Headlines Friday, June 26, 2026
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Erie mineral rights sold after year-long battle; Groups will protest deportation of Ugandan pastor; Mayor of Aurora sleeps in homeless shelter KGNU News
Erie mineral rights sold after year-long battle
Erie Town Council ended a longstanding argument over selling mineral rights in the town this month, after voting 4-3 in favor of selling mineral rights to the publicly traded SM Energy Company.
Erie officials have been working on this deal since March of 2025, when initial plans were filed to allow the company now known as SM Energy, to construct several wells in Erie and unincorporated Boulder County. Now that they have been approved, the town expects to receive nearly $20 million [DOLLARS] in total revenue across the next 20 years.
Some Erie residents, though, have been opposed to the deal, citing concerns about the initial bidding process, environmental impacts, and property value changes. A letter cosigned by 200 Erie residents stated they felt the overall bargaining phase had “undermined public trust,” as many follow-up meetings were conducted in private.
While the Erie Town Council’s decision created much opposition, city officials have repeatedly stated that the deal was to move forward, regardless of any mineral rights sale.
Groups will protest the planned deportation of Ugandan pastor
A local Anglican community has asked ICE to stay the removal of Rev. Edward Nalwamba. Edward is a 78-year-old pastor from Uganda who has lived in the United States for over 25 years. He has been in ICE custody for the past nine months and is scheduled for deportation on Tuesday, June 30.
Supporters from Resurrection Anglican Fellowship, Greenwood Village, are asking ICE not to deport Rev. Nalwamba to his home country of Uganda, where they say he faces severe persecution by the government, including imprisonment, torture and death.
According to a press release from the ASFC, supporters say they have sent many letters on his behalf to ICE to stop his deportation and release him from ICE detention.
They also say that during his incarceration, Nalwamba has experienced medical neglect and serious illness, which has left him wheelchair-bound, malnourished, and ill with an upper respiratory virus.
Nalwamba requested political asylum after coming to the US, but says his case was marred by legal malpractice and poor representation, resulting in a denial from the appellate court in 2010. Fifteen years ago, he was placed under an “Order of Supervision” with ICE and says he complied with all requirements, is not a threat to the community, and is not a “flight risk.” Then, he was detained in September.
The American Friends Service Committee has said there will be a “Stand with Edward” vigil at 4 p.m. tomorrow outside the Aurora ICE processing facility at 3130 Oakland St. They will also hold a press conference on Sunday at noon at Resurrection Anglican in Greenwood Village.
Mayor of Aurora sleeps in a homeless shelter
For the last five months, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman has been spending his Friday nights in a homeless shelter. Coffman has been sleeping on a cot at the city-funded, nonprofit-run Aurora Regional Navigation Center.
Coffman played a large role in the opening of the center, which is funded by federal, state and local governments and the nonprofit, Advance Pathways. Coffman is a board member for the nonprofit.
After hearing reports of bad plumbing, noxious odors, sickness, and struggles to keep up with maintenance at the center, Coffman decided to see it for himself. According to Coffman, this experience has allowed him to better understand economic factors as a major cause of homelessness and the unique conditions and necessities of each individual in the shelter.
Tube to Work Day today despite low-flow Boulder Creek
Today is Tube to Work Day, kicking off at Eben G. Fine Park, 101 Arapahoe Avenue from 7:15 to 8 a.m. Participants must bring their own tubes and helmets.
Boulder Creek’s water level is currently shallower than usual, with the US Geological Survey gauging the creek’s flow at 54.1 cubic feet per second. The ideal flow for tubing is 40 – 200 cubic feet per second.
Though the ride may be a bit more leisurely, Tube to Work Day will continue as planned. Part of the registration proceeds will be donated to Bridge House.
Boulder garden tour returns this weekend
The Boulder Garden Tour returns tomorrow, Saturday, June 27. The annual philanthropic and educational event has been running for over twenty years.
It was formerly called the Whittier Mapleton Garden Tour, and also took place in the University Hill neighborhood for years. This year’s tour will feature gardens and homesteads in North Boulder’s Juniper neighborhood.
All proceeds from the event go to support Garden to Table, a local nonprofit organization that partners with Boulder Valley School District to bring vegetable gardens, and garden programming, to schools. They serve over 6,000 students in pre-K through 5th grade.
Courtlyn Carpenter is Garden to Table’s Community Outreach Director.
She said, “We’re at 18 elementary schools in the area. So every single student at these schools is getting out in the garden multiple times a year. We have math lessons where the kindergartners come out and stack their math cubes to measure the height of the garlic that they planted. The fifth graders will, in the fall, lay down the compost and the cover crop, and then in the spring they’ll help us pull up the cover crop. And they learn all about the composting cycle and having healthy soil in your garden and the importance of that.”
The organization also partners with local food banks to donate produce from school gardens in the summers when school is not in session.
Garden to Table says the tour is their biggest fundraiser of the year. You can find more information about the tour at bouldergardentour.com, and you can also learn more about Garden to Table by visiting booths at the event itself.
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