Boulder Reporting Lab

08/06/2025

Heat highs are set to flirt with records through Friday, and we’ll also see smoke levels fluctuate through the rest of the week from wildfires burning about 150 miles away on the Western Slope.

Highs near 100°F and smoke from Western Slope wildfires will keep conditions hot, hazy and dangerous through the end of the week.

08/05/2025

OPINION: To continue effective sheltering and housing, we must address the flow of homeless people into our community.

To continue effective sheltering and housing, we must address the flow of homeless people into our community.

08/04/2025

City councilmembers are discussing possible exceptions for raised garden beds or other vegetation within the recently mandated five-foot noncombustible zone around new buildings in Boulder’s wildland-urban interface.

The buffer zone is a key part of the city’s new wildfire safety rules, designed to reduce the risk of flames spreading from house to house.

08/04/2025

Most members of the Boulder City Council said they are not yet ready to support a proposed countywide sales tax that would generate an estimated $15 million annually for mental health services.

Several councilmembers said the measure, which could generate about $15 million annually for mental health services, needed more refinement.

08/04/2025

About 10 acres within a proposed land swap that could host a regional composting facility for Boulder County has sparked Longmont’s biggest land‑use battle in years.

At the center of the fight are about 8-10 acres that could host a regional composting facility for Boulder County, a proposal that’s erupted into Longmont’s biggest land‑use battle in years.

08/04/2025

New fire-hardening standards for new construction took effect Aug. 1.Councilmembers are now weighing whether standards should extend to older homes, a step seen as important for public safety but one that could require significant staffing increases amid a citywide hiring freeze.

New fire-hardening standards for new construction took effect Aug. 1. Councilmembers are now weighing whether older homes should comply.

08/01/2025

Spruce Pool, the public swimming pool on 21st and Spruce streets, will shut down a few weeks early this year, on Aug. 17, as the City of Boulder looks for ways to cut costs.

Typically, the pool closes on Labor Day, but Boulder Parks and Recreation moved that date to Aug. 17 this year to protect other services.

08/01/2025

“[People] don’t want to feel like they’re sitting ducks. They want to feel like they can take action.": A grassroots program is training residents to safely extinguish small fires before they spread, and giving them the tools to do it.

A grassroots program is training residents to safely extinguish small fires before they spread, and giving them the tools to do it.

07/30/2025

City Councilmembers Mark Wallach and Matt Benjamin issued a statement accusing Councilmember Taishya Adams of crossing “a serious line into antisemitism" in two recent Instagram posts. Adams called the statement "misinformation" and defended her posts.

Two fellow councilmembers say Taishya Adams’ posts crossed “a serious line,” intensifying tensions on the Boulder City Council.

07/30/2025

OPINION — “Antisemitism, like all forms of bias, must be named clearly — no matter who perpetuates it, and no matter how uncomfortable that naming may be,” Boulder City Councilmembers Nicole Speer and Ryan Schuchard write.

A personal reckoning with antisemitism, civic grief and the challenge of navigating complexity.

07/30/2025

Relish features eight chef-led food stalls, a bar, event space and more indoor pickleball courts than anywhere else in Colorado.

07/30/2025

The measure could pump new funding into addressing mental illness. But it’s already stirring debate over which services need it most.