Headlines Wednesday, July 15, 2026
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Tuberculosis outbreak at ICE jail in Aurora; Trump shrinks Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante again; Woman injured after moose ‘got spooked’ and hit her on Boulder County trail KGNU News
Tuberculosis outbreak at ICE jail in Aurora
At least 12 people being detained at an immigration jail in Aurora have come in contact with tuberculosis in the past couple of days.
Those who were in contact, and the rest of the people in their pod, will be quarantined without air conditioning and in worse conditions than the other detainees.
77 other people in the Geo detention center are being held in the same pod despite not being sick, and they must quarantine with the infected.
According to a report by the Guardian, medicine was distributed to the quarantined group, but no further accommodations are being made despite the scorching heat, and severity of tuberculosis.
Trump shrinks Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante again, conservation groups prepared to fight “illegal reductions”
President Donald Trump is shrinking the size of two national monuments in Utah, removing monument protections from about 3 million acres in total.
Trump took similar actions to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante during his first term, though Joe Biden restored both monuments in 2021.
Officials say the total 3 million acres removed from both monuments will make managing the landscape easier.
Scott Braden, with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, says this opens up the area — and indeed other monuments — to activities that could degrade the landscape, like mining.
He says Southern Utah is already feeling the impacts of climate change. “And to do that while the largest wildfire in the nation, the Babylon Fire, rages out of control in the heart of Bears Ears, I think is just despicable, frankly.”
SUWA, five tribal nations, and other groups sued the first Trump administration in 2017 over the first monument reduction.
Braden says SUWA is prepared to once again to fight “illegal reductions” in court.
Woman injured after moose ‘got spooked’ and hit her on Boulder County trail
A moose hit a woman while she was on a Forest Service trail west of Nederland in Boulder County on Monday morning.
The 67-year-old woman was hiking the Forest Service Road 505 trail, which extends from the Caribou Trailhead, when a moose “got spooked” and hit her, according to Nederland Fire Protection District Chief Charlie Schmidtmann.
Schmidtmann said in a call with the Daily Camera, The woman was taken to a hospital in an ambulance with minor injury.
The Caribou Trailhead is about a five-mile drive heading west from Nederland on Caribou Road.
According to Schmidtmann, Nederland Fire sees about one moose-caused injury incident each year.
Denver to get rid of extra business license for childcare facilities
Denver is getting rid of an extra city business license for childcare facilities. The City Council unanimously approved the change yesterday/Monday. Childcare centers will still need a state license to operate.
That state process covers health and safety rules, inspections, staff training, and limits on how many children each adult can supervise. City officials say Denver’s separate license did not add any safety protections. It actually added an unnecessary step for childcare businesses trying to open.
Officials say the move will help reduce barriers for childcare providers and make care more affordable.
This story was reported by the Colorado Capitol News Alliance.
Montrose honors pilot killed in firefighting operation
A pilot supporting firefighting operations on the Gold Mountain Fire, near Ouray in western Colorado, was killed Sunday when his aircraft crashed into a nearby reservoir.
As KVNF’s Audrey McCabe reports for Rocky Mountain Community Radio, community members lined the streets of Montrose on Monday to pay their respects.
The crowd was solemn as a line of emergency vehicles passed. The procession was escorting the body of Nicholas Dale, a helicopter pilot who died while fighting the Gold Mountain fire on Sunday. The first responders drove by with stoic expressions and their eyes on the road ahead of them, but there was palpable emotion among the residents watching.
“When you have people that are brave enough to risk their lives to help us and, and, uh, make life better for us, I, you can’t help but be on this lineup with all these flags and get teary-eyed because a young man gave his life in order to protect us, and so it’s meaningful.” Montrose County Commissioner Sue Hansen says.
Dale, the pilot, was a 56-year-old man from Sooke, British Columbia. He was the sole occupant of the helicopter, which was engaged in suppression efforts for the Gold Mountain fire. The aircraft went down shortly after 5:00 PM Sunday evening and crashed into the Silver Jack Reservoir. Commissioner Kirsten Copeland found meaning in the procession’s attendance.
“I think it reflects the Montrose community, how much our first responders mean to all of us. You know, my husband is a police officer, and I know that firefighters, police officer, wildland firefighters, all of those folks put themselves at risk every day to protect us, and I think this community recognizes that and shows up.”
The crash is currently being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Boulder Launching Online Hub to Connect Local Businesses with Sundance Sponsors
More than 200 local businesses have signed up for an online “Partner Hub” designed to connect them with sponsors of the upcoming Sundance Film Festival.
According to the Boulder Chamber, the hub helps businesses, brands, and agencies find sponsored spaces and service partnerships during the high-profile event. The initiative is currently focused on the festival’s footprint in Boulder, but is open to all interested businesses in the region.
The hub manages immersive, custom brand takeovers of existing storefronts, restaurants, and art galleries rather than typical event booths.
Neighboring communities, including Erie and Louisville, are also encouraging their local merchants to use the platform to welcome festival visitors.
All space and service agreements will be negotiated directly between local businesses and sponsors, without direct involvement from Sundance.
Businesses can also separately apply to receive marketing toolkits, storefront decals, and screening tickets.
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