Month in Review | May 2026

104th North Photo by George Hudetz

[ Boulder County News ]

• Twelve people were indicted for allegedly using card-skimming devices at convenience stores across the county. By using these devices, the group was able to take close to $300,000 from unsuspecting shoppers.
• Visitors to Glenmere Park will not be greeted by an old familiar friend. The popular statue of a boy holding a fish he caught has been taken. The Prize Catch was sawed off of its pedestal and taken to parts unknown.
• A Boulder man, needing a ride home after being released from jail, improvised by stealing a fire truck. Richmond Takashi Johnson eventually lost control of the vehicle and was then given a ride right back to the jailhouse.
• The City Council in Lafayette delayed their decision on whether or not to close the Lafayette Cemetery to casket burials. A suggestion made by the state archeologist.
• On May 13, the Erie Town Council declared the community to be in a Stage 2 drought. Council said they took this proactive step as a precursor to what they predict will be a hot and dry summer season.

[ State News]

• An unexpected May snowstorm that brought more than two feet of snow to parts of the state brought a (small) boost to the snowpack. Scientists state that it’s a help but not enough to overcome the issues caused by the dry winter.
• Two bills concerning data centers that were working their way through the state legislature are dead. For now. This put data center regulation under the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
• The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in favor of families seeking gender-affirming care when it ordered Children’s Hospital Colorado to restart treatment programs.
• Governor Jared Polis cut short the prison sentence that was being served by Tina Peters. The former Mesa County Clerk, a Trump supporter, was convicted of tampering with election equipment in her attempt to prove malfeasance in the 2020 election.
• Two minor earthquakes were registered earlier this month. The respective 3.1 and 3.0 quakes hit in a three-day span. They were the sixth and seventh registered quakes in the state in the past 30 days.

[ National News]

• In the midst of a burgeoning economic crisis at home and a tentative ceasefire in the war in Iran, President Trump travelled to China to discuss trade, tariffs, and other key issues. The summit concluded with no substantive agreements.
• The United States Supreme Court blocked the ruling from a lower court that would have seriously restricted access to abortion medications sent via the U.S. Mail.
• People around the world braced for the worst as it was discovered that a group of passengers aboard a cruise ship contracted hantavirus. The passengers, who are all back in their home ports, are being strictly monitored.
• A United States judge ruled that the government must bring back a Colombian woman who was deported to Congo. The woman had no ties to the country, which was initially refusing to take her.

[ International News ]

• Residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda are on high alert as multiple cases of Ebola have appeared across the region. To date, there are 8 confirmed and 246 suspected cases being monitored.
• As the Iran War continues with no end in sight, it has been reported that the United Arab Emirates has quietly carried out several strikes against Iran.
• Despite the presence of a U.S. backed ceasefire agreement, Israel continues to attack civilians in Gaza.
• Protests rocked Bolivia as supporters of former president Evo Morales took to the streets to protest the country’s current economic situation.
• The Gold Coast of Australia faced its worst flooding in eleven years when more than a month’s worth of rain fell in just 24-hours.

[ Small Talk ]

“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.” 

• President Donald Trump, when asked if he is taking the current economic situation into consideration when looking at a peace deal with Iran.

“Nobody won.”

• Colorado State Representative Rick Taggart, a Republican representing Grand Junction, said as he described the $46.87B budget signed by Governor Jared Polis.

“We all need childcare to be able to do the thing we love.”

• Tony-nominee Carrie Coon shared how she was able to succeed in the show “Bug.”

“Our home and native land…”

• The fans in Buffalo picked up the second stanza of the Canadian national anthem when technical difficulties plagued the featured singer. The fans then sang the anthem all the way through.

“It’s almost literally a note home from the teacher.”

• Phil Koopman of Carnegie Mellon used the analogy to discuss a proposed California plan that would allow police to issue notices instead of tickets when an autonomous vehicle breaks the law.

In the Numbers

$4.50
– The national average for a gallon of gas. That price has risen 50% since the start of the Iran war.

Two-Thirds

• The number of physicians in America who use a chatbot, Open Evidence, to develop patient treatment plans.

$1.776B

• The amount of money the United States Justice Department is reportedly putting into a fund that can be used to pay out people who believe they were harmed by the “weaponization” of the government.

2.5M

• The estimated number of materials in the Epstein Files which have still not been released in spite of a legal obligation to do so.

3.9%

• The current unemployment rate in Colorado. The national number for this same period is 4.3%.

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