BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. Nothing says summer quite like a swim beach, and nothing says summer in Colorado this year like yet another closed swim beach.

On the hottest day of the year so far, families hoping to bear the heat in Boulder Reservoir had a toasty day on the sand before packing up.

The swim beach closed after toxic blue-green algae was discovered on the swim beach side of the reservoir.

Denver7 met Melinda Reilly & Suzanne Numan at the reservoir during their visit to Boulder.

"I was like, 'Oh wait, there's algae in the lake," Reilly said, "Let's see if we can still at least kayak. And yes, we can."

A few locals we talked to didn't even realize the beach was closed.

"The nice man that told me, you may not want to jump in there because there's a huge algae bloom, which I have no idea about," said Kelsie Cady.

Watch Danielle Kreutter's report in the video below:

Denver7 noted a sign posted at the park entrance window; however, community members said it would be helpful to have signs at the beach too.

Crews were hopeful Monday morning when their first test showed no algae, but by 9am it was a different story.

"We determined that it was more than likely blue-green algae, and that's what caused our closure,' said Stacy Cole, Boulder Reservoir Manager.

It's not common for Boulder Reservoir to have large blooms like that. The first recorded bloom in modern history was in 2024, followed by another in 2025, both showing up in September.

"This year it's a bit earlier, probably because of the hot temperatures," Maggie Spangler, Water Quality Engineer, City of Boulder.

That same heat made for a pretty tough blow to the community to lose their beach.

"I set up like a little kiddie pool, so I'm gonna sit poolside at my house with my golden retriever," Cady said.

For updates, visitors can check BoulderRez.org or sign up for BPR texts by texting "BPRReservoir" to 888-777.

The recent heatwave across Colorado has caused the US 36 Bikeway to buckle, according to the City of Boulder government.

High temperatures are causing the pavement to heave, as seen in the picture below.

Boulder leaders said signs are posted in places where they know this has happened and repairs are underway. However, concrete can settle back down overnight, the city said, making it challenging to predict and locate.

City leaders advises bicyclists to slow down, especially in the afternoon heat, as bike crashes have been reported when cyclists encounter heaving. The buckled pavement can be harder to spot at higher speeds, Boulder said.

Anyone who sees heaving can report it to the non-emergency dispatch line at 303-441-3333. The Boulder County Government said repairs will be made as conditions allow. Heaving is anticipated to continue through the week as high temperatures are forecasted to remain in the 90s through early next week.

BOULDER, Colo.  When a Denver7 employee came face-to-face with the authors of his favorite childhood book, it was the culmination of a journey that began four decades ago.

Paul Levitt and Alyssa Guralnick spent decades teaching together at the University of Colorado. During that time, they also wrote children's books together including one that would change their lives 40 years later.

That book is "The Weighty Word Book," a children's book designed to teach kids big words through amusing stories. One example: the word "scintillate," illustrated through a firefly named Gloriana.

"She goes out and 'sins' so to speak by flying late in the night. Think of Gloriana, who loves to 'sins till late' and you will always remember the word scintillate," Guralnick said.

For years, the book made little financial impact.

"We really never made a dime," Guralnick said.

Then came Eli McCann.

"Anyway, I'm still looking for this book for years. I know it's a longshot but if any of this is familiar to you, please reach out because I must find it," McCann said in a TikTok video.

McCann's video set off a search that turned "The Weighty Word Book" into an overnight bestseller 40 years after it was written.

"The response was hilariousand miraculous," Guralnick said.

Levitt said the reaction caught him off guard.

Watch Mike Castellucci's report in the video below:

"I never thought of it in terms of generations," Levitt said.

Bobby Bennett, a Denver7 employee, saw the story about the book's viral moment and immediately recognized it.

"I scared everybody in the control room because I said Oh my God that's the Weighty Word Book," Bennett said.

Bennett sent me an email asking if there was any way to get the authors' contact information so he could send them a lifelong childhood thank you. Instead of passing along contact details, I arranged for Bennett to meet Guralnick and Levitt in person.

"You never think you're going to meet the author of the book that shaped the way you speak to the people you'll see the rest of your life," Bennett said.

When Bennett arrived at the door, he was visibly overwhelmed.

"It is an honor and a pleasure. Shaking like a leaf," Bennett said.

Guralnick pulled him in for a hug.

Denver7 director Crystal Harris said the moment was genuine.

"You know everyone should be able to feel their feelingsand he was real excited," Crystal said.

Since the book's viral moment, Guralnick and Levitt have been flooded with messages from adults who grew up reading it hundreds, even thousands, of people reaching out to thank them for the memories.

Bennett's visit represented something more than a single fan's gratitude. It was a chance for the authors to receive what so many others wanted to give them not just an email or a social media post, but a hug.

BOULDER, Colo. Boulder Municipal Airport has begun offering unleaded aviation fuel, becoming one of the latest airports in Colorado to transition away from leaded gasoline ahead of a nationwide push to eliminate it by 2030.

Airport officials marked the launch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the airports first aircraft fueling using the new fuel.

The change comes after years of pressure from residents and aviation advocates concerned about the health effects of lead emissions from aircraft fuel.

Its what the community wanted, and I mean both residential community and the aviation community, and the funding is there to make it happen, airport manager Eric Vences said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working with airports and fuel producers nationwide through its Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions initiative, known as EAGLE, to phase out leaded aviation fuel by the end of the decade.

Unlike fuel used in cars, aviation gasoline used in many piston-engine aircraft still contains lead. The FAA has described aviation fuel as one of the last remaining transportation fuels in the country that still relies on lead additives.

Vences said not every aircraft operating at Boulder Municipal Airport can currently use the new unleaded fuel, but industry leaders expect broader adoption in the coming years.

Everybody wants leaded fuels to go away, Vences said. The earlier that we have unleaded fuel available on field, the better prepared well be for when that ultimate elimination happens.

The airport is beginning the transition with a temporary 2,000-gallon skid-mounted fuel tank that became operational July 1. Airport officials said the system allows pilots to begin using unleaded fuel while the city pursues a permanent fueling system.

Vences said the airport hopes to eventually build a 12,000-gallon above-ground self-service fueling station, a project estimated to cost about $600,000.

Colorado is also helping subsidize the transition.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)'s Division of Aeronautics awarded Boulder a $70,000 grant to offset the higher cost of unleaded aviation fuel. The state is covering $63,000 of that funding, while the airport will contribute the remaining $7,000 through airport funds.

David Eulane, director of the CDOT Division of Aeronautics, said the grant is designed to narrow the price gap between traditional low-lead aviation gasoline and newer unleaded alternatives.

Its typically between about $1.25 and about $2 a gallon difference versus the unleaded versus the leaded fuel, Eulane said.

Eulane said state officials expect those costs to decrease as more airports adopt unleaded fuel infrastructure and demand increases.

We really, really want to be forward-leaning, look to the future, have our airports be ready for whatever is coming down the runway, including the transition to unleaded aviation fuel, he said.

According to CDOT, about 75% of state airports currently offer aviation fuel, and officials hope more airports will eventually make the transition to unleaded options.

For some residents near the airport, the move represents progress on long-standing environmental and public health concerns.

Im all about doing things that will improve health, Jonathan Lind, who works near Boulder Municipal Airport, said.

Airport officials said the fuel transition could also be part of a broader modernization effort. Vences said the airport is studying future electric aircraft infrastructure as aviation technology continues to evolve.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Xcel Energy's Public Safety Power Shutoffs last December disrupted Boulder businesses, residents and nonprofits. Now, the city is launching a pilot program to help nonprofits better prepare for future outages.

Under the Resiliency Hub Pilot Program, qualifying nonprofits can receive up to $50,000 for backup batteries to keep their operations running, along with support from an energy advisor to help evaluate options and guide organizations through the process.

WATCH: Denver7's Claire Lavezzorio reports on the new program

Harvest of Hope, a Boulder food pantry, lost a significant amount of refrigerated food during the shutoffs.

Denver7 spoke with Boulder's Sustainability Senior Manager Carolyn Elam Thursday to learn more about the pilot program.

"We're really seeing this grant program as protecting those service providers from those types of losses so they can continue to give back to the community," Elam said.

She said funding comes from taxes collected on solar and battery storage systems.

Businesses lost an average of $25,000 during the shutoffs, according to the Boulder Chamber.

Denver7 spoke with the Chamber's Senior Director of Policy Programs Jonathan Singer. He shared his hopes for the pilot program's future.

"We hope this works as a proof of concept to say if it's working for healthcare, food organizations, or other nonprofits, that we can expand that to make sure that all of the city can thrive," Singer said.

Nonprofits have until Aug. 14 to apply.

A small wildfire that sparked just west of Boulder's Lee Hill area was fully contained by late afternoon, according to a post from fire officials just after 4:30 p.m.

The fire burned two-tenths of an acre, and crews will remain on scene to eliminate any hot spots, Boulder Fire Rescue officials said in the post.

BFR first announced that crews were fighting the small wildfire around 3:50 p.m.

"Crews have made good progress with the small wildfire and have significantly reduced the fires intensity and rate of spread," BFR officials wrote in a 4:14 p.m. update.

Fire officials asked the public to avoid the area, and Boulder police posted that Linden Avenue would be closed at Broadway Street.

Officials have not said what they believe sparked the fire.

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo.  The westbound lanes of US 36 were closed for hours Saturday afternoon after a pedestrian was struck on the highways shoulder in Boulder County, Colorado State Patrol said.

The person, an unknown-age male, was taken to the hospital, and there are no updates on his condition as of Sunday.

The initial investigation shows a Mercury Mountaineer SUV broke down in the center lane, according to the CSP release.

"Pedestrians began to walk towards the vehicle on both shoulders," officials said in the release.

Colorado State Patrol says a westbound SUV lost control while trying to avoid the stalled vehicle, slid into the inside shoulder, where the pedestrian was struck.

Officials said the road would be closed "for an extended period of time" and advised drivers to use alternate routes. However, the road reopened several hours later.

There have been no reports of arrests or citations, and the victim's condition remains unclear.

Officials are asking anyone who witnessed the crash to contact dispatch at 303-239-4501and reference case number 1D262443.

BOULDER, Colo. The suspect accused of attacking people with a knife on Boulder's Pearl Street Thursday morning told police that voices in his head told him "to go kill people," according to an arrest affidavit Denver7 obtained Friday. He also said he had not taken medication for a serious mental health condition.

Marcus Ariel Valles, 35, of Lakewood faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, felony menacing and first-degree assault, also a felony. The department said additional charges are likely.

WATCH: Denver7s Claire Lavezzorio reports on how technology helped track down the suspect in a matter of seconds on Thursday morning.

A police spokesperson told Denver7 on Thursday that a mobile camera unit at 13th Street and Pearl Street allowed officers to get eyes on the suspect within seconds of the initial 911 call. The camera had been placed there after the fatal Boulder firebombing attack in June 2025.

According to Valles' arrest affidavit, that helped first responders quickly identify what the suspect looked like as officers rushed to the scene.

Once Valles was in handcuffs, one of the officers approached a woman who was sitting nearby and appeared in shock. She told officers she had been attacked by the suspect.

"Looking at (her), I quickly observed her left hand, which appeared bloody, likely from a 3-4 inches long laceration which stretched across her hand," a police officer wrote in the affidavit.

Surveillance footage would later show Valles charging at her and attempting to slash and stab at the woman while she tried to protect herself, the document continued.

The officer began First Aid to help the woman before EMTs arrived. As the officer walked away to let the EMTs work, a man approached him and said the suspect had also attacked him. He said the suspect only left him alone after he threw his cup of coffee on him.

A witness, who was in his truck at the time, told police that he had seen Valles attack the woman. He reported that Valles was holding the knife close to his body "in a concealed manner" while walking quickly toward the woman, who was backing away and screaming for him to get away from her, the affidavit said. The witness said they didn't hear or see the suspect say anything. The witness said he yelled for the woman to run to his truck, which she did. She stayed in the backseat until officers arrived.

While the suspect was handcuffed on the ground, he told police "the voices in my head told me to go kill people," the affidavit reads. He made similar statements during the investigation, the document says. He also told police that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was supposed to take medication, but had not done so for the last three months.

"My intentions was to kill somebody," Valles said, according to the affidavit. "I don't know anybody so it is what it is."

He told police that it was better to hurt somebody he did not know that somebody he did know. Police learned he had been living with his girlfriend in Lakewood and they worked to contact her to make sure she was safe. The affidavit does not confirm if they were able to speak with her.

Valles consented to a blood draw and buccal swabs at the Boulder Police Department. Officers noted that during Valles' interview with police, he would smirk and laugh when police left the room, the affidavit reads. He asked multiple times if the woman he had attacked was OK.

The affidavit reads that police recommended three counts of attempted first-degree murder because in addition to the two attacks listed above, he had also followed a woman at a distance with the knife in his hand.

The woman who was injured in this case had her lacerations closed at a local hospital, "as they had been deep in nature," the affidavit reads.

Anyone with any information about the suspect or this crime is asked to contact detectives via the Boulder police tipline at 303-441-1974 and reference case 26-05470.

Find more mental health resources in Boulder and beyond here

BOULDER, Colo. From the rising cost of housing to concerns over climate change, residents in Boulder County shared whats on their minds during Denver7s Your Voice event at the Boulder County Farmer's Market on Wednesday.

The event gave community members a chance to sit down at the microphone and talk directly to Boulder County Reporter Colin Riley about issues affecting their lives. Topics ranged from broad societal challenges to deeply personal stories about financial stress, transportation, caregiving and the environment.

WATCH: Boulder County residents share their voice with Denver7's Boulder County Reporter Colin Riley

Affordability dominated the conversation. Several attendees said the cost of living in Boulder has pushed many people to their financial limits.

Living in Boulder is too expensive for us, Luz Gonzalez, who lives in North Boulder said.

Rey Ciamvell, a student at CU Boulder, said affording food, rent and tuition is a struggle.

I truly dont think you can survive off a minimum wage here, Ciamvell said.

Chloe Weber, the sole caregiver for her son with disabilities, spoke about the potential effects of Medicaid cuts.

Its pretty heartbreaking, and its slightly terrifying for families like mine, she said.

Transportation was another theme, with residents voicing worries about potential cuts to RTD services.

I feel like thats going to make it more difficult for people to be into public transportation if it becomes less convenient, Annabelle Gochis, a lifelong Boulder resident and CU student, said.

Gochis, along with other residents, raised concerns about climate change and pollution, urging bolder action to protect natural resources.

We cant make advancements on any of [our challenges] if we do not have a planet to live on and resources to sustain us, she said.

Not all feedback was about challenges. Many residents also shared what they love about Boulder County its beauty, sense of community and the everyday neighbors making a difference.

"I love all the natural stuff, like all the farms and like, local supporting local," 13-year-old Boulder resident Maya Willner said.

Maya, a middle school student who volunteers at a soup kitchen and participates in community events like Trash the Runway, is originally from New York.

"I still go back and visit, and it's just crazy to see how everybody just kind of walks past each other," she said. "Here, everybody greets each other with a smile and a wave."

If you didnt get a chance to attend, you can still share your thoughts. Email Denver7's Boulder County Reporter Colin Riley at Colin.Riley@Denver7.com.

BOULDER, Colo. A man was arrested after he allegedly attacked two strangers with a knife on Pearl Street Thursday morning, the Boulder Police Department announced.

Marcus Ariel Valles, 35, of Lakewood faces three felony counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of felony menacing and one count of first-degree assault, also a felony. The department said additional charges are likely.

WATCH: Denver7s Claire Lavezzorio reports on how technology helped track down the suspect in a matter of seconds

Denver7 is working to learn more about this incident and will update this story.

Police first learned of the incident when a person called 911 at 7:54 a.m. Thursday to report that a man had attacked a woman with a knife along the 1300 block of Pearl Street. The suspect, later identified as Valles, approached the 44-year-old woman, who was walking to work, and began hitting her with the knife. Police said she had bruises and cuts to her hand, but was able to get away from the man.

Valles then walked up to a 50-year-old man, who was also on his way to work. Valles cornered him and allegedly tried to stab him, but did not hit the man. The man threw his coffee at the suspect and ran away, police said.

At 7:56 a.m., Boulder police took Valles into custody at gunpoint.

During an interview with police after his arrest, Valles said he came to Boulder "to hurt people." Detectives said they believe he was targeting strangers who were walking alone. They do not think he was working with anybody else.

A police spokesperson told Denver7 that a mobile camera unit at 13th Street and Pearl Street allowed officers to get eyes on the suspect within seconds of the initial call. The camera had been placed there after the fatal Boulder firebombing attack in June 2025.

"This could have been much worse," said Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn. "We will not tolerate anyone coming to our community to do harm. Im proud of the swift response by both our Public Safety Information Center operators and our Patrol officers who were able to find this man within seconds and arrest him within two minutes of the call coming out."

The Boulder Police Department is trying to speak with a woman who may have witnessed the crimes. They shared a photo of her below.

Anyone with any information about the suspect or this crime is asked to contact detectives via the Boulder police tipline at 303-441-1974 and reference case 26-05470.

A Boulder police officer faces charges of alleged domestic violence and official misconduct, according to his arrest affidavit.

Last Monday, the Boulder Police Department said the Erie Police Department was investigating a domestic violence incident involving Boulder Police Officer Matthew Herkalo.

Around 1:42 p.m. on June 15, the arrest affidavit said Erie police officers were called to a home off E. County Line Road, where a neighbor said she heard a loud argument from inside a nearby residence. The witness said a woman allegedly yelled for a man later suspected to be Herkalo to "stop throwing things at her" and get his hands off her," the arrest affidavit reads. Another witness reported the fight separately, saying she heard the victim yell "you can't just throw me around the house like that. This is my house too," the affidavit quotes.

The victim later told Erie police that nothing physical happened, that she and Herkalo "just fight a lot," according to the affidavit, and officers did not visibly report any injuries to the victim. She told Erie police Herkalo was also a police officer and she was worried he'd lose his job.

While police were talking to the victim, she revealed that Herkalo was on the phone listening, saying she had been talking to him prior to officers' arrival and forgot to hang up the phone. When she had ended the call, the affidavit said Erie police officers got permission from the victim to look at her texts from Herkalo where he said he was using a police database to monitor the investigation.

Herkalo turned himself into Erie police last Monday and was then charged.

The Boulder Police Department said Herkalo was put on paid administrative leave, per department policy. He has worked for Boulder police since July of 2024.

UPDATE | June 26 Fleet Feet says that Jenny Simpson has been discharged from Duke University Hospital to continue her recovery in North Carolina.

The company's statements continues:

...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Olympic 1,500-meter bronze medalist and world champion Jenny Simpson remains under medical care as of June 18 but shows encouraging improvement" after collapsing while pacing a mile group at an event in Raleigh last week.

Simpson ran for the University of Colorado Boulder.

In a post on Instagram, Fleet Feet, the company where Simpson serves as its chief running officer, wrote she continues to exhibit the strength and resilience that have long defined her. True to form, she has already asked about her mile time and whether she won.

The 39-year-old Simpson underwent CPR at the track on June 16 and an automated external defibrillator was also used before being transported to the hospital. She was taking part in a community track event hosted by Sir Walter Running, with runners of all levels in attendance.

Fleet Feet CEO Joey Pointer also happened to be attending the event and stayed with Simpson at the hospital while her family arrived.

The outpouring of support from across the running community has been extraordinary, the Instagram post from Fleet Feet said. We appreciate the compassion, encouragement and concern shown for Jenny and her family, and we are grateful to be part of a community that continues to rally around them.

In February, Simpson was brought in by Fleet Feet as its chief running officer. Her role is to inspire runners. She wrote on social media: Ill be leveraging a lifetime of experience and my deep belief in the transformational power of running to help Fleet Feet maximize its positive impact on health and wellness in communities across the country.

Simpson captured the bronze medal in the 1,500 meters at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. In addition, she won the 1,500 at the 2011 world championships, along with silver medals in 2013 and 2017. She was a multi-time national champion while running for the University of Colorado.

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https://apnews.com/hub/sports

BOULDER, Colo. Boulder is months away from welcoming Sundance Film Festival to its new home in Colorado. On Thursday, Boulder City Council unanimously approved two new ordinances to help with festival preparations.

WATCH: Denver7's Maggy Wolanske breaks down the ordinances and talks with business owners about how they're preparing

Karl Guiler with planning and development services addressed city council explaining why these new ordinances are needed.

"We haven't had an event of this scale before, so we've had to look through the code to see what kind of updates we would need to make," he said.

Ordinance 8751 will create a new permitting process for special events, including a new sign code, and make updates on mobile food vehicle operations.

"There's a permitting process for special events and in looking at something like the Sundance Film Festival, at its scale, it does not meet the current definition of a special event," Guiler said. "It's significantly larger in terms of the attendance. We're expecting it would be for a longer duration."

Regulatory licensing manager, Alisa Darrow, presented Ordinance 8752 which proposed a $150 fee for liquor licenses "to help support oversight and recover administrative review."

For Boulder business owners, the countdown is in full force as this festival will bring 10 days of film lovers and sales. Owner of Lushy Slushy, Katelynn Hudson, is planning to stock up on inventory and even hire a few employees as she runs the slushy stand solo on the Pearl Street Mall.

"My permanent spot is on 14th and Pearl, and I think this is a great block on Pearl Street Mall. What I love about it is that the Boulder Theater is right behind us," Hudson said.

She anticipates a boost of revenue from the fest and is even exploring the possibility of other beverage options to have for sale in her cart.

"I think it's wonderful. I think that they are doing what is necessary to prep Boulder for what is about to happen, and I'm really excited for the liquor license portion, and I think that I'm going to try to apply," Hudson said.

Danna Fleishman, the owner of Fleishman's Bagels and Delicatessen, has a history with Sundance and knows firsthand how big of a deal this festival will be for Boulder.

"I love Sundance, I actually have a little experience with Sundance. I used to be the director of customer service for Whole Foods Market, and we used to work at the store [in Park City, Utah] during that time, so we encountered the festival," said Fleishman. "We encountered a lot of the people that were setting it up, folks that were attending."

The bagel business is coming up on four years of being a "deli on the go," specializing in corned beef, pastrami and meats from New York. Fleishman said she will not be bringing the yellow food truck down to Pearl Street during the festival, and instead plans to work with local spots to bring bagels to the Boulder visitors.

"Most importantly, we're talking to all the hotels, all the Airbnbs, all the local restaurants," Fleishman said. We want to make sure that we can get all of our catering venues in there, and then we want to do baskets for people in hotels, so if you guys need food or you need a little something for your trip away, please come to Fleishmans."

Sundance is scheduled from Jan. 21-31, 2027 with screenings across the city with submissions closing in July.

The City of Boulder has kicked off its largest wildfire-focused grazing effort to date.

The cattle will graze about 65 acres of what Boulder calls Wildland Urban Interface areas where homes meet open space.

These areas are a priority because they represent locations where wildfires can directly threaten homes, infrastructure, and public safety, Boulder Fire-Rescue public information officer Jamie Barker said.

The cattle started grazing about a week ago starting from Alpine Avenue and will move north to Lee Hill Drive helping clear dry grasses and other vegetation that can fuel fast-moving wildfires.

One of the areas a part of the grazing is near the Goat Trail, where back in April, the Goat Trail Fire forced those living nearby to evacuate.

The target conditions are four-inch to eight-inch grass height across project areas that generally range between 100 to 300 feet from homes and neighborhoods in the Wildland Urban Interface, Barker said.

The city said it has used livestock grazing for several years to support agricultural operations and ecological management on open space properties.

Using targeted grazing specifically for wildfire-risk reduction in Wildland Urban Interface areas is a newer application, Barker added.

Some Boulder residents say they support this program.

This is another way to mitigate it. I think its a good idea, Boulder resident Vicki Bynum said.

City leaders said grazing is one of several wildfire mitigation tools being used to reduce fuel loads. Grazing also reduces flame length and rate of spread in grasses by a factor of about a half.

In addition to reducing grass height, cattle trample and break up dead grass, which also helps reduce fuel hazards, Barker said.

Barker told Denver7 the most compelling evidence that grazing is effective in reducing fire spread comes from the 2022 NCAR fire.

Post-fire assessments also identified differences in fire effects between treated and untreated areas, Barker said.

The cost of these grazing programs ranges from $200 to $1,000 per acre. Funding comes from the voter-approved climate tax fund wildfire mitigation budget, Boulder County grant funding, and the Open Space and Mountain Parks operating budget.

It behooves us to really pay attention to the weather, pay attention to the fuel around us, try to mitigate that away from our houses and do the best we can, Bynum said.

For residents who live in Wildland Urban Interface areas and have experienced repeated evacuations, any effort to reduce wildfire risk is welcome.

The danger has increased our climate is different. We have had the driest winter that I can remember. I think its a good idea because we dont have the manpower to remove a lot of the flammable material and it really is dangerous, Bynum said.

The cattle grazing program includes vegetation sampling to look at any potential changes in plant communities over time.

Wildlife ecologists and vegetation specialists evaluate project areas on a site-by-site basis, Barker said.

The project is expected to continue for the next few weeks. Some trails may be temporarily closed while cattle are grazing, and visitors are asked to follow any posted signs.

No long-duration trail closures are planned; only brief closures while cattle are being moved between project areas, Barker added.

More grazing projects are expected for south Boulder later this summer.

The Boulder Public Library was evacuated Tuesday after a report of a "suspicious package," Boulder police said.

Police said a little after 5 p.m. the library was closed and evacuated "to err on the side of safety for our community."

Boulder police and fire were on scene and said the bomb squad would likely take "a few hours" to check and clear the area.

UPDATE | June 17, 2026: Boulder police said later Tuesday evening they had arrested a suspect in connection with bomb threats made at the library beginning at 3:15 p.m.

Jail records show the suspect, Justus Isaiah Weldon, 31, is being held for investigation of a felony false report of explosives.

The bomb squad confirmed there was no threat to the public and cleared the scene as of 5:20 p.m., police said. The library remained closed Tuesday night but reopened Wednesday.

BOULDER, Colo. The Anti-Defamation League filed a civil rights complaint Monday against Boulder Valley School District, alleging that the district failed to intervene on behalf of a Jewish student who endured repeated antisemitic bullying.

The alleged harassment went on for two school years and was targeted at an 8th-grade student at Southern Hills Middle School, according to an ADL news release.

The alleged incidents include students attempting to play Jew touch tag during PE class, calling Jews dirty, and another student saying Hitler should have killed all the Jews when he had the chance, the ADL said in the release.

WATCH: ADL files civil rights complaint alleging antisemitic bullying at Boulder school

The organization alleges that the student was also physically assaulted, including one incident in December 2025 where a classmate reportedly lassoed the student with a Chromebook cord and dragged him backward by his neck while using a slur, according to the complaint.

The ADL claims that the district was notified of these incidents, including a police report and written pleas from the students parents, yet BVSD officials failed to properly address the issue, leading the student to hide his religious identity.

No family should have to fight this hard to ensure a Jewish childs safety at school, and certainly no Jewish student should face the threat of assault or harassment because of their Jewish identity, said James Pasch, ADL Vice President of Litigation, in the release.

The organization is asking the U.S. Department of Education to require BVSD to adopt zerotolerance antisemitism policies, mandatory staff and student training, stronger reporting systems, and districtwide policy reviews to ensure Jewish students are protected.

BVSD said in a statement that it takes all reports of harassment and discrimination seriously.

While the Boulder Valley School District does not comment on ongoing legal matters, we take all allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously. We continue to focus on improvements to our policies, reporting systems, practices, and education effortsall with the goal of ensuring every BVSD student feels safe, welcomed, and has a strong sense of belonging, the district said.

ADL notes that Colorado recorded 167 antisemitic incidents in 2025.

A Boulder police officer has been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, the City of Boulder announced Monday.

The officer, Matthew Herkalo, 24, faces misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and official misconduct, according to a release from the city. He is currently on paid administrative leave, per department policy, the release said.

According to the city, Erie police had been investigating the alleged off-duty incidents, and Herkalo "turned himself in" and was arrested by Erie police Monday. Denver7 has requested additional information.

Records show he was booked into the Boulder County Jail on Monday evening.

Herkalo has been an officer with Boulder PD since July 2024, according to the city.

BOULDER, Colo. Most weather apps can tell you the wind speed for your town. But what if the forecast could tell you exactly what the wind is doing in your neighborhood or even on your street?

Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are developing a next-generation weather prediction system that aims to do exactly that. Using fleets of weather-sensing drones, supercomputers, and a powerful modeling tool called FastEddy, researchers are working on modeling winds at an accuracy of about two meters roughly the size of a queen bed.

Dr. James Pinto, a senior scientist at NCAR, said the project grew out of years of collaboration with the University of Kentucky, which built a weather-sensing drone system.

They built a weather-sensing drone system, and we were thinking that we could use that information in our modeling work, Pinto said. The need is very widespread, so its wildland firefighting, air quality prediction, and emerging modes of aerial transportation, like deliveries.

Currently, most wind models can track large-scale patterns and are useful for regional forecasts. But they struggle to show whats happening at the micro level especially near the ground, where terrain, buildings, and trees can drastically alter conditions.

The current models can only really resolve things at the county-wide scale, Pinto explained. We get it down to the neighborhood scale, or even the street level, where we can say whats happening between these two buildings. Wildfire danger is top of mind

One of the most promising uses is wildfire prediction and response. Wind can drive flames in unpredictable ways, sometimes shifting direction over just a few hundred feet.

Watch Colin Riley's report in the player below:

You really need to have this fine-scale information to help support wildland firefighters in the field to combat these fires, Pinto said. And even before they happen understanding where these fires are more likely to break out. The system could also give power companies targeted information to avoid risky, wide-area shutdowns during wind events.

You can shut down the power lines in that area specifically, not the entire county, Pinto said. That could save a lot of money and headaches.

Specialized drones will collect wind, temperature, and humidity readings just a few feet above the ground. That data is fed into NCARs model and processed using the Derecho supercomputer in Wyoming. The high-powered system can simulate how winds move around buildings, tree canopies, and other obstacles showing the exact flow patterns firefighters or utility workers need to know.

The hyperlocal prediction system we have can resolve buildings, it can resolve tree canopies, and how they interact with the low-level flow, Pinto said. Thats what gives you whats happening in the winds at the surface. The project is expected to run for five years, with a demonstration of the full capability planned by the end of year four. Researchers hope the technology can be applied to everything from firefighting to urban drone delivery and even planning for future air taxi services.

Were really trying to do cutting-edge work both on the observational side and the modeling side, Pinto said, to provide the best possible low-altitude wind forecast that we can provide.

If successful, the system could be deployed nearly anywhere drones can fly, producing forecasts in minutes that are tailored to cities, neighborhoods, or even individual streets.

When Boulder was selected to host the Sundance Film Festival, one expectation was that accommodations would be less expensive than in Park City, Utah, where festival attendees competed for rooms with ski tourists.

But dozens of homes in Boulder have already been listed for more than $5,000 per night during the festival, far above what several festival regulars said they paid in Park City. Property managers expect prices to fall as more listings enter the market and overpriced homes go unbooked. In the meantime, early listings are already pushing some attendees to consider staying elsewhere.

That could reshape the festival from a walkable, communal event into a fragmented one that generates more traffic and fewer economic benefits for local businesses. It would also be a blow to Boulders financial expectations. The city and its partners committed $34 million in incentives to bring the festival here, partly on the promise that attendees would spend money in the city.

Nancy Willen, owner of Acme Public Relations, a firm representing films that has worked the festival for years, said she has not found affordable housing near downtown Boulder for herself and her team.

I could not be more enthusiastic about Boulder for the festival, Willen said. But the housing costs right now seem like a hurdle.

One factor driving high prices is limited supply.

The festival drew 85,000 in-person attendees in Park City in 2025. Boulders hotel capacity is roughly 2,900 rooms, according to city officials. And the citys short-term rental rules have historically required licenses to be tied to a property owners primary residence, limiting the number of available rentals.

The Boulder City Council has passed an ordinance allowing property owners and tenants to obtain short-term rental licenses during the festival. So far, the city has issued more than 260 festival licenses with roughly 610 more pending, according to city officials. Property owners can also obtain standard short-term rental licenses to rent during the festival, and the city has received hundreds of new applications since the festival announced its relocation.

However, some are listing their homes under what property managers call a make me move philosophy, pricing at whatever it would take to make relocating worth the hassle of cleaning out closets, replacing locks and finding somewhere else to stay.

In some ways, if its your primary home, theres no downside to not renting, Ross Bowdey, the director of short-term and mid-term rentals at Fox Property Management, said. But its not really welcoming. Its not really the heart of what I think an event like Sundance should mean to a community.

Some property owners are taking a different approach. VelareLX, a Boulder-based company that formed in response to the festivals relocation, focuses on connecting luxury residences to high-net-worth clientele.

Managing partner Rich Reasons said the company hopes to bring up to 350 homes to the market and was closing its first deal to rent a home during the festival earlier this month. Reasons said VelareLX identified a gap in Boulders luxury accommodations market, noting that the city lacks five-star hotels like a Ritz-Carlton.

The company does not list the price of homes, which appear on the Sundance Film Festivals lodging website. Rather than letting homeowners set prices, Reasons said the company first talks to potential guests about their actual budgets and presents that information to homeowners.

We want to be able to gather the information and have this budget-first mentality so that were responding to reality as opposed to trying to speculate and create a market out of thin air, he said.

Several current Airbnb listings show rates more than doubling during the festival compared with what the same properties were listed for the week before. One person who works in the film industry said a host raised the price of a downtown condo by nearly 100% after learning they planned to attend the festival. The person declined the condo and is now considering renting an office space and staying outside downtown.

Kate George, founder and CEO of Home Host Concierge, said Boulder is a highly event- and seasonality-driven market, with lodging rates naturally fluctuating throughout the year.

Sundance Film Festival is entering an already dynamic lodging market, and like any major event, pricing and demand expectations will continue to adjust as more real-world market data becomes available, she said.

The pricing challenges mean more festival attendees are likely to stay outside Boulder. Data provided by Airbnb suggests some guests are already looking elsewhere. Searches for Denver accommodations during the 2027 festival dates were 10% higher than usual, according to Airbnb. Searches in Louisville, Nederland, Longmont, Lafayette and Erie increased by more than 100%.

Alex Folsom, Airbnbs Colorado policy manager, said the company supports increasing accommodations for the Sundance Film Festival. Having more lodging options helps keep prices down while allowing more locals to benefit from this major event in their community, Folsom said.

Paula DuPr Pesmen, managing director of festival and institute operations at Sundance Institute, said affordability and accessibility were important considerations in selecting Boulder, and that the festival expects lodging inventory and pricing to continue to evolve before the January debut. She acknowledged that some attendees may end up staying in Denver.

While we expect most attendees to stay in Boulder, we understand that Denver offers a wide range of options, many of them more affordable right now, Pesmen said in an email. Denver is a great option as transportation options are being expanded, though it will drive shopping, dining and entertainment dollars outside of Boulder. This year, our Festival footprint is more compact than in the past so there will be a stronger sense of community.

Property managers and festival organizers are now focused on expanding lodging options and bringing prices down before the festival begins.

Some property managers expect prices to fall as more listings come online and overpriced homes sit unbooked. Several said rates should settle closer to what Boulder sees during CU graduation weekend or football games. Some are also advising clients against speculative pricing, arguing it is better to lock in guests who will return to the same home year after year. Over a decade, they said, property owners could make hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Boulders hotels, meanwhile, have committed to making 70% of their room inventory available during the festival at affordable rates, according to Visit Boulder, a destination marketing organization that helped secure the citys bid. The organization is promoting a host with heart approach and has published a guide with suggested prices for property owners.

At this point, were still observing how the lodging and short-term rental market is responding to the Festival, Charlene Hoffman, CEO at Visit Boulder, said in an email. That said, affordability and availability are important factors in ensuring attendees feel welcome and are able to stay in the city.

Jill Grano, a former Boulder City Councilmember and Gov. Jared Poliss statewide housing manager for the Sundance relocation, has been meeting with real estate companies to warn that speculative prices are unrealistic and could damage the events success. She has also been talking with homeowners associations to encourage them to change rules that currently prohibit short-term rentals. She said that unlocking condos and townhomes covered by HOAs would add more affordable inventory to the market.

We can choose to overprice the housing and people will stay outside of the city and theyll get a car and theyll drive in and traffic will swell, Grano said. It really would benefit our whole community if we can get this right.

Howard Cohen, co-founder of Roadside Attractions, has attended the festival for decades as a film buyer. He found Airbnb prices higher than what he saw in Park City and ended up booking a hotel room instead.

One of the hopes with moving to Boulder, and maybe it was a naive hope, was that because its a bigger city, maybe it would be a little more egalitarian, Cohen said.

People in the film industry said they need to be in the city to catch every screening, attend parties and hold private meetings about buying films. Many are working long days and nights and do not have time to commute. They also want screenings packed with enthusiastic guests, including young people from the industry.

Being able to stay in Boulder will be a big part of that, Cohen said. If they cant stay in Boulder, do they have as good an experience?

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This story was originally published by Boulder Reporting Lab and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

BOULDER, Colo. A children's vocabulary book written four decades ago has become an overnight Amazon best seller, thanks to a viral TikTok video and its Boulder author can barely keep up with her phone.

Elissa Guralnick co-wrote "Weighty Words," a children's book designed to teach kids big words through amusing stories. The book had sold some copies over the years, but never made much of an impact financially.

"We really never made a dime," Guralnick said.

That changed a couple of weeks ago when author Eli McCann posted a TikTok video recalling the book from his 8th grade days.

"The response was hilarious and miraculous. The book overnight became a best seller on Amazon. I'm telling you overnight," Guralnick said.

The book uses clever wordplay to make vocabulary stick. In one example, the word "scintillate" is taught through the story of a firefly named Gloriana.

"Gloriana can't stand not flying around lighting up she goes out and SINS by flying. The other fireflies sit on branches and watch Gloriana SIN TILL LATE," Guralnick said.

The publisher has already sent the book off for reprinting.

"They've sent it off to be reprinted, they're very excited. It's a strike of lightning," Guralnick said.

It only took 40 years for that lightning to strike. Guralnick wrote the book in 1985 while working at the University of Colorado.

Co-author Doug Berger, who helped create the book, passed away two years ago and did not live to see its sudden success. But the third co-author, Paul Levitt, is still here and he and Guralnick still see each other every week.

"The number of sales today make me believe in magic," Levitt said.

"What pleases me most is to see how much joy it's brought to my children," Levitt said.

For Guralnick, the sales are exciting, but the real reward is something else entirely.

"My kids are delighted, Paul's kids are delighted. In a way the whole family is getting in on this. Kind of thrilling getting response from relatives," Guralnick said.

Forty years later, the book became a best seller. It just took a minute.

With summer recreation picking up across Boulders open space and mountain parks, city officials are reminding visitors to put safety first.

The citys open space properties attract more than six million visitors every year, with the busiest season between May and October.

The weather is nice, and there are a lot more people out there who can enjoy nature, the flowers, the trees; it's green, Aurora resident Jada Smith said.

As the busy season gets underway, enjoying the outdoors also comes with a responsibility.

Let a friend know where you're going, just in case something happens. Pack a cell phone, bring plenty of water, and just take a little bit of time in the morning to pack and prepare, City of Boulder recreation stewardship senior program manager Lisa Goncalo said.

For Aurora resident Jada Smith, who comes to Boulders open spaces during the summertime, the elevation can come as a surprise.

Pay attention to the incline and elevation because that is a big change and more challenging even if you are in good shape, Smith said.

City officials are also urging people to stay on marked trails, as venturing off the path can damage plants and disturb wildlife.

"One shoe can trample a plant that's now going to take a year to grow back. We do have rattlesnakes and wildlife that call this place home. You don't want to increase your chances of a rattlesnake incident happening because you stepped off trails, Goncalo said.

Despite low snowfall this past winter, officials say we should still stay vigilant around waterways, as runoff can increase the flow rate.

WATCH in the player below | Sophia Villalba's report

We want to not let our guard down entirely and still think about how those water conditions can change over time, especially this time of year, Goncalo said.

Dog owners are also being reminded to pick up after their pets. City officials say around 80,000 pounds of dog waste are left on their open space properties each year, which can pollute waterways and harm native habitats.

Dogs tend to have a high-protein diet, and so their waste is highly acidic. When it comes off, the grass underneath is burned. It can be bad for our native plants, Goncalo said.

Smith says being courteous is key.

Take care of your pets, clean up your waste, be kind to other people, and move over if people are running or biking, Smith added.

Some Boulder homeowners could have to pay up to $90,000 to repair their street thanks to a decades-old agreement many of them didn't even sign.

City staff is proposing an $8 million project along Sumac Avenue in north Boulder. It would include pavement reconstruction, improved drainage, new sidewalks, crosswalks and curbs.

WATCH: Denver7's Claire Lavezzorio talks with a resident and a city official who breaks down the proposal

Under the proposal, 52 homeowners would collectively contribute $1.8 million toward the cost.

Some neighbors told Denver7 they've received notifications informing them they owe tens of thousands of dollars.

"I've heard it's from $30,000 up to $90,000 depending on your road frontage," said Mary Giudice, who lives on Sumac Ave. "It's just unbelievable. I think everybody's a little shocked."

The road itself hasn't been repaired in years, according to Boulder City Councilman Mark Wallach.

"Is it usable? Yes, it is usable. And it will only get worse over time, in terms of what's needed there," Wallach said.

Wallach explained the dispute stems from an agreement made when Boulder annexed the Sumac Avenue area roughly 40 years ago. At the time, residents signed a covenant agreeing to contribute to future road renovation. As properties change owners over the decades, those obligations still stand.

And even though the scope of the project has changed, that decades-old agreement could still be enforceable, according to Wallach.

"I don't think anyone had a sense at the time that this would be an $8 million project," Wallach said.

Wallach said it appears the covenant is binding, though it remains unclear whether the city will choose to enforce it. He also warned the issue could extend beyond Sumac Avenue.

For Giudice and her neighbors, the uncertainty has left them feeling overlooked.

"I think we feel isolated and unheard," Giudice said.

Residents are hoping the city finds a reasonable solution and that the project does not set a precedent for other older streets across Boulder.

"We don't want to see our neighbors suffer, and this as an imprint across Boulder," Giudice said.

A suspect was arrested in connection with an attempted arson incident in a neighborhood off Table Mesa Drive Wednesday evening, the Boulder Police Department said.

Boulder Fire-Rescue said while firefighters responded to a reported structure fire on W. Moorhead Circle around 7 p.m. Wednesday, crews found a "suspicious package." Bomb squad and hazmat teams were called to the scene as well.

Around 8:30 p.m., Boulder Fire-Rescue said the fire was extinguished and the building was fully evacuated due to the package.

The scene was determined safe and residents who were temporarily displaced were cleared to return home Wednesday night.

GOLD HILL, Colo. A family has returned to the small Colorado mountain town of Gold Hill for the first time in 44 years, and found it hasn't changed much. Thankfully.

Many people living in Gold Hill have no cell phone service, no running water and no heat until someone starts a fire in the potbelly stove. But when the "closed" sign turns to "open" at the Gold Hill General Store, the small Colorado mountain town comes alive.

WATCH: Denver7's Mike Castellucci takes a trip to the tiny town of Gold Hill

Dwight DeBroux owns the general store one of only two businesses in town.

"You have to try our chocolate chip cookie. Oh, it is

cookie," DeBroux said.

The cookies draw people in. Two minutes after opening, a family surrounded the potbelly stove the Smiths, who had just returned to Gold Hill for the first time in 44 years. It turned out Dustin Smith was born there.

"Brought my son here," Smith said.

His father, Woody Smith, remembered the town well.

"My wife and I lived here and my youngest son Dusty was born here delivered him with a mid-wife. One year, there was 12 feet of snow," Woody said.

After 44 years away, the family expected things to look different.

"Not much. The log cabins and the school (are) pretty much the same," Woody said.

Dustin pointed out the house where he was born a little home with small wagons out front, just two doors down from the general store. It turned out that house now belongs to the town's mayor. The Smiths and the mayor were in the general store at the same time but never met.

The mayor, Kelly Veit, described what the general store means to the community.

"It's a place for opinions, (to) drive consensus, move things forward, move things backward, if necessary," the mayor said.

The town's quietness is something residents take pride in.

"We sort of respect and honor our quietness here," the mayor said.

DeBroux moved to Gold Hill eight years ago after finding something he hadn't expected.

"Decided to move up here. When you hit the dirt road, your shoulders kind of relax, forget about the outside noise for a while, and have a real impact on real people in your community and be the change you want to be," DeBroux said.

The general store's appeal extends beyond locals. One employee came to Gold Hill while traveling and never left.

"I wound up staying and that was 14 years ago," she said.

For those who find their way to Gold Hill, whether passing through on the way to California or returning after decades away, the general store offers something hard to find elsewhere.

"Great energy up here," DeBroux said.

And the homemade pie doesn't hurt either.

"Yeah, they bought all the pie. It's homemade, we make these ourselves," DeBroux said.

Boulder city leaders are warning people to be careful while spending time outdoors as they are entering the heart of its drought and fire season.

Those fuels on the ground and the grasses that start to dry up, it really doesn't take that much to start a fire. That's where we are concerned about, Lisa Goncalo, the recreation stewardship senior program manager for the City of Boulder, said.

The city open space parks attracts around 6.2 million visitors every year, according to City of Boulder leaders.

You look at comparisons to Rocky Mountain National Park, which sees about around four to five million visits, we really are a popular park, Goncalo said.

Goncalo told Denver7, when it comes to visitation at their open space parks and trails, the busy season isnt during a typical summer period.

It starts in May and it ends in October, Goncalo said.

Boulder city leaders are urging people to avoid anything that could create a spark, especially on days where wildfire concerns are more elevated.

We have seen some small wildfires popping up in the Chautauqua and Flagstaff areas, and so we really want to caution visitors, Goncalo said.

Goncalo said anything with an ignition source is prohibited on their open space properties.

That includes campfires, fireworks, and cigarettes. The smallest flick of a cigarette on the perfect day with wind conditions that are appropriate could set off a wildfire, so we just ask that you keep all your ignition sources at home, Goncalo added.

The combination of a dry winter, low snowpack and warming temperatures are a perfect mixture for wildfire growth. Officials said they have already seen some of those incidences.

We will be looking out for those in the summer months, Goncalo told Denver7.

Some Boulder residents said wildfires are top of mind more than ever before.

It feels like a lot more fires than before. Wildfires were never on my mind. Now i always think about it. I definitely have to keep that in mind all the time. Just make sure that everything's good and prepared if anything does happen, Boulder resident Xi Miao said.

Some residents have noticed drier conditions recently.

My house abuts the open space, so Im definitely worried about it. I was hiking Royal Arch one day when there was a fire in Chautauqua Park. It's already browning maybe a good month early, Boulder resident Kent Kasica said.

The city recommended people stay up to date on daily conditions to prevent a natural disaster.

As summer starts, moviegoers are seeing young filmmakers turn their loyal audiences on YouTube into box office juggernauts, highlighted by independent horror movies.

Both "Backrooms" and "Obsession" have topped $200 million worldwide at the box office after less than a month in theaters, according to Box Office Mojo.

"Backrooms" is inspired by a horror internet story known as a creepypasta that led to a popular web series from Kane Parsons before he directed the feature film, which is now A24s highest-grossing movie ever. Parsons is just 20 years old.

"Obsession," which cost less than $1 million to produce before striking a distribution deal with Focus Features, is directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker.

Both Parsons and Barker honed their filmmaking skills and built dedicated audiences on YouTube.

That trend is something being talked about at CU Boulders School of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts.

We're learning that there's a new way to build that audience, Cinema Media Manager at CU Boulder Rae Johnson said. And if you have that loyal backing, you can kind of take your project wherever you want it to go, and studios are forced to pay attention to you at that point.

Johnson points out that Gen Z is driving moviegoing, and the generation that grew up watching and following YouTube creators is naturally drawn to those creators projects on the big screen. She also said their moviegoing habits are driven by a desire to be social and discuss films with friends, rather than using the movies as form of escapism.

Instead of always referencing, like the Oscar movies, the greats which we're trained to do, we love doing, we pay homage to those guys all of the time but we're growing up on content creation, Johnson explained. And we're seeing the shift in real time, and it's shifting a lot faster than I think Hollywood is used to.

Johnson also said YouTube is opening so many new avenues, that the typical route to being a filmmaker is no longer the only choice. She sees hundreds of current CU film students taking notice.

Typically, you have to go old school route, go out to LA, start cold calling, trying to get yourself on setsit's real wild west over there sometimes, Johnson said. And so we're learning that there's a new way to build that audience, and if you have that loyal backing, you can kind of take your project wherever you want it to go, and studios are forced to pay attention to you at that point.

Another YouTuber, known as Markiplier, crowdsourced his horror movie

and did so without a studio distribution deal, bypassing Hollywood entirely. His fans ended up requesting the movie at local theaters. It ended up grossing more than $50 million worldwide.

The idea that you can actually go to the people and maybe convince them to do the distribution, maybe you could distribute on YouTube, maybe you could distribute like on one of the streaming services, and you can like cut out the entire industry from that, that's exciting, CU Boulder Cinema Studies Teaching Associate Professor Christopher Osborn said.

Osborn said independent filmmakers have had great ideas and hustled to make films on cheap budgets since the dawn of the film industry, but the difference now is that those filmmakers are getting widespread distribution.

One of the big problems has always been that Hollywood doesn't actually give a damn about the little people, Osborn said. They don't actually want any input, like they have a money-making machine, they got everything they need. It would be better if you just stayed away and gave them your money. So the idea that people now can be like, You know what, I don't need you, I can go out to 4,000 screens on my own, I can get my own, I have my own leverage. I have my own population. I've got my own people on YouTube that back me. I'm just gonna skip you entirely and just go make money on my own. That's cool.

BOULDER, Colo. Colorado's Jewish community gathered in Boulder on Sunday for the 30th anniversary of the Boulder Jewish Festival, one year after a person threw Molotov cocktails at attendees gathered on Pearl Street, killing 82-year-old Karen Diamond and injuring more than a dozen others.

The anniversary brought heightened emotion as survivors, officials, and neighbors came together to honor Diamond and those who lived through the attack while also celebrating resilience, community, and Jewish identity.

"So we came here today carrying grief, and we leave here carrying each other. Every voice in this space, the survivors, the officials, the neighbors who simply showed up, is proof that what happened here one year ago did not break us," one speaker said.

For survivors, the memories of the attack remain vivid.

"In an instant, every. Exploded. I remember the crash, the rush of wind, the terrifying heat rising up my back. I dropped my banner and ran," shared Michelle Goldman, a survivor of the attack last year shared.

For some who grew up in Boulder, like Marlene Sorota the attack shattered a sense of safety they had long taken for granted.

"Growing up here, like I said, a very innocent, naive person, no, not in Boulder, maybe somewhere else, but you just never know," described Sorota.

A moment of silence and candle lighting honored Diamond and the other survivors of the Pearl Street attack.

Watch Tyler Melito's report in the player below:

Speakers remembered Diamond's final message to her family.

"Who in her dying days expressed to her family that the only way to respond to such hate and darkness is with love and light," said Rabbi Mark Soloway.

But the festival was also a celebration. Attendees marked the resilience of a community that has faced hatred for generations.

"There's no room for hate anywhere, so you know that's just what just I mean, the Jewish people have been been under hate for years and years and years going way back, so you know it's nothing new to them, but you know, especially to have something like that happen in this community is, is kind of surprising, but shocking, can happen anywhere," Al Sorota said.

Others spoke to the broader meaning of the gathering.

"This event is about solidarity and joining the Jewish people and other cultures in efforts to create peace and harmony," described Steve Finsilver

The message of unity extended beyond any single faith or background.

"We're all one, it's just, it's not, we're no different than any of the other communities, we just all need to respect everybody's beliefs and rights and come together," Sorota said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

LYONS, Colo. A proposed pilot program in Boulder County that would set specific days for hikers, bikers and horseback riders to use certain trails is drawing criticism from many in the community particularly mountain bikers who say it unfairly targets them.

County officials say the goal is to reduce overcrowding and make high-traffic trails safer for all users. Jason Seuc, director of Boulder County Parks and Open Space, said the department routinely hears concerns about trail congestion.

WATCH: Hikers, bikers, business owners and county officials talk with Denver7's Colin Riley about the proposal

Theres different stories is this trail too crowded? Is this place safe for me to go with my kids, with my parents? Seuc said.

But some outdoor users say trail-sharing already works. Lyons resident and hiker Kate Kerr said her encounters with bikers have been overwhelmingly positive.

Theyll let me know theyre there, I step off the trail, and every time theyve said, Thank you, Kerr said. Ive never had a problem. If I want to hike without bikes, I go to Nighthawk Trail. Its kind of fun to watch the bikes people have always been very polite.

The Boulder Mountainbike Alliance, which has partnered with the county for more than 30 years, says it was not consulted before the pilot plan was announced. Executive Director Wendy Sweet said there are other ways to reduce conflicts such as creating directional or loop trails without restricting bike access by day.

Even if every encounter happens with the best of etiquette and smiling faces, it's still just a lot of people. There are hundreds of miles of trail that are not open to bikes if people would like to be on a trail without bikes, Sweet said. There are options for hikers. There is not one trail in Boulder that mountain bikers could go to and potentially not be disrupting somebody who did not want to share a trail with a bike on that day.

Sweet pointed to Betasso Preserve as an example where alternating restrictions have unintentionally concentrated bike use into limited windows, increasing crowding on those days.

For some, the concern goes beyond recreation. Eric Kean, owner of MainStage Brewing in Lyons, said the change could hurt the local economy. He co-signed a letter with other business owners and residents urging commissioners to halt the pilot.

The letter is signed by dozens of people and companies.

My first reaction was that its named wrong its actually just a pure restriction on mountain biking, Kean said. Like any economy, you have to have balance and access for everyone. Anything that starts to restrict that is concerning, not only for business but for getting people outside and connected to the environment.

Commissioners have not yet announced whether the alternating trail use program will move forward. More than 6,000 people participated in a recent county survey about the proposal, and supporters and opponents say they plan to keep making their voices heard.

Read the full letter sent to Boulder County commissioners on Friday:

BOULDER, Colo. The 30th Annual Boulder Jewish Festival takes place on Sunday celebrating community and culture, while also reflecting on last June's deadly Pearl Street Mall attack.

Officials say there will be heightened security in the area to ensure a welcoming and safe environment in the area.

WATCH: Boulder JCC executive director and Boulder chief of police talk with Denver7's Maggy Wolanske ahead of the festival

Jonathan Lev, executive director of the Boulder Jewish Community Center, explained the significance of the festival located on Pearl Street as it is a public space where all can gather.

"It has actually been the longest continuously running cultural festival in Boulder in the same spot, and it's one of the, I believe, the longest running Jewish festival that has been in the same spot and ours is right there on Pearl Street," Lev said.

Sunday will mark another year of celebration, but there is significant meaning behind being on the Pearl Street Mall as the community continues to process the deadly attack that took place last June on peaceful protesters.

"I think this year we're doing something interesting with the balance between grief, remembrance, resilience and joy," said Lev. "We're actually starting the whole day with 30 minutes of a commemoration for what happened on the attack of June 1 last year, and together as a community, we're going to we're going to join together, and then we're going to transition out of that into the joy of the festival."

Part of the preparations for this festival included Boulder JCC and the Boulder Police Department working on a plan. While there is no known threat to the festival, Lev explained they wanted to have a welcoming and celebratory environment.

"It was coming up with a plan that made sense," Lev said. "It was looking at all the different aspects from aerial to on the ground to barricades, and putting together a comprehensive plan that made sure that they felt comfortable with us."

Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn reflected on the strong relationship the department has with the Boulder JCC. He explained they have a Jewish community liaison officer and knew leaders of the Jewish community prior to the Pearl Street Mall attack.

With the Boulder Jewish Festival taking place on Sunday, Redfearn said there is a balance of not going "overboard but being prepared." This includes increased uniform and plainclothes presence, drones and K9 units.

"We'll have people ready to respond to anything that happens, and so I want it to be clear to anybody who might want to come do something harmful, that we're going to have tons of resources there to make sure that doesn't happen," Redfearn said.

Looking back to the day of the attack, Redfearn said he is proud of their response and their commitment to protect the community following tragedy.

"We're professionals, were trained, but seeing an elderly women burn, nobody should see that," Redfearn said. "So for us, we take that so seriously and it's one of the reasons why we're going to do everything we can, just like last year, to make sure that the people that want to come, regardless of who they are and where they're from, are able to to gather safely, especially to remember the people that were the victims and survivors that day."

The Boulder Jewish Festival is free and will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lev said every year is different, and this year is set to bring a new circus activity for families and some very talented musicians.

"Our community carries a lot of emotion about the attack last year on June 1, but also about all the different anti-Semitic attacks that have happened around the country, around the globe and we're carrying that weight wherever we are," Lev said. "I think having the Jewish festival and being able to be in a public space and be able to gather is so important right now, and we need to be able to have those opportunities and to be able to do it in a safe environment."

BOULDER, Colo. The driver convicted of killing teenage cyclist Magnus White, 17, pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor theft in an unreleased case.

Yeva Smilianska, 25, was found guilty of vehicular homicide in April of last year after striking and killing White, who was on a training ride near his home in Boulder on July 29, 2023.

Smilianska was convicted Wednesday of depositing duplicate paychecks while working at a Longmont bar around the time she was found guilty in Whites death but wasnt discovered until months later.

The 25-year-old was sentenced to 364 days in jail for the Longmont theft, with 132 days credit for time served. The sentence will run concurrently with her June 2025 DOC sentence of four years.

The theft caused more than $2,000 in losses for the Longmont bar, and Smilianska was ordered to pay restitution of $2,561.20.

Smilianska was notified late last year that she was eligible for a community corrections review. However, she was denied a request to transfer to a halfway house in January.

White was a rising multidisciplinary star, winning a junior national cyclocross championship in 2021 and earning a spot on the U.S. national team.

He competed with the team in Europe ahead of the 2022 cyclocross world championships, and he was selected to represent the U.S.

His parents spearheaded a nonprofit foundation in his honor, called The White Line, which advocates for safer roadways on local and federal levels.

Smilianska remains under supervised custody at a Colorado facility.