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Edited Headlines Kennedy Pickering
Boulder power outages
Thousands of people are still without electric power this morning in the aftermath of Saturday’s extreme winds and a decision by Xcel Energy to turn off services in six counties, including Boulder County.
Wind reached up to 100 mph in some places across Colorado over the weekend, damaging Colorado homes and knocking down trees. The outages are expected to continue through today in some places and possibly into tomorrow.
Last night, the Boulder County Sheriff issued a traffic safety message warning that traffic lights may still be out at some intersections during this morning’s rush hour commute. They’re urging motorists to use extreme caution and say that intersections with non-working traffic lights should be treated as four-way stops.
Also this morning, the Boulder Valley School District says that power has been restored to most BVSD schools, and most schools will be open today.
But there is still no power at several schools, according to the BVSD website, and there are no classes or before- or after-school activities at Nederland Elementary, Nederland Middle-Senior High School, Gold Hill, Jamestown, Platt Middle School, and Coal Creek Elementary School. That includes remote learning.
CU Boulder has full power and has scheduled for normal operations today, according to the Daily Camera.
Some Xcel customers had their power restored yesterday. But in a press release, Xcel said outages for some people could last through today and possibly into tomorrow.
The company said that before they restore power everywhere, they need to inspect some 600 miles of power lines manually.
About 55,000 Xcel customers have been affected by the power shutoff, mainly in Boulder County. Across the Denver metro area, another hundred thousand lost electric power Saturday because of damaged lines caused by the high winds.
This weekend was the first time Xcel Colorado had cut power to try to prevent a wildfire. According to the National Weather Service Boulder, winds were up to 95 mph.
These power outages come two years after the Marshall Fire, one of Colorado’s most destructive wildfires to date, and as Xcel faces lawsuits across the US, including from Marshall Fire residents who lost homes during the historic blaze.
Another piece of another Boeing falls off during another flight
A Southwest Airlines plane returned to Denver International Airport for an emergency landing Sunday morning after an engine cover tore off during takeoff.
Flight 3895 was headed to Houston when a metal engine cover, called a “cowling,” became detached from the Boeing 737-800 plane.
The incident appears to be unrelated to the weekend’s high winds. An airline spokesperson told The Denver Post that it was a mechanical issue.
According to a photo posted to Twitter, the cowling was hanging off the right engine as the plane was about to take off.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the plane turned around “after the [flight] crew reported the engine cowling fell off during takeoff and struck the wing flap.”
The plane, a Boeing 737-800, is nine years old. The Post reports that Southwest planes average around 12 years old.
Safe-use bill could allow people to use illegal drugs under supervision of medical professionals
A new attempt to create places where illicit drugs can be used legally and safely has the approval of the House of Representatives.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis opposed a similar bill last year. This recent bill, if approved, would establish safe-use facilities where people could use illegal drugs with the supervision of medical professionals.
Supporters hope the bill has a better chance this year with more support from municipalities. The Denver City Council has already approved an ordinance that would allow “so-called safe-use” that would go into effect with state approval.
HB 1028 passed the House on Friday by a 37-18 vote. It is next headed to the State Senate.
Boulder forms new Housing Department
The Boulder County government has established a new Housing Department, combining the existing Boulder County Housing Authority and Boulder’s Housing and Human Services.
The new Housing Department will consolidate the existing housing services and teams previously spread across the Housing and Human Services and Community Services departments. This will allow the Housing and Human Services department to focus solely on human services rather than having to oversee both housing and human services.
A representative from Boulder County told the Daily Camera, “Under the new structure, a new Housing Department will harness the skills, talent, and expertise of existing teams currently working in different departments.”
Next year, housing and homelessness-focused teams will transition into the new Housing Department, while the Housing and Human Services Department will focus on human services.
Snowpack in Colorado is higher than usual
State climate officials say Colorado is in a good place with its snowpack.
Statewide, the snowpack is at 109% of the thirty-year average. That’s largely thanks to the big snowstorms we had in February and March.
Not only that, they say that all of the major river basins in Colorado are above average in their snowpacks. That’s good news for the water supply, and it also reduces the risk of wildfires.
