Headlines Friday, July 17, 2026
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Non-fatal shooting outside Aurora immigration detention center; Coloradans call on Hudson officials to oppose new ICE detention facility; New lawsuit filed against power company for role in Aspen Acres fire KGNU News
Non-fatal shooting outside Aurora immigration detention center
A woman was shot and wounded outside the immigration detention center in Aurora last night.
The unidentified woman’s wounds are not considered life threatening, according to an Aurora police spokeswoman cited by The Denver Post. She added that a person was detained in connection with the shooting and may be considered a suspect.
The shooting happened shortly after a weekly protest outside of the detention facility.
A member of Casa de Paz, a nonprofit that advocates for detainees, gave the Post a picture and brief video taken just after the incident. It showed police cordoning off the street outside the detention center just after the incident.
No further details about the shooting are available at this time.
The Aurora detention center is operated by GEO Group, a private prison company. It was the focus of attention earlier this week after reports of a tuberculosis infection in a detainee.
Coloradans call on Hudson officials to oppose new ICE detention facility
Meanwhile on Wednesday, people from across the state showed up to a town council meeting in Hudson, Colo. to urge local leaders to take action against a new ICE detention center, slated to open in the coming months.
Earlier in the week, the GEO Group announced it had been awarded a five-year contract to open a nearly 1,200-person ICE detention center in Hudson, a rural town located roughly 32 miles northeast of Denver. GEO Group also operates the state’s only other ICE detention center in Aurora.
Human rights activists who showed up to the meeting spoke for over two hours, according to Colorado Newsline. The activists said they wanted town leaders to explore legal options for blocking what they dubbed a concentration camp.
They also brought up health and safety concerns at the Aurora detention center, including the reported outbreak of tuberculosis.
Hudson officials claimed that they had not received details about the new detention center and lacked any power over what happens at the complex. Reportedly, the town officials were still trying to establish a direct line of communication with GEO Group to learn about the center’s operational timeline.
Andrea Loya, executive director of Casa de Paz, told the Colorado Sun that even though a contract has been signed, opponents will continue to try to stop the center from opening and shut it down if it does.
New lawsuit filed against power company for role in Aspen Acres fire
A group of Pueblo County residents has filed a new lawsuit against a local power company for its role in starting the Aspen Acres fire.
According to court records, the group filed the lawsuit against the San Isabel Electric Association, a co-op in Southern Colorado, alleging that their equipment was “a substantial factor” in the destructive fire.
As of yesterday morning, the Aspen Acres fire had burned over 100,000 acres and nearly 900 structures in Southern Colorado. Included in this count is at least 337 homes and four businesses, making it the most destructive wildfire for homes since the Marshall Fire in 2021.
The fire is also currently the 7th-largest in state history by acreage.
Denver introduces new recycling and composting regulations starting September 1st.
Starting September 1ST, Denver is implementing a new, long-awaited regulation.
It introduces a mandatory recycling and composting requirement covering multi-family buildings, commercial businesses, and construction debris—areas previously excluded from regulations and access, as rules had applied only to single-family homes.
Backed by 70% approval, the proposal from the “Waste No More” initiative succeeded after four years; it is set to benefit approximately 100,000 Denver residents and reduce the burden on regional landfills.
The goal is to make this important service accessible to more residents and to boost Colorado’s waste diversion rates, which have historically been low.
High temperatures causing US 36 Bikeway to buckle
The City of Boulder announced this week that the latest heatwave has caused sections of the bikeway that runs along US 36 to buckle up or “heave,” creating potentially dangerous bumps for cyclists.
The city has posted signs and repairs are underway. Cyclists are encouraged to slow down, particularly in the afternoon, as buckling can be hard to spot at high speeds and has led to crashes.
In a post to social media, the City said. “Repairs are a priority and will be made as conditions allow, as heaving is likely to continue this week with high temperatures in the forecast.”
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