_25_Headlines Ainsley Coogan
Budget bill targets NASA-CU projects
Scientists at CU-Boulder say they are devastated by the possible loss of funding to Mars Atmospheric and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN.
MAVEN is a decade-old mission to Mars, one of three NASA space missions that are supported by University of Colorado teams. It’s been orbiting Mars and collecting data on its atmosphere since September of 2014. But its funding is among the budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration, according to the Daily Camera.
The administration wants to slash NASA’s science budget by 47 percent for the next fiscal year, and cut various NASA projects, including MAVEN. CU professor and principal MAVEN investigator Shannon Curry said canceling would damage the larger Mars program, and America’s preeminence in space exploration.
The budget bill narrowly passed the Senate yesterday, with Colorado’s two Democratic Senators both voting against it. It now goes back to the House for possible revision. The Associated Press says that Republican leaders have scheduled a vote on it for today.
At least 150 people at CU Boulder work on the MAVEN mission, including professors and students. If the cuts happen they would take effect on October 1, and many of those people could lose their jobs.
At the same time, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is proposing budget cuts that eliminate four Boulder-based laboratories and all university cooperative institutes, including those at CU-Boulder.
Boulder Reporting Lab says the NOAA proposal adds up to $1.8 billion, more than a quarter of their total funding.
Trump administration withholds K-12 funding
Colorado’s K-12 districts could lose up to $70 million in funding after the Trump administration withheld $6.8 billion in education money on Tuesday.
The funding was initially approved by Congress for the 2025-26 academic year to be used to finance programs such as teaching English, after-school and summer programs, teacher training and more. The U.S Department of Education told Colorado in a department notice that the money will be withheld until they are reviewed to ensure the grants align with President Trump’s priorities.
Last year, the grants were used to help support professional development for educators, staff retention and help students who are learning English.
For Denver Public Schools, the withheld funds will result in a $10-15 million shortfall. Cherry Creek School District would lose $2.4 million if programs aren’t funded, and Boulder Valley School District would lose just under $1 million.
Advocates, like Amaya Garcia of New America, fear that the government doesn’t “believe that taxpayer funding should be used for these children.”
Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said that cutting money for teaching kids English would help restore the rightful role of State oversight in education, calling past funding an overreach from Washington.
$250K security grant
Governor Jared Polis has announced a $250,000 additional funding cost that will boost security for places of worship that are typically targeted in hate crimes. According to FOX31, hate crimes against the Jewish community rose 63 percent between 2022 and 2023. In Colorado, there have been 13 religion based hate crimes reported in 2023.
In order to protect those in the community who are facing those threats, the funding will be immediate. The money comes from state dollars used for emergent needs that were established as part of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery effort.
Recovery Cafe in Boulder
A Longmont-based addiction and mental health recovery program has launched a pilot program in Boulder.
In partnership with the Community United Church of Christ, the Recovery Café will operate in Boulder for ten weeks.
Program manager Chris Poma told Boulder Reporting Lab that their hope is if it goes well, they’ll be able to launch a more permanent Recovery Café in Boulder once the pilot program is over.
He described the Recovery Café as an apolitical space that is not a 12-step program. Its core offerings include a weekly communal meal, recovery circles, and peer resource navigation. Their goal is to create consistency and hope for people recovering from addiction, mental health issues, and other challenges.
Boulder Reporting Lab says the pilot Recovery Café comes at a time when the demand for such support service in Boulder County is greater than the supply.
During this pilot phase, the Recovery Café is hosted by Boulder’s Community United Church of Christ, running each Wednesday from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Denver Animal Shelter expands adoption hours
The Denver Animal Shelter has taken in a record number of animals in the first six months of 2025. Because of that, they are expanding their weekend adoption hours.
The shelter’s director said in a statement that she hopes the extra time will help lead to more “forever homes” for animals in need. She added that the number of lost, unwanted, and mistreated animals grows each year, according to the Denver Post.
The shelter has taken in more than 4,300 animals so far this year. Their expanded adoption hours run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. That’s in addition to full services offered on those days, from 11 to 4:30 p.m.
