Boulder Building Broadband; Boulder County Food Insecurity; Proposed Xcel Rate Hike; McCartney Statue; Starbucks Strike

Headlines Tuesday November 25, 2025

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    Boulder Building Broadband; Boulder County Food Insecurity; Proposed Xcel Rate Hike; McCartney Statue; Starbucks Strike Jack Armstrong

 

Building Boulder Broadband

The City of Boulder has entered the final planning stages of its citywide broadband internet construction project. The city told the Boulder Reporting Lab that it plans to provide “near ubiquitous” fiber internet by 2030. The city has been placing a fiber internet backbone through Boulder’s main transportation corridors since 2018 – city council approved 20 million dollars in spending for this phase back in 2016.

Initial construction for the project has started in Chautauqua, where the city plans to wrap up in 2026 before continuing the construction in the city through 2029. Estimates for the full buildout show coverage of around 300 miles of fiber wiring.

In the process, the city has signed a 20 year lease of the infrastructure to telecommunications provider ALLO. The city says the provider promises discounts will be available for income-qualified residents, college students will receive free upgrades, and 25 selected nonprofits will receive free service.

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Food Truck Evicted

A Boulder County nonprofit that has served homeless people for decades is looking for a new location from which to operate, after county officials banned them from using a local parking lot. Colorado FriendShip has distributed free food and clothing since 1998, always from the parking lot at the Boulder County Justice Center.

But two weeks ago, the Longmont-based nonprofit was told they couldn’t use the parking lot anymore, because they don’t have a permit. The decision came from Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting. Executive Director Liz Friedenson said it’s difficult to understand why the county is making an issue about permitting, after they had been using the parking lot for so many years.

But County officials said they only recently became aware that Colorado FriendShip was using the parking lot, and that there have been complaints about improper trash and food disposal. Boulder Reporting Lab says these developments come as the city implements a policy aimed at moving efforts to help unhoused people to the Day Services Center at the All Roads shelter in North Boulder.

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Boulder County Food Insecurity

At the same time, local food assistance groups say food insecurity remains high in spite of the restoration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP benefits were interrupted during the recent government shutdown, but have since been restored. They are likely to be lost again under the HR-1, (the “Big Beautiful Bill”) signed into law last summer.

One of the founders of Boulder Food Rescue told Boulder Reporting Lab that smaller food banks and assistance programs are getting overlooked in times of greater need. They and other community-led food groups are urging county and state officials to increase their financial support.

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Proposed Xcel Rate Hike

Xcel Energy is asking state regulators for rate hikes that could increase residential electric bills by $10 a month. Xcel filed the rate request with the Colorado Utilities Commission last week. If approved, it would raise some $356 million in new revenues to pay for infrastructure upgrades, operating costs, and lost revenue sources, according to the Colorado Sun.

Xcel has about 1.6 million customers in Colorado. Company officials say their rates remain below the national average. Even so, critics say rising electric bills are a big issue for consumers, and that Xcel’s rate hike request ignores the hardship so many people are having in the current economy.

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McCartney Statue

The unveiling of a new statue honoring the legacy of former University of Colorado (CU) football coach Bill McCartney drew dozens of peaceful protestors over the weekend. The eight-and-a-half foot tall bronze statue is now on display near Folsom Field in Boulder.

McCartney,  the winningest coach in CU history and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, died last January at the age of 84. Placing the statue has been controversial because of McCartney’s religious beliefs, which included a public stance against same-sex marriage. A founder of the Christian men’s group Promise Keepers, McCartney called homosexuality an abomination against God during a speech at CU in 1992. He later apologized for his comments, according to the Daily Camera.

Members and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community had opposed the statue since its planning first became public knowledge. A policy analyst for Rocky Mountain Equality said the group is deeply disappointed in CU Boulder Athletics, for commemorating someone who fought against their rights.

CU athletic director Rick George said that while the university understands these concerns, he also said it’s important to honor McCartney’s football legacy. The statue is at the northeast corner of Franklin Field, where the Buffs practice and where fans have tailgate parties on game days.

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Starbucks Strike

Starbucks Workers United says it is expanding its strike against Starbucks to more than two dozen new cities and stores. The union has been on strike against the coffee company since Nov. 13. They represent workers at more than 550 stores, including in Boulder, Lafayette, and Denver. Contract demands include better hours and better wages, and a resolution to what they’re calling unfair labor practices.

The strike got some unexpected support from New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who said on social media last week that some of his staff joined Starbucks workers on a picket line. CNBC says that while both sides are blaming each other for causing the walkout, both also say they are ready to negotiate, although no new talks are scheduled.

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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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