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10_01_24_headlines Andraa VonBoeselager
Colorado AG argues Kroger-Albertsons merger could raise grocery prices by $500 million as trial begins
Colorado’s trial to block the $24 billion merger between supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons began Monday in Denver District Court.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is suing to stop the merger, arguing that it would reduce competition and raise grocery prices by $500 million a year.
The state says Kroger and Albertsons, which together control 50% of Colorado’s grocery sales, are direct competitors, and merging them would leave consumers with fewer options and higher prices.
Kroger, which owns King Soopers and City Market, countered this claim, arguing that national retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Amazon pose the real competition, not local grocery stores.
Attorneys general in Washington and Oregon have also taken action to block the grocery store merger, along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which filed its own lawsuit in federal court to pause the deal.
If Kroger and Albertsons proceed with the merger, they plan to sell 579 stores, including 91 in Colorado, to C&S Wholesale Grocers in an attempt to satisfy antitrust concerns.
Union groups and consumer advocates continue to oppose the merger, citing concerns over potential store closures, job losses, and higher prices. The Denver trial is expected to last up to three weeks, and the outcome could influence the direction of these other legal battles.
Boulder sees fourth traffic death in 2024 as Vision Zero struggles to curb fatalities
A driver struck and killed a woman on Friday morning near Rayleigh Road on Broadway, marking the fourth traffic fatality in Boulder this year, according to Boulder Police. The Boulder County Coroner identified the woman as 38-year-old Jennifer Newman, who died at the scene.
Despite citywide safety measures like traffic cameras, reduced speed zones, and street redesigns, pedestrians and cyclists account for over 50% of the serious or fatal crashes in Boulder this year. Major streets like Broadway, which have speed limits of 40 mph, continue to pose dangerous conditions for non-motorized users.
The death comes as Boulder enters its fifth year of Vision Zero—a plan to eliminate traffic deaths by 2030. As the date nears with limited progress, city officials are facing growing pressure to take more aggressive action regarding road safety.
Wildlife officials search for missing wolf pup after relocation of Copper Creek pack
Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced Monday that they are searching for a missing wolf pup, believed to be about 5–6 months old, left behind after relocating the Copper Creek pack earlier this month.
Game cameras captured the pup on September 20, showing it was still in the area after the rest of the pack was moved due to livestock attacks in Grand County.
At this young age, the pup still depends on its pack for survival, particularly for hunting and protection.
If officials don’t reunite the pup with its family, it could struggle to find food and may face other dangers, such as conflicts with livestock or predators.
Officials have not shared the exact location of the search to ensure safety, and federal agencies are assisting.
Denver ties 132-year-old temperature record amid unseasonably warm fall
Denver hit 92 degrees on Sunday, tying a weather record set in 1892 for that date, according to the National Weather Service.
The above-average late-September temperatures mark another instance where long-standing records in Colorado have been tied or broken in recent days, signaling an unusually hot start to fall.
The National Weather Service forecasts that October through December will be hotter and drier than normal for Colorado, continuing the trend of higher-than-average temperatures in the state.
