Environment
Forest Service in ‘paradigm shift’ to use logging, controlled burns to prevent wildfires
The Biden administration will use $3 billion from last year’s infrastructure law to revamp the federal approach to wildfire management, introducing a 10-year plan to deal with the large swaths of the West scientists consider most at risk of destructive blazes. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, announced the new strategy in Phoenix, […]
‘State of the Climate’ rally demands bolder action from Gov. Polis, lawmakers
As Gov. Jared Polis stood in the Colorado House of Representatives to deliver his State of the State address on Thursday, dozens of Colorado environmental activists stood just yards away on the steps of the Capitol, once again demanding a more aggressive approach to the climate crisis from state government. Just weeks after the Marshall […]
Fire closes hospital and displaces staff as Colorado battles omicron
This story originally appeared at khn.org. The Colorado wildfire that destroyed more than 1,000 homes last month has forced the temporary closure of a hospital and upended the lives of health care workers as the state’s already strained health care system braces for another surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville, a community […]
The Marshall Fire was a force of humans
On the afternoon of the Marshall Fire, after its dreadful scale had started to sink in, Gov. Jared Polis appeared for his first press conference on the disaster. It occurred “with no warning,” he said on Dec. 30. “This fire is frankly a force of nature.” Wrong. The misunderstanding that could permit the Colorado governor […]
President Biden tours Boulder County neighborhoods scorched by Marshall Fire
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Louisville on Friday to assess the damage from the Marshall Fire and meet with affected families. The Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses as it burned through Boulder County on Dec. 30, accelerated by high winds and dry conditions. It is the most […]
1,084 homes in Louisville and Superior destroyed in Marshall Fire, says updated tally
Officials working on a Marshall Fire damage assessment in Boulder County on Thursday released an updated list of structures destroyed or damaged. The new tally also includes dollar-amount losses and features a searchable map of addresses. The updated list reports 1,084 homes destroyed and 149 homes damaged, amounting to a loss of $513 million. It […]
Human remains found in Marshall Fire investigation
Marshall Fire investigators have located the partial human remains of an adult, according to an announcement Wednesday from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. The remains were found in the 5900 block of Marshall Road in unincorporated Boulder County. Sheriff Joe Pelle had said as of Sunday that two people were reported missing. Investigators are also […]
Government offers unemployment, mental health resources for Marshall Fire survivors
People out of work due to the Marshall Fire could now qualify for over six months of unemployment benefits from the federal government as businesses rebuild. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved Disaster Unemployment Assistance for people whose workplace was impacted by the fire, Department of Labor and Employment Director Joe Barela announced Wednesday. DUA […]
Some Democrats push to rescue climate plan in Biden spending package
A group of congressional Democrats on Tuesday called for preserving the climate portions of President Joe Biden’s stalled domestic spending bill as Democrats in the U.S. Senate rewrite the measure. U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Tina Smith of Minnesota and John Hickenlooper of Colorado, along with Reps. Kathy Castor […]
Parts of Superior to open Monday after Marshall Fire devastation
Downtown Superior will be reopened to residents and business owners Monday, five days after the Marshall Fire burned through the area. The Spanish Hills subdivision is also likely to reopen by the end of day Monday, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle announced during an afternoon news conference. Real-time updates and details for reentry will be […]
Eyewitness to Marshall Fire origin recounts scene like a ‘war zone’
A neighbor of a property where a small structure was seen on video engulfed in flames late Thursday morning said he witnessed how those flames appeared to touch off what became the devastating Marshall Fire and that there might also be at least one other ignition source. “I saw everything,” the neighbor, Mike Zoltowski, told […]
One person previously missing in Marshall Fire found alive and well; two people still missing
One person who was missing after the Marshall Fire has been located alive and well, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle announced at a midday news conference, which was held at the sheriff’s office and streamed live on Facebook. On Saturday, Pelle said three people were missing and believed to be dead. Sunday’s announcement, however, means […]