Headlines Monday, February 2, 2026
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MorningMagazine_2026-02-02 KGNU News
Bird flu hits Weld County
As of last Thursday evening, state officials have issued a disaster declaration after bird flu was discovered at a Weld County commercial egg farm. 9News reports that hundreds of chickens have now been culled to prevent the spread of the suspected flu. The state is currently waiting to get samples back from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Iowa for confirmation of a positive test. As of now, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) says there are no confirmed cases in humans.
In 2024, at least 10 Coloradans were confirmed to have contracted the virus, including nine workers on Weld County poultry farms. There were no reported deaths. This comes after a December warning by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) that the risk of avian flu can rise in winter due to migrating birds like ducks and geese. The declaration Thursday was issued by Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera, as Governor Jared Polis was in Washington D.C. to attend the Colorado River negotiation meeting.
Lindsey Vonn airlifted after crashing in last downhill before Olympics
Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn had to be airlifted from the course Friday morning after she lost control while finishing a jump. The race took place in extreme conditions as visibility for the racers was limited. Of the six racers who took to the course, three of them crashed. Following Vonn’s crash, the race was cancelled for the rest of the skiers.
Heading into the Olympics, Vonn was expected to be one of the stars of the games. The skier has various records in the Women’s division, but most impressively has the third-highest super ranking among all skiers in the world. The 41-year-old expressed her frustration with this untimely injury, but also set out to come back and complete her dream. Hours after the injury, Vonn said, “My Olympic dream is not over.” This is all according to Denver7.
Polis signs Healthy Choice Waiver
Colorado is moving closer to changing what people can buy with SNAP benefits, but that decision isn’t final yet.
Governor Jared Polis has signed on to what’s known as a Healthy Choice Waiver, which would restrict certain drink purchases under the Federal Food Assistance Program, framing the move as a way to improve public health.
The proposal still needs approval from the State Board of Human Services, which is scheduled to take it up on Feb. 6. If approved, the changes would take effect in April. Supporters say limiting sugary drinks and other items could help address diet-related health issues. But national research, including studies published by the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior and Healthy Eating Research have found limited evidence that restricting SNAP purchases actually leads to better health outcomes.
Studies have shown more success with a different approach, programs that make healthy food more affordable, like double up food bucks, which offers SNAP participants more money for buying fruits and vegetables. Advocates say the debate comes down to whether improving nutrition is better achieved through limits on personal choice or by expanding access and affordability for healthier options.
For now, SNAP recipients in Colorado are being encouraged to share their feedback and to watch closely as the state board makes its final decision.
This story was reported by Lacy Mackay for Rocky Mountain Community Radio.
Counties agree on Rocky Flats signage
Boulder County Open Space and the City of Westminster have finally come to an agreement for warning signage at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, according to the Daily Camera. The signs will be posted at several trail entrances and connection points recently added to Rocky Flats, which is the site of a former nuclear weapon plant for 70,000 plutonium bomb triggers.
The city council of Westminster voted last year not to build easy connections to Rocky Flats, citing safety concerns. Boulder and Westminster border Rocky Flats to the north and east.
Activists from the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center and Physicians for Social Responsibility Colorado, who spearheaded the efforts to get the warning signs put up, said they are happy with the final language, which warns that visiting for recreational activities “may expose you to radioactive materials.”
A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment said the department was not consulted about the language used in the signage. CDPHE’s chief medical officer has said, “There’s no additional radiation risk to people who recreate in the refuge area.”
Flatiron Freddy is Boulder’s Punxsatawney Phil
It’s Groundhog Day, and as we speak, Boulder’s own Flatiron Freddy is predicting the weather at the Chautauqua ranger cottage in Boulder. Every Feb. 2 at 8 a.m., people gather to find out whether Freddy, who is a taxidermied marmot, predicts a longer winter or an early spring. It’s an 18-year-old Open Space and Mountain Parks tradition, and if you’re not there in person, you can live-stream the event on the City of Boulder’s YouTube channel.
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.
Starbucks Red Cup Day Strike
Unionized Starbucks employees are going on strike today along the front range. The movement comes as an effort to force the company to comply with recognition of Starbucks workers legal right to collective bargaining.
Starbucks Workers United represents over 12,000 workers in 550 unionized stores across the country. Starbucks Workers United says after six months of negotiations, there has not been noticeable change in: better hours to improve staffing, increased pay, and resolving unfair labor practices on the part of the company.
For Starbucks, they say the company has shown up to the negotiation table in good faith and the union is the one who stepped away from negotiations.
The union has voted to approve the strike today; one of the first Starbucks locations to unionize is in Lafayette and will picket outside the South Boulder Location. Fifteen other Colorado locations are affiliated with Starbucks Workers United, including stores in Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins.
No Plan for River Deadline (RMCR Spots)
There’s still no plan for how the seven states that use water from the Colorado River will allocate the scarce resource after 2026.
Tuesday (11/11) marked a deadline set by the federal government for the states to share a framework for new operating guidelines… another deadline that’s come and gone with no agreement.
The Department of Interior, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the seven states issued a statement saying that they were making progress on negotiations, but more work is needed.
Chris Winter is an environmental attorney at C-U Boulder’s school of law.
Ahead of the deadline, he said the Colorado River is in a new era, defined by climate change and a scarcity of resources, which demanded urgent action.
[Tape name: River Deadline Passes BITE]
[Tape length: :15]
[Incue: And the best way that we]
[Outcue: use to fit the supply.]
“And the best way that we can prepare to move forward in this new reality is for the states to reach agreement amongst themselves and to compromise on how we’re gonna adapt water use to fit the supply.”
He says water users in the Southwest can plan around scarcity, but they need certainty from the states about what that scarcity will look like.
Upper and lower basin states have been unable to agree on who will see cutbacks, and how to define shortages.
Polis Unveils Plan to Close the Budget Gap (CCNA)
Governor Jared Polis unveiled his proposal to close a nearly 850 million dollar budget shortfall.
One of Polis’ ideas is to cut Medicaid provider rates for some services. His plan would still increase medicaid spending overall but Polis says if the costs don’t slow down it will crowd out other critical parts of the state’s budget.
We think highways and roads are important. We think public safety is important. We think agriculture’s important, all the other great things that the state does…any item that grows faster than other items is one that you look at with the magnifying class.
Budget committee members in both parties pushed back against some of Polis’s ideas, which serve as the starting point for a balanced state budget lawmakers must write and pass.
HOST TAG: That was Bente [BEN tuh] Birkeland for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance
Boebert in Situation Room
https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/12/lauren-boebert-white-house-situation-room-meeting/
U.S. Representative Loren Boebert from Colorado’s District 4 met with the Trump administration in the situation room yesterday. The white house had Boebert in the room to discuss her support of a bill that will force the justice department to release all classified documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the conversation was part of a White House effort to have Boebert and at least one other republican congresswoman no longer back the bill.
Boebert exited the situation room saying over social media QUOTE, “…together we remain committed to ensuring transparency for the American people.” In addition to Boebert, Trump has also contacted representative Nancy Mace from South Carolina about flipping her position on the bill.
Columbine Valley Officer Punished for Using AI for Theft Case with Extra Training
https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/12/columbine-valley-office-flock-camera-extra-training/
Police Sergeant Jamie Milliman from Denver who wrongfully accused a woman of stealing a package is being disciplined with extra training. Sergeant Milliman used guidance from AI-powered Flock license plate readers as evidence she had taken a package with contents worth about 25 dollars.
The Colorado Sun received notice of sergeant milliman’s discipline yesterday which reasoned he was ‘unwilling to de-escalate’. Milliman showed up to Chrisanna Esler’s house with court summons in hand – pointing to AI-assisted video as irrefutable evidence for Esler’s appearance in court.
Esler was forced to prove her innocence, affirming with evidence of her whereabouts via apps on her phone that she was innocent. On Oct.15, two weeks after sergeant milliman served Esler her summons, the Denver Police department said they were able to drop her case.
The disciplinary action comes as rallies have been held in Denver protesting the recently renewed contract between Flock surveillance systems and Denver Police. Those protesting say AI-assisted surveillance can lead to worse incidence than Esler’s. Denver police has affirmed that AI-powered surveillance has assisted them in many investigations.
Starbucks Red Cup Day Strike
Unionized Starbucks employees are going on strike today along the front range. The movement comes as an effort to force the company to comply with recognition of Starbucks workers legal right to collective bargaining.
Starbucks Workers United represents over 12,000 workers in 550 unionized stores across the country. Starbucks Workers United says after six months of negotiations, there has not been noticeable change in: better hours to improve staffing, increased pay, and resolving unfair labor practices on the part of the company.
For Starbucks, they say the company has shown up to the negotiation table in good faith and the union is the one who stepped away from negotiations.
The union has voted to approve the strike today; one of the first Starbucks locations to unionize is in Lafayette and will picket outside the South Boulder Location. Fifteen other Colorado locations are affiliated with Starbucks Workers United, including stores in Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins.
No Plan for River Deadline (RMCR Spots)
There’s still no plan for how the seven states that use water from the Colorado River will allocate the scarce resource after 2026.
Tuesday (11/11) marked a deadline set by the federal government for the states to share a framework for new operating guidelines… another deadline that’s come and gone with no agreement.
The Department of Interior, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the seven states issued a statement saying that they were making progress on negotiations, but more work is needed.
Chris Winter is an environmental attorney at C-U Boulder’s school of law.
Ahead of the deadline, he said the Colorado River is in a new era, defined by climate change and a scarcity of resources, which demanded urgent action.
[Tape name: River Deadline Passes BITE]
[Tape length: :15]
[Incue: And the best way that we]
[Outcue: use to fit the supply.]
“And the best way that we can prepare to move forward in this new reality is for the states to reach agreement amongst themselves and to compromise on how we’re gonna adapt water use to fit the supply.”
He says water users in the Southwest can plan around scarcity, but they need certainty from the states about what that scarcity will look like.
Upper and lower basin states have been unable to agree on who will see cutbacks, and how to define shortages.
Polis Unveils Plan to Close the Budget Gap (CCNA)
Governor Jared Polis unveiled his proposal to close a nearly 850 million dollar budget shortfall.
One of Polis’ ideas is to cut Medicaid provider rates for some services. His plan would still increase medicaid spending overall but Polis says if the costs don’t slow down it will crowd out other critical parts of the state’s budget.
We think highways and roads are important. We think public safety is important. We think agriculture’s important, all the other great things that the state does…any item that grows faster than other items is one that you look at with the magnifying class.
Budget committee members in both parties pushed back against some of Polis’s ideas, which serve as the starting point for a balanced state budget lawmakers must write and pass.
HOST TAG: That was Bente [BEN tuh] Birkeland for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance
Boebert in Situation Room
https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/12/lauren-boebert-white-house-situation-room-meeting/
U.S. Representative Loren Boebert from Colorado’s District 4 met with the Trump administration in the situation room yesterday. The white house had Boebert in the room to discuss her support of a bill that will force the justice department to release all classified documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the conversation was part of a White House effort to have Boebert and at least one other republican congresswoman no longer back the bill.
Boebert exited the situation room saying over social media QUOTE, “…together we remain committed to ensuring transparency for the American people.” In addition to Boebert, Trump has also contacted representative Nancy Mace from South Carolina about flipping her position on the bill.
Columbine Valley Officer Punished for Using AI for Theft Case with Extra Training
https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/12/columbine-valley-office-flock-camera-extra-training/
Police Sergeant Jamie Milliman from Denver who wrongfully accused a woman of stealing a package is being disciplined with extra training. Sergeant Milliman used guidance from AI-powered Flock license plate readers as evidence she had taken a package with contents worth about 25 dollars.
The Colorado Sun received notice of sergeant milliman’s discipline yesterday which reasoned he was ‘unwilling to de-escalate’. Milliman showed up to Chrisanna Esler’s house with court summons in hand – pointing to AI-assisted video as irrefutable evidence for Esler’s appearance in court.
Esler was forced to prove her innocence, affirming with evidence of her whereabouts via apps on her phone that she was innocent. On Oct.15, two weeks after sergeant milliman served Esler her summons, the Denver Police department said they were able to drop her case.
The disciplinary action comes as rallies have been held in Denver protesting the recently renewed contract between Flock surveillance systems and Denver Police. Those protesting say AI-assisted surveillance can lead to worse incidence than Esler’s. Denver police has affirmed that AI-powered surveillance has assisted them in many investigations.
Starbucks Red Cup Day Strike
Unionized Starbucks employees are going on strike today along the front range. The movement comes as an effort to force the company to comply with recognition of Starbucks workers legal right to collective bargaining.
Starbucks Workers United represents over 12,000 workers in 550 unionized stores across the country. Starbucks Workers United says after six months of negotiations, there has not been noticeable change in: better hours to improve staffing, increased pay, and resolving unfair labor practices on the part of the company.
For Starbucks, they say the company has shown up to the negotiation table in good faith and the union is the one who stepped away from negotiations.
The union has voted to approve the strike today; one of the first Starbucks locations to unionize is in Lafayette and will picket outside the South Boulder Location. Fifteen other Colorado locations are affiliated with Starbucks Workers United, including stores in Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins.
No Plan for River Deadline (RMCR Spots)
There’s still no plan for how the seven states that use water from the Colorado River will allocate the scarce resource after 2026.
Tuesday (11/11) marked a deadline set by the federal government for the states to share a framework for new operating guidelines… another deadline that’s come and gone with no agreement.
The Department of Interior, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the seven states issued a statement saying that they were making progress on negotiations, but more work is needed.
Chris Winter is an environmental attorney at C-U Boulder’s school of law.
Ahead of the deadline, he said the Colorado River is in a new era, defined by climate change and a scarcity of resources, which demanded urgent action.
[Tape name: River Deadline Passes BITE]
[Tape length: :15]
[Incue: And the best way that we]
[Outcue: use to fit the supply.]
“And the best way that we can prepare to move forward in this new reality is for the states to reach agreement amongst themselves and to compromise on how we’re gonna adapt water use to fit the supply.”
He says water users in the Southwest can plan around scarcity, but they need certainty from the states about what that scarcity will look like.
Upper and lower basin states have been unable to agree on who will see cutbacks, and how to define shortages.
Polis Unveils Plan to Close the Budget Gap (CCNA)
Governor Jared Polis unveiled his proposal to close a nearly 850 million dollar budget shortfall.
One of Polis’ ideas is to cut Medicaid provider rates for some services. His plan would still increase medicaid spending overall but Polis says if the costs don’t slow down it will crowd out other critical parts of the state’s budget.
We think highways and roads are important. We think public safety is important. We think agriculture’s important, all the other great things that the state does…any item that grows faster than other items is one that you look at with the magnifying class.
Budget committee members in both parties pushed back against some of Polis’s ideas, which serve as the starting point for a balanced state budget lawmakers must write and pass.
HOST TAG: That was Bente [BEN tuh] Birkeland for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance
Boebert in Situation Room
https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/12/lauren-boebert-white-house-situation-room-meeting/
U.S. Representative Loren Boebert from Colorado’s District 4 met with the Trump administration in the situation room yesterday. The white house had Boebert in the room to discuss her support of a bill that will force the justice department to release all classified documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the conversation was part of a White House effort to have Boebert and at least one other republican congresswoman no longer back the bill.
Boebert exited the situation room saying over social media QUOTE, “…together we remain committed to ensuring transparency for the American people.” In addition to Boebert, Trump has also contacted representative Nancy Mace from South Carolina about flipping her position on the bill.
Columbine Valley Officer Punished for Using AI for Theft Case with Extra Training
https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/12/columbine-valley-office-flock-camera-extra-training/
Police Sergeant Jamie Milliman from Denver who wrongfully accused a woman of stealing a package is being disciplined with extra training. Sergeant Milliman used guidance from AI-powered Flock license plate readers as evidence she had taken a package with contents worth about 25 dollars.
The Colorado Sun received notice of sergeant milliman’s discipline yesterday which reasoned he was ‘unwilling to de-escalate’. Milliman showed up to Chrisanna Esler’s house with court summons in hand – pointing to AI-assisted video as irrefutable evidence for Esler’s appearance in court.
Esler was forced to prove her innocence, affirming with evidence of her whereabouts via apps on her phone that she was innocent. On Oct.15, two weeks after sergeant milliman served Esler her summons, the Denver Police department said they were able to drop her case.
The disciplinary action comes as rallies have been held in Denver protesting the recently renewed contract between Flock surveillance systems and Denver Police. Those protesting say AI-assisted surveillance can lead to worse incidence than Esler’s. Denver police has affirmed that AI-powered surveillance has assisted them in many investigations.





