Canyon Courier

Canyon Courier Serving Jefferson County's mountain communities with trusted local journalism. We’re part of The Colorado Trust for Local News. Thanks for reading.

In 1955 in Indian Hills, the need for a source of information for a growing mountain community gave rise to a monthly newspaper called Smoke Signals. Backed financially by the Indian Hills Fire Department, Smoke Signals started on a shoestring but grew steadily along with the community. Within six months of the paper’s creation, the Inter-Canyon and Idledale departments were also pitching in, and

advertising revenues began to grow. In October 1958, under editor and publisher Vern Manning, Smoke Signals became the Canyon Courier, an independent weekly newspaper. The Courier started with an ambitious goal: covering all news “from U.S. 40 on the north to Bailey and beyond on the south, and from Mount Evans to the east Jefferson County line.”

No one could have predicted in the late ’50s how Evergreen and that entire area would grow in population, until finally many mountain communities had distinct identities and sizable populations of their own. Today, the Courier focuses more tightly on the Evergreen area, which has grown to become a large, thriving and economically diverse community. Our three sister newspapers — the High Timber Times (Conifer), the Clear Creek Courant (Clear Creek County) and the Columbine Courier (South Jeffco) — now report on many of the areas that the original Canyon Courier sought to cover. Our goal as newspapers remains the same, however: unite our communities with a reliable and local source of information, advertising and — now — online content.

"No one deserves to live paycheck to paycheck."That's what Jaden Bush, a campus supervisor at Bear Creek K-8, told the J...
06/07/2026

"No one deserves to live paycheck to paycheck."

That's what Jaden Bush, a campus supervisor at Bear Creek K-8, told the Jeffco school board as it weighed a 30% jump in health costs. Days later the board approved a benefits package that more than doubled premiums for some staff.

If you missed it: about 720 Jeffco employees have left the district's plans, and those who stayed will pay more for less coverage starting July 1. Share with a neighbor who works in our schools. ⬇️

Whitney Newman, a Jeffco teacher, highlighted the struggle to afford essentials as the school board approved a health plan doubling employee premiums while district contributions stayed flat.

Here is the complete story on Linda Kirkpatrick, who has terminal cancer. She was honored during a May 31 celebration of...
06/05/2026

Here is the complete story on Linda Kirkpatrick, who has terminal cancer. She was honored during a May 31 celebration of her life.

How can you possibly summarize and thank a living legend like Linda Kirkpatrick? How do you thank the woman who co-founded and led now-thriving organizations that preserved the most cherished

An $8 million voter-approved mile-long emergency evacation route in Genesee is complete after just nine months of often ...
06/05/2026

An $8 million voter-approved mile-long emergency evacation route in Genesee is complete after just nine months of often arduous construction.

A voter-approved emergency access road between Genesee and Bear Creek Canyon is a reality after just nine months of planning and arduous construction.

06/04/2026

Why the timeline sat at the center of the Evergreen veto fight: identifying an anonymous social-media account typically takes three sequential search warrants — one for an IP address, one for a URL and one for contact information. Under the 72-hour compliance law Gov. Polis signed in March, that can take up to nine days. Under the 24-hour bill he vetoed, three. "Days and hours matter," sponsor Rep. Tammy Story said. Polis, for his part, argued the vetoed bill overlapped with the law already on the books and risked letting platforms define a "true threat."

The full story on the veto and the community's reaction 👇
https://www.canyoncourier.com/news/slap-in-the-face-evergreen-community-reacts-to-polis-veto/article_3e1e3920-ec6f-46b2-b32d-645af12c5146.html

Suzie Glassman covers Colorado schools and policy in Class Notes, free every Friday: https://cotlns-newsletter-education.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Stacey Ballinger guided the Evergreen Fire/Rescue board through decisions that helped set a sound course for its future,...
06/04/2026

Stacey Ballinger guided the Evergreen Fire/Rescue board through decisions that helped set a sound course for its future, always with logic and reason. She has reluctantly left her post to move to the metro area.

Four-year Evergreen Fire/Rescue board president Stacey Ballinger stepped down from the board as she and her husband Tim plan a move to the metro area. Serving on the EFR board

Less than an hour after a Jeffco teacher told the school board she may never afford to raise a child of her own, the boa...
06/04/2026

Less than an hour after a Jeffco teacher told the school board she may never afford to raise a child of her own, the board approved a benefits package that more than doubled health insurance premiums for some district employees — and cut coverage for the rest.

Staff absorbed the full 28.7% increase. The district kept its monthly share flat. About 720 employees have since left the plans, many losing their doctors.

Read the full breakdown of who pays what, and why ⬇️

Whitney Newman, a Jeffco teacher, highlighted the struggle to afford essentials as the school board approved a health plan doubling employee premiums while district contributions stayed flat.

Peach season is ahead of time, at least in Palisade! And that means pre-orders for the Conifer Rotary Club's annual Peac...
06/03/2026

Peach season is ahead of time, at least in Palisade! And that means pre-orders for the Conifer Rotary Club's annual Peach Sale are, too.

If there’s anything better than a juicy peach, it’s knowing the money you paid for it will benefit foothills nonprofit organizations. That’s the simple, highly successful premise of the Rotary

06/03/2026

What comes next after Gov. Polis's veto of the Evergreen-backed social-media school-safety bill: sponsor Rep. Tammy Story has committed to reintroducing it next session, and Polis — term-limited — cannot run in 2026, so a new governor will eventually weigh in. A federal version carried by Rep. Brittany Pettersen is moving through Congress with backing from the Major County Sheriffs of America, and Polis wrote in his veto letter that he "strongly favors a national approach."

Background on the veto and the Evergreen community's response 👇
https://www.canyoncourier.com/news/slap-in-the-face-evergreen-community-reacts-to-polis-veto/article_3e1e3920-ec6f-46b2-b32d-645af12c5146.html

Suzie Glassman covers Colorado education in Class Notes, free every Friday: https://cotlns-newsletter-education.beehiiv.com/subscribe

06/01/2026

The Evergreen community spent eight months fighting for a social-media school-safety bill after the Sept. 10 shooting at Evergreen High School. On May 28 — Jeffco's last day of school — Gov. Jared Polis vetoed it.

HB26-1255 would have required social-media platforms to respond to law-enforcement search warrants within 24 hours and to report users who post specific, imminent threats. Polis cited two concerns: that the 24-hour window conflicts with a 72-hour law he signed in March, and that the duty-to-report provision would let private companies decide what counts as a "true threat." Sponsor Rep. Tammy Story says the timeline matters — at 72 hours per warrant, identifying a user can take nine days; at 24 hours, three.

Community members, teachers and law enforcement gathered Friday to respond. Read their reaction and the full breakdown of the veto 👇
https://www.canyoncourier.com/news/slap-in-the-face-evergreen-community-reacts-to-polis-veto/article_3e1e3920-ec6f-46b2-b32d-645af12c5146.html

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Denver, CO

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Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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