Fire evacuations at CO-OK border; Polis grants Peters clemency; Canvassers indicted for forging signatures

Headlines Monday, May 18, 2026

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    Fire evacuations at CO-OK border; Polis grants Peters clemency; Canvassers indicted for forging signatures KGNU News

 

Fire evacuations ordered at CO-OK border

Residents in South-eastern Colorado were told to evacuate yesterday as the Sharpe fire which originated in Oklahoma has rapidly spread across the state border.

According to officials in Baca county, mandatory evacuations were issued for the Colorado town of Campo, but have since been lifted after last night. Evacuation orders are still in place for rural areas north of town near County road J.

Mandatory evacuations were first announced Sunday at around 2 p.m. On Sunday morning, the Sharpe fire consumed more than roughly 3,500 acres. Now maps for the fire from the National Interagency Fire Center show the fire rapidly expanded to over 28,000 acres burned by Sunday afternoon. A 70-mile stretch of U.S. 287 was closed between Lamar and the Oklahoma-Colorado border for the fire – the state department of transportation cited low, hazardous visibility as the reason.

Southeastern Colorado is under an umbrella of red flag warnings – conditions for fire starting and spreading are high.

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Flights cancelled, tornado watch east of DIA

Over 500 flights were delayed yesterday afternoon at Denver International Airport by rolling thunderstorms. Airport officials say three flights were cancelled. Delays hit southwest the hardest with over 200 flights delayed, United flights were delayed just as much, with just under 200 flights delayed.

Severe storms east of DIA sent tornado and hail watches over the eastern plains yesterday. The National Weather Service said tornadoes were likely, though none touched down. Hail stones the size of golf balls were found, though hail was sporadic through the region. A hazardous weather alert will continue for the eastern plains through till this evening, with hail liable to touch down through the day.

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Canvassers indicted for forging signatures

According to the state attorney general’s office, a state grand jury indicted two-out-of-state canvassers, Cherrell Long of Nevada and Martin Arellano of Texas, for forging signatures on petitions used to get a Colorado school choice amendment on the 2024 general election ballot.

The two are receiving three felony counts each – attempting to influence a public servant, elections forgery and forgery. Colorado attorney general Phil Weiser announced these charges, along with a misdemeanor count of perjury last week.

The two canvassers, independent contractors with the Colorado Springs’-based Victor’s Canvassing, were tasked with collecting signatures for Amendment 80. Colorado voters rejected the proposed school choice amendment back in November of 2024 during the general election.

Long and Arellano have been accused of forging signatures of dead people and voters who cancelled their registration. During a post-election review of signatures, the Colorado secretary of state’s office alleged that of the 190,000 signatures submitted, 25 were believed to be forged by both canvassers. The threshold to get a petition turned into a ballot measure is less than what they submitted – 131,000 signatures.

As of yesterday, Long and Arellano have not been arrested.

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Polis grants Peters clemency

Governor Jared Polis has reduced the state prison sentence of Tina Peters. The former Mesa County clerk was convicted of helping someone tamper with election equipment after the 2020 presidential election, and was given a nearly 9-year prison sentence. Now she will be eligible for parole next month.

Polis has long said he thought Peters’ sentence was too harsh and was meant to punish her views on election integrity. The Governor said he granted clemency in part because Peters acknowledged in a letter to him that what she did was wrong.

Critically, she understands and has committed in this process to following the law going forward,” said Polis. “I don’t believe her beliefs will change. I think she’s going to say nutty things. I think she’s going to believe in different things that are demonstrably false, but that’s not a crime in our country.”

The governor’s decision was immediately condemned by other Democratic leaders in the state. The Secretary of State called it “an affront to Democracy” … the Attorney General described it as “mind boggling and wrong.”

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Utahns protest one of the largest data centers in the world in their backyard

A proposed data center in northwest Utah is drawing growing opposition over concerns about water use and environmental impacts near the Great Salt Lake.

Hundreds of people rallied at the Utah State Capitol last Thursday to protest the project, known as the Stratos AI data center.

The proposed development would cover more than 40-thousand acres in Box Elder County, making it one of the largest data center developments in the world.

Earlier this month, Box Elder County commissioners approved the project despite significant public opposition.

Critics say the development could worsen drought conditions and further threaten the shrinking Great Salt Lake.

Dita Seed with the Center for Biological Diversity has been working with local groups opposing the project.

People, I think, see this as a moment where the disconnect between this action that these elected officials are subsidizing versus the crisis that we’re in in terms of a drought,” said Seed. “I’m watching dust blowing off Great Salt Lake right now. People are like, ‘Wait a second, we can’t have this,’ and pushing back in numbers larger than I’ve seen in years.”

Opponents of the development are now working to get a ballot referendum that would challenge the county commissioners’ approval of the project.

This story was reported by KRCL for Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

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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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