JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. A new multi-use trail carrying "prehistoric and historic significance" opened on South Table Mountain in Jefferson County this week, Jeffco Parks & Open Space (JCPOS) announced.

The 1.5-mile T. Rex Tooth Trail now links Fossil Trail, Old Quarry Trail and Basalt Cap Loop, the county said.

The soft surface trail connects the trails to complete a three-mile scenic loop that is "packed with prehistoric and historic significance," JCPOS said.

It will bring hikers, runners, bicyclists and equestrians past the Colorado Amphitheater, which is made of natural stone and was constructed in 1935 to serve Camp George West of the Colorado National Guard. The amphitheater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 90s, and you can read about its history and see photos of its use in the 1930s here.

The name of the trail is a nod to the Tyrannosaurus rex tooth discovered on the southwest side of South Table Mountain in 1874. It was the first one found in North America, JCPOS said.

Construction of this trail began in the fall of 2025.

Denver7 covered this announcement back in September, when JCPOS announced that it would build this new trail. That report is below.

The project was initially shared with the public in 2021 and, following a public hearing and comment period, was approved by the Planning Commission in June 2024.

T. Rex Tooth Trail's eastern section is owned by the state. The rest of it flows through property owned by the U.S. Department of Energy, as it passes near the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the State of Colorado, which owns the Colorado State Patrol Training Track on top of South Table Mountain. Both of these are private facilities. Jefferson County has easements for the two sections owned by the state and Department of Energy so the public can use the trail.

Jefferson County Commissioners Lesley Dahlkemper, Andy Kerr, and Rachel Zenzinger attended the ribbon-cutting celebration on Tuesday.

Businesses that offer tubing and kayaking on Clear Creek in Golden are watching water levels closely as the city enters Stage 1 Drought restrictions and the creek is running at 55% of its typical streamflow for this time of year.

Beth Battilla, owner of Adventure West, said the tubing company may start its tubing operations as early as Memorial Day instead of late June. She said the company may also shorten its float route depending on conditions.

"We suspect we might just change our float a little bit. You know, we might have a recommended area that people just do over and over and over, rather than a full float," Battilla said. "I think we're going to see an earlier season, and I think we're going to be open for a much wider variety of swimming abilities and age groups from the get go, just because of the much lower flow rate."

Clear Creek is running at 63.7 cubic feet per second as of Saturday, compared to 115 cubic feet per second at the same time last year, according to Snoflo.

"In the past, it's not really dropped below 75 or 80, even in the late, late summer, early fall, and that's been runnable. Right now, it's a little bit below that," Battilla said.

She's hoping a wetter-than-average monsoon season could provide some relief this summer. Denver7 Meteorologist Stacey Donaldson said because of the dramatic snowpack deficit, the monsoon season could help, but will likely not be enough to replenish the water supply.

"I don't know that it's going to be a drought breaker," Donaldson said. "And if it is, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. If it's a lot of rain, we could see flooding. Because we already have the dry ground and it can't absorb a lot, then that could be trouble as well," Donaldson said.

For now, outdoor enthusiasts are making the most of what's available.

"Definitely a little bit of low water today, a little lower than we'd like," one kayaker said. "I mean, maybe not quite as fun, not as much features to play in and stuff, but I mean, from a water safety standpoint, I guess it's actually a little bit safer, you know, without high flows and stuff."

Xcel Energy offers a $10,000 rebate on home backup battery systems for customers who live in Tier 2 or Tier 3 wildfire risk zones and rely on electricity for their health. Denver7 wanted to know how far will that rebate get Coloradans during power outages.

To receive the rebate, individuals need to be an Xcel customer, signed up for the companys Medical Certification Program or the Colorado Medical Exemption Program, and live in wildfire risk zones.

Nate Metzler, a licensed solar electrician with Namaste Solar, said interest in backup battery systems has surged following a series of Public Safety Power Shutoffs tied to high winds and wildfire danger.

Weve had these planned outages from Xcel because of high winds, Metzler said. Weve been getting a lot of inquiries about battery systems from that.

Matt Griffin, a sales representative at Namaste Solar, told Denver7 the $10,000 rebate covers roughly 50 to 60% of the cost of one backup battery, including installation.

The programs really designed to help folks who are only installing a battery without solar, lets say, find where they are going to go next, Griffin said.

A single backup battery on its own will likely only last a couple of hours during an outage, even if electricity is used conservatively. Griffin said customers who can afford to go further will get significantly more protection by pairing a battery with solar panels.

A typical installation of about eight to 10 solar panels and one backup battery runs, roughly, between $25,000 and $35,000 before incentives. That kind of system can power a home on its own while the sun is shining, supplemented by the battery into nighttime.

The best advice that anyone can give you about a battery is that, in an outage event, conservation of your energy use is key, Griffin said. If you think of it like, you have this tank of electricity, and if you're using every single appliance in your house, that tank is going to drain very fast.

If you have a medical device and are running off a battery alone, conserving as much electricity as possible is critical, and having a plan for when the battery runs out is equally important.

Beyond the Xcel rebate for qualifying customers, additional incentives are available to the broader public. Those include State of Colorado tax credits, which typically amount to between $1,000 and $2,000, according to Griffin. There is also a Tesla rebate of $500 per Powerwall, capped at two units, which runs through June 30.

Xcel also offers a separate program open to nearly all of its customers. The Renewable Battery Connect program gives up to $5,000 in rebates towards backup batteries in exchange for giving Xcel five years of access to a customers battery with up to 60 discharge events per year back to the grid.

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.

The City of Golden has declared a Stage 1 drought, joining several other Colorado cities including Denver in asking residents to restrict their water use. The restrictions took effect Friday.

City officials said the move is proactive. Golden's reservoir levels are near full, and the restrictions are intended to protect that storage capacity amid an unseasonably warm winter.

Under the restrictions, residents should only water their lawns two days a week, between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. Golden residents also have 10 days from Friday to fix any leaks on their property.

A full list of restrictions is provided by the city on their website.

Repeated violations of the restrictions could result in a $1,000 fine and/or water service shutoff.

City officials have also released a list of ways the community can help conserve water:

The City of Boulder has decided mandatory water restrictions are not needed at this time. A city spokesperson said Boulder will remain under drought watch and is encouraging the community to voluntarily reduce water use.

Boulder does have a new permanent rule requiring residents to only use sprinkler systems to water their lawns between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m.

GOLDEN, Colo. An arrest warrant has been issued for a driver accused of striking a bicyclist in Golden late last month.

Ian Athas is wanted in connection with crash off of Johnson Road and US 6, which occurred shortly after 8 a.m. on March 25.

Police say Kristyn Wade was traveling south within a crosswalk and had the right of way when she was struck by the suspects vehicle after he entered the intersection against a red light.

Following an extensive investigation, the case against Athas was presented to the First Judicial District Attorneys Office for review. Earlier this week, the DAs office filed four counts against the suspect, including vehicular assault, driving under the influence, infliction of serious bodily injury to a vulnerable road user, and violation of a traffic control signal.

An arrest warrant for Athas was issued the same day, according to a Golden PD spokesperson.

Police said Wade sustained serious injuries and was initially transported to a local hospital following the crash but has since been transferred to a rehab center where she continues her recovery and is making positive improvements each day.

Anyone with information regarding Athas whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Golden Police Department at (303) 384-8045.

A semi trailer rolled into the median on Interstate 70 Friday, closing the left and middle eastbound lanes near Golden, per Colorado State Patrol officials.

The semi was the only vehicle involved, and no one was injured, officials said. The crash occurred around 2:30 p.m. near milepost 262.

The lanes were still closed as of 5 p.m., per the Colorado Department of Transportation.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. Hundreds of students from the Colorado School of Mines gathered Friday to take part in a 91-year-old tradition: pulling an ore cart down Colfax Avenue.

They traveled seven miles from Lakewood to Denvers Sculpture Park to connect with the schools mining heritage and to get a well-deserved break from the heavy student workload. The ore cart pull is part of E-days, a three-day engineering celebration.

Watch as students takeover Colfax in the tradition of 91 years

Its about a break from being a student and just getting to have fun with everyone that you normally go to school with and are doing work with, said Laney Casper, a junior in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. Both students and staff understand this is your time, and you get to do whatever you want with it.

The tradition, which dates back to 1934, has students taking turns to pull a mining cart by holding onto a large rope.

It is very nice to actually get to be able to pull very near the cart, said electrical engineering Senior Bryce Miller. Its a lot of watching for ankles, because this has come for my ankles a couple of times, actually.

For many students, the event is about community and honoring the past.

E-days is one of my favorite things about the school, Miller said. Getting to join in, to be with people who have been here long before me and people who will be here long after me its really cool to be a part of this continuing tradition.

Some students decided to make the trek a little more difficult by pulling a U-Haul trailer featuring a student playing a piano they found on Craigs List for free.

We needed to pull something else. The ore cart wasnt really enough, said Dylan Smith, the sophomore who provided tunes along the walk to Denver.

The students safely finished their march to Denvers Sculpture Park, but not before getting caught in the snow.

Its a great time to be outside with everyone, Casper said. The energy is great.

GOLDEN, Colo. A suspected drunk driver is accused of accelerating through a red light on Highway 6, striking and seriously injuring a Golden bicyclist, who remains in critical condition a week and a half later.

On March 25 just after 8 a.m., officers with the Golden Police Department responded to a crash involving a bicyclist at the intersection of Johnson Road and Highway 6, the department said.

The bicyclist, later identified as Kristyn Wade, was seriously injured, police said. She was transported to a local hospital and remains in critical condition. A GoFundMe has been set up to support her recovery.

Golden police determined that just before the crash, Wade had been biking southbound within the crosswalk on the west side of Johnson Road. At the same time, 35-year-old Ian Athas of Lakewood was driving westbound on Highway 6. Wade had the right of way in the crosswalk, as a train was approaching and traffic on both sides was stopped at a red light.

Investigators found that Athas was stopped in the far right westbound lane with other traffic on Highway 6, but then moved over to the left lane, accelerating through the red light and striking Wade on her bicycle.

At the scene, investigators suspected Athas was driving while intoxicated, Golden police said. The results of a toxicology test are pending.

Once complete, authorities will determine formal charges against Athas.

The GoFundMe reads that Wade was on her way to work when she was struck. At the hospital, she was initially placed in an induced coma due to brain swelling. She has undergone two surgeries, including one to fuse her C1 and C3 vertebrae after her C2 was damaged, and a second to repair her broken ankle and clean her leg wounds.

"She remains on a ventilator, and her family is preparing for additional procedures, including a tracheotomy and feeding tube, to support her recovery. Kristyn's journey ahead is uncertain, but her family is staying optimistic and taking things one day at a time," the GoFundMe reads.

Even with insurance, the out-of-pocket costs are mounting and her long-term care is expected to be "substantial," so the fundraiser is aiming for $45,0000 in donations. As of Friday at 5 p.m., nearly 500 people had contributed.

"Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference in her recovery and help her family focus on what matters most Kristyn's healing and well-being," the page reads.

The Golden Police Department said crashes like this one are preventable.

"Impaired driving and disregarding traffic signals put everyone at risk drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike," the department said. "The Golden Police Department urges all motorists to slow down, remain alert, obey traffic control devices, and never drive impaired. One poor decision can have life-altering consequences for multiple families."

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. - About a dozen students at Colorado School of Mines are putting the finishing touches on their real life concepts answering the question of what do to with all the flammable material left over after fire crews do mitigation work.

Their concepts are part of the Innov8x Biomass Challenge, where students create environmental and economic solutions to a problem. On April 3, the ideas will be presented to a panel of judges including a Jefferson County commissioner and Jason Puffett, division chief of Evergreen Fire's wildland division.

"We have one of the toughest geographies in the country, you know, in terms of wildfire risk," said Puffett.

WATCH: Denver7's Danielle Kreutter talks with experts and a student about the Innov8x Biomass Challenge

He said wildfire and forest mitigation is a constant battle for his team and others like them.

"We're looking at wildfire, we're looking at beetles," he said. "What we're seeing a tremendous amount of material being produced. How do we deal with this? We need to find a solution that has an economic component to, it so it's sustainable."

That's where the Innov8x Challenge comes in.

"We bring in industry, and we ask them for real problems, we frame it to our students, they have two to three weeks to come up with a solution," said Dr. Lia Franklin, acting director of the McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Colorado School of Mines.

One of the ideas comes from freshman Hannah Rodda. As a highschooler at Calvary Chapel High School, she worked with conductor ink made with what's called "carbon black" as a base. That conductive ink was developed by a different student team through an earlier program at that school.

"On a circuit board, it connects the things together. Basically, if you took an LED and two batteries and used the ink to connect it, the LED should turn on," Rodda explained.

When she learned that pine needles contained a high amount of carbon, she realized that the same reason they are such a strong fuel during wildfires actually can make them a good replacement for carbon black.

"This is the completely bio charred version of the pine needles. It went inside a nitrogen tube furnace, and it was burned at 400 degrees Celsius," Rodda said. "It gets mixed in with some other things and fully grinds it up. It's just going to be acting as a binder, basically, and it'll be able to smooth."

The idea is to use money made from the pine needle conductive ink to help fund more mitigation work.

"Usually conductive inks, they're made of silver, and that's about $300 to $2,000 per kilogram, and this one is instead about $20 to $300 so it's a huge, like, price gap there," she said.

Puffett got a sneak peek of Rodda's concept during her Denver7 interview.

"I'm blown away the creativity, the technical component," Puffett said. "It's going to be really fun to see what other ideas come to forefront on Friday."

The panel of judges will vote on winners, there will be a cash prize and the agencies may even work to implement the ideas.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. After staring up at a nest of baby peregrine falcons and their mother soaring overhead, Jerry Arni packs up his telescope, walks down a short trail and then he, too, flies.

His version just includes a harness and zip line over a river to his home.

Arni, 83, is one of the many volunteers with Jefferson County's raptor monitoring program. Since 2015, he has volunteered to walk a couple minutes from home to a vantage point along the North Fork South Platte River where he can safely monitor a peregrine falcon nest and any babies also called fledglings from afar.

For him, though, leaving the house is itself a unique experience, as it involves soaring across a rushing or frozen river, depending on the season.

Other Jeffco Parks and Open Space volunteers like him zip line or no zip line are tasked with reporting their observations about the raptors, their nests and possible fledglings. Arni is a self-described fanatic about peregrine falcons, which started when he saw his first one around 2015 across the river from his home.

"And there it was, standing up there, just beautiful," he told Denver7. "Well, you could see the whole thing. You could see the helmet that it has on it. The whole bird is just spectacular. So, the minute after that, I immediately signed up for being a raptor monitor for the Cathedral Spires."

It all stems down to the fact that I believe that raptors should be protected and be part of our lives forever, he continued.

The idea of compensation for all of his hours watching the peregrines made him scoff.

I couldn't even think of being rewarded for being here, Arni said, smiling. My reward is sort of in my heart.

Jefferson Countys raptor monitoring program has supported these birds of prey in the county for more than 20 years, relying on a group of dedicated volunteers who track raptor breeding patterns across more than 25 territories of the birds.

That includes species like great horned owls, golden eagles, red-tailed hawks and peregrines, and other predatory birds that keep other species' populations in check. The raptors mate in the winter or spring, and their fledglings learn to fly by late summer or fall.

Volunteers visit their designated sites where they can view the nests at least twice a month and submit reports on what they observe.

In 2025, about 40 volunteers spent more than 1,000 hours observing nests, surveying 93 in total, the county reported. Of those, about 30 nests were considered "active" and 52 fledglings were spotted.

The volunteers' reporting helps the county to determine when it can allow hikers and climbers back on certain trails that annually close when raptors begin nesting. This protects the animals, which will not lay eggs if they are stressed and disturbed by human presence. The trails only reopen once the fledglings are gone.

That's a world that Erickson Smith, natural resources specialist with Jeffco Parks and Open Space, gets to regularly dive into. He spoke with Denver7 during a walk around South Valley Park.

His career as a biologist kicked off by volunteering on public lands, so helping to manage the raptor monitoring program comes naturally to him. While some of the members are brand new, others have contributed their time since the program started 20 years ago.

"People's lives are really busy. And so seeing that commitment into something like conserving the natural resources in their community is really inspiring to me," Smith said. "And I feel like I need to pay it forward, because I was given the opportunity, once upon a time, and that got me here."

He explained that by tracking predators, biologists can learn what is happening across the broader landscape.

So, when Arni spotted newly hatched peregrines last year, it was a good sign.

Over the span of a few months, he zipped across the river and walked up to a safe viewing spot to watch the nest. Through all kinds of weather, he observed the fledglings' confidence increase and they began flapping their wings. To his knowledge, they all flew off, he said, noting that the 14- to 18-inch adults can fly 240 miles per hour, topping the list as the fastest animal on Earth.

"So last year, we absolutely were responsible for two more peregrine falcons being in the wild," he said. "And the parents hopefully will come back this year."

He told Denver7 on Tuesday afternoon that they had indeed returned.

When the adult peregrines are present, Arni said other raptors, like bald eagles and golden eagles, tend to leave the area.

"It's absolutely dominant," he said of the animal.

Golden eagles are another beloved raptor on Jefferson County's monitoring list.

Prior to our interview with Arni near his riverside home, Denver7 met with three other volunteers with the raptor monitoring program, including Tom Clark.

Clark had the rare chance to watch two golden eagles fledge at the same time. He has also witnessed a golden eagle snatch a crow from mid-air and bring it back to the nest to feed its young.

"That was pretty amazing," he said. "I'm very fortunate. It's not a job. It's an adventure."

Clark has volunteered with the program for eight years. Over that time, he has grown quite familiar with the species. He calls them dedicated and resilient parents that can endure anything from hailstorms and wildfires, to nearby traffic crashes and medevac helicopters flying overhead all while caring for their babies. Seeing them persevere through that difficulty to successfully raise their fledglings is part of what has kept him returning to volunteer.

"I intend to do it until I can't walk anymore," he said, grinning.

Third-year volunteer Danielle Duran also has her eyes to the sky something she has done her whole life before fully embracing her love for birds, especially raptors. However, the animals she watches are a little trickier to find during the day.

She monitors a great horned owl nest. Jeffco said the species had a "banner year" in 2025 with five of six monitored nests ending in success.

"I honestly do it because I find it fun and if I can spend my time doing something that I enjoy, that is also helping a bigger purpose, that's just a win," Duran said.

"The program is mostly made up of people who just love birds," she continued. "And if they got a chance to help out monitoring, ecology and habitats at the same time, it's kind of a win-win. But I think most of the volunteers, their first love is birds. And if it overlaps with volunteering, it's perfect."

Denver7 asked what has drawn her to these birds of prey.

"I don't do anything related to wildlife for my daily job. I work in marketing," Duran explained. "I think part of it is that they are so different from us. I feel like they're one of the animals that are the most opposite of say, a mammal like a primate. Their mannerisms, the way they interact with each other just feels so foreign."

Raptors feel mysterious and rare to her, she added.

"It feels like, when I get to watch them, getting a glimpse into a world that I don't normally get to see," she said.

Along a trail in South Valley Park, volunteer Erlinda Stafford explained how retirement has allowed her to spend more time outside. While she has committed to the program, she likes that she can choose when and how long she shows up. She monitors nests within that park and pointed a few of them out to Denver7.

"Oh, to watch the great horned owl fledglings," she said. "They are the cutest, fluffiest things you ever see. And then I also saw the fledglings down at the red-tailed hawks' nest. And they were gangly. They got these long legs. And you know, they're learning trying to learn to fly."

Stafford was trying something new too. She bought a new camera and has been learning photography while out watching the birds.

"When I first retired, I tried different volunteer things," she said. "And when I found this, I was like, 'Oh, this is my niche here.' Here we are. I get to be outside looking at birds, looking at nature, looking at all sorts of things and helping."

"I'm hooked. Hooked," she added. "I will keep doing this. Just as long as I can."

U.S. 6 in Golden is closed after a Saturday morning crash, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

A post on X from the Jeffco Sheriff's Department said the road was closed in both directions after an accident involving a cement truck and a box truck caused a hazmat spill. The sheriff's department called the road closure "lengthy," urging drivers to choose other routes.

The road was closed at Johnson Road in Golden at Mile Point 274.65, CDOT's alert stated. CDOT cameras show what looks to be a vehicle on its side in the roadway.

The agency said to expect delays.

GOLDEN, Colo. Women make up just a small fraction of the Colorado State Patrol, and one of the agencys highest-ranking leaders says she hopes that share continues to grow.

Major Afsoon Ansari, currently the highest-ranking female trooper serving in the Colorado State Patrol, says Womens History Month is a chance to reflect on the progress women have made in law enforcement and the work that still remains.

Women's History Month is really a time where we reflect how far we've come and how far we have to go, Ansari said.

She joined the Colorado State Patrol in 2003 and has served the state ever since, beginning her career as a trooper in Adams County. Ansari said her path into law enforcement started early with a desire to serve the community.

I knew early on I wanted to go into law enforcement when I was younger, so preparing for that was really throughout my life, just preparing for a career of service and wanting to help the community, Ansari said.

Today, she is part of a growing legacy of women who have helped shape the Colorado State Patrol. But, women were not always part of the agencys uniformed ranks.

In 1977, Patricia ORourke became the first woman hired to the Colorado State Patrol. At the time, officers were still referred to as patrolmen.

ORourke broke down that barrier, and over the following decades, several women reached historic milestones within the agency.

Rosiland Johnson became the first African American woman hired by CSP in 1986 and made history again in 1991 when she was promoted to sergeant.

In 2014, Anne Robinson became the first woman and fourth ever person in CSP to be promoted to sergeant major.

Ansari said those pioneers helped open doors for the women serving today.

As a woman in the Colorado State Patrol, I stand on the shoulders of many women that came before me, she said.

Women remain underrepresented in the CSP and agencies nationwide, with women making up just 6% of CSP troopers statewide. Ansari says efforts are underway to recruit and support more women in law enforcement.

She leads the Colorado State Patrols Womens Resource Network, which was created in 2008 to provide mentorship, professional development and support for women in the agency.

Law enforcement has evolved over the years, and during my profession, there was a need to build a network, a mentorship group, to support women in law enforcement, Ansari said.

The program also focuses on community engagement and recruitment to help encourage more women to consider careers in policing.

Ansari believes representation matters for the next generation of officers.

When women can look up to others that are like themselves, they understand that there are no boundaries, she said.

As more women continue to enter the profession, Ansari says the goal is to build on the legacy created by those who came before.

My advice to any women looking to join law enforcement is that if you have a heart for service, there is a place for you at the Colorado State Patrol, she said.

Golden police have released suspect descriptions and locations for two alleged sexual assault incidents that prompted a public safety announcement in late January.

The first alleged sexual assault happened in the Golden Cemetery in the early afternoon of Jan. 18, according to a Friday release from the City of Golden. The second incident, described as an alleged attempted sexual assault, occurred exactly a week later, Jan. 25, on the Clear Creek Trail when a suspect chased a woman who was running on the trail, according to the release.

The second incident is being described as an attempted sexual assault "based on the information currently available and the similarities to the other alleged sexual assault; however, the victim was able to get away before the assault was completed," City of Golden Spokesperson Meredith Ritchie wrote in an email to Denver7.

Investigators have not determined if the incidents are related, the release said. It "remains a possibility" that the two suspects could be the same person, but police "do not yet have enough information to confirm a connection," Ritchie said in the email.

Composite sketches that were created based on the victims' memories were also shared in the release, and Golden Police are asking for the public's help to identify potential suspects.

The suspect in the Jan. 18 incident is described in the release as a Hispanic man in his late 20s to early 30s with a medium build and dark, curly or wavy hair, brown eyes and a groomed beard. Police believes he drives a maroon 2001 Subaru Forester.

The suspect in the Jan. 25 incident is described in the release as a Middle Eastern man in his mid-20s with a slender build and dark, curly or wavy hair, brown eyes and a faint mustache. The release said there is "no known vehicle associated" with him.

The police department drew criticism in the initial Facebook announcement as well as the most recent update for not releasing information on the suspects and incident locations sooner.

"We understand the communitys concerns and the desire for as much information as possible as quickly as possible," Ritchie wrote in the email. "At the same time, there is a critical need to protect the integrity of the investigation, safeguard the privacy and well-being of the victims, and avoid tipping off potential suspects in a way that could cause them to flee, alter their behavior, or go underground.

"It is a careful balance between transparency and effective investigative work," she wrote, adding that officers "have heightened alert in our community to bring these cases to a close."

Police are asking anyone who may be able to help with identifying either suspect to call Golden Police Departments non-emergency number at 303-980-7300.

The National Laboratory of the Rockies formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has cut another 134 positions, a spokesperson for the Golden-based lab confirmed Tuesday, after more than 100 employees lost their jobs less than a year ago.

These actions were taken to adjust to existing and projected funding levels and alignment with DOE priorities, NLR Spokesperson David Glickson wrote in an emailed statement about the most recent round of cuts. We recognize the meaningful contributions of those impacted and the role they have played in advancing the laboratorys work.

The lab is part of the U.S. Department of Energy and employs nearly 4,000 researchers, postdocs, interns and operations staff, according to its website. The NLRs main campus is in Golden, with another campus about 25 miles north in Arvada and another in Fairbanks, Alaska. There is also an office in Washington, D.C.

Glickson said both research and operations roles were included in the slash, but no further information on the cuts was provided.

The center previously cut more than 100 positions in May 2025 in the wake of federal funding cuts, our media partners at the Denver Post reported at the time. Then in December 2025, the lab changed its name from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR).

We are no longer picking and choosing energy sources, U.S. Department of Energy spokesperson said in a statement at the time. Our highest priority is to invest in the scientific capabilities that will restore American manufacturing, drive down costs, and help this country meet its soaring energy demand.

At the time of the name change, Glickson told Denver7 that no staffing changes were planned.

Our research focus is driven by funding, which is determined by congressional appropriation and oversight by the U.S. Department of Energy, he said.

U.S. Rep. Brittany Petterson, whose district includes Golden, slammed the layoffs in a Tuesday morning statement, saying that President Donald Trumps backwards agenda is going to undo the progress weve made to combat the climate crisis and have cascading effects on our economy.

Donald Trump has consistently put our federal workforce on the chopping block, she said in the statement. These are people who work to make energy more affordable, conduct groundbreaking climate research, and keep our state up and running.

To better understand the impact of the layoffs, Denver7 spoke with Jonathan Singer, senior director of policy with the Boulder Chamber of Commerce.

He said Boulder is mobilizing to protect Colorado's federal research facilities as the Trump administration moves forward with these workforce reductions.

"This is not something that is being taken lightly, and we really are taking every opportunity to understand the breadth of the impact," Singer said.

Singer explained Boulder is home to several prominent federal laboratories, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), which have been targeted in the current administration's cuts.

Denver7 was there when the community rallied to save the labs in December.

Singer emphasized that the chamber's efforts extend beyond local advocacy to include national coordination with congressional representatives.

"We're working at the individual level to protect our workforce, but we're also working on a congressional and national level to tell our President and Congress that this doesn't just affect Colorado. This affects the security and innovation economy for the nation," Singer said.

Singer also stressed that protecting federal research facilities should transcend partisan politics.

"It really is up to us as a community now to make sure that our federal government officials hear this loud and clear, that this is not red or blue. This is about the innovation and security of our community," Singer said.

Two daytime sexual assault incidents that happened while victims were "walking alone in in isolated public areas" are under investigation, the Golden Police Department announced Friday.

No suspects have been identified, and it is currently not known if the incidents are related, the release stated. The City of Golden said in a Facebook post that sharing additional details "could hamper" the investigation, but that the locations of the incidents "were not close to one another."

Denver7 has reached out for additional information.

The department said it "recommends citizens exercise a higher level of caution in public locations" and shared the following safety tips in the announcement:

GOLDEN, Colo. It is the best version of chaos imaginable: a sea of wagging tails, golden coats, and thousands of dog lovers taking over Washington Avenue in Golden.

The city is bracing for a massive influx of furry visitors on Feb. 7 for the annual Goldens in Golden celebration. What started in 2019 as a small gathering for National Golden Retriever Day has exploded into a national phenomenon. This year, the event is bigger and fluffier than ever.

For local businesses, the event is more than just a photo op; its a lifeline during the quietest month of the year.

"There was talk at one point about taking the event away or making it a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said Susan Ganter, co-owner of The Golden Mill. "But the businesses said, Nope, we need it. Its been great for business at this slow time of year and such a feel-good community event."

The Golden Mill, located right across from the Coors Brewery, will serve as a hub for the festivities, hosting a "Paws-ty" kickoff on Friday night featuring live music and a signature Golden Retriever ice sculpture.

With dogs arriving from 44 different states and 2,000 RSVPs already counted, the City of Golden has expanded the event to keep everyone safe and happy.

Here is a look at what to expect at the 2026 Goldens in Golden event:

Whether you are coming for the iconic group photo under the Golden Arch or just to enjoy a pup cup, Feb. 7 promises to be a day where Golden, Colorado truly lives up to its name.

Watch Denver7's coverage from this event in 2025 in the video player below:

The former Colorado School of Mines professor who pleaded guilty to killing a Golden police officer in a drunk driving crash that also injured three others was sentenced to 13 years in the Department of Corrections Wednesday afternoon.

More than 50 people filled the courtroom for the sentencing of Stephen Geer in an emotional hearing that began Wednesday morning and lasted well into the afternoon.

Family members and colleagues of Evan Dunn, the Golden police officer who was killed, asked for the maximum consecutive sentence to reflect the magnitude of the loss and risk of driving under the influence, while Geers family asked for a shorter sentence that considered his remorse and growth.

"Im truly, deeply and unequivocally sorry," Geer said during the sentencing.

He said that he did not expect forgiveness, but that he hoped his impending incarceration could offer some sense of closure for the surviving victims.

Judge Russell Klein called the victim statements from Dunn's family among the most powerful statements he has heard.

In October 2025, Geer pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide while driving under the influence and vehicular assault while driving under the influence. As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss additional charges on the condition that Geer serve a prison sentence of four to 18 years, eliminating the possibility of probation, Denver7 reported at the time.

The prosecution asked for a consecutive sentence, while the defense asked for a concurrent sentence.

Geer was ultimately sentenced to nine years in prison with a mandatory five-year parole for vehicular homicide and four years in prison with a mandatory three-year parole for the vehicular assault, with the prison sentences being served consecutively and parole being served concurrently. The court also ordered restitution; the amount sought will be determined later.

Just before the sentence was handed down, the judge noted that Geer had no prior criminal conduct, and said that the court was "skeptical" that any length of sentence would be a deterrent to others likely to commit a similar offense.

He said the problem was not that Geer had a drinking problem and elected to drink that day, but that he chose to drive after drinking. He called drunk driving crashes "senseless and preventable" and said that this was "a foreseeable outcome."

The case began in November 2024, when Golden Police Officers Evan Dunn and Bethany Peterson, formerly Bethany Grusing, responded to a crash involving two cars along Highway 58. At the time, the roads were slick with snow, according to the arrest affidavit.

Geer, who was driving in the eastbound left lane toward the collision, then crashed into the cars, pinning Dunn and Peterson beneath one of the vehicles.

Dunn was killed. Peterson and two civilians were seriously injured.

According to the arrest affidavit, Geer's eyes looked watery and his breath smelled of alcohol after the crash. Police asked him to complete a roadside test to ensure he could drive safely, which he initially agreed to but ultimately refused. Police later obtained a blood search warrant and completed a blood draw on Geer, which found his blood alcohol content was over twice the legal limit more than three hours after the crash.

Dunn was 33 years old and is survived by his wife, their dog, his parents and his two siblings. In Wednesdays sentencing hearing, family members and colleagues described Dunn as kind, brave, generous, quiet, observant and dedicated to service.

I just dont have words that can fully and fairly capture how deep that loss is. Its real, its forever, it hurts. Its the greatest Ive known, Evan Dunns brother Tyler Dunn said at the sentencing. The collective pain caused by this tragedy is immeasurable."

I lost a friend, I lost a confidant, I lost a brother, he said. I lost my only brother.

He said his 6-year-old still cries because he misses his Uncle Evan.

Cindy Dunn, Evan Dunns mother, also spoke of the grief and loss her family has experienced.

"Due to the actions taken by Stephen Geer, I will never again in this life experience Evans sweetness, she said. A kiss quietly placed on the top of my head at unexpected moments. Silent side hugs given for no reason at all. Or his smirky smile and eyes full of merriment and mischief, that means hes enjoying his own private joke and isnt sharing it with anyone.

Holidays, she said, will never be complete.

Due to the actions taken by Stephen Geer, I will never again in this life experience a family gathering of all my children, she said. No more Thanksgiving dinners, loving the twinkle in Evans eye, when he first sees my apple cobbler his favorite. No more Christmases with him wearing matching PJ's with the rest of us.

She said that although she forgives Geer, forgiveness is not the same as a lack of consequences for wrong actions.

Sentences send a message, she said. I respectfully request that the court impose consecutive sentences that send a strong message that driving under the influence is not worth the risk.

Bill Dunn, Evan Dunns father, also asked the court for consecutive sentences that reflect the magnitude and permanence of the loss.

Aubrey Rowden, Dunns older sister, said he had goodness left to give, and that goodness was stolen.

She said that no sentence handed down would be able to restore what was taken, but that accountability and consequences matter. The value of her brothers life, she said, must be reflected in the courts decision. She asked for a consecutive, maximum sentence.

This is not about vengeance, it is about justice, she said.

Dunn's widow also spoke in court, but has requested privacy. Denver7 is not including her statement in order to honor her wishes.

Golden Police Chief Joe Harvey spoke of lasting impacts on other members of the Golden Police Department, and the night of the crash when he was filled with helplessness. He described the fear, horror, and sheer panic" that Dunn and Petersons colleagues felt when they arrived on the scene and tried to lift the car off of the two officers with their bare hands.

When they could not lift that car, they crawled under, lying on the cold, wet, and slushy road, he said. Their uniforms will forever be stained in the blood of their teammates.

"All they could do was hold Evan Dunns hands, telling him it would be OK, letting him know that they were there.

When the fire department arrived, he said, it took hours to lift the car off of Dunn.

Our brothers from the fire department would have to beg our officers to get out from underneath that car, as they needed to do their job, Harvey said. As you can imagine, these brave men and women refused. They did not want to leave Evan alone."

More than 500 first responders from 76 agencies participated in a procession through metro Denver in Dunns honor ahead of his November 2024 memorial service, Denver7 reported.

"I want Stephen Geer to know that while others may find it hard to forgive, I do not judge him, I do not condemn him, but I do forgive him," Harvey said. "Stephen Geer has accepted responsibility for his actions with this plea agreement, but today is about accountability for his actions.

Golden Officer Peterson whose last name was Grusing at the time and two civilians were also seriously injured in this crash. Peterson fractured a cheekbone, and the driver of one of the cars sustained a skull fracture and brain bleed, according to the affidavit. That drivers father was thrown over the barrier and into the westbound lane, seriously lacerating his head and elbow, according to the arrest document.

Peterson's family members who spoke described the trauma and heartbreak she has faced since the crash.

What began as a routine call for service left scars that will never heal, her husband Tanner Peterson told the court.

He said the crash left her with a fear of driving and that she didnt return to work for more than two months, in a stark contrast to her usual resilience and dedication.

Losing someone you depend on, in the line of duty, is devastating, Delaney McCleish, Peterson's cousin, said in a statement read to the court by a representative. Having to process that loss while broken, traumatized, and healing, is something no one should ever have to endure.

Annie Pearse, the woman who fractured her skull, was 23 at the time of the crash and described the trauma she has experienced in the wake of the injury in a victim impact statement an advocate read on her behalf.

In an instant, that forward momentum stopped, she said in the statement. My life was put on hold not by choice, but by another persons decisions.

She said she has a traumatic brain injury and PTSD that causes flashbacks, makes her feel unsafe and sometimes makes her feel like the crash is happening again.

I survived the crash, but survival does not mean recovery, she said in the statement.

Her father, Jim Pearse, spoke afterwards and explained how the two left work a little early on the evening of the crash in separate vehicles. His daughter called and told him she had been involved in a "simple accident," so he turned around to help her.

Officers Dunn and Peterson were with his daughter, assisting her when Jim arrived.

"They were so wonderful to my daughter and I," Jim Pearse recalled.

When Geer crashed into the group, Jim Pearse was thrown over the barrier separating the highway, landing in the fast lane.

I flew a long ways. And somehow, I was not run over by another car in the fast lane," he said.

He awoke on other side of the highway to police officers yelling and crawled back over the barrier to see his daughter laying in the fetal position on the road. Jim Pearse believed he had lost his daughter at that moment.

Thank goodness, God took care of us that night, and we were able to find a way to get back to being healthy again. However, the pain of that evening remains in our family," Jim Pearse said. "The pain of Evan, and talking to him I was the last person to talk to him remains in our family."

Lynn Noesner, Geers wife, apologized to the survivors in the room and said she saw their pain and wished she could take it away.

When Geer returned home after being arrested, she said the first thing he told her was that he wished he had been the one who died.

His remorse was so great, he wished he was the one in the grave, she said.

She said Geer struggled with addiction and lifelong depression and has tried different interventions with varying levels of success. She said he went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting the day after the crash and continued to attend the meetings every day for 90 days. He now attends them weekly, she said, and has confronted the underlying issues that led him here.

She asked the court for the lowest possible sentence in recognition of his growth and consideration of their daughters well-being.

My deepest and most sincere wish for all families involved is that we can all heal," she said.

Other close family friends of Geer who spoke at the sentencing said they did not believe a long prison sentence was the answer.

This terrible decision under terrible circumstances does not reflect the Steve that I know him to be," one of them said.

Geer was diagnosed with severe alcohol use disorder, depression and anxiety by Dr. Jennifer Rosenthal, who was asked to complete a forensic psychiatric evaluation and spoke at Wednesdays hearing. She described him as deeply remorseful and said that his diagnoses substantially impaired his judgment and decision-making on the day of the crash.

Geers drinking began that morning, according to the prosecutions statements made at the hearing. Jefferson County Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Domingues said Geer purchased alcohol five times throughout the day, driving between his workplace and liquor stores several times, and a search of the vehicle revealed IPA cans and shooters of vodka.

Geer was still accelerating four seconds prior to the crash, and was driving 68 mph, which Domingues said was well above the speed limit. Both the prosecution and defense agreed that although Geer attempted to brake, his alcohol impairment compromised his ability to do so.

A search of his computer also revealed searches like do prosecutors look at location history or purchase history? Multiple attempts were made to remotely factory reset Geers phone, though its still not clear who made those attempts.

Geers defense attorney, Megan Downing, said that Geer contends with the reality of what happened every day and that what she witnessed from him was absolute collapse of an individual overcome with grief, shame and remorse."

His punishment, she said, goes beyond the sentence.

He will wish for the rest of his life that he did not get behind the wheel that day," she said.

When Geer addressed the court, he said that the tragedy would impact how he lives for the rest of his life.

I wish there was more I could do, more I could say, more I could offer the victims than just this apology," he said, adding that the remorse and accountability would not end today.

He said he vows to remain sober and share the lessons hes learned with others who are in the cycle of addiction.

The man who pleaded guilty to hitting and killing Golden Police Officer Evan Dunn will be sentenced Wednesday morning at the Jefferson County courthouse.

Stephen Geer accepted a plea deal in October for the DUI crash in November of 2024 that resulted in 33-year-old Dunn's death, another officer and two additional people getting hurt.

Dunn and another officer were investigating a separate crash on Highway 58 when Geer drove into multiple stopped vehicles and people at the scene of that earlier crash. Both officers were trapped underneath the car when Geer drove into them.

Geer initially faced five charges but when he accepted the October plea deal, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, both while driving under the influence more than twice the legal limit.

Officer Dunn died at the scene and police say is survived by his wife, parents and two siblings.

Following the deadly crash, Golden Police Chief Joe Harvey described who Officer Dunn was.

He's an amazing human being. He has had a long, stellar career in the military, where he flew black hawk helicopters and served as a commander. Internally, he's going to be survived by 71 members of his Golden family who love and care for him deeply, Police Chief Joe Harvey said.

As part of Geers plea agreement, he faces a mandatory sentence ranging from four to 18 years in priosn. His sentencing is set to start at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Geer was formerly a Colorado School of Mines assistant professor.

Prior coverage:

City leaders in Golden are demanding accountability from Xcel Energy following planned power outages across the Front Range last month, saying the execution revealed serious infrastructure shortcomings.

In a January 3 letter to Xcel Energy Colorado and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, the City of Golden and city councilmembers outlined the impacts the shutoffs had on businesses, restaurants and residents, including lost wages, spoiled food and additional heating costs.

Golden city leaders criticized Xcel's communication during the shutoffs, calling the company's timelines for outages and restoration "vague, frequently shifting, or entirely absent." In a December 17 news release, Xcel said restoring outages after high winds and planned shutoffs was "expected to take several hours to several days." Xcel said crews could not begin power restoration until all power lines in the area were visibly inspected and repaired.

The letter from the City of Golden demands several changes, including improved communication with cities during shutoffs, a compensation program for residents and businesses affected by planned outages, and hardened Xcel infrastructure. City leaders said Xcel needs to invest in more resilient infrastructure to reduce or eliminate reliance on public safety power shutoffs as a wildifre prevention strategy.

Brandon Bortles, owner of Nosu Ramen in downtown Golden, said his restaurant is still trying to make up lost profit after closing for four days during the December planned outage. He said his business lost about $25,000 in revenue and had to throw away up to $7,000 worth of food and drinks because of the lack of power.

"I feel like a pawn in a game of liability," Bortles said. "The whole front range needs infrastructure investment."

Xcel Energy said it implements Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) during extreme winds and high fire danger to protect communities. During the PSPS in December, Xcel Energy Colorado President Robert Kenney said nearly 90,000 customers lost power at the height of Friday's wind event. He said some of the outages were related to the proactive de-energization while some were related to storm damage from the winds.

During a press conference on December 20, Kenney said Xcel began communicating with customers, counties and other stakeholders about the planned outage as early as four days before it happened.

"We know that there's always room for improvement, and we will do an after action review to assess where we have opportunities to improve, because we never want to rest on our laurels and we never want to be satisfied," Kenney said during the December 20 press conference.

In a statement to Denver7, an Xcel spokesperson said the company appreciates the feedback from the City of Golden, but stands by their decision to prioritize safety:

Denver7 also reached out to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for a response to the City of Golden's demands. We are waiting to hear back and will update this article with any response.

In an interview on December 20, the owner of Woody's Pizza in downtown Golden said he understands the need for safety measures during dangerous weather conditions, but said they should not come at the expense of small businesses.

"There's kind of a general sense of frustration," owner Jon Bortles said. "They've (Xcel Energy) got millions and millions of dollars. They need to be burying these power lines so that the wind doesn't cause these these outages."

In mid-December, the Front Range saw hurricane-force winds, with gusts reaching 112 mph in Boulder County on Friday, December 19. The storm caused damage, outages, fires and travel disruptions, but no injuries were reported.

Ron from Jefferson County writes,

There are many factors when it comes to lighting any roadway tunnel tunnel length, number of lanes, direction of travel, sloped approach, divided roadway, daytime and nighttime conditions, among others. To add to the complexity of any tunnel lighting, the length of a tunnel matters. Long tunnels are divided into zones, each of which requires a different design and system specification. In other words, a long tunnel like the mile and a half Eisenhower- Johnson Memorial Tunnel along Interstate 70 at the Continental Divide is much more challenging to light adequately than the shorter 500 to 600 foot long tunnels along US 6 in Clear Creek Canyon.

There are three tunnels on US 6 between Golden and Highway 119. There are two more between Highway 119 and I-70. When you enter a tunnel on Highway 6 in Clear Creek Canyon from either direction you will see a row of LED lights above that lane. They are spaced about 10 feet apart and seem from my naked eye to provide lots of light when entering the tunnel. Then the lights abruptly end at about the half-way point in the tunnel.

According to the Federal Highway Administration Lighting Handbook, the most significant factor in determining how a short tunnel should be lighted is how big the exit portal is in an approaching drivers view. Additional factors are the presence of pedestrians or cyclists, whether the tunnel is undivided with bi-directional traffic, and traffic speed and volume.

MORE: Read more traffic issues driving people crazy

Engineers with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) told me the lighting isn't continuous throughout these tunnels as they are designed to provide a smooth light transition as you enter. According to the Lighting Handbook, for short tunnels, the driver adjustment to the tunnel lighting can be complicated by the appearance of a bright exit portal. The brightness of the exit portal can reduce or prevent the drivers eyes from adjusting optimally to the light past the exit of the tunnel. Im told the halfway lighting design of the US 6 tunnels is based on this, as well as studies showing that it requires less lighting while still ensuring a safe and comfortable experience entering and exiting the tunnel. Additionally, daylight is considered to provide adequate illumination for a distance of roughly 50 feet from the exit portal, thus, not needing additional illumination.

The Federal Highway Adminsitration said most short tunnels are unlikely to have supplemental daytime lighting through the entire tunnel. More commonly, a short tunnel will be lit along just a part of its length. Possible exceptions to this are short tunnels that have frequent pedestrian or cyclist presence, or those with curvature so the exit portal is not in the view of approaching drivers. Those exceptions dont come into play with the Clear Creek Canyon tunnels.

One of the tricky aspects of lighting any tunnel is matching the outside light intensity with LED lights inside a tunnel. These tunnels along Highway 6 use LED bulbs to make them more energy efficient and reduce electricity costs, but they are also connected to a photocells lighting system.

The photocells are strategically placed so they will automatically adjust the brightness of the LED bulbs inside the tunnel based on the amount of natural light outside. Traffic engineers said the photocell system ensures the best visibility for drivers at all times of the day, from bright sunlight to overcast conditions to night time. It is similar to the system inside the new I-70 Central tunnel near York Street that I covered just before one of the tunnels opened to traffic in 2021.

As for the actual lights inside all five Clear Creek Canyon tunnels, they were replaced between April 2021 and April 2022. The $5 million project included new LED lights, new lane traffic control signals at the tunnel portals, and other infrastructure updates.

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GOLDEN, Colo.  The town of Golden woke up to some much-needed snow Sunday morning.

It just brings some like a new clean plate, especially going into the new year, Windy Saddle Caf employee Stella Wieber said.

Snowfall is a welcome sight for businesses like Windy Saddle Cafe in downtown Golden. Wieber said the cafe sees benefits being in the foothills, especially on snowy days.

We get a lot of ski traffic. It's either early mornings or late afternoons. We'll see a lot of ski traffic come through just because of I-70 being right here, said Wieber.

Some visitors say they were worried there wouldnt be any snow.

We were checking the weather daily. We saw there was no snow when we went out to dinner. We went to bed, and we woke up, and we saw it had snowed. So, we were really surprised. Callie Teinert, a Florida resident, said.

The surprise snowfall has brought more activity to the businesses in Golden.

We're going to do some lessons, ski for a little bit, hopefully go ice skating, snow tubing, hopefully experience it all, Callie Teinert said.

Also on the Teinert familys itinerary was a stop in Golden on the way to the mountain, and of course, a snowball fight.

We tried to build a snowman, but the ice is too thin. It's not that thick, Madison Teinert, a Florida resident, told Denver7.

Golden Goods manager Nick Aichholz said he usually sees a lot more snow by this time of year.

I have a Keystone pass this year, and the snow has not been very good up in the mountains. So, Ive been going skiing less than Id like to, because the snow is just so thin and bare, Aichholz said.

But in the meantime, even one day of snow makes a difference.

When the snow is good, sometimes we see more skiers come through, Aichholz said.

State highways have been safer for more than 100 days after Colorado State Patrol (CSP) troopers set a goal of preventing impaired driving-related fatalities for at least that long.

Troop 1A, 1E which encompasses Jefferson, Clear Creek and Gilpin counties met that goal on Halloween, according to CSP Captain Justin Williams.

There was a couple times where we had to reset. There was a few times where we had, we hit, like, 60 days, and we were feeling really good, and then we had to reset again, Capt. Williams said.

As of Monday, the team is up to 153 days.

Very often we see the other side of it where we see a family completely torn apart because of an impaired driver has taken someone from their lives. And that's all encompassing. The family of the impaired driver even faces that, and that's what we see, Captain Williams said. We see the impact that that makes on a family, and I think that's where the care comes from. You see that up close and personal, and you say, I don't want that to happen again.

Captain Williams attributes the success to the troopers implementing more sobriety checkpoints.

He said they had an increase in impaired driving arrests this year and a decrease in overall DUI crashes.

GOLDEN, Colo. Several small businesses in Golden on Washington Avenue say preventative power shutoffs during strong winds are cutting into what is typically their busiest shopping weekend of the year, forcing owners to get creative to stay open while bracing for lost revenue.

On Friday, many storefronts along Washington Avenue were without electricity as high winds moved through the area. Some businesses relied on generators, natural light or cash-only transactions to continue operating.

Susan Lusk, owner of Red Wagon Gift Shop, said the timing could not be worse.

This is literally the busiest weekend of the year, or should be, Lusk said.

Lusk said December sales help carry her business through slower months early in the year. Without power, she has been limited to cash or Venmo payments and reduced staffing, with far fewer customers than usual.

This is where we make a lot of our money, Lusk said. That gets us through the slow months, and the fact that were shut down for at least two days and some people have been shut down for four days now its tough.

Lusk estimates the shop has been losing about $1,000 a day, with losses climbing into the thousands if the outage continues.

Just down the street, Old Barrel Tea Company owner Heather Maccalous said losing electricity during the final weekend before Christmas could mean missing out on tens of thousands of dollars in sales.

Having our busiest weekend out of commission could be $10,000 to $20,000 worth of sales, which is significant, Maccalous said.

Maccalous said her store stayed open using limited power from a generator, but the lack of lighting and full payment systems made operations difficult. She said the priority remains paying staff, even as uncertainty looms days before Christmas.

My staff is my priority, she said. My staff will get paid. But the week of Christmas, its difficult.

At Vital Outdoors, generators allowed the business to keep some lights on and process card payments, though foot traffic was noticeably slower than normal, according to assistant manager Makaila Connell.

Usually, we definitely have a lot more people coming in, Connell said, adding the store could be down a few thousand dollars compared to a typical day this time of year.

All three businesses said they understand the purpose behind the power shutoffs, which are intended to reduce wildfire risk during extreme wind conditions. Still, owners say the economic impact during peak holiday shopping is significant.

Its hard to say whether its overkill or not, Lusk said. You certainly dont want another Marshall Fire again.

Despite the challenges, business owners said they are relying on community support to help them get through the outage.

Golden is a resilient community, Maccalous said. Whether its 10-feet of snow or wind, people are still going to come out. So, it was important for us to stay open.

GOLDEN, Colo. An innovative green concrete is taking shape at Colorado School of Mines, where researchers are replacing cement with biochar, testing if there is a way to reduce landfill waste while also making concrete better.

Lori Tunstall, assistant professor at Colorado School of Mines, explained her fascination with concrete as it is a material that people interact with every day, but it's also responsible for 8% of the world's CO2 emissions. She wanted to take on the challenge of making concrete more sustainable while still being an efficient material.

"My approach was to keep the cement the same," said Tunstall. "The cement is the basic building block of concrete. I didn't want to look for alternative cements; that's a big area that a lot of people are looking at because cement is really the biggest CO2 emitter in concrete. Instead of replacing that cement with something else, I wanted to see if we can still use the cement and offset the carbon footprint somehow."

Since 2020, she has been researching how biochar made from waste like food scraps, cardboard, and paper can partially replace cement in concrete. Now, the team is exploring whether landfill waste can also work in concrete production.

"So by us taking landfill and replacing landfill waste and converting it to biochar and then replacing part of the cement with this carbon negative material, we're basically addressing the carbon emissions from two big emitting sectors, so it's a way to have maximal impact," Tunstall said.

Last year, Tunstall received a faculty startup fellowship, which gave her teaching relief and allowed her to focus on commercializing her research. She credits the Colorado School of Mines for encouraging her to take the next step and turn this research into a business.

"It's one of those things where it can be really daunting, you don't know what you don't know, and I've never been trained in how to start a company and engage in entrepreneurship. They've given a lot of resources to help make that less overwhelming and more achievable," Tunstall said.

She co-founded ZeroTwelve, where the "Zero" stands for net-zero concrete and "Twelve" for the atomic weight of carbon.

"It's been a lot of fun, lots of learning, taken out of my comfort zone every day, but it's been a lot of fun to see the research that you're doing that had the potential to go to market and actually impact people outside of the lab," Tunstall said.

Julia Hylton is the lead researcher for ZeroTwelve and graduated from Colorado School of Mines. She explained that many people are surprised to see the black concrete, which gets its dark color from the carbon being locked in place.

"Concrete is the most used material in the world after water, so even, like a small replacement, a small change can make a huge difference," said Hytlon. "We use billions and billions of tons of concrete every year."

Testing concrete and finding ways to lower its carbon footprint is not the career Hylton envisioned, but now she can't picture herself doing anything different.

"It's so fun to feel like the work that you're doing and the research that you're doing can actually make a difference, and its a quick solution to something that we've been struggling with for years and years and years," Hylton said.

Looking to the future, Tunstall was awarded a million-dollar research grant from the Moore Foundation and hopes to change the narrative about concrete being a big CO2 emitter to instead be a sustainable foundation.

"I got into research because I loved research. I love solving problems. I never thought really about the broader impact, and I think that has definitely changed," said Tunstall. "When I saw the potential impact of the research that we were doing, and now my focus has definitely shifted to what's the maximum impact, what's the maximum good we can do with our research."

DENVER The Trump administration's shift away from renewable energy is playing out very directly in the Denver metro.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden has been renamed the National Laboratory of the Rockies. The change is effective immediately.

NREL, which employs roughly 3,500 people, was founded in 1973 in response to the oil crisis, to research a broad array of energy sources, including solar and wind.

In a statement about the change, a U.S. Department of Energy spokesperson said, "We are no longer picking and choosing energy sources. Our highest priority is to invest in the scientific capabilities that will restore American manufacturing, drive down costs, and help this country meet its soaring energy demand. The National Laboratory of the Rockies will play a vital role in those efforts.

Denver7 anchor Shannon Ogden asked NREL if the name change would result in a change of direction of the work done at the lab and whether any layoffs are expected as a result.

"No staffing changes are planned at this time. Our research focus is driven by funding, which is determined by congressional appropriation and oversight by the U.S. Department of energy," said NREL spokesman David Glickson.

Ogden also interviewed Aaron Templer, lecturer at Metropolitan State University of Denver, about the change.

"I think any time the funding changes and the agenda changes, it's smart to rethink a brand," said Templer. "They're probably wanting to send a new message about what the lab does and said it as much, broader focus they want to take in terms of energy that the name 'renewable' didn't encapsulate."

In May, more than 100 workers were laid off from NREL because of budget cuts and a change in priorities in the Trump administration.

If you havent hiked at Mount Galbraith Park in a while, heres an excuse to go back an official trail was established a couple years ago that takes you right to the summit.

Mount Galbraith is a hiker-only park in the foothills west of Golden. For years, hikers would ask if we were going to the summit. I always said there wasnt a trail, but that changed a few years ago. The Mount Galbraith Summit Trail is half a mile long and worth every step.

For this hike, we started at the main trailhead on Golden Gate Canyon Road. The trailhead has limited parking so if you come on a weekend, have a backup plan in case the parking lot is full. There is a little roadside parking, but the road also has areas with no parking signs. The park's secondary parking area is on the east side in a neighborhood off Highway 93.

The main trailhead has bathrooms and a signboard with a map. The Cedar Gulch Trail heads up a small canyon about 1/8 mile, then switchbacks up the hill.

Above the parking lot, youll turn into a new canyon on a trail along the hillside. The trail is mostly singletrack, meaning it is not wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

The trail winds along the hillside and through the trees.

At 0.6 miles from the trailhead, the trail takes a big right turn into another canyon. If you get a bit confused about where the trail goes, dont worry, it happens to a lot of people. Just work your way over the rocks until you see the trail continuing on.

The trail winds along the hillside in a canyon. At times, youll be on dirt, but the trail does get pretty rocky in some spots.

At 1.3 miles, the Cedar Gulch Trail ends at the Mount Galbraith Loop Trail. You can hike the loop in either direction. We chose clockwise. Be careful here, you may notice another trail split just a few feet away. Thats the Nightbird Gulch Trail. Do not go that way or youll end up at that secondary parking lot in the nearby neighborhood. That trail is just an out-and-back.

The Mount Galbraith Loop Trail is pretty rocky as it climbs the hillside. About a third of a mile from the split, youll get great views of Golden, North and South Table Mountains and the Coors Brewery.

Turn west and keep climbing. Youll see Lookout Mountain to the south as you continue uphill.

Its less than a quarter mile from the viewpoint over Golden to the Mount Galbraith Summit Trail. You dont have to take this trail, you can stay on the loop, but this is a fun, new trail that runs slightly parallel to the loop trail and rejoins it.

At the summit, youll find a wind-swept tree and a rocky outcropping thats a good place for a snack. Enjoy the views around you and as far as Mount Blue Sky.

When youre ready, you can backtrack on the summit trail or continue on until it meets back up with the loop trail. From here, continue around the loop back to the Cedar Gulch Trail and back to the parking lot.

NOTE: The trails at Mount Galbraith are hiker-only. If you head here in the summer, keep an eye open for rattlesnakes.

DETAILS: This route is about 4.5 miles with 1,100 feet of elevation gain.

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For over a decade, Shelley Long has witnessed the transformative power of community it has helped countless Arvada residents in need get back on their feet.

Long is the pastor and director of REACH at Grace Church Arvada which helps community members transitioning to stable housing with support, resources, and a shoulder to lean on.

Just getting to be with the people on the weekends, somebody who knows their name, said Long, That next step of somebody being there to encourage them, to chat with them every day. How's it going to walk through the discouragement and to celebrate the wins? That's huge."

But the latest numbers from Jefferson County highlight the magnitude of the task ahead for nonprofits like REACH.

Homelessness in Jefferson County increased 27% in the last year, with one in two individuals experiencing homelessness for the first time the largest jump in the metro area, according to county leaders.

This increase comes as the county faces reduced cold-weather shelter availability.

Over the past couple seasons of cold weather, there were options available for sheltering that we knew were not going to be available this season, said Jefferson County Regional Homeless Coordinator Kerry Wrenick.

Finding ways to keep the unhoused population safe during the cold-weather months became a priority for county leaders throughout the year.

If we serve somebody in Lakewood, it doesn't mean they're not going to go to Arvada that evening. We're all serving the same population and so pooling everything together seems like the most reasonable response to that, proportionally, said Wrenick.

Arvada, Edgewater, Golden, Lakewood, Westminster, Wheat Ridge, and Jefferson County recently signed a one-year intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to collaborate on cold weather shelter services this winter. Together, they have pooled just over $2 million for emergency sheltering.

The funding will pay for motel vouchers, to be distributed by homeless navigators 72 hours before severe weather hits. If temperatures drop into the single digits or lower, they'll also deploy extreme-weather mobile shelters through different parts of the county.

While the regional winter shelter response addresses immediate needs, county leaders acknowledged the need for long-term solutions.

"We need a solution to the winter season right now, but we have to have a tangent solution long-term for addressing homelessness as a region, and so I continue to work with our city and county managers on what that longer-term solution looks like," Wrenick said.

Long praised the collaborative effort among local governments.

After all, it's just another piece of the puzzle as they work together to lessen homelessness in the county.

"I think the city and county are really trying to put their finger on all of the resources that we have here in our area that can work together," Long said. "I'm so glad that they keep working at this. This next step for severe weather, I'm glad that they're figuring that out."

GOLDEN, Colo. Two chess masters from Golden are preparing to travel thousands of miles to represent the United States in an international competition for players with disabilities in Kazakhstan.

Brothers Griffin McConnell, 21, and Sullivan McConnell, 18, were selected for Team USA alongside three other players from around the country. Both are national masters, making them among the highest-rated chess players with disabilities in the country.

Chess is the only sport that I know of that there's only one requirement, Sullivan said. You just have to be able to think.

The tournament is only the second of its kind and is a necessary step toward chess becoming an Olympic sport. It will bring together competitors with a range of disabilities.

We're going to be playing against people who are possibly blind,'' Sullivan said. We'll be playing against people who can't move their hands, can't move their feet, and that doesn't stop them from playing.

Though the championship is being held half a world away, daily training happens in Golden.

We played each other more than any other person, Griffin said. We are both very competitive. We're always trying to figure out who's the better brother.

For Sullivan, this trip will be a first.

It's been Sullivan's dream. He's never been out of the United States. We had to get a passport, like, within two weeks, their father Kevin McConnell said.

Kevin, executive director of PALS Chess Academy, is proud to see his sons get the chance to compete on an international stage.

I'm just really proud that they get a chance to represent their country, No. 1. And they're a super strong team, he said. It would just be amazing for chess.

Griffin and Sullivan will play on Boards Two and Four for Team USA. For Griffin, that means not just focusing on his own matches, but helping his brother prepare for opponents.

We are brothers. Even though I'm lower rated than him, I can still help Sullivan with certain opponents, Griffin said. It's a guessing game, but if I do it correctly, which I have done before, that has helped Sullivan win games.

The brothers see the sport as a uniquely inclusive competition.

It is the most accessible game in the world, no matter what you struggle with, Sullivan said.

The trip isnt just about games and rankings.

Doing it with one of my other people, my brother, helping me and coming with me It's going to be a memory that I will always have, Sullivan said.

Kevin said he hopes his sons role in the tournament helps advance chess in the global sports arena.

It would be amazing if my kids were at the forefront of the group effort to make that happen, he said.

The McConnell brothers depart for Kazakhstan later this month, bringing with them not only their boards and pieces, but also a chance to show that chess can thrive on the world stage and perhaps, one day, at the Olympics.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. More than a month after the shooting at Evergreen High School, school safety remains top of mind for families across Jefferson County.

Parents voiced their concerns during a Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education meeting Thursday. Many of those parents were directly impacted by the tragedy that rocked the community on Sept. 10.

Our most important job is to protect our children, and what were doing right now is not working, said Evergreen resident Kim Halligan.

Denver7 has been following the call for safety in the wake of the Evergreen High School shooting. Read our previous coverage below:

Emotions ran high Thursday as community members made their pleas for improved school safety measures across the district, including more school resource officers, mental health resources, and metal detectors.

On Wednesday the 10

, a trust was broken between my daughter and I," said Evergreen High School parent Matt Thompson. "The fact that when she went to school, she would be safe. That shattered promise is not easily fixed."

In response to Thompson, Board Member Erin Kenworthy made several comments that have since caused a stir within the district.

For one of the gentlemen, I wanted to say, safety is actually a privilege," Kenworthy said. "It is not a right and it cannot be guaranteed, which is incredibly hard for any parent to say to their child."

Concerned parents reached out to Denver7 after hearing Kenworthy's remarks.

The tone that we see is we need a layered approach to safety, and to have this governing member of the Board of Education shoot that down as impossible of course, no risk can be fully mitigated, but we do expect the fullest effort to protect our students, said parent Lindsay Datko.

Denver7 took those concerns to Kenworthy and Jeffco Public Schools. In a statement, Jeffco Public Schools said Kenworthy's statement was "not intended to suggest that students in Jeffco Public Schools." The school district went on to say that it "remains committed to discussing ways to enhance school safety."

According to retired SRO and school safety expert Stacey Collis, as these conversations continue to happen, keeping a culture of unity between district leaders and families will be very important.

We as a society and as a whole and as communities have to have a well-rounded plan and have everybody on board everybody understand and sit down at the table and leave our agendas behind, sit down at the table and say, 'How do we address this? How do we work as a unit, as a group?' said Collis. And I think if we did that, we'd find there is much more common ground than there are disparities that take place, and it's just a matter of setting.

Denver7 has included a full transcript of Kenworthy's comments below.

GOLDEN, Colo. As part of a plea deal, a Colorado man pleaded guilty to two charges Monday in connection with a November 2024 crash that killed a Golden police officer and seriously injured another officer as well as two civilians.

Stephen Robert Geer, 44, of Wheat Ridge, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide - DUI and vehicular assault - DUI. He initially faced five charges: one count of vehicular homicide DUI; two counts of vehicular assault DUI; one count of third-degree assault and one count of driving under the influence.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss three charges under the condition that Geer agree to a prison sentence of four to 18 years, eliminating the possibility of probation. According to the First Judicial District Attorney's Office, Geer would have been eligible for probation if he had been convicted during a trial.

In August, Denver7 reported that Geer pleaded not guilty as his defense team considered an offer from the prosecution to settle the case without going to trial.

This case began around 4:40 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2024, when Golden Police Officers Evan Dunn and Bethany Grusing responded to a crash along Highway 58 involving a Toyota Tacoma and a Subaru. At the time, the roads were slick with the light snow, and the officers activated their emergency lights on their vehicles.

Just before 5 p.m., Geer was driving a black Mazda along the same stretch of road and struck the back of the Tacoma, then the back of the Subaru, and hit four pedestrians, police said.

Officer Dunn died at the scene. He was 33 and is survived by his wife Annalise, their dog Remy, his parents and his two siblings.

Officer Grusing was seriously injured. The Tacoma driver suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed, the arrest affidavit reads, and her father was thrown over the jersey barrier into the westbound lanes and had lacerations on his head and elbow.

Geer, who was a teaching assistant professor at the School of Mines at the time, was identified as the driver of the Mazda shortly afterward. He told police he had been driving eastbound in the left lane and saw yellow flashing lights. He said he could not stop in time and rear-ended a stopped vehicle, according to the affidavit. Police noticed the strong odor of alcohol on Geer's breath and his watery eyes. They asked him to complete a roadside test to ensure he could drive safely, which he initially agreed to but refused partway through. Police later obtained a blood search warrant and completed a blood draw on Geer.

Geer was arrested that evening.

A memorial service was held for Dunn in mid-November, where the Golden police chief said he had a bright future ahead of him and was destined to do great things.