CO skiers in Olympic headlines; Protests mount for predicted NoCo ICE facility; DOI sets up dedicated fire agency

Headlines Friday, January 23, 2026

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    CO skiers in Olympic headlines; Protests mount for predicted NoCo ICE facility; DOI sets up dedicated fire agency KGNU News

CO skiers in Olympic headlines

Several notable Colorado skiers and snowboarders have been named for the 2026 Winter Olympics, taking place in Italy next month. Colorado native Mikaela Shiffrin will be on her fourth ever Winter Games team, having won two gold medals across her last appearances. Lindsey Vonn, who has called Vail home since she was nine, looks to continue her return tour to competitive ski racing into her forties. Red Gerard, who lives in Silverthorne, hopes to secure his second ever Olympic gold medal in slopestyle snowboarding. The 2026 Winter Olympics begin on Feb. 6, running until the 22.

The new rule was floated in the wake of multiple civilian shootings perpetrated by ICE officers last week. Notably Renee Good was shot in her vehicle by a masked officer – the federal government has justified officers wearing masks to protect the safety of the officers.

A similar anti-face covering law was passed in California last year. The Trump administration later sued to block the bill citing a court precedent that says federal officers can’t be prosecuted while acting in the course of their duties.

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Protests Mount for Predicted NoCo ICE Facility

Protestors rallied on Wednesday at the site of a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in a defunct prison located in Hudson, a small town in Weld county. After demonstrating in front of the facility, protestors spoke for three hours during a public comment period at a town meeting in Hudson. This demonstration comes as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released documents gathered from several lawsuits which confirm ICE is moving forward with plans to utilize the prison site, rebranded as the Big Horn Correctional Facility.

The documents released from the ACLU show ICE signed a deal with prison contractor GEO group for $40 million for services rendered to renew and operate the Hudson facility.

In an interview with the Denver Post, ACLU legal director, Tim MacDonald, said ICE’s activity is alarming – and that the agency’s redactions of documentation and operational procedures are patterns of QUOTE, “…hiding what they’re doing.”

Information on GEO Group’s timeline for the renewed facility has been redacted, revealing only an affirmation that the Hudson facility will be renewed and folded into ICE operations in Colorado.

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DOI sets up dedicated fire agency

The federal Department of the Interior has announced the formation of a new agency: the US Wildland Fire Service.

Right now, several agencies have firefighting services, including the US Forest Service, which has the largest firefighting workforce and the most aerial resources.

Officials say they want to streamline federal responses to fire.

But advocates worry the new agency will focus exclusively on fire suppression.

Josh Hicks, the Wilderness Society’s conservation campaign director, says these federal agencies don’t just fight fires — they incorporate fire into their management strategies.

He says there’s also a lot of uncertainty about the future of this new agency, because Congress declined to fund it in its recently-passed appropriations package.

And with the dry winter we’ve been having in our region, fire season could start at any time.

This story was reported by Caroline Llanes for Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

 

Dangerous cold air coming to Colorado

A dangerous cold front approaches Northern Colorado today, bringing with it temperatures as low as the single digits, and several inches of snow, with heavy snow in the mountains.

Temperatures will be coldest on Saturday, potentially dropping below zero in several areas across the Front Range. The temperature will climb steadily heading into Sunday, but will still remain frigid, around the mid twenties in the Denver metro area. The cold front is projected to subside early next week.

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You can hear daily headlines on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show with coverage of local and regional public affairs and news with headlines and commentary. Click here to listen to full episodes of the Morning Magazine.

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