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Media contact: Cristian Solano-Córdova, cristian@motustheater.org, 7204344632

Award recognizes Motus Theater’s autobiographical monologues, including the JustUs Project, which shares stories by formerly incarcerated leaders to inspire dialogue, healing, and action toward true justice.

View Motus Theater’s Acceptance Video Here. 

BOULDER, Colo. — Motus Theater will be recognized with the Creative Expression Award from the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ) at its 10th National Conference on Community and Restorative Justice, taking place July 7–10, 2026, in New Orleans.

The national award honors the role of art, storytelling, culture, and creative practice in advancing healing, justice, and community transformation. NACRJ’s recognition of Motus Theater celebrates the organization’s JustUs Project, a multi-year autobiographical storytelling initiative that supports community leaders impacted by carceral systems to tell artfully crafted personal stories that expose the devastating impact of the criminal legal system and inspire action toward a vision of true justice.

Launched in 2019, Motus Theater’s JustUs Project includes three subprojects: JustUs League, featuring monologues from men impacted by incarceration; Boundless Truth, featuring stories from Black women leaders who were formerly incarcerated; and Youth Behind & Beyond Bars, featuring adults who survived incarceration as youth.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole. 

LONGMONT, Colo. — July 5, 2026 — Five years ago, Nepali Jatra was born from a spark of hope: a small gathering at the Longmont Museum to share the heart of Nepal with a few neighbors. We prepared for a modest group; instead, nearly 450 people flooded the room, overflowing with a level of love and trust that changed our trajectory forever.

What began in an auditorium quickly became a movement. The walls couldn’t hold the growing energy, and for the past two years, Nepali Jatra has taken to the streets of Downtown Longmont, transforming the city into a vibrant hub of Nepali culture, food, and music.

On Saturday, July 11, 2026, Nepali Jatra marks its 5th Anniversary with a landmark Special Edition: Inclusive Communities. This year, the festival also stands in tribute to the 250th Anniversary of the United States and the 150th for Colorado, celebrating the diverse roots that make our community thrive.

In a powerhouse partnership, Nepali Jatra is joining forces with the Longmont Multicultural Action Committee (LMAC) and the Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley BeLove Community initiative. Together, we are building a “Beloved Community” where relationships, understanding, and true belonging are the foundation.

With over 20 multicultural groups representing Nepal, Tibet, India, Vietnam, Mexico, and Native American communities, the streets will come alive with:

• The World Stage: Live performances and music that bridge the gap from the Rockies to the Himalayas.
• The Belove Table: Free food samples from across the globe, offered as a gift of hospitality.
• A Living Rainbow: We invite everyone to bring their vibes and wear their traditional ethnic or cultural attire. Let’s celebrate the roots that make us beautiful.

“Nepali Jatra grew because the community chose to embrace it,” said Sunanda Dangol, Executive Director of Nepali Jatra Initiatives. “This year, we are opening our arms wider than ever. It is still rooted in Nepali pride, but it is also a declaration that every culture matters. You are seen, you are heard, and you belong here.”

Event Details

• What: Nepali Jatra & Inclusive Communities Revival
• When: Saturday, July 11, 2026 | 5:00–8:00 PM
• Where: 4th Ave & Kimbark St, Downtown Longmont
• Cost: Free and open to all
• Information/ Inquiries: Sunanda Dangol 720-745-9267

More about the BeLove Community initiative: stvrainhabitat.org/belovedlongmont

###

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Earlier this year, Boulder resident and filmmaker Aaryaman Patel released his latest endeavor, the short film Before Sunset, which focuses on a couple coming to terms with the sudden death of a friend. He recently had the chance to screen his film at the Bug Theater in Denver on June 18th as part of their Emerging Filmmakers Project. We sat down with Aaryaman to talk about the process of putting the final product together.

Jamie Lammers: Can you talk to me about how this film came to be?
Aaryaman Patel: The film is about something that I’ve thought a lot about, which is the finiteness of one’s life. I was on a walk one day on a trail. I’m sure you’ve seen there are these benches, usually dedicated to someone who has passed away. It just made me think a lot about this person who lived a life, and they’re no longer here. When you die, all your ideas, energy, thoughts, they just die with you. When you look at your own life from its finiteness, it makes you rethink a lot of what you do, and I wanted to explore that concept further.

Jamie: How long did you spend on the film?
Aaryaman: I wrote the script in, like, two days, and I wanted to film it that very weekend. We did a test rehearsal, we set up the next weekend, and we just shot the full thing. I had a friend [Clayton Hester]. I asked him if he wanted to be a part of it, and he was more than happy to be. We found an actress [Syvrina Renault]. I had another friend help with costume design. I already had the place in mind, where I wanted to shoot it, how I wanted to shoot it – it just came together really quick. The editing took a while, like, a month or so. The music is also original. I actually composed music with one of my other friends [Ryan Zheng].

Jamie: How long have you been making films in general?
Aaryaman: I made a lot in college. It’s probably been around four years or so since I started doing it more seriously.

Jamie: What sticks out to you about the medium of filmmaking?
Aaryaman: When I think of things that have changed the way I think, it’s usually been through films or books. I’ve grown up watching movies, and a lot of my inspiration for the things that I do has come from the movies I’ve watched. I wanna convey the ideas that I have through that medium because I think I understand what it means to me and how I can use it to make something that can help others make sense of the world and themselves through these stories.

Jamie: Is there anything you hope people take away from this film?
Aaryaman: While for me, it might be about this finiteness of life, there’s a lot about relationships and ambition and building a life for yourself that you love, so it’s very open to whatever the viewer feels resonates with them. I’ll leave it up to them to tell me what they took away from it, because maybe there’s something I didn’t think of that they noticed or saw that spoke to them.

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This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

America at 250: Are Americans Free Enough to Vote Their Conscience?

By Blake Huber

As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, many Americans are debating whether our Constitution still serves the nation it created. Some argue that because slavery was woven into our founding, the Constitution itself is fundamentally illegitimate. Others believe our institutions have become too outdated to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Those are important conversations. But I believe they overlook a more immediate question.

If America is truly committed to individual liberty, why are we free to support multiple political campaigns throughout an election, but allowed to vote for only one candidate on Election Day?

The First Amendment protects our freedom to express political opinions in countless ways. We may endorse multiple candidates. We may volunteer for different campaigns. We may attend events sponsored by competing candidates. We may display signs supporting more than one candidate.

We may even contribute financially to as many political campaigns as we choose, limited only by law and our own pocketbook.

Our political freedoms recognize an important truth: support is not always exclusive.

Yet when we step into the voting booth, that freedom disappears.

The law tells us we may support only one candidate, even if we honestly believe several would serve our community well. We are encouraged to think strategically instead of honestly. We are told to choose the “lesser of two evils” rather than every candidate we genuinely approve.

That contradiction deserves far more attention than it receives.

Our current “vote for one and only one” election system rewards division. Candidates often succeed by appealing to a narrow base rather than earning broad public support. Alternative parties struggle to compete, independent voices are dismissed as spoilers, and voters are pressured into making defensive choices instead of sincere ones.

We should not be surprised that our politics has become increasingly polarized. We designed an election system that rewards polarization.

There is a better alternative.

Approval Voting replaces “vote for one and only one” with a simple principle: vote for one or more candidates you find acceptable. Every approved candidate receives one vote, and the candidate approved by the greatest number of voters wins.

The ballot becomes more expressive without becoming more complicated.

Approval Voting does not tell voters whom to support. It simply gives them greater freedom to express the support they already have.

It also changes political incentives.

Instead of asking, “How do I defeat my opponents?” candidates begin asking, “How do I earn the approval of more voters?” Building consensus becomes an advantage. Personal attacks become less effective. Candidates who can appeal beyond their own political base are more likely to succeed.

This reform does not require replacing the Constitution or abandoning our constitutional republic. It works within our existing constitutional framework while giving voters greater freedom and encouraging better representation.

The Constitution was never intended to be beyond improvement. It has been amended before, and our institutions should continue to evolve as America changes. But reform should strengthen liberty, not weaken it.

As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, I believe we should focus less on tearing down our constitutional system and more on improving the way it serves the American people.

The Founders left us a republic capable of reform. Our responsibility is to continue that work.

If we replace “vote for one and only one” with the freedom to “vote for one or more,” we will encourage broader consensus, stronger representation, and a healthier democracy.

If we fix how we vote, we will begin to fix what we get.

About the Author

Blake Huber has spent more than five decades advancing the cause of individual liberty, constitutional government, and electoral reform. His public service has included leadership as a state chair of the Libertarian Party, service on the Libertarian National Committee, participation in the founding of the Approval Voting Party, and campaigns for state and national office. He is currently the Libertarian Party candidate for the United States Senate from Colorado.

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This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

“Fucking Commies!”

This celebratory Fourth of July phrase appeared recently on our town’s Facebook group page. It was, I believe, a reaction to a post reminding residents of the extreme fire danger posed by high winds, dry grass, and searing heat.

Another local resident offered a similarly ballistic diatribe over fireworks restrictions, grunting cathartically about the “tyranny” of past COVID-19 protocols. To both writers, public safety measures clearly represented an existential affront to the guarantees of freedom explicit in our founding documents (and sports bars everywhere).

This hyper-partisan rhetoric trickles from the top. During a past holiday speech at Mount Rushmore, Donald Trump drifted far off script. As The New York Times reported, he “read from an apocalyptic script as the stony faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln looked on. He said the word ‘communism’ so many times, you might’ve thought the Cold War was still on.” To him and his followers, opponents are not just political rivals; they are “godless” and “evil.”

Fucking Commies.

Across the street, my invariably pleasant neighbors have a massive “FREEDOM” banner staked into a yard ringed with American flags. Up and down most American streets, flags fly and fireworks explode—damn the risks, and God Bless America.

Ambivalence and an Experiment

At a moment when our democratic republic seems most fragile—if not already irreparably shattered—I found myself scanning my mind and heart this holiday to find a reason to feel celebratory or proud.

As to “celebratory,” my family and I certainly enjoy freedom’s fruits; our privileges and opportunities are manifest. But as to “proud”? Not so much. I’ve always found “Proud to be an American” an odd claim. Most of us did precious little to achieve it. We are lucky, plain and simple.

My grandparents emigrated from Sweden and Holland. While they were hardly escaping tyranny, they found their small slice of the American dream and built a solid foundation for my parents, who in turn made my life possible. I feel genuine gratitude for this good fortune. The American experiment, as promised in the Declaration of Independence and codified in the Constitution, allowed this multi-generational flourishing.

Yet, one cannot celebrate such good fortune without noting the nation’s original sin: slavery. White folks’ freedoms grew expansively from generation to generation because its roots were planted in that same stolen soil, while Black women and men have realized only a halting, incomplete freedom.

This holiday ambivalence led me to a spontaneous experiment. I searched a digital text of the entire Declaration of Independence for the word responsible or responsibility. The search yielded “no result.”

Curiosity piqued, I pasted the United States Constitution into a document and repeated the search. Again: “no result.” I don’t claim a rush of historical originality, but it is an analysis I have never encountered. And I think it matters deeply.

The Perversion of Freedom

Our nation came to be through fighting oppression and escaping tyranny. In 1776, the declaration of freedom meant something entirely different than it does today. We have luxuriated in that freedom for most of our existence. Now, the word has been twisted and perverted, stripped of any collective meaning.

In the examples on my timeline—the fireworks-obsessed neighbor or Trump’s apocalyptic rhetoric—”freedom” has degenerated into a petulant cry: “I can do what I want, dammit.”

Our founding documents would have been infinitely more elegant and prescient had they paired our freedoms with our responsibilities. Responsibility provides the moral tether that holds raw freedom at bay, ensuring that one person’s liberty does not become another person’s burden. While this notion is occasionally honored in First Amendment jurisprudence—the classic “your fist ends where my face begins” analogy—that is about as far as it goes.

In matters of gun violence, fireworks stubbornness, and public health, individual freedom must be balanced with community responsibility. On a broader, vastly more consequential scale, the capitalist’s freedom to profit must be circumscribed by the health, welfare, and economic security of the community. Freedom without responsibility is inherently anti-democratic. It is merely selfishness masquerading as patriotism.

If I were inclined to decorate my home for the Fourth of July—which I am not—I would fly a banner with a single word printed in bold red, white, and blue: Responsibility. Perhaps we can start a trend for next year.

The Poet’s Duty

Several times a year, I find a reason to return to my favorite poem by the late Grace Paley, with whom I had a nodding acquaintance while living in Vermont. It serves as a vital reminder of what we owe to one another:

It is the responsibility of society to let the poet be a poet

It is the responsibility of the poet to be a woman

It is the responsibility of the poets to stand on street corners giving out poems and beautifully written leaflets also leaflets they can hardly bear to look at because of the screaming rhetoric

It is the responsibility of the poet to be lazy, to hang out and prophesy

It is the responsibility of the poet not to pay war taxes

It is the responsibility of the poet to go in and out of ivory towers and two-room apartments on Avenue C and buckwheat fields and Army camps

It is the responsibility of the male poet to be a woman

It is the responsibility of the female poet to be a woman

It is the poet’s responsibility to speak truth to power, as the Quakers say

It is the poet’s responsibility to learn the truth from the powerless

It is the responsibility of the poet to say many times: There is no freedom without justice and this means economic justice and love justice

It is the responsibility of the poet to sing this in all the original and traditional tunes of singing and telling poems

It is the responsibility of the poet to listen to gossip and pass it on in the way storytellers decant the story of life

There is no freedom without fear and bravery. There is no freedom unless earth and air and water continue and children also continue

It is the responsibility of the poet to be a woman, to keep an eye on this world and cry out like Cassandra, but be listened to this time.

Listen to her.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Monday, June 29, 2026

Media Contact

Layra Nicli, Media Relations

City of Boulder, 303-818-4678

bouldercolorado.gov

BOULDER, Colo. – The City of Boulder is once again inviting community members to participate in the Boulder Plastic Count, a weeklong challenge to track personal plastic use and help build a clearer picture of the community’s plastic footprint. The annual count builds community awareness of plastic use and provides data and collective insights to help guide the city’s waste reduction efforts.

Community members can sign up online to join the count. During the official tracking week, July 20-26, participants are encouraged to record every piece of plastic they use and dispose of, whether it’s recycled, reused or thrown away. At the end of the week, results can be submitted through an online form. Participants will also receive resources and tips to reduce plastic use and explore local waste reduction efforts.

Last year, almost 100 households participated in Boulder’s first Plastic Count, tracking more than 3,600 plastic items in just one week. The results showed that food and drink packaging accounted for about two-thirds of all plastic items counted, with snack wrappers, produce packaging and other single-use food packaging among the most common sources of plastic.

“If we want to reduce plastic waste, we need to understand where it comes from and how it shows up in our daily lives,” said Jamie Harkins, Sustainability Senior Manager for the City of Boulder. “Last year’s count showed us that plastic reduction is a shared challenge. By coming together to track our use, we can better identify opportunities to reduce plastic at the source and create lasting change.”

The count takes place during Plastic Free July, a global movement that empowers millions of people to reduce single-use plastics and be part of the solution to plastic pollution. By participating in the Boulder Plastic Count, community members can take meaningful local action in support of this international effort.

Information gathered during the count will help the city better understand local plastic use, identify opportunities to reduce plastic waste and support Boulder’s broader climate and sustainability goals.

Let’s count what really counts. Together, we can build a cleaner, more sustainable future.

You can learn more and sign up on our website.

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July 2, 2026

Media Contact

Kim Kappel, Public Information Officer
970-666-1946
kim.kappel@greeleygov.com

GREELEY, Colo. — The City of Greeley and survey consultant Felsburg, Holt, and Ullevig (FHU) have completed a historic resource survey of the Spanish Colony neighborhood north of Greeley.

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The free, family-friendly festival returns July 10 to 12 at Fillmore Plaza with three days of live music, a 30-vendor French Market, a closing fashion show, and ticketed chef-led wine & cuisine tastings presented by Aer Lingus.

DENVER, CO (June 30, 2026). The Rocky Mountain French American Chamber of Commerce (RMFACC) today unveiled the full program for Denver French Fest 2026: Celebrating Bastille Day Weekend, returning July 10 to 12 to Fillmore Plaza in the heart of Cherry Creek North. The festival is free to attend, family-friendly, and pet-friendly, bringing together the elegance, flavor, and creativity of France across three days of live music, a curated market, family programming, a fashion show, and a series of ticketed wine and culinary experiences.

Held the weekend before France’s national day on July 14, Denver French Fest invites the French-American, international, and broader Colorado community to celebrate Bastille Day together in one of Denver’s most walkable neighborhoods.

“Denver French Fest is where our international community comes together with our neighbors from across Colorado,” said Sacha François, Executive Director of RMFACC. “The fest is one of the most important events of our year and the largest French-American gathering in the region. Above all, it’s about bringing people together—creating opportunities for our communities to connect and grow together.”

Event Details

• Dates: July 10-12, 2026
  • 7/10: 4pm to 10pm
  • 7/11: 11am to 10pm
  • 7/12: 11am to 7pm
• Location: Fillmore Plaza, Cherry Creek North, Denver
• Admission: Free and open to all
• Website: denverfrenchfest.com

What to Expect

Three Days on the Main Stage

The Main Stage runs all three days and is free with RSVP.

• Friday, July 10 opens at 4 p.m. with New Orleans funk from Krewe De Groove, a 5 à 7 apéro hosted by Alliance Française de Denver, and an evening of French-American jazz from the Louisa Amend Quartet.

• Saturday, July 11 fills the day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a Basque cultural showcase by the Colorado Basque Club and its Menditarrak Dance Group, French jazz and chanson, the bilingual rock of Danlerockeur, and a beloved French tradition returning to the Plaza: La Course des Cafés, the Waiter’s Race, in which servers sprint across the square balancing their trays. The evening turns to the dance floor with French house and disco from Sweater Disco and Monsieur Slippin’ Jimmy.

• Sunday, July 12 moves from Sunday-morning espresso sessions and solo piano through Les Catherines’ tribute to France’s great songwriters and Maria Maria’s Edith Piaf tribute, then closes with gypsy jazz from Hot Club of Olde Town and The French Fashion Show by Fashion Denver at 6 p.m.

The Wine & Cuisine Experience (Ticketed). Layered on top of the free festival, the Wine & Cuisine Experience offers eight intimate, separately ticketed tasting sessions, most presented by Aer Lingus, with the VIP Opening Reception at Roche Bobois.

The weekend’s tastings are led by Denver chefs, sommeliers, and beverage partners, including Margot with Aquila Cellars; Corsica Wine Bar with Chef James Franz; BLEND Beer Wine and Spirits with Le Bilboquet’s Executive Chef Sosthène Kaboré; a Champagne Tiger and Sturia Caviar pairing; Chez Maggy; Bistro Vendôme’s La Table du Rhône; and a Rosés de Terroir and French cheese tasting. The VIP Opening Reception at Roche Bobois on Friday evening brings together Le French, Bistro Vendôme, Corsica Wine Bar, Champagne Lallier, Citadelle Gin, Ferrand Cognac, Hampton Water, and KILIAN PARIS.

Sessions are individually ticketed and generally range from $100 to $160. Tickets are available now through the festival website and Eventbrite.

• The French Market and Café de Paris: The French Market features roughly 30 makers and is free to browse all three days, with food and drink, fashion, beauty and wellness, home décor, art, and gifts from local artisans, French entrepreneurs, and French-inspired brands, from fresh crêpes and raclette to macarons and classic French market staples.
• At the center of the festival, Café de Paris is the gathering space to sip and socialize, pouring French-inspired cocktails, wine, beer, and sparkling water from partners including Perrier, Fever-Tree, Citadelle Gin de France, Ferrand Cognac, Champagne Lallier, Miraval Rosé, Aval Cider, and Outer Range Brewery.

• Family Programming and Community: The Kids Corner offers free, drop-in activities on Saturday and Sunday led by Colorado’s French immersion and language schools, including Global Village Academy, the International School of Denver, L’École de Denver, the French-American School of Denver, and Petit Loup Academy. Activities range from a French language challenge and Eiffel Tower art to Bastille Day crafts and kids’ soccer.

About Rocky Mountain French American Chamber

The Rocky Mountain French American Chamber of Commerce (RMFACC) is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering economic, cultural, and professional ties between France and the Rocky Mountain region. Through networking events, business services, and cross-cultural programs—including the annual Denver French Fest: A Celebration of Bastille Day—RMFACC connects and supports a diverse community of entrepreneurs, professionals, and organizations. Our mission is to connect, develop, and promote French-American business relationships while celebrating the rich cultural exchange that strengthens our transatlantic ties. For more, visit rmfacc.org

About Cherry Creek North

A vibrant Denver neighborhood located at 1st Ave. and University Blvd., Cherry Creek North is a walkable outdoor community with over 200 retail businesses – including Denver’s?highest concentration of locally-owned stores. Located minutes from downtown, Cherry Creek North is home to five boutique hotels, more than 40 restaurants, home furnishing stores and galleries, clothing and accessory retailers, as well as numerous wellness spas, salons, gyms and specialized personal health services. For more, visit cherrycreeknorth.com

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Photo by Bobo_is_soft, Public Domain

There has never been a worse time to learn stick shift. Less than 1% of cars sold in 2025 had a manual transmission. Exotic cars are no exception: Ferrari has not sold a manual car in almost 15 years. Electric cars can provide maximum torque at all times; they don’t have a ‘transmission’ in the usual sense. I called Flatirons Subaru in Boulder to ask if I could trade in my automatic for a stick. They had zero stick-shifters in the lot.

My stick-shift interest comes from the sandy, mesquite-shrubbed canyonland of my soul. It’s the reason I write my own software, do my own oil changes, mail postcards, and make my own books on a 1960s typewriter. It’s why I have a bike repair stand in my garage, and why you can find me at the Waffle House at 1 AM. Ultimately, “that’s just the way things are done” is worth as much to me as — how shall I put this — a pair of porcine-posterior peccadilloes.

I posted an ad on Craigslist, saying I’d pay for stick-shift lessons. The response was instructive. Over a dozen people emailed me to say that the damage I could do to a car’s clutch was far greater than what I was offering. My best bet would be to find a beater car on Craigslist, and learn by doing.

The beater arrived at my house on a flatbed trailer towed by a minivan. It was a Volkswagen Jetta with a bumper sticker that read “S***box Edition.” The front bumper was in the back seat. The stereo had an anti-theft feature called “not existing.” I was informed that warning chimes would go off if the car went above 20 MPH. All that said, it was advertised as ‘drivable.’ Price: $600.

The owner was a mechanic in the Nebraska panhandle. Let’s call him Steve. Before I continue, I must stress that Steve is an honest, decent man. He showed more integrity than any customer service agent I’ve dealt with in the past year. Character is revealed when things get screwy. Things were about to get very screwy.

I told Steve about my plans to learn stick-shift. He offered to show me the basics before we completed the sale. This was, in hindsight, a very good choice.

Photo by Peter Anderson, licensed under CC BY-ND

I sat in the driver’s seat, and Steve rode shotgun. I put in the clutch and brake, and turned the key. Then, I began searching for the “bite point”. I stepped on the gas a little while letting my foot off the clutch. The car began moving. To its credit, the car handled this part well.

I live in a suburb of Broomfield with long, picturesque streets that curve through parks and farmland. In other words, an unwalkable food desert. Between remote workers and helicopter parents, there are no pedestrians to worry about. It’s the perfect proving ground for a student driver. The brown mounds of the Erie landfill rose up as I learned the gears.

Steve had a lot of helpful advice, like “Go go go go go!” and “Gas, now! Shift! Shift!” The quiet streets were a safe space to stall several times. I learned that driving stick means committing to the shifts. You can’t sort-of shift, or hesitate in the clutch-gear-gas movement. If the clutch is out and you let off the gas pedal, the RPM will drop to zero, and you’ll stall. Neutral gear is more than just Car Wash Mode in a manual: it has an actual purpose when the car is not moving. For stick shift to work, you have to be bold, and it wasn’t working. I made note of that.

We made our way through the suburb. The first time I successfully shifted into second, then third, Steve and I cheered.

Two miles into our loop, the Jetta lurched.

“Sorry,” I said.

“No,” said Steve, “you shifted fine. Hmm.”

Hearing a ‘hmm’ in the engine can be bad. Hearing a ‘Hmm’ from your driving teacher is worse.

The car stalled again. I went through the movements: brake and clutch, ignition, and the car started. We sat at a stop sign, and Steve listened.

“It shouldn’t sound like that…” muttered Steve. “Here, hop out.”

The car barely made it back. It died on the doorstep; not on *my* doorstep, but on my neighbor’s doorstep. Where his children like to play hopscotch. Steve opened the hood and unscrewed the radiator cap.

“Um, maybe we should wait–” I started. The cap popped off, and coolant started bubbling out like a witch’s cauldron brew. It flowed down the street in a green river–right in front of my neighbor’s house. I hooked up my garden hose and began spraying.

“Earth Week 1” by Nick Harris, licensed under Creative Commons BY-ND 2.0

Steve was mortified. He said this had never happened to him, and he felt embarrassed as a mechanic. I told him I expected some issues with the car, but to learn stick-shift it had to, you know, drive.

Before he drove down from Nebraska, I told Steve I would pay him for his time in case we didn’t go through on the sale. I reminded him of my commitment, but he refused my money.

Photo by David Day, licensed under Creative Commons BY 2.0

As Steve backed the S***box Edition onto the trailer, it started smoking. We shook hands and chatted about audiobook podcasts he listened to on long hauls. It was cloudy as he drove off in his minivan, car in tow. When the street was hosed off, I went over to my neighbor and explained how I owed him a favor now.

I am no closer to learning stick-shift, though my neighbor said he’d help teach me. For now, Broomfield’s streets are safe. The guy at Flatirons Subaru? Eh… he’ll get back with me if something rolls into the lot.

The next time I lurk on Craigslist, I’ll hope for a seller as honest as Steve. Why can’t we get a Steve at the state capitol? I’d take him over Jared Polis any day.

Until next time, I’ll practice keeping my foot on the gas.

Boldly.

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Reader-driven support keeps local journalism unbossed, unbought, and our journalists fed. Become a sustaining supporter for $8/month and get Yellow Scene delivered to your home.

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This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author in their role as Associate Editor, and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

Today is America’s 250th birthday, and the country is changing right under our feet. Just a few weeks ago, a stunned Democratic establishment struggled to grapple with sweeping primary wins in New York City by candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. All three are democratic socialists, pro-Palestine candidates pushing populist economic ideas. Among them is Darializa Avila Chevalier, the newly minted nominee for New York’s 13th district. Her victory in the general election would make her perhaps the most left-leaning person ever elected to Congress.

In the wake of these political reckonings, many establishment figures tried to dismiss the results as a specific New York City anomaly. They argue that New York politics do not represent what the broader public wants. While there is truth to the statement that the metropolitan core is not a perfect reflection of all America, there is also a deep condescension hidden in that rhetoric. It assumes that those of us who live outside of the major coastal hubs cannot also want change. It implies we do not want to see politics done differently.

They are wrong. Last Tuesday, Melat Kiros defeated 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary right here in Colorado. Kiros is a former attorney who was fired after writing and refusing to take down a letter defending students protesting for Palestine. Now a democratic socialist candidate, she boasts a campaign platform promising to abolish ICE, end military aid to Israel, institute universal child and eldercare, and fully fund a transition to a zero-emissions energy grid.

Many of these positions are the exact types of things we have been told are impossible or not worth pursuing. Yet, they are what won her the race. As we face oppressive heatwaves and a punishing affordability crisis, it should not surprise us that voters chose a candidate who says they will fight for workers and make a substantive dent in the climate crisis.

In our editorial room at Yellow Scene Magazine, as we debated endorsements, I must admit there was initial skepticism toward Kiros and her ambitions. But I advocated for her to get our endorsement because I am sick and tired of settling for politicians who tell us what we cannot do. The rhetoric around Democratic primaries from the establishment has become toxic. Too much of it is centered on giving up before we even try. They offer no real vision beyond not being Donald Trump, or simply offering more of the same. Yellow Scene Magazine endorsed Kiros because we prefer candidates who would rather try and fail to fight for change than do nothing at all.

Kiros represents a type of leadership unlike anything we have seen before in Colorado. If you were surprised by her victory, it is only because you were not paying attention. Coloradans hunger for change too. As an associate editor, I see this reality day after day. I see it through the interns I mentor. The young people who write for us talk constantly about the protests they have attended and how they took up journalism because they see a media and political landscape that fails to reflect them. I see it in residents holding their city councils accountable, and in neighbors who are exhausted by an America that increasingly does not work for them.

Voters want more. Polling from Pew Research reveals that US adults view both the Democratic and Republican parties unfavorably. This is a stark data point. It means that what people are looking for is not a simple swing from red to blue, especially not in a strong blue state like Colorado. People want real change. They do not want old, well-connected politicians who are out of touch and have no fight left in them, nor do they want technocrats who simply tinker at the edges of broken systems.

Yellow Scene Magazine remains committed to covering this shift from our home in Boulder County and the north metro. Denver politics is not Boulder County politics, in the exact same way New York City politics is not all of America’s politics. Boulder tends to be a quieter district where centrists win more often and dramatic shake-ups happen less frequently. But it would be a mistake to count out Boulder County. The heavy presence at local No Kings rallies continues, and our cities are full of residents who are profoundly dissatisfied with local affordability and unrepresented by politicians who get nothing done.

Melat Kiros’s victory opens the door for all of us to see that a completely different type of politics is possible, even here.

Yellow Scene’s 2026 Summer Support Drive is underway with a goal of 1,000 Sustaining Supporters by summer’s end.

For 26 years, we have remained fiercely independent, free from sponsored content and outside editorial influence.

Reader-driven support keeps local journalism unbossed, unbought, and our journalists fed. Become a sustaining supporter for $8/month and get Yellow Scene delivered to your home.

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The post If Melat Kiros’s Victory Surprised You, You Weren’t Paying Attention appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

 Last September, Kevin Matisheck, tired of the constant distractions of his phone and social media, switched to a flip phone.

“I definitely wanted to fix my screen time and screen addiction because I felt like all of the time I spent on Instagram was sucking energy out of me and it was active time that I could be using on other stuff,” he told me. “I was really busy this past semester so I was like, I think I could be a lot happier if I cut that out. And for a while I did cut that out.”

Many young people, including Matisheck, a student at Lewis and Clark University, feel they spend too much time on their phones, and have joined a growing trend among Gen Zers to ditch their smart phones and go old school. 

“I don’t like spending a lot of time on social media, but it just happens when I’m bored,” Amelia Bretz, a graduate student at the University of Colorado, said as we sat in her car. “I just feel unproductive when I’m on my phone a lot.” 

She isn’t alone. In 2022, the Los Angeles Times reported that Gen Z spends an average of 7.2 hours a day watching videos on their phones, while a Stanford study from the same year revealed that most children receive their first smartphone around age 12.

These habits carry subtle consequences. “Phones can have small, often hidden, costs for well-being that can nonetheless add up over time,” Kostadin Kushlev, an assistant professor of psychology at Georgetown University, told the university’s online publication in February. “There’s an emerging literature around digital detox. There is evidence that disconnecting from technology can work in the short term, but what we lack is evidence on how to help people build sustainable digital habits that work in the long term.

To see if this generation is finding a path toward those sustainable habits, I spoke to several college students. Every student interviewed expressed a desire to switch to a flip phone, yet each cited an overwhelming dependency on modern tech as the primary barrier.

“I use it for everything,” said Simon Jones, a recent graduate from The New School in New York. “You kind of need it all the time. It would be a disadvantage to not have it at this point.”

Bretz faces the same dilemma. “I don’t want to be on my phone as much as I am,” she said. “But modern life requires it, whether it’s scanning a QR code menu or just going out to eat.

Matisheck, who had previously switched to a flip phone, but then switched back after it broke, described his experience to be transformative.

“There was a week and a half where I had no phone,” he said. “I did the thing where I was constantly grabbing for my phone and I didn’t have it. But eventually I felt way, way more human. I became a lot more focused. Focusing was easy for me. It’s like I had gained a new ability. If I wanted to do homework or read a book, I could just do it. And it wasn’t difficult for me at all.

Matisheck explained that navigating without Google Maps actually made traveling easier. “It forces you to pay attention to where you’re going and memorize directions,” he said. “It forces you to pay attention to where you’re going and actually memorize directions. […] I went to this one cafe and I noticed there’s a theater right next to it.  And then that theater was playing this band I like. And so I went out to a show that I would not have gone to if I was not thinking and paying attention to the road.” 

But, after his flip phone broke he returned to the smartphone. This time an iPhone SE instead of his old iPhone 15.When asked how he maintained his old minimalist habits, he admitted he couldn’t.

“When I got the iPhone SE, I felt that pull again just because the screen itself is so interactive,” Matisheck said.

“I wasn’t on Instagram, but my friends would make fun of me because I would literally be scrolling on Google Maps. I would look up something on YouTube and then find myself on Shorts. That screen really pulled me back in.

Despite his initial discipline, the friction of modern connectivity eventually won out. 

“The truth of the matter is that I was originally very strict about I’m not gonna download or touch Facebook or Instagram on my iPhone. I think that lasted about two weeks,” Matischeck said. “It’s like, okay, whatever. I’ll just do it for a day. And ever since then I feel like I’ve lost that ability where I can just instantly focus. Life was easier. I felt more in control of my motion. And I think I’ve lost an ability.” 

Yellow Scene’s 2026 Summer Support Drive is underway with a goal of 1,000 Sustaining Supporters by summer’s end.

For 26 years, we have remained fiercely independent, free from sponsored content and outside editorial influence.

Reader-driven support keeps local journalism unbossed, unbought, and our journalists fed. Become a sustaining supporter for $8/month and get Yellow Scene delivered to your home.

Join the Summer Support Drive and keep local journalism strong.

The post Would You Make the Switch? appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Carmel Soriano

Phone: (720) 213-6586

Email: carmel@boulderoperacompany.com 

Boulder Opera Company Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary Season with Mozart vs. Salieri

Boulder Opera Company proudly launches its milestone 15th Anniversary Season with Mozart vs. Salieri: A Summer Opera Rivalry Concert on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at 3:00 PM. This special concert invites audiences to experience an afternoon of unforgettable music, dramatic storytelling, and the timeless works of two of history’s most celebrated composers.

Inspired by the legendary rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, the concert explores the brilliance of both composers through beloved arias, ensembles, and dramatic scenes. Audiences will hear music that has captivated generations while discovering the artistry that made each composer an enduring voice in opera history.

Performed by Boulder Opera’s acclaimed artists under the baton of Music Director Dr. Jose Arturo González, the program blends exceptional vocal performances with engaging narration, creating an entertaining and accessible experience for longtime opera enthusiasts and those discovering opera for the first time.

As Boulder Opera celebrates fifteen years of bringing high-class opera to Colorado, this anniversary season reflects the company’s continued commitment to artistic excellence, community engagement, and making opera welcoming and accessible for audiences of all ages.

Tickets are on sale now.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit:

https://www.boulderoperacompany.com/mozart-vs-salieri-a-summer-opera-rivalry-concert 

Later this season, Boulder Opera continues its 15th Anniversary celebration with Italian Nights: Wine, Love and Opera on Saturday, September 19, 2026. This intimate house concert brings audiences up close with Boulder Opera artists for an evening of beautiful music, fine wine, and Italian-inspired hospitality in a welcoming salon setting.

The celebration continues with A Night at the Salon: Vintage Glamour & Opera, Boulder Opera’s 15th Anniversary Fundraising Gala, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Inspired by the elegant salons of Europe’s Golden Age, this special evening features live opera performances, fine dining, and a celebration of fifteen years of artistic achievement while supporting Boulder Opera’s future.

In November, Boulder Opera presents Dinner Opera: La traviata at the historic Dickens Opera House in Longmont. Performed in an intimate chamber arrangement for string quartet and piano under the direction of Music Director Dr. J. Arturo González, this immersive production brings audiences closer than ever to Verdi’s beloved masterpiece.

The anniversary season concludes in spring 2027 with Charles Gounod’s Faust, a grand mainstage production that continues Boulder Opera’s tradition of presenting exceptional performances for the Colorado community.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Mozart vs. Salieri: A Summer Opera Rivalry Concert

August 23, 2026

Boulder Seventh-Day Adventist Church 345 Mapleton Ave, Boulder, CO 80304

Italian Nights: Wine Love and Opera

September 19, 2026

Chautauqua Cottage, Boulder

A Night at the Salon: Vintage Glamour & Opera

October 17, 2026

The Studio 3550 Frontier Ave a2, Boulder, CO 80301

Dinner Opera: La traviata

November 14, 2026 & Sunday, November 15, 2026

Dickens Opera House, 302 Main St, Longmont, CO 80501

Mainstage: Faust

April 2-3, 2027

Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Rd, Longmont, CO 80501

April 4, 2027

Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80302,

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole. 

Celebrate Colorado’s 150th Birthday at the MILE LONG TABLE on August 1, 2026

Second Annual Cross-Cultural Community Event to Set America’s Longest Table

WHAT: In honor of Colorado’s 150th birthday, the Mile Long Table will bring together 5,280 people at the National Western Center in Denver to enjoy a shared meal, foster meaningful conversation, and celebrate the values that have shaped the state and city for generations. Longer Tables, in partnership with Southwest Airlines and Serendipity Catering, created this annual gathering to create greater connection, understanding, and belonging among all participants.

The 2026 Mile Long Table is a marquee table of 150 Tables Across Colorado, a campaign inviting cities and individuals statewide to set a table and build connections in honor of Colorado’s 150th birthday.

WHY: Inspired by Colorado’s agricultural roots and western spirit of hospitality, this year’s Mile Long Table will be more than a meal. It will be a powerful symbol of the Centennial spirit: welcoming, resilient, neighborly, and willing to pull up an extra chair for someone new.

“A connected city is a flourishing city,” said Longer Tables Founder and Executive Director Tim Jones. “The opportunity to bring people from different backgrounds, neighborhoods, industries, cultures, and generations together for a shared meal at a long table is a significant representation of Coloradans’ pride and our ability to serve as an inspirational example to set our differences aside and break bread together.”

WHEN: SATURDAY, August 1 @ 5pm 

WHERE: Main Campus Plaza at the National Western Center

4850 National Western Drive
Denver, CO 80216 

WHO: Media interview opportunities are available with the following representatives:

• Tim Jones, founder and executive director of Longer Tables
• Laura Zaspel, chief executive officer, Serendipity Catering
• Lexi Muller, senior regional manager of corporate responsibility for Southwest Airlines

A full list of speakers and attending dignitaries will be available upon request.

HOW: Everyone—including individuals, students, organizations, and businesses—is welcome. Here are the ways to attend the Mile Long Table: 

• Reserve your seat with a $5.28 donation or more.
• Want to host a group? Co-host a table for 8-12 diners with a $75.00 donation. Gather your family, friends and neighbors to be part of this community celebration.
• Interested in a larger group? Companies and organizations can become super hosts, which include 20 seats and co-branding opportunities. Use this event as a unique chance for team building and networking for your employees, customers, or board members.
• Volunteer and partnership opportunities are still available – learn more at milelongtable.org.

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The post Celebrate Colorado’s 150th Birthday at the Mile Long Table Aug. 1 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This Storyshare is republished in whole from The Conversation.

Author: Wes Marshall, University of Colorado Denver

Featured photo: Sidewalks in need of repair in Denver used to be the homeowner’s responsibility. Courtesy of Wes Marshall.

Let’s say you drive over a pothole in front of your house in Denver and call the city. They come fix it within a few days. Problem solved.

Now let’s say the problem is the sidewalk in front of your house. You call the city again.

Until recently, city staff would have pointed you to their “Homeowner’s Do-It Yourself Guide for Hazardous Sidewalks,” where it clearly states that “sidewalk maintenance is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner.” This online document then suggests that if you need to remove a tripping hazard from your sidewalk, you could rent a “Masonry Rotary Grinder” from your local rental center.

Be sure to also get yourself some eye protection.

In most U.S. cities, a pothole is treated as a public problem, but a broken sidewalk – even one that blocks access – is treated as the homeowner’s problem.

A broken sidewalk in Denver. Courtesy of Wes Marshall.

It is not this way everywhere. In some older U.S. cities such as Boston and Washington, sidewalks have long been a public responsibility – the same as streets, water lines and sewers. But cities that grew up in a different era – or cities eager to offload maintenance and legal responsibility – treated sidewalks not as fundamental infrastructure but as an amenity tied to adjacent property.

More than three-quarters of the 30 most-populous U.S. cities take that same approach.

But not Denver – at least, not anymore. In 2022, the city changed its rules, not because city leaders suddenly changed course, but because advocates such as Jill Locantore and the Denver Streets Partnership got tired of waiting, organized and took the issue to the ballot. Denver allows citizens to initiate legislation, and the measure won handily, making sidewalks a public responsibility.

Denver’s sidewalk data

A sign for the ballot measure that ultimately was passed and made sidewalks part of the city of Denver’s responsibility. Courtesy of Wes Marshall.

Denver ended up with a citywide sidewalk program funded through a fee on property owners, typically $150 per household per year, and managed by the city. Instead of trying to get individual homeowners to fix bad sidewalks one segment at a time, Denver now has a system – and funding it can bond against – to repair, build, and maintain sidewalks as a connected public network.

Los Angeles underscores the contradiction. The law there still says adjacent property owners are responsible for sidewalk maintenance; yet, the city also runs a public repair program for larger sidewalk projects after years of ADA litigation made clear that this is not just a private matter.

But most cities don’t even know which sidewalks need fixing.

When I first took my job at the University of Colorado Denver in 2009, I taught an Introduction to GIS course, where students learned how to use digital maps to understand real-world problems. In prepping for that class, I dug into the city’s data and came away impressed by the fact that they had a sidewalk layer, basically a digital map of the city’s sidewalks. However, unlike nearly every other GIS dataset the city provided, the sidewalk one hadn’t been updated since 2004. The logic seemed to be that not seeing the problem protects you from liability. But sticking your head in the sand is not much of a long-term strategy.

Sidewalk safety, a tale of two cities

There is no such hesitancy with cities collecting roadway data. In one study, my colleagues and I interviewed staff from 16 U.S. cities about the information they track on their roads. One city told us that they had “no gaps in data and don’t need anything else.” Most others likely would’ve agreed with that sentiment.

We then asked the same questions about their sidewalk data. The tone of the responses shifted quickly. Audible frustration and an early disclaimer of “it’s complicated” were common. They told us that sidewalks just weren’t given the same priority as roads.

Why would they be? Or better yet, why should they be?

One reason is road safety.

Hoboken, New Jersey, has become the U.S. poster child for safe streets. Experts point to the success of interventions like curb extensions, high-visibility crosswalks, protected bike lanes, and lowering the citywide speed limit.

But before all of that, Hoboken undertook a systematic effort to catalog its sidewalks and their condition. The city runs an annual sidewalk inspection program where trained volunteers walk the sidewalks and record problems. Hoboken also developed a smartphone app so the inventory could be digitized instantly, including not just sidewalk defects but also things like burned-out pedestrian lights and damaged pedestrian signals.

Hoboken remains one of the many cities that put the onus to fix sidewalks onto adjacent property owners. But you can probably get away with that when your nickname is the “Mile Square City,” and your median income is more than twice the national average.

But nine consecutive years without a traffic fatality? In a city of nearly 60,000 residents and a daytime population of over 90,000? Hoboken must be doing something right, and focusing on sidewalks first may be part of it.

A sidewalk in Hoboken, N.J., made from brick is in good condition. Courtesy of Wes Marshall.

Springfield, Ohio, also has nearly 60,000 residents. Yet the city suffered more than 50 road fatalities over the past nine years. The list of contributing factors is long, but sidewalks matter.

In fact, in Springfield’s 2024 community survey, residents cited the condition of sidewalks and streets as the city’s worst problem. Over 90% of residents said they were dissatisfied with them.

To its credit, Springfield is looking to fix its sidewalks. And to be fair, doing so is much harder when your city is spread across 26 square miles (67 square kilometers) of land instead of one.

But giving property owners just 30 days to fix their own sidewalks? And adding the repair costs to their property tax bill if they don’t? There has to be a better way. I’m guessing that the residents along the 22 streets that recently received such notices would agree.

I live in Denver. The sidewalk in front of my house had some lips and dips that could’ve compelled me to rent heavy equipment and get to work. But the city came out and replaced it. Without my even asking.

So if you want to take a lesson from Denver, making sidewalks a public responsibility is possible. It can even be popular. And if you want to take a lesson from Hoboken and make your city safer, start with the humble sidewalk. Figure out where they are, and where they are not. Where they need to be repaired, and where they need to be replaced.

In other words, sidewalks come first.

Read more of our stories about Colorado.

Wes Marshall, Professor & Chair of Civil Engineering & Construction, University of Colorado Denver

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The post Why Denver stopped treating sidewalk repair as a DIY project – lessons for other cities and homeowners appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

by Gary Swing

Featured photo: Gary Swing at the Independence Institute in Denver

The Pledge of Allegiance is a uniquely American phenomenon. The Pledge is routinely recited by schoolchildren. It is also commonly recited at many public events. This is a form of ritualized political indoctrination. I stopped reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in fifth grade. By the age of eleven, I understood that the Pledge is a form of propaganda based on lies and logical fallacies. People in a free society would not take oaths of loyalty to a government. The government should serve the people. People don’t serve the government.

People in the United States are indoctrinated to believe that the United States is the cradle of democracy and the leader of the free world. There is a cult of the Constitution and a cult of the Founding Fathers. The US Constitution is commonly viewed as something sacred. The Founding Slaveholders are worshipped as geniuses who designed the greatest system of government in human history. The reality is that the United States is stuck in the dark ages politically, still operating under the framework of an 18th-century constitution that was created in secret and designed to exclude 94% of the population from representation in government.

A legitimate government would be one that is based on the consent of the governed. The US government and its constitution were built on a foundation of slavery. A government built on a foundation of slavery can never be legitimate.

In 1772, the King’s Court ruled in the Somerset versus Stewart case that there was no legal basis for allowing slavery to exist in England and Wales. Four years later, 56 white men signed a Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Forty-one of those white men were slaveholders – 73%. They established what historians Alfred and Ruth Blumrosen called a “Slave Nation” – in the name of liberty.

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington were three of the biggest slaveholders in colonial America. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, kept 600 people in slavery. James Madison, the primary architect of the US Constitution, had about 100 slaves. The first US President, George Washington, had 123 slaves. Only 1.8 percent of the population voted for George Washington for President. Washington, Jefferson, and Madison were all from Virginia, where 39 percent of the population was enslaved. Andrew Jackson was Donald Trump’s second favorite president – after himself, of course. Andrew Jackson had 200 slaves. Ten of the first twelve US Presidents had slaves.

Fifty-five delegates attended the US Constitutional Convention; twenty-five of them held slaves – or 45 percent. Eighteen percent of the US population was enslaved at the time. The US Constitution was signed by 39 of the 55 white men at the constitutional convention. There were about 3.9 million people living in the United States in 1790. Today, there are about 340 million people living in the United States under a Constitution that was designed to preserve slavery. No person living today ever voted to ratify the US Constitution. Abolitionist Lysander Spooner was correct when he called it a “Constitution of No Authority.”

Representation by state rather than by population in the US Senate and the Electoral College gave inflated representation to slave states. So did the “three-fifths compromise,” which counted slaves as three-fifths of a person. That gave extra voting power to slaveholders.

The United States is the only country that uses an Electoral College to select its chief executive. The Electoral College was modeled after the system that the Holy Roman Empire used to select its emperor.

The Electoral College and the US Senate should be abolished. These archaic relics of slavery institutionalize distorted representation by permanently overrepresenting less populated, rural conservative states. Each individual person should have equal voting rights. Political representation should be for people, not for “the imaginary beings called states,” as James Wilson argued.

The United States has developed an imperial presidency. The office wields far too much power, regardless of who occupies the office or what party they represent. Power should be decentralized. The chief executive should be an administrator, not a dictator. Policy should be set by Congress, not by one unaccountable person.

I propose to abolish presidential elections and replace them with a modern parliamentary system of government. Congress should choose a prime minister with strictly limited authority who can be removed from office at any time on a vote of no confidence. Supreme Court members should have term limits, not lifetime appointments.

In 1776, John Adams wrote that “a representative assembly… should be in miniature an exact portrait of the people at large. It should think, feel, reason, and act like them.” That’s the idea behind proportional representation voting systems.

Ninety-five countries now use proportional representation to secure fair, inclusive multiparty representation in their national legislatures. It is way past time for the United States to leave the political dark ages and catch up to the election systems that modern societies implemented in the 20th Century.

Members of a unicameral Congress and unicameral state legislatures should be elected by proportional representation. Each party should win seats in proportion to its share of the vote.

Electoral politics in the United States has always been dominated by white men. Proportional representation voting systems provide better representation for women and political minorities, including racial minorities.

In a letter to fellow slaveholder James Madison, slaveholder Thomas Jefferson wrote that: “The Earth belongs to the living generation.” Jefferson argued that a constitution could not bind future generations. He said a constitution should expire after one generation, which he estimated to be nineteen years.

Jefferson wrote: “Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched. They ascribe to the men of the preceding age a wisdom more than human, and suppose what they did to be beyond amendment.”

He wrote that: “Laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.”

I agree with Thomas Jefferson that each generation should create its own constitution. We are at least 220 years overdue to replace the Constitution designed by slaveholders with a modern system of government. Coincidentally, the 2012 Cambridge University study, “Conceptualizing Constitutions,” found that the average lifespan of national constitutions created since 1789 was nineteen years, before they were replaced with new constitutions – just as Thomas Jefferson proposed.

The convention that drafted the US Constitution didn’t intend to have popular elections for the president. The delegates at the Constitutional Convention voted three times — the first time unanimously — to establish a parliamentary system with the president being appointed by Congress. However, the delegates weren’t satisfied with that proposal, so a committee proposed the creation of the Electoral College instead.

Each state legislature would appoint a number of electors equal to the state’s number of members in Congress. These electors would vote in an Electoral College to choose the President. Two days after the conference report came out, the delegates voted to establish the Electoral College, but the language they used stated that each state’s legislature would determine the method for selecting the state’s presidential electors. Within twelve years after the ratification of the US Constitution, the Electoral College changed from a system of legislative appointment to a system for the public election of a slate of presidential electors. Today, the US has the world’s most ridiculous system for choosing its chief executive, using the longest, most expensive, most meaningless, and most cumbersome election process.

The US Senate is one of the most ridiculous legislative bodies in the world. Each state has two US Senators, regardless of the state’s population.

When the US Constitution was put into effect, the largest state had 11 times the population of the smallest state. Now, California has about 67 times the population of Wyoming, but each has two US Senate seats. This was not a principled decision by the framers of the US Constitution. It was “garbage in, garbage out.” At the Constitutional Convention, each state was given one vote, regardless of its population. Five and a half states voted for the creation of a Senate with equal representation for each state. Four and a half states voted against it. Three states abstained.

Massachusetts split its vote evenly. The states that voted in favor of the Senate represented a minority of the states with a minority of the US population. The smaller states would not agree to form a union without equal representation in the Senate. It was a coerced compromise.

The US Senate has consistently created an artificial conservative bias in Congress, giving more power to sparsely populated, rural, conservative states that tended to support slavery. The slave states were even given extra power in the US House of Representatives because the Census included each slave as three-fifths of a human being for the purpose of allocating each state’s number of US Representative seats. So the Constitution not only preserved slavery, but added insult to injury by using the practice of slavery to give even more representation to the slaveholders.

Between 1800 and 1860, the US Senate blocked Congressional votes against slavery eight times. Even after chattel slavery was abolished, the US Senate blocked legislation to protect the human rights of black Americans for another century. In recent decades, the equal representation of small states in the US Senate has artificially inflated the conservative Republican representation in Congress and established the ability of a conservative minority to block judicial appointments.

As attorney Thomas Geoghegan wrote in his argument for abolishing the US Senate, “the Constitution itself is an illegal act: from the Continental Congress, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had only the narrower mandate of amending the Articles of Confederation, and the amending of the Articles was supposed to require a unanimous vote. Instead, the Framers went rogue and drafted a whole Constitution to be adopted for thirteen states if just nine agreed. Our country has never been legitimate by any standard that would hold up in a court.”

The United States has one of the world’s most difficult processes for amending or replacing its constitution. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority by Congress to propose and a three-fourths majority of state legislatures to ratify. Maintaining the status quo established by 18th-century slaveholders doesn’t require the consent of any living person.

The US Declaration of Independence declared that people have the right to alter or abolish their form of government when it becomes destructive of their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The right to political self-determination is fundamental.

Where does the United States stand today? The US has the most extensive military empire in human history. With 4 percent of the world’s population, it has 40% of the world’s military expenditures. It has an arsenal of nuclear weapons capable of destroying all life on Earth. The United States is the only country on Earth with more guns than it has people. It has an imperial presidency with a chief executive who acts like a dictator, unchecked by a corrupt Congress and a corrupt Supreme Court. The United States is the only major industrialized nation without a universal health care system. The United States ranks in 28th place on the Democracy Index, rated as a “flawed democracy.” The US ranks in 79th place for representation of women in its national legislature.

The 13th Amendment outlawed slavery in the United States, except as punishment for a crime. In 1860, there were nearly four million people living under chattel slavery in the United States. Today, the United States has more people in prison than any other country – nearly two million people. Forced labor has shifted to the prison system. The Global Slavery Index estimates that about 1.1 million people still live under conditions of modern slavery in the United States.

The United States has the longest surviving constitution in the world, perhaps due to the procedural difficulty of replacing it with a modern system of government. The post-apartheid government of South Africa is widely regarded as having the most progressive constitution in the world. South Africa’s constitution is founded upon the principle of “unity in diversity.” It recognizes positive rights, including the rights to health care, education, housing, and a clean environment.

Elections in the United States are mostly predetermined by the demographics of single-member districts under a winner-take-all voting system. Only two parties are represented in Congress. In South Africa, more than 98% of voters are able to elect representatives of their choice. They have eighteen parties represented in their national parliament.

One good thing that the US Constitution did was that it established the United States as the first nation to ban an establishment of religion, under the First Amendment. Thomas Jefferson explained this as a “wall of separation between church and state.” Today’s Republican Party wants to tear down the wall separating church from state, and build a massive border wall as the world’s biggest monument to white supremacy.

Is it time to fundamentally alter or abolish the 18th-century constitution of a Slave Nation? Two hundred and fifty years after white male slaveholders declared their independence from Great Britain, should the United States government continue to exist? That government has never been legitimate. The idea of abolishing the federal government of the United States and making each state an independent nation is worth considering. Two hundred and fifty years is enough.

Former Boulder resident Gary Swing was a Unity Party candidate for state Senate District 18 in 2024. He now lives in Tucson.

Gary Swing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia

The post Op-Ed – 250 is Enough: To Alter or Abolish appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Media Contact:

Jack Todd

Jack.Todd@ColoradoSOS.gov

China Scroggins

China.Scroggins@ColoradoSOS.gov

July 2, 2026

Public Hearings Scheduled for Town Abandonment Applications for Towns of Creede, Hartman

Denver, CO – The Colorado Department of State has received two Applications for Town Abandonment for the incorporated Town of Creede, Colorado, and the incorporated Town of Hartman, Colorado.

One of two criteria that must be met for a town to be abandoned according to 31-3-201 C.R.S. A town must either:

1. have failed to hold any regular or special election to elect officers and that no town government has been maintained for at least 5 years prior to the application, or
2. have no board of trustees or town clerk, be unable to hold an election, and own or operate water infrastructure critical for the treatment or delivery of water to residents.

Town of Creede

On May 11, 2026, the Mineral County Attorney submitted an application to the Secretary of State’s Office for a determination stating that the Town of Creede, also known as the “Townsite of Creede” or “North Creede,” has been abandoned.

According to the application submitted, there are two towns incorporated in Colorado that are legally referred to as the “Town of Creede” that exist immediately adjacent to each other. The application clarifies that they are commonly referred to as “North Creede” and the “City of Creede,” and states that only one of these towns, the “City of Creede,” is still functioning. “Townsite of Creede” or “North Creede” has not functioned for decades, according to the application. The “Townsite of Creede” / “North Creede” is the subject of the abandonment petition, not the “City of Creede.”

If the Secretary of State’s Office determines that abandonment is appropriate, all existing streets, avenues, and alleys previously located within the abandoned town, which are not owned by a third party, shall be vested in the board of county commissioners of Mineral County.

A public hearing to determine the abandonment status of “North Creede” will take place on Monday, July 13 at 1 p.m. At the request of the applicant, this hearing will be held only via Zoom.

Anyone may register to attend the hearing at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wTig_aJOQh-fAcf2DwZQKg#/registration.

Town of Hartman

On June 17, 2026, a resident and registered elector of the Town of Hartman submitted an application to the Secretary of State’s Office for a determination stating that the Town of Hartman has been abandoned.

According to the application submitted by a town resident, the Town of Hartman no longer has a Board of Trustees or Town Clerk and is unable to hold a town election. The application states that the Town of Hartman owns and operates water infrastructure needed to treat and deliver water to residents, and that the town does not currently have access to potable water.

If the Secretary of State’s Office determines that abandonment is appropriate, all existing streets, avenues, and alleys previously located within the abandoned town, which are not owned by a third party, and all properties owned by the town shall be vested in the board of county commissioners of Prowers County. Additionally, if the town is determined to be abandoned, all real and personal property comprising the water system would be transferred from the Town of Hartman to Prowers County, which may then select an entity to maintain water infrastructure, as outlined in Colorado law.

A public hearing to determine the abandonment status of the Town of Hartman will take place on Monday, July 13 at 2 p.m. This hearing will be held via Zoom and in person at the Secretary of State’s Office in the Red Rocks Conference Room, located at 1700 Broadway, Suite 550, Denver, CO 80290.

Anyone may register to attend the hearing at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xTnT6W-4S7y4CuBvh6kvIQ#/registration#/registration.

After Hearings

Following the hearings for the Townsite of Creede and Town of Hartman, and if it is determined that the town is abandoned, a copy of this determination is filed with the County Clerk and Recorder. Once this filing is complete, the town will no longer exist.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Media Contact:

Jamie Barker, Boulder Fire-Rescue and Wildland Fire PIO, 720-545-6012, barkerj@bouldercolorado.gov

City of Boulder Fire-Rescue Deploys Wildland Firefighters to Assist with Active Wildfires Across the West

Boulder, Colo. — States across the country are experiencing similar fire conditions to us here in Boulder – hot, dry, and windy. As wildfire activity increases, so do resource requests from various organizations leading the fight against the fires. Boulder Fire-Rescue is lucky enough to be able to respond to those resource requests while also maintaining full emergency response capabilities at home.

Currently, Boulder Fire-Rescue has crews deployed to the Aspen Acres Fire near Rye, CO, and to the El Dorado National Forest in CA. Boulder Fire-Rescue deployed a Type 6 wildland brush truck and a crew of three firefighters to the Aspen Acres Fire for an initial 72-hour assignment. The department also deployed a Task Force Leader as a single resource to support incident management operations on the same fire.

A crew of four, with a Type 3 wildland brush truck, was deployed on June 21 to California. Their two-week deployment will end on July 5, and another crew is planning on taking their place. Boulder Fire-Rescue anticipates continuing to send qualified personnel to support wildfire operations in the region as resource requests are received.

“Wildland deployments allow our firefighters to gain valuable experience on complex incidents while providing critical assistance to communities facing wildfires,” said Brian Oliver, the city’s Wildland Division Chief. “It is good to keep in mind that there may come a time when our community needs that same support, and these partnerships ensure fire agencies across the country are ready to help one another when we need it.”

The focus on regional support and resource sharing allows departments to strategically move personnel and equipment to areas in need and also improves the skills and knowledge of the firefighters responding to these calls – bringing the experience and strength back home to assist locally when needed.

While firefighters are deployed, Boulder Fire-Rescue continues to maintain normal staffing levels and emergency response capabilities within the City of Boulder.

With conditions still favoring quick wildfire starts and spread, Boulder Fire-Rescue remains prepared to serve our Boulder community but also reminds the community of our shared responsibility of wildfire prevention – fire risk reduction strategies are only as strong as our community members make them; avoid fire-causing behavior this holiday season and do your part to keep our community safe.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

July 1, 2026

Amber Shipley, Region 2/Southeast Communications Manager

303-594-4143 | amber.shipley@state.co.us

Campaign Signs Are Prohibited on Colorado State and US Highway Right-of-Way

Any sign placed in the right-of-way of any state or US highway will be removed

Featured photo: Roadside campaign signs from CDOT Right-of-Way collected by CDOT maintenance.

COLORADO – The Colorado Department of Transportation is reminding the public and campaign supporters that political signs are strictly prohibited within the right-of-way of any state or US highway, including interstates. Placing signs in these areas is both illegal and creates safety hazards for motorists and maintenance crews. This prohibition also applies to real estate, yard sales, and all other commercial signage

State roadside advertising rules are mandated by Federal Law (23 CFR 750G, or the Lady Bird Johnson Highway Beautification Act), as well as Colorado State Statutes for Outdoor Advertising (CRS 43-1-400 to 420, or Colorado’s Outdoor Advertising Act):

No signs are to be placed on Colorado state right of way. Real estate signs can be placed outside the right-of-way line on the property for sale. Campaign signs are allowed on private property (with owner’s approval), outside the state right-of-way line. These signs must be removed promptly following the election.

CDOT manages state highway rights-of-way, which include all interstate, US and state highways, as well as shoulders and adjacent state-owned land. These zones are strictly regulated to maintain infrastructure, ensure clear sightlines for drivers, and manage traffic flow effectively.

“Federal and state laws prohibit unauthorized signs within the state right-of-way,” said CDOT Division of Maintenance Director Shawn Smith. “While we respect the importance of the election season, our priority must remain the safety of the traveling public.”

When illegal signs are discovered, by law, CDOT maintenance crews must remove them. These signs are stored at local maintenance patrol buildings for a limited time to allow for owners to pick them up.

Know Before You Go

Travelers are urged to “know before you go.” Gather information about weather forecasts and anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include:

• Road conditions and travel information: COtrip.org
• Download the COtrip Planner app: bit.ly/COtripapp
• Sign up for project or travel alerts: bit.ly/COnewsalerts
• See scheduled construction lane closures: bit.ly/laneclosures
• Connect with @ColoradoDOT on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Remember: Slow For The Cone Zone

The following tips are to help you stay safe while traveling through maintenance and construction work zones.

• Do not speed in work zones. Obey the posted speed limits.
• Stay Alert! Expect the unexpected.
• Watch for workers. Drive with caution.
• Don’t change lanes unnecessarily.
• Avoid using mobile devices such as phones while driving in work zones.
• Turn on headlights so that workers and other drivers can see you.
• Be especially alert at night while driving in work zones.
• Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.
• Allow ample space between you and the car in front of you.
• Anticipate lane shifts and merge when directed to do so.
• Be patient!

Download the COtrip App!

The free COtrip Planner mobile app was designed to meet the growing trend of information on mobile and tablet devices for the traveling public. The COtrip Planner app provides statewide, real-time traffic information, and works on mobile devices that operate on the iOS and Android platforms. Visit the Google Play Store (Android devices) or the Apple Store (iOS devices) to download!

About CDOT

The Colorado Department of Transportation’s mission is to provide the best multi-modal transportation system that most effectively and safely moves people, goods and information. CDOT maintains more than 23,000 lane miles of highway, more than 3,400 bridges and 35 mountain passes. Our team of employees works tirelessly to reduce the rate and severity of crashes and improve the safety of all modes of transportation. CDOT leverages partnerships with a range of private and public organizations and operates Bustang, an interregional express bus service. Find more details at codot.gov.

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The following letter was sent to Yellow Scene Magazine. As with all Letters to the Editor, the views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publication.

Dear Editor,

I respond to the letter published on June 30 with the title, “Antisemitism is the Big Tent for Fools.” The author argues that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism; the former opposes the existence of the State of Israel while the latter is Jew-hatred. It is not that simple. For starters, Israel is the national homeland of the Jewish people and is the only country in the world whose right to exist is questioned. And, it is the only country in the world where Jews constitute a majority of the population. At the outset, one must ask why there is this special animus – indeed hatred – against this one country. Could the fact that it is Jewish play any role in that hatred? I think so.

Second, Israel was established by a vote of the United Nations after the British Mandate to govern the area ended in 1947. Israel’s sovereignty has been recognized by the United States, the Soviet Union, and the European countries. In fact, 163 of the 192 members of the United Nations recognize it as a sovereign state. The countries that do not recognize Israel are Muslim countries and Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela. The Muslim countries, which are the most numerous among those that have not recognized Israel, simply do not want a Jewish country in an area that they believe should be all Muslim. In other words, no Jews allowed. That sounds like antisemitism to me.

The most important reason that demonstrates that anti-Zionism is antisemitism is reflected in the rhetoric of the so-called anti-Zionist, a rhetoric that basically calls for the extermination of the Jewish population of Israel. What does “from the river to the sea Palestine shall be free” mean other than the elimination of Jews? Iran has been an implacable foe of Israel since the Iranian revolution of 1979, calling for the elimination of the Jewish population in Israel, continually threatening Israel, and training and arming its terrorist armies (Hezbollah, Hamas, etc.) to carry out this genocide. That is what antizionism looks like on the ground – a bloodthirsty attempt to eliminate Jews. One need only look at the videos taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7. This was unadulterated Jew hatred in the guise of “resistance.” This is what “antizionists” are supporting, and it is antisemitism.

Israel has been a sovereign country for 78 years and has contributed mightily to the world in that time, as evidenced by Nobel prizes in many fields, stunning technological achievements, medical inventions, etc. It has tried in good faith to implement the UN resolutions calling for a two-state solution and has been rejected time after time. The Jewish residents are not going to leave the land and are not going to stop defending themselves from attacks. Those who call for its destruction are calling for continued violence and war. That’s a tragic mistake.

Sincerely,

Mark Loewenstein

The post Letter to the Editor: Response to “Antisemitism is the Big Tent for Fools” appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2026

Contact:
Cristian Solano-Córdova, Motus Theater Dir. of Communications | cristian@motustheater.org | (720) 434-4632

Honoring Colorado’s 150th Anniversary & America 250, Motus Theater Announces Summer/Fall 2026 Shows

From community reflections on Colorado’s past and future to stories of caregiving, migration, and transgender family love, Motus invites audiences to listen, remember, and reconnect.

BOULDER, CO — As Colorado marks its 150th anniversary and the United States approaches its 250th birthday, Motus Theater’s Summer/Fall 2026 shows invite communities across Colorado to reflect on who we are, where we come from, and how we belong to one another.

Through autobiographical monologues, music, visual art, and Playback Theater, Motus will gather audiences in Denver, Erie, Boulder, Broomfield, Lafayette, and Louisville to share stories of history, memory, migration, family, justice, and civic life.

“Motus Theater’s 2026 season is about the stories that help us remember our shared humanity and the historical bonds that connect us to one another,” said Kirsten Wilson, Motus Theater’s founder and Artistic Executive Director. “At a time when so many forces are pushing communities apart, Motus is inviting people to gather around stories of love, courage, memory, migration, and belonging.”

Motus Theater’s CO 150 and America 250 programming below:

ConnectArte: Living Stories of Denver’s Chicano Movement with Motus Playback Theater
Thursday, July 30, 2026, 6:00–8:00 PM | Museo de las Americas, Denver

In collaboration with Museo de las Americas, Motus Playback Theater will present an interactive performance inspired by Accidentally on Purpose, celebrating the history, resilience, and cultural contributions of Denver’s Chicano community.

Motus Playback Theater Presents: Erie Stories of Good Neighbors
Saturday, September 12, 2026, 7:00–9:00 PM | Erie, CO

In honor of Colorado’s 150th anniversary, this special Motus Playback performance invites Erie residents to share stories of neighbors who showed up when it mattered, across politics, culture, identity, and religion.

Motus Playback Theater Presents: Stories of Your Family Rooting in Erie
Saturday, October 17, 2026, 7:00–9:00 PM | Erie, CO

This interactive performance invites Erie residents to reflect on the moments when they first felt rooted in the community and land of Erie, Colorado, as the state marks its 150th anniversary.

Motus Playback Theater: America 250, Colorado 150 — Voices of Louisville
Friday, December 4, 2026, 7:00–9:00 PM | Louisville Center for the Arts

This interactive Playback Theater performance invites Louisville residents to share stories of family, migration, love, land, loss, resilience, and belonging, exploring how local family stories connect with the history of Colorado, the United States, and democracy itself.

In addition to anniversary programming, Motus Theater will also bring Motus Theater staples to new communities, including the world premiere of Motus Artistic Executive Director Kirsten Wilson’s No Contract 

No Contract by Kirsten Wilson
September 17–October 4, 2026 | Dairy Arts Center, Boulder

Created in honor of Wilson’s mother, Marie Wilson, founder of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, LGBTQ+ leader, author, and equity-based feminist, No Contract is a one-woman show about dementia, caregiving, and an impossible promise. Blending autobiographical storytelling, Hamlet, King Lear, karaoke, and audience engagement, the production asks: “Is there a way to have dementia without tragedy, when ‘to be or not to be’ is always the question?”

Stories of Migration & Music with Motus Theater & the Boulder Phil String Quartet
Thursday, October 15, 2026, 7:00–9:00 PM | Broomfield Auditorium

Motus ImmigrantAmerica monologists Perla Romero, Alejandro Fuentes Mena, and Cristian Solano-Córdova will share personal stories of immigration, accompanied by violin underscore and musical responses performed by the Boulder Phil String Quartet and curated by Boulder Phil Director of Education Fernanda Nieto. Featuring guest co-readers District Attorney Brian Mason, Broomfield Mayor Guyleen Castriotta, and Broomfield United Methodist Church Pastor Betty Nguyen.

Motus Theater Presents: What Love Requires in Lafayette, CO
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 6:30–8:30 PM | The Collective Community Arts Center, Lafayette

Presented with the Parent Engagement Network, What Love Requires is an autobiographical monologue project featuring stories from parents of transgender and nonbinary adults. The performance shares stories of parents supporting their children not only to survive, but to thrive, while also being transformed by truly seeing and learning from their children.

Tickets and event information are available at www.motustheater.org/events.

Motus’ Colorado 150 and America 250 programming follows an impactful first half of 2026, which included performances at the Colorado Capitol featuring stories from adults who survived incarceration as youth and a Transgender Day of Visibility performance for legislators centering transgender leaders and parents of transgender adults.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Gilpin County Fair Adds New Draft Horse Showcase, Welcomes Colorado Cowboy Gathering for 2026

New for 2026: A Draft Horse Showcase, Wheelchair-Accessible Wagon Rides, and Western Performers from the Colorado Cowboy Gathering

[GILPIN COUNTY, Colo.] — The Gilpin County Fair, now in its 33rd year, will debut a new Draft Horse Showcase & Competition and welcome the Colorado Cowboy Gathering as a featured partner for its 2026 fair, set for July 17–19 at the Gilpin County Fairgrounds. The fair will also introduce a wheelchair-accessible horse-drawn wagon, expanding the event’s Western-heritage programming and giving visitors of all ages and abilities new ways to take part.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Colorado Cowboy Gathering and debut our new Draft Horse Showcase this year. The community and sponsors who’ve supported this fair make moments like this possible and we can’t wait to share it with the community.”

— Krystal Meyer, Special Events Coordinator

DRAFT HORSE SHOWCASE & COMPETITION

New for 2026, the Gilpin County Fair will introduce a Draft Horse Showcase & Competition designed to bring spectators into the action and create a fun, interactive experience for the entire family.

Rather than a traditional exhibition, the program will feature a series of crowd-friendly challenges that encourage fairgoers to pick a favorite team, cheer along from the stands, and enjoy a playful atmosphere inspired by the friendly rivalries that have long been part of rural communities.

Think of it as a good-natured “Hatfields and McCoys” showdown, where teamwork, horsemanship, and family fun take center stage.

Following the showcase, attendees will also have opportunities to experience horse-drawn wagon rides, offering an up-close look at the animals, equipment, and traditions that helped build the American West.

To help ensure the experience is accessible to as many visitors as possible, a wheelchair-accessible horse-drawn wagon will also be available, allowing individuals with mobility challenges to take part in this unique Western experience.

FEATURED COLORADO COWBOY GATHERING PERFORMERS

Representing the Colorado Cowboy Gathering during the 2026 Gilpin County Fair will be Ray Delgado and Patty Clayton, with the possible appearance of special guest Jimmy Cantwell.

Together, these performers bring a rich blend of Western music, storytelling, humor, and tradition to audiences throughout Colorado and beyond.

“Western heritage isn’t something you read about in a book. It’s something you experience. That’s what this partnership with the Gilpin County Fair is all about. Our performers are looking forward to sharing that with a new audience, right alongside the draft horses, the wagon rides, and everything else the fair has to offer.”

— Jerry Cunningham, President, Colorado Cowboy Gathering

ABOUT THE GILPIN COUNTY FAIR

For 33 years, the Gilpin County Fair has been a summer anchor for Gilpin County, drawing more than 6,000 attendees annually to a weekend of community traditions, agricultural heritage, and family-friendly competition.

Guided by a mission to create a fun, welcoming, inclusive, and safe experience for all, the fair has grown steadily while staying rooted in what makes the region distinct. Fairgoers can expect the community parade, livestock show, Mutton Bustin’, the Stick Horse Rodeo, Cowboy Church, entertainment under the Big Top, and the crowd-favorite Redneck Relay – alongside newer attractions that reflect the fair’s mining and ranching heritage. In 2025, the fair introduced Gilpin County Mining Competitions; in 2026, it adds the Draft Horse Showcase & Competition and welcomes the Colorado Cowboy Gathering as a featured partner.

ABOUT THE COLORADO COWBOY GATHERING

For nearly four decades, the Colorado Cowboy Gathering has worked to preserve and promote the traditions, stories, music, poetry, and culture of the American West.

What began as a gathering of Western artists, musicians, poets, storytellers, and enthusiasts has grown into one of Colorado’s longest-running celebrations of Western heritage. Today, the organization continues its mission through live performances, educational programming, community partnerships, and events that connect new generations to the traditions and values that helped shape the West.

EVENT DETAILS

The 2026 Gilpin County Fair runs July 17–19 at the Gilpin County Fairgrounds, located at 230 Norton Dr, Black Hawk, CO 80422.

Visitors are encouraged to join the community for a full weekend of fair favorites, Western music and poetry from the Colorado Cowboy Gathering, and the new Draft Horse Showcase & Competition.

Additional performer announcements, schedules, and event details will be released as plans are finalized.

For updates and event information, follow the Gilpin County Fair and Colorado Cowboy Gathering on social media and visit their respective websites.

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Where We Roam: A Show For Public Lands Opening Reception, Jul. 3:

The NoBo Art District opens a new exhibition, Where We Roam: A Show For Public Lands, with a reception on Friday, Jul. 3 at 6 PM. The exhibition, curated by Robin van Wageningen, features 20 Coloradan landscape artists whose work advocates for the connection, memories, and recreation fostered by shared public lands. Where We Roam: A Show For Public Lands will be on display at the Bus Stop Gallery from Jul. 3-25.

Where We Roam: A Show For Public Lands Opening Reception | Jul. 3 • Bus Stop Gallery, Boulder

Canyon Collective’s Psychedelic Hoedown with River Spell, Jul. 3:

Canyon Collective’s coming to Ned General for a special Jul. 3rd hoedown, celebrating the struggle against injustice that came before independence. This unforgettable night will feature live funk and psychedelic tunes from Canyon Collective and River Spell, a special dinner menu, and vendors, all wrapped up in the spirit of anti-imperialism.

Canyon Collective’s Psychedelic Hoedown with River Spell | Jul. 3 • Ned General, Nederland

City of Louisville: Fourth of July Fireworks, Jul. 4th 

Bring your friends and family to Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville on Jul. 4th for the ultimate 4th of July celebration. Enjoy live music, delicious food, and epic fireworks behind the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. Parking fills up fast, so make sure to get there early! Hope to see you there from 6 to 10!

City of Louisville: Fourth of July Fireworks| Jul. 4th • Coal Creek Golf Course, Louisville

Street Faire: North Mississippi Allstars, Jul. 10

Enjoy contemporary blues and rock sensation North Mississippi Allstars at the Jul. 10th Louisville Street Faire. The four-time GRAMMY-nominated quartet is hitting the road after releasing their latest album, Still Shakin’. Front Street will come to life like never before as the “Allstars” bring their Mississippi charm and improvisation. All the while, friends and family will twirl in the soft fading light of Louisville’s historic downtown.

Photo via Instagram

Street Faire: North Mississippi Allstars | Jul. 10 • Front Street, Louisville

Gimme Gimme Disco, Jul. 11th

Time to prove you are truly the Dancing Queen at this ABBA and classic disco dance party in Denver! Put on your sequined flare jumpsuit and best dancing shoes for a night of the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Cher, and other 70s/80s classics that’ll have you dancing like no one is watching. Bring a friend or have the best solo experience, and be sure not to miss this traveling disco party.

Gimme Gimme Disco | Jul. 11 • Marquis Theater, Denver

Yellow Scene’s 2026 Summer Support Drive is underway with a goal of 1,000 Sustaining Supporters by summer’s end.

For 26 years, we have remained fiercely independent, free from sponsored content and outside editorial influence.

Reader-driven support keeps local journalism unbossed, unbought, and our journalists fed. Become a sustaining supporter for $8/month and get Yellow Scene delivered to your home.

Join the Summer Support Drive and keep local journalism strong.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Contact

DMV Media Relations

dor_dmvmedia@state.co.us

Colorado DMV warns against use of fake temporary license plates

Counterfeit “print-at-home” tags lead to impoundment and criminal charges

DENVER — Tuesday, June 30, 2026 — The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit (MVIU) is issuing an urgent warning regarding the surge of fake temporary license plates, noting that drivers caught using these fraudulent tags face severe legal repercussions, including vehicle seizure, steep fines, and potential jail time.

State investigators have identified a growing trend of drivers purchasing fake “print-at-home” tags from unverified online sellers to avoid vehicle registration fees and taxes.

“Our investigators are seeing more people attempt to bypass the law by printing their own plates or buying them from an unauthorized third party,” MVIU’s Agent in Charge Darin Icardi said. “While some may think they are simply avoiding fees, the reality is that the legal costs will catch up to you. We urge all drivers to protect themselves by obtaining tags only through official, legal channels.”

To combat the rise in fraudulent temporary tags, MVIU is investigating the production of these fake plates and seeking criminal prosecution where appropriate. These operations also focus on identifying and disabling websites that market illegal plates to ensure such products are permanently removed from the marketplace.

The DMV reminds the public that the only legitimate sources for temporary plates are local county motor vehicle offices or licensed, authorized automobile dealerships at the time of purchase. Using these official sources ensures that a vehicle is properly entered into the state’s motor vehicle database, providing legal protection for the owner and ensuring the vehicle is properly insured.

For more information on how to properly register your vehicle or to report suspicious tag sales, please visit the DMV’s Vehicle Services webpage.

This is the second installment of the DMV’s Summer Safety campaign. To explore our previous installment covering title theft scams, please click here. To learn more about the most common motor vehicle and driver scams and fraud, click here.

About the Colorado DMV

The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is committed to promoting public safety, trust, and confidence by providing customer-focused driver license and motor vehicle services. With a vision to enhance the quality of life for all Coloradans, the DMV strives to deliver exemplary service, ensuring a smooth and efficient experience for every customer. Visit DMV.Colorado.gov to learn more.

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Media contact: Nick Dobreff, 303.308.2477, ndobreff@coloradosymphony.org

Partnership continues shared commitment to music education, artistic excellence, and nurturing Colorado’s next generation of musicians.

Jun. 29, 2026 – Denver, CO – The Colorado Symphony and the Denver Young Artists Orchestra (DYAO) today announced the renewal of their longstanding strategic alliance, extending the partnership through June 30, 2028. Effective July 1, 2026, the renewed agreement reaffirms both organizations’ shared commitment to providing exceptional educational and artistic opportunities for young musicians throughout Colorado.

Established in 2018, the alliance formalized a relationship that dates back nearly five decades. Founded in 1977 with the support of the Denver Symphony — now the Colorado Symphony — DYAO has become one of the nation’s leading youth orchestra programs, serving hundreds of young musicians from across the Rocky Mountain region.

“At the Colorado Symphony, we believe music has a unique power to inspire, connect, and bring people together across generations and communities,” said Colorado Symphony President & CEO Daniel Wachter. “Our renewed alliance with the Denver Young Artists Orchestra reflects our commitment to that vision by investing in young musicians, expanding access to meaningful artistic experiences, and strengthening the future of symphonic music in Colorado. Together, we are not only nurturing the next generation of artists and audiences, but also advancing our mission to inspire and unite humanity through live symphonic music.”

The renewed agreement preserves the programmatic collaboration that has defined the alliance since its inception. Key initiatives include the annual Side-by-Side Concert featuring Colorado Symphony musicians performing alongside DYAO students, sectional coaching opportunities with Colorado Symphony musicians, complimentary student tickets to select Colorado Symphony performances, and the Colorado Symphony’s continued provision of ticketing services for DYAO performances at Boettcher Concert Hall. DYAO will also continue its role as an Artistic Affiliate of the Colorado Symphony.

“Renewing our Alliance partnership with the Colorado Symphony is an investment in the young artists who call DYAO home,” said Michael Williams, Executive Director of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra. “From sectional coaching to the annual Side-by-Side concert, our students learn in real time alongside extraordinary CSA musicians, and that mentorship leaves a mark that lasts far beyond any single rehearsal or performance. That is the power of community in music education, and we are thrilled to carry this work forward together.”

The renewed agreement also reflects the natural evolution of both organizations, with several structural updates designed to support their continued growth while maintaining each organization’s independent operations and governance.

DYAO has appointed Michael Williams as its permanent Executive Director, effective July 1, 2026, following his service in the role on an interim basis. Williams has worked closely with Colorado Symphony leadership throughout the alliance and will continue to guide the collaboration between the two organizations.

As part of the renewed agreement, DYAO will also independently engage its own Music Director beginning with the 2026/27 season.

“The Colorado Symphony is proud to continue our alliance with the Denver Young Artists Orchestra,” said Colorado Symphony Chief Artistic Officer Tony Pierce. “Over the past eight years, this partnership has created inspiring opportunities for young musicians to learn directly from professional artists, perform on Colorado’s premier stages, and deepen their connection to the symphonic art form. Together, we are helping to ensure a vibrant future for music in our community.”

The relationship between the Colorado Symphony and DYAO has strengthened through years of artistic collaboration, including annual Side-by-Side performances and mentorship opportunities. DYAO alumni have gone on to perform with the Colorado Symphony — including current CSA musicians Larisa Fesmire, Marsha Holmes, Paul Naslund, and John Hilton — as well as other leading orchestras throughout the country, including the Atlanta Symphony, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, and Metropolitan Opera.

Founded in 1977, Denver Young Artists Orchestra provides rigorous orchestral training, performance opportunities, and after-school programs for more than 300 students ages seven to twenty-three from over 100 schools across Colorado. Through its orchestras, and educational programs, DYAO inspires and prepares young musicians to pursue excellence both on and off the stage.

DYAO continues to transform young musicians by giving them the inspiration, support, and skills to be tomorrow’s great musicians. This is accomplished through peer monitoring within and between ensembles, yearly concerto and composition competitions, and educational assistance through regular coaching sessions with professional musicians, including members of the Colorado Symphony.

For more information about the Colorado Symphony, visit coloradosymphony.org or call 303.623.7876. For more information on the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, visit dyao.org.

TICKETS:

Tickets to Colorado Symphony events are available online at coloradosymphony.org/tickets, by phone at 303.623.7876, and in person at the Boettcher Concert Hall Box Office, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1000 14th Street. The Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, noon – 5 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance.

ABOUT THE DENVER YOUNG ARTISTS ORCHESTRA: 

Founded in 1977 with the support of the Denver Symphony Orchestra, the award-winning Denver Young Artists Orchestra has been the premier option for aspiring young musicians in the Front Range for over 45 years. Now operating as an educational affiliate to the Colorado Symphony, the organization’s four orchestras, educational workshops, and after-school Tune Up violin classes train over 300 students, ages seven to twenty-three, from more than 100 schools across Colorado.

DYAO performs throughout the Denver metro with large-scale, collaborative, and outreach performances. Members of the orchestras graduate into conservatories and universities across the country, including Brown University, The Eastman School of Music, Harvard University, The Juilliard School, Stanford University, and Yale University. Alumni who continued on to professional music careers are found in many major orchestras across the country, including the Atlanta Symphony, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, and Metropolitan Opera. To learn more, visit dyao.org.

ABOUT THE COLORADO SYMPHONY: 

One of the leading orchestras in the United States, the Colorado Symphony Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization performing more than 150 concerts annually at Boettcher Concert Hall in downtown Denver and across Colorado. Led by Peter Oundjian as its Music Director as of the 2025/26 season, the Colorado Symphony is home to eighty full-time musicians representing more than a dozen nations and regularly welcomes the world’s most celebrated artists from across musical genres. The orchestra celebrated its Centennial during the 2023/24 concert season and now serves more than 340,000 people each year through live performances at Boettcher Concert Hall, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, and other venues throughout Colorado’s Front Range.

Boettcher Concert Hall, which opened in 1978, was the first in-the-round symphonic venue built in the United States. In November 2025, voters passed the Vibrant Denver Bond, which allocates $20 million to a future renovation of the concert hall. Guided by a vision to inspire and unite humanity through live symphonic music, the Colorado Symphony is a living heartbeat of the state — expressing its beauty, creativity, vitality, and inclusive spirit.

Through unmatched artistry and bold innovation, the Symphony inspires Colorado and audiences everywhere while expanding access, fostering education, and creating lasting memories through meaningful personal connections. Recognized as an incubator of innovation, creativity, and excellence, the Colorado Symphony listens to and learns from its diverse communities, musicians, and staff; composes and creates with curiosity and versatility; and leads with empathy, collaboration, and responsible stewardship. The Symphony continually expands its reach through in-person and virtual education programs, community partnerships, and programming that celebrates achievement, honors diverse voices, and infuses joy on and off the stage. The Colorado Symphony partners with leading musical artists, cultural organizations, corporations, foundations, educators, sports teams, and individuals to connect people, uplift communities, and inspire everyone to feel part of something greater.

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The post Colorado Symphony And Denver Young Artists Orchestra Renew Strategic Alliance Through 2028 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

PRESS CONTACTS
Angelika Albaladejo, History Colorado Communications and Public Relations Manager
720-541-2334 | hc_media@state.co.us

“Fields of Devotion” Honors Enduring Rural Community in Southern Colorado

PUEBLO, CO — June 30, 2026 —  From fertile farm fields to boisterous baseball fields and foreign battlefields, the people of south-central Colorado’s small town of Avondale step up to the plate in many ways. A new exhibition opening at History Colorado’s El Pueblo History Museum shares this community’s stories as told by the residents themselves.

Fields of Devotion explores how Avondale – a rural community just east of Pueblo – is evolving over time while continuing to uphold traditions of faith, fun, and fidelity.

Avondale is one of the oldest settlements in what is now Colorado. Not only does the town predate statehood, many of its current residents can trace their family history in the area back to the days before Colorado was even a territory. During this 150th year of Colorado statehood, the story of Avondale exemplifies the long lasting impacts of the families who shaped this place, and the experiences of their descendants who are still here today.

From the community’s early settler days to its success with agriculture and business, its embrace of America’s pastime baseball, its deep religious devotion, and its pride for military service – this exhibition honors the experiences of this small but significant town and the deep love they share.

Fields of Devotion draws on stories shared with El Pueblo History Museum by the town’s residents through History Colorado’s Avondale Museum of Memory project. Through an intriguing array of historic photographs and artifacts, alongside the stories and voices of community members themselves, this exhibition traces the establishment of the town by Hispanos, Italians, and migrant farmworkers in the 1800s, all the way through today.

“Anybody with a connection to Pueblo knows Avondale. It has enriched us all of our lives with the crops they produce and the people who have given service to this country. It has connected us through baseball and draws residents and visitors alike for the annual Jamaica festival at Sacred Heart Catholic Church,” said Dianne Archuleta, Director of El Pueblo History Museum. “In Fields of Devotion these stories come together into one beautiful, collaborative exhibition that resonates with families and community members, and reminds us of the rich and diverse history of this unique town called Avondale.”

Avondale’s rich history starts with homesteaders flocking to the region’s fertile land for grazing and farming. Prominent businessman Ceran St. Vrain held the land rights to more than four million acres, and he needed miners, ranchers, and farmers to move to the area and make it prosperous. Charles “Charley” Autobees – a surveyor, settler, farmer, and businessman – took up the opportunity to bring as many families from Northern New Mexico as possible. Autobees chose an area near the mouth of the Huerfano River where it empties into the Arkansas River. Today, descendants of the family who now go by Autobee still live in Avondale and Pueblo, and shared their stories for this exhibition.

Avondale’s once fruitful farmland and robust economy have faced many challenges throughout the town’s history, including current struggles to obtain basic resources like water, infrastructure, and food. But its residents remain a tight knit community taking pride in the bounties of their hard work and their commitment to the values that their ancestors brought to the region.

“When the army depot was booming, Avondale was booming. When the mill was booming, Avondale was booming,” said Lynn Soto, who served as a community liaison for History Colorado Museum of Memory’s Avondale Neighborhood Memory Project. But as times are changing, Soto feels the community needs to “keep fighting” to ensure access to healthy food, safe and affordable recreation for young people, and other resources.

El Pueblo History Museum has collaborated closely with Avondale’s descendants and residents to gather their stories and artifacts. These intergenerational contributions range from a mural created by young artists Celeste and Amanda Santistevan to oral histories provided by elder community members who have since passed away.

Fields of Devotion is on view at the El Pueblo History Museum from July 18, 2026 to July 17, 2027 and is included with General Admission tickets. El Pueblo History Museum will host an opening celebration on July 18 from 12 to 4 pm.

About El Pueblo History Museum

History Colorado’s El Pueblo History Museum is located at 301 N. Union Avenue in the heart of the city of Pueblo, part of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk District and the Pueblo Creative Corridor. The museum stands on the site of the original El Pueblo trading post, constructed in 1842. The museum site features beautiful galleries, a gift shop, bookstore, gardens, an active archaeological dig, and a recreation of the 1842 adobe trading post.

El Pueblo History Museum is open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.ElPuebloHistoryMuseum.org or call 719-583-0453.

About Museum of Memory

History Colorado’s Museum of Memory is a community-based public history initiative that creates opportunities for Colorado communities to collaborate in crafting their own historic record and deciding how to remember their collective past on their own terms. These efforts reanimate, center, and amplify the histories that have long existed only in the margins. To co-author the community’s shared history, Museum of Memory collaborates with community members, school districts, community-based organizations, resident teams, activists, community connectors, artists, cultural experts, students and volunteers. Museum of Memory is based on the idea that when people see themselves as the creators and makers of their own history, they also come to see themselves as the writers of their own destinies.

About History Colorado

History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 146-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado.

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado

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The post “Fields of Devotion” Honors Enduring Rural Community in Southern Colorado appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

On a hot June day, I sat outside with CU student Lily Dennis, the low hum of engines bouncing off the nearby road. The conversation was about Pride month and what it means during the Trump Administration. 

“I think that [Pride] is more important now than ever. To remember the history, especially as it’s being erased,” she said. 

In the past year and a half since Donald Trump took office, his administration has systematically rolled back trans rights and attacked the queer community. The military has banned transgender individuals from serving, made it “official” US policy that there are only two genders, threatened to withhold federal funds from hospitals that continue to offer gender affirming care for minors, and dismantled the 988 LGBTQ+ hotline for suicide prevention.  Despite this more than 500,000 people showed up to Denver Pride this year, and around 2,000 in Erie.  

“I didn’t really grow up knowing that I was queer,” Dennis told me. “And my family is not very accepting, so it’s been a struggle. To me, Pride is  an important part of who I am.” 

At Erie Pride, a young girl opens her arms as if in embrace, a Pride flag draped across her shoulders. Photograph by Luna Wolf/Yellowscene Magazine

Pride first began in 1969 after the Stonewall rebellion in New York City. Every June since then, people flock to the streets in cities and towns across the country, in celebration of the queer community. But for some, like CU student Criss Buzzalino, Pride this year is particularly important. 

“In the deep south, the Queer Community in my hometown is incredibly tight and incredibly strong,” he said. “We all have each other. We all have each other’s backs. […] There’s so many people who are afraid of being who they are, and coming together in the face of oppression and marginalization, especially because a lot of the South Carolina queer scene is people of color. It’s just such a diverse, incredible and strong group of people.” 

Ella Lee, a student at CU as well, told me that this year, Pride means a lot to her too.

“It’s an important act of resistance this year for me in particular. Showing up to events and being in my community means a lot more because connecting with other folks is scarier and harder than ever, with the way the administration has been attacking people,” she said. “It also means a lot to see other people that I wouldn’t expect showing allyship. It’s stuff like that that makes this month really important to me and for queer people in the community. Just knowing that there are people out there that still care and will show their support and will stand up for you.” 

When I spoke with Micah Caswell, the Director of Communications and Strategy at Rocky Mountain Equality, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group that organizes Pride events in Colorado, they told me that while the group didn’t yet have their finalized data collection on the number of attendees, they suspect there were more people at Pride this year compared to last. 

“I think that Pride has always been a time to come together, not just for the LGBTQ Community,  but also with our allies and our families who support us,” they said. “That’s really been highlighted for me in the Prides that I’ve attended this year and that we have organized. I think that seeing that is more important than it was a couple years ago. It’s hard to show up and be happy when we’re under attack, but we do it because we always have.” 

A group of people sits on the grass, mid conversation. At their feet, tubs of lemonade are resting next to colorful Pride flags. Photograph by Luna Wolf/Yellowscene Magazine

As reported in Out Front Magazine, there are a total of 17 Prides taking place across Colorado this year. “If Christmas is family, then Pride is like found family,” Buzzalino told me. “I get to put glitter on my face, wrap myself and my friends in a Pride flag, and go run rampant in the streets.”  According to the Human Rights Campaign, this year alone more than 75 anti LGBTQ+ executive orders have been signed. That’s double the amount signed last year. 

“I think that when a lot of people think about resistance and what that means, especially with what we see happening to us, it feels exhausting,” Caswell said. “I am really happy that as a community we have figured out that being ourselves unapologetically with each other in public spaces is resistance.”  

Yellow Scene’s 2026 Summer Support Drive is underway with a goal of 1,000 Sustaining Supporters by summer’s end.

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The post “If Christmas is family, then Pride is like found family.” appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

CONTACT:

Senate Majority Deputy Communications Director Ellie Lapp, 406.253.9088

House Majority Media Relations Director

Mallory Feeney, 563.542.8299

DENVER, CO – Today, Senators Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, and Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, and Representatives Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins, Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, and Lorena García, D-Unincorporated Adams County, released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court released their decision upholding the principle of birthright citizenship.

“Today, we breathe a sigh of relief that the Supreme Court upheld one of the foundational principles of our country: that anyone born on American soil is an American citizen. This decision affirms a core promise of our democracy that anyone born here has the right to pursue the American Dream, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. This principle has defined the United States for over 150 years.

“At the same time, we cannot ignore decisions announced last week that restrict access to asylum and endanger Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Trump Administration continues its broad assault on immigration, narrowing legal pathways for people who come to the United States in search of safety and opportunity – many fleeing war, violence, natural disasters, and persecution. Their choice is often one between life and death.

“Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to question the legality of birthright citizenship. While today’s decision reaffirms common sense and the fundamental promise of our democracy, it is a sobering reminder of how this administration is willing to undermine our rights, restrict our constitutional freedoms, and divide our communities for political gain.”

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The post General Assembly Democrats on Today’s SCOTUS Decision Upholding Birthright Citizenship appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Media Contact:

Jack Todd

Jack.Todd@ColoradoSOS.gov

China Scroggins

China.Scroggins@ColoradoSOS.gov

June 30, 2026

Information for Eligible Voters Impacted by Wildfires

Denver, CO – As multiple wildfires burn across the state, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is providing information for eligible voters who may be impacted by evacuation orders.

“Today is Election Day, and every eligible Coloradan should know about the resources available to them so they can make their voices heard,” said Secretary Griswold. “My heart goes out to everyone impacted by ongoing wildfires across the state.”

Eligible voters impacted by wildfire evacuations who have not yet cast their ballot can visit any voter center across the state to request and receive a replacement ballot.

• Visiting a voter center within their home county will allow eligible voters to vote a ballot with all of their local contests.
• Visiting a voter center outside of their home county will allow eligible voters to vote a replacement ballot with only statewide races.

Voters who have access to their mail ballot can return that ballot to any drop box or voter center in the state by 7 p.m. today, and it will make it back to their County Clerk for signature verification and tabulation.

Voter center and drop box locations can be found here: https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections/VIP.html. Voters should enter the address of their current location to find nearby voting options.

Alternatively, voters impacted by wildfire evacuations can request an emergency ballot at https://myballot.coloradosos.gov/app/home.

Impacted voters can also contact their County Clerk with specific questions. Contact information can be found at https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections/Resources/CountyElectionOffices.html.

Important information for Colorado voters:

• Coloradans should always use trusted sources when searching for information on elections. Information from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office is distributed via ColoradoSOS.gov or GoVoteColorado.gov.
• Voters can visit GoVoteColorado.gov and select “Contact my County Clerk” to ensure they are only visiting legitimate Colorado Clerk websites.
• All Colorado voters can sign up to track their ballot from when it is sent to when it is counted using BallotTrax.
• Voters should return their ballot to a drop box or voter center, or they can vote in-person. It is too late to mail a ballot back.
• This year, 137 voter centers and 437 drop boxes are available for voters. Voters can look up their locations, opening date, and hours at GoVoteColorado.gov.
• If you feel harassed or threatened, you have the right to contact local law enforcement or notify the Colorado Attorney General’s Office at (720) 508-6000.
• In-person voting on Election Day, Tuesday, June 30, is available until 7 p.m.

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The post Information for Eligible Voters Impacted by Wildfires appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The following letter was sent to Yellow Scene Magazine. As with all Letters to the Editor, the views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publication.

Antisemitism is rising. I read this almost daily, and I have no reason to doubt it, and I am sad to see it occurring. And though, importantly, Palestinians are Semites too, the common interpretation is that this is negative, and even deadly opinions and actions taken against Jewish people. While people may misunderstand that term’s definition, throw in anti-Zionism and discussions become heated and too often adversarial.

I’m here for it. To be clear, this is a response to Wynn Howell’s letter to the editor titled “The Socialism of Fools.”

According to Wikipedia, “Zionism[a] is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in late 19th-century Europe to establish and support a Jewish homeland through colonization in the region of Palestine.” The definition, from the same source, for antisemitism is “Antisemitism[a] or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews.”’ Importantly, anti-Zionism is defined, again by Wikipedia, as “opposition to Zionism,” or an opposition to “an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in late 19th-century Europe to establish and support a Jewish homeland through colonization in the region of Palestine.” And based on that definition, one needs to know the definition of colonization is: “the act or process of sending people to live in and govern another country,” and such people are described as “settlers.”

For those who missed it, almost exactly a year ago an Egyptian man showed up and viciously attacked people participating in a Run for Their Lives weekly demonstration. Without labeling the attack that killed an 82-year-old woman any of the above, I hope everyone reading this can find the heart and logic to call it an awful, vicious, and cruel murder. Full stop.

Where arguments begin, and go on and on, though, is, at least for me, when people like Howell try to label this an act of antisemitism. I left my church in Boulder because they joined many other houses of faith in Boulder and called it just that, exactly as Howell has done. And Howell and these houses of faith are far from alone, because, from District Attorney Dougherty to Boulder chief of police, the politically connected can hardly wait to assign this term to the attack.

According to reports, the man who committed the attack and will now serve a life sentence, “he learned of the Run for Their Lives walk after searching for ‘Zionist’ events online, according to the 12-count indictment.” I challenge anyone reading this to find a quote in which he expressed Jew-hatred, because he was clear: he wanted to kill Zionists, and yes, he shouted “free Palestine,” which the ADL and any virulent supporter of Israel’s response to the October 7, 2023 attack will tell you is antisemitic. Certainly I would expect Rachel Amaru, the organizer of Run for Their Lives, to say this. If ever there was a Zionist, it is Rachel Amaru.

People like Amaru, Dougherty, and far too many others, including Wynn Howell, ignore what the man who murdered an innocent woman said, in order to label this attack antisemitic. They have to, because if the killer’s stated motivation is part of the conversation, their label fails. And, no doubt, some, like perhaps Dougherty and Howell, have good intentions: they see the rise in antisemitism, recognize the historic danger of such beliefs, and speak out.

Unfortunately, their efforts are misguided, so much so that these efforts are leading, arguably, to antisemitism.

Tell someone that if they believe Palestinians, driven from their homeland in 1967 during the Nakba, or, according to Wikipedia, “the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Arabs by Israel through their violent displacement and dispossession of land, property, and belongings, along with the destruction of their society and the suppression of their culture, identity, political rights, and national aspirations,” that claiming any critique of Israel is antisemitic, and you have laid the seeds to foment actual antisemitism. If I am told that critiquing Israel’s slaughter of children, families, and innocent people in Palestine is antisemitic, often by Zionists, if I am not paying attention, it becomes easy to become anti-Israel, or worse, anti-Jew. Lord knows I have read some articles about the horrific actions of Israel in the last few years and wept and prayed to God to not let me descend to hating Jewish people. Thankfully, my experiences have included working with some incredible people of that faith in Boulder, and I know how deeply committed they are to truth and justice for even the least empowered, such as people experiencing homelessness—Rachel Amaru included. That they lose all objectivity when tasked with showing the same objectivity and empathy towards Palestinians is sad but plainly apparent.

Despite the detestable reactions of such people, I choose, and hope you, dear reader, do too, not to let the acts of even what appears to be a majority of Jewish people in supporting Israel’s genocidal acts towards Palestinians lead me to sweeping negative beliefs about Jews, who include those who practice the religion and those who simply identify as a Jewish person, separate from religion.

On this, Howell and I may agree. But that is where our agreement ends. They wrote in their letter to the editor, “Right now, though, I am both disturbed and disappointed by some of my fellow lefties, who have become the unwitting tools of White Christian Nationalists by crossing the line into clear antisemitism. Some have even gone so far as to embrace such a misguided worldview that they’ve convinced themselves that hostility toward Jews is morally justified.”

If “lefties” are “convince[ing] themselves that hostility toward Jews is morally justified,” then I would agree with Howell. But because I have attempted to debate them online about the difference between antisemitism and anti-Zionism, and was blocked from the Colorado Working Families Party, probably by Howell, I have a strong basis to believe they are pointing at people like myself. People who challenge their big tent definition of antisemitism, who would point out that what they are really saying, if not intentionally, is that they are all in for colonization.

The sad thing for me is that this big tent definition of antisemitism, the one that says any critique of Israel’s genocidal actions against Palestine is antisemitic, is very likely causing antisemitism. When any critique of Israel murdering children is deemed antisemitic, such as Ms. Rachel, a children’s educator, who simply makes statements in support of the dignity and value of all children and gets attacked as a result as antisemitic, some people may choose not to pray to keep them from feeling ill will towards Jewish people. Some people may, lazily and with great risk of resultant harm, begin to hate Jews. That is, being told your opinion is that of a Jew-hater because you in fact hate seeing Palestinian children like five-year-old Hind Rajab slaughtered in cold blood by the Israeli military will inevitably lead to some of those people feeling a hatred for Jewish people.

To do so is wrong, but certainly an understandable human emotional response. Fight it.

But also, fight people like Rachel Amaru, and even possibly well-intentioned but extremely off-the-mark critics such as Howell. Many of them call any Jewish person who is willing to expose themself to vicious attacks by critiquing Israel “self-hating Jews.” If antisemitism is defined as a Jew-hater, such labeling of Jewish people who dare to cite their own religion in calling out Israel’s genocidal acts against Palestinians conveniently labels even such Jewish people as antisemitic. It’s a big tent, designed too often to shut down any criticism. Don’t fall for it.

Each of us is presently answering the question: what would I have done during the Holocaust? For myself, I will not be silent, and I will not let a perhaps well-intentioned person like Howell distract me from objectivity with labels designed to impugn my character. They should worry about their own.

Darren O’Connor

He/him/his

The post Letter to the Editor: Antisemitism Is The Big Tent For Fools appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Featured Photo: ECAACE tables at an event in 2022. (Madelyn Strong Woodley, Boulder Reporting Lab)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 29, 2026

NAACP Seeks to Reconstitute Boulder County Branch

Community Invited to July 10 Interest Meeting

Boulder, CO – The NAACP is taking steps to reconstitute its Boulder County Branch and is inviting community members to participate in an upcoming interest meeting. The gathering will take place on Friday, July 10, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. in the Meadows Library Community Room.

This meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to express their interest in membership in the Boulder Branch, and will go a long way in helping the National Branch make its discussion on how and when to reconstitute the community’s charter: says Kenneth Flowe, member of the Boulder Branch Interest Group. He went on to say: …there will be a single item, and one item only on the agenda when we meet: When will the Branch be Reconstituted. And then closed with: “This is a chance to come together and shape the future of the NAACP in Boulder County.”

The NAACP encourages anyone interested in supporting its mission to attend, regardless of prior involvement.

Event Details:

• What: NAACP Boulder County Branch Reconstitution Interest Meeting
• When: Friday, July 10, 2026 – 3:30 p.m.
• Where: Meadows Library Community Room, 4800 Baseline Road
• Who: Open to all community members

For more information, please contact:

Kenneth Flowe

Kenneth.Flowe1906@gmail.com

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This past month, Yellow Scene Magazine published our endorsements for the upcoming primary election. What haunted much of our coverage was the specter of dark money: who has it, who does not, which donors we viewed as disqualifying, and which we did not. Particularly in a post-Mamdani electoral landscape, a candidate’s financial connections are beginning to resonate deeply with everyday voters.

Candidates have learned to capitalize on this shift, weaponizing their opponents’ financial ties against them to sell themselves as grassroots alternatives. Whether pointing out candidate Heidi Henkel’s ties to One Main Street or the hundreds of thousands accepted from AIPAC by Senator Michael Bennet, opposing campaigns are leveraging these relationships to paint themselves as the true champions of the common person. At the same time, there is far more nuance here than what is typically expressed during the mudslinging and political shots taken in debates. How did we get here, how should we understand the mechanics of dark money, and most importantly, if almost everyone agrees its influence on elections is undesirable, which candidates are actually willing to curb it? Yellow Scene Magazine reached out to candidates and conducted our own digging to tackle these questions.

To understand the current crisis, it is necessary to first separate how political campaigns are financed. Campaigns are expensive, and spending correlates strongly to winning. Traditional election spending, or “hard money,” comes directly from campaign fundraising. Hard money features strictly disclosed donors and legal limits to individual donations, and includes standard Political Action Committees (PACs). On the other hand, outside or “soft money” comes from external corporations and nonprofits, which can under certain conditions accept unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations, or unions. Outside groups that are not required to disclose their original sources of funding are what we define as dark money groups.

As a nation, we arrived at this point in 2010, when five conservative Supreme Court justices hampered campaign finance laws by overruling four liberal appointees in the landmark Citizens United case. The Court ruled that a ban on independent expenditures from corporations violated free speech under the First Amendment, allowing corporations and nonprofits to spend unlimited amounts on political races. In the following years, the Courts have reversed even more legal precedents, allowing entities to use their treasuries for electioneering expenses and independent expenditures directly for political candidates. Later in 2010, the Court ruled that PACs could accept unlimited money as long as they did not coordinate with campaigns, which prompted the creation of independent expenditure committees, commonly known as Super PACs. These decisions granted outsized political power to these organizations and facilitated the spread of dark money.

According to Colorado law, independent expenditures are contributions made “without the support of or coordination with a candidate, candidate committee, or candidate’s agent”. Independent Expenditure Committees (IECs) in Colorado are required to disclose the occupation and employer information for any donations exceeding $250. In theory, IECs must legally function without candidate coordination. In practice, this boundary is incredibly difficult to enforce.

This dynamic creates a scenario where a candidate can be running a completely clean, grassroots race, only for a wealthy, moneyed interest to decide to throw its financial weight behind them unprompted. Conversely, other candidates deliberately cater their platforms to court these financial windfalls. Because of how IECs operate, it is challenging for voters to distinguish one from the other and know exactly when a candidate should be held accountable for the outside groups bolstering their campaign.

Furthermore, nonprofits and shell companies can give unlimited money to these PACs, effectively turning them into dark money outlets when the original donations cannot be traced. IECs thus give the appearance of being transparent while potentially operating as conduits for dark money. Nonprofits funding these PACs are legally required to spend less than half their money on political activity, but these organizations routinely skirt the rules by funneling money back and forth between different entities.

Dark money has become rampant across federal and state elections. Yellow Scene Magazine published a deep dive last year detailing how anti-public school billionaire Reed Hastings routinely funded pro-charter school candidates, essentially buying access to educational boards over the course of several years. We have also reported on moneyed interest groups popping up across Boulder County over the last five years, exerting influence in Louisville, Erie, Broomfield, and beyond.

Television ads, online ads, and mailers constitute the bulk of dark money spending, representing the front-facing result of outside money that Colorado voters see the most. Kenny Nguyen, running for re-election in House District 33, noted that voters are tired of the “bombardment of advertising” during campaigns.

Nguyen stated that reporting rules for donations are too loose to track, and repercussions are far too few. 

“Colorado is a complaint-based system, and as a grassroots campaign we don’t have an army of attorneys to file complaints,” Nguyen wrote.

Mapping the paper trail of dark money remains the most difficult hurdle for anyone hoping to understand who is spending on whom. With shell companies, LLCs registered in other states, and creative funneling methods, the trail is often too convoluted for an informed voter to follow.

Anil Pesaramelli, a candidate for House District 19, echoed these concerns. 

“Most voters do not have the time, expertise, or resources to trace money through layers of Independent Expenditure Committees, nonprofit organizations, political committees, and pass-through entities.”

Junie Joseph, running for House District 10, agreed that tracing IEC money “often requires significant time, expertise, and resources”. She added that “transparency should be meaningful and accessible, not something only political insiders can understand”.

Even if a voter could excavate all the outside money in a given election, they would be forced to make voting decisions based on which organizations are deemed “good” or “bad”. Nguyen made a point to note that all IECs are not the same, acknowledging that his own campaign is a recipient of financial support from union backed IECs. He argued that groups like the Colorado AFL-CIO identify themselves transparently when spending, whereas corporate special interests like oil and gas or private prisons do their absolute best to hide who they are behind nonprofits before dumping cash into an IEC. Cervantes noted that labor and conservation groups, organizations considered by some to be defensive IECs, are often created in direct retaliation to those built by major corporations. This ethical proposition introduces a heavy moral obligation, leaving voters wondering if certain financial connections are strong enough to mar a candidate’s credibility, or if certain links are tenuous enough to forgive. 

Even though IECs are barred from coordinating with campaigns, politicians have found ways to dodge these rules with few repercussions. A prominent example includes a retreat at a Vail hotel last October between Colorado lawmakers and lobbyists, which ultimately spawned an ethics complaint. The retreat was hosted by the nonprofit Colorado Opportunity Caucus. One Main Street, a group heavily invested in Democratic primaries in recent years, maintains financial connections to that nonprofit. This May, lawmakers backed by the caucus struck down legislation that would have required caucuses like themselves to disclose their funding.

The systemic nature of the problem is acknowledged even by those within the majority party. Junie Joseph wrote that money’s “influence can be used not only between political parties but also within parties to reward allies, punish opponents, and shape political outcomes”. She noted, “The difficult truth is that many people in positions of power, including Democrats in a state like Colorado, where we hold a trifecta, understand the power of money and are often reluctant to give up tools that can be used to maintain influence.” 

Kenny Nguyen reinforced this reality, writing simply, “Dark Money is truly all over Colorado”.

Because political gridlock at the federal level has prevented changes to campaign finance laws, the responsibility has fallen to individual states to corral unregulated spending. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) experiences its own partisan gridlock and rarely reprimands organizations, citing the protection of free speech in line with Citizens United.

The newest effort to nullify Citizens United comes from Montana. Former state officials created “The Montana Plan,” which uses state corporation law to strip corporations of their political spending power. Under this framework, out-of-state entities are only allowed the same rights as in-state corporations, effectively ending outside corporate spending in state elections. The Montana Plan will be a ballot initiative in that state this year, and reform organizations are attempting to adopt it state-by-state. The Transparent Election Initiative is currently working to get a similar ballot initiative on the Colorado ballot in 2026 or 2028.

Attorney General Phil Weiser

Local support at the highest levels of state government has already begun to crystallize. In a 2025 op-ed, current Colorado Attorney General and candidate for Governor Phil Weiser wrote in favor of Colorado joining The Montana Plan. In a televised debate in June, Weiser stated, “I’ll be the candidate who overturns Citizens United in Colorado”.

When we turn to individual platforms, the candidates who identify campaign finance laws as a major issue have devised a variety of local and state-level solutions.

Jillaire McMillan noted that the systemic issues in Colorado intensified when maximum contribution limits to individual campaigns were capped at $450, while unaffiliated groups were left free to give unlimited sums. The low limit “requires a lot of work to raise the amount of money needed for mailers, cards to leave when knocking doors, online ads, staff salaries, and the other necessary expenses of a campaign,” McMillan wrote. She added that this framework creates a strong incentive for wealthy individuals to self-fund their campaigns, which has no legal limit.

To improve transparency, McMillan suggested investing in a comprehensive overhaul of the Secretary of State’s online Tracer system to create a streamlined, user-friendly portal to track finances. However, she remained candid about voter priorities, noting that while candidates obsess over campaign finance, her potential constituency has other concerns. 

“As I knock doors and connect with voters, they talk to me about affordable housing, the cost of child care, losing their jobs to AI, and their worries about water and clean air,” McMillan wrote.

Anil Pesaramelli wrote that “democracy works best when voters can evaluate messages knowing exactly who is paying for them.”

He stated he would support state-level legislation that reduces outside money “while respecting constitutional protections for political speech”. Specifically, Pesaramelli advocates for the real-time disclosure of major expenditures, clear identification of the original funding sources behind IECs, stronger anti-coordination rules, and clearer disclaimers on political advertisements. If elected, he committed to actively sponsoring or co-sponsoring these transparency reforms as a legislative priority.

Junie Joseph proposed implementing lower contribution limits, faster reporting of political expenditures, and a public matching funds system to amplify small donations. Acknowledging the financial constraints imposed by Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), Joseph suggested a creative workaround. She proposed exploring a state enterprise “funded through a dedicated fee on a service, or a voluntary donation during a government transaction such as a license plate renewal, that could support a public matching fund for elections”. Such public financing has already been successful at the local level through existing municipal fund matching programs in Denver and Boulder. Joseph noted that public financing would empower ordinary working-class individuals and first-time candidates to run for office without needing access to wealthy networks.

Gabriel Cervantes took a direct regulatory stance against outside groups. “I will champion legislation that revokes a corporation’s ability to spend in elections and ban IECs,” Cervantes wrote, describing the execution of this legislation as top of mind. When asked how he would handle a hypothetical $1 million expenditure on his behalf by an IEC, Cervantes admitted his response would depend entirely on the source. Pointing to his own race, he wrote, “over $100,000 has been spent in my district supporting Rep. Phillips and viciously attacking me, so if a labor backed or conservation backed organization were to spend that level of money, it would be responsitory [sic] to the dark money already being spent here”. He stated explicit plans to run legislation modeling the reforms in Montana and Hawaii.

Heidi Henkel in her response to Yellow Scene Magazine focused heavily on reducing ballot barriers, reforming endorsement incentives, and increasing lobbyist transparency. She noted that the high cost of ballot access forces candidates to rely heavily on professional signature gatherers who can charge up to $17 per signature. 

“I’ve often wondered whether candidates could instead collect signatures directly at county offices, reducing reliance on professional signature gatherers,” Henkel wrote.

Henkel also criticized the existing endorsement system, stating that “too often, endorsements function as a form of political currency” where elected officials offer endorsements while simultaneously seeking commitments on future legislative votes. She called for greater transparency by making endorsement questionnaires and responses publicly available, and advocated for stronger disclosure requirements for lobbyists. “Currently, candidates can claim they are not receiving contributions from industries such as oil and gas while accepting donations through lobbyists whose clients are not immediately apparent to the public,” Henkel wrote.

Kenny Nguyen emphasized that the spending by IECs now completely dwarfs the actual spending of grassroots campaigns, turning overnight organizations into multi-million dollar startups that vanish after three weeks. He committed to sponsoring legislation to address dark money, noting his past support for SB26 -168, the legislative caucus transparency bill that died in committee earlier this year. Nguyen argued that, at minimum, IECs should be legally required to publish major donor reports within 24 hours just as individual candidates do, and should be barred from accepting money from nonprofits that do not report their own original donors.

With a federal system locked in partisan gridlock, states like Colorado must work to end the spread of outside money in local elections. Whether through transparency portals, public matching systems, or structural overhauls like the Montana Plan, the future of local corporate influence rests entirely on the willingness of state lawmakers to reform the very systems that put them in power.

John Hickenlooper, Julie Gonzales, Michael Bennet, Melat Kiros, Wanda James, Diana DeGette, Shannon Bird, Manny Rutinel, and Jacque Phillips did not respond to Yellow Scene Magazine’s requests for comment.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

CONTACT

Raymundo Muñoz
Alto Gallery Director/Co-curator
ray@birdseedcollective.com
720-579-2257

Anthony Garcia
Alto Gallery Co-Curator and BirdSeed Collective Executive Director
anthony@birdseedcollective.com
720-569-7463

After nearly five successful years at the RiNo Art Park, Alto Gallery – a program of Denver-based 501(c)(3) non-profit BirdSeed Collective – is moving to a new location at 3773 Walnut St., Denver, CO in July 2026. The new space is still in the neighborhood and offers a more open wall and floor plan, better street-level access, and close proximity to many restaurants, bars, shops, galleries, and music venues. It’s a new and exciting chapter full of changes, and Alto Gallery is dedicated to continuing our mission, programming, and support of the Denver artist community.

Alto Gallery has been a programming partner at the Art Park since its grand opening in the fall of 2021. As the lease at our previous location in the Tennyson/Berkley neighborhood was ending, Louise Martorano (now Managing Director of National Programs of CAST Colorado and former Executive Director of RedLine) generously invited us to move to the then-newly opened RedLine satellite studios at the RiNo Art Park. The new development promised public-private partnerships with the City of Denver, Denver Parks and Recreation, RiNo Art District (RAD), RedLine Contemporary Art Center, Denver Public Library, and Comal/Focus Points Family Resource Center. Along with sharing space with the subsidized RedLine satellite studios, Alto Gallery helped activate the studios and Art Park with monthly art exhibitions and free programming to the public.

During our time at the Art Park, Alto Gallery has presented 57 exhibitions (36 solo, 21 group), inviting at least 13,533 guests (by our clicker count). In addition to sharing original artworks from 312 contemporary artists (local, national, and international), we have invited visitors to numerous talks with artists, guest speakers, and curators; creative workshops and demonstrations from exhibiting and guest artists; musical, dance, spoken word, comedy, and experimental performances; community potlucks, movie nights, art markets, special art installations and murals, and more.

Being at the Art Park for almost five years has afforded us so many collaborative and community-oriented opportunities. Sharing space with the studio artists has been an incredible experience, resulting in so many rich conversations, collaborations, exhibitions, and studio tours. Our partnership with RedLine and funding from RAD yielded collaborative summer programming over three years. We spoke at the Mayor’s Latino Heritage Month Celebration at the Art Park’s event space, the Truss House. Alto Gallery collaborated with the Denver Public Library’s neighboring Bob Ragland Branch to overlap our programming schedules to offer jam-packed all-day experiences for visitors. We also worked with numerous food and drink vendors and sponsors to offer guests a variety of delicious cuisine and refreshments.

With generous funding from Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries, Denver Arts & Venues, and RiNo Art District, we have been able to not only provide free programming for the public but also support artists, curators, and guest speakers with honorariums. In an effort to support artists even more, we also increased their percentage of sales proceeds (artists receive 70% of sales, compared to the usual 50 – 60% in most spaces).

Alto Gallery is incredibly thankful for the time we’ve spent at the Art Park, but our lease is, unfortunately, not being renewed. We hope the RAD continues to offer exhibitions, free programming, and subsidized studio spaces for artists at the Art Park studios for years to come. We believe that rent-stable and affordable spaces like these are absolutely necessary for maintaining and growing the creative culture that makes the art district such a draw for visitors and businesses alike. Nevertheless, Alto Gallery is also thankful to be able to continue our mission, programming, and support of the Denver art community in a beautiful space close by.

Alto Gallery will be taking a break throughout July to transition to the new space and complete necessary buildout (including a new wall, lighting, painting, and floor refinishing). Please join us again on Friday, August 7, 6 – 10 PM at the grand opening of our new space (3773 Walnut St., Denver, CO) and opening reception of Light Wait, a duo exhibition featuring Mindy Bray and Jessica Forrestal, and guest curated by Drew Austin.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Beyond Pesticides

Jay Feldman, Executive Director, Jfeldman@beyondpesticides.org, 202-255-4296

Supreme Court Gives Pesticide Makers Immunity from Litigation for Omitting Cancer Warning on Products

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2026—The Supreme Court today issued a ruling that prohibits, under current federal law, the right of those harmed by pesticides to sue manufacturers for their failure to warn consumers of potential hazards on their product labels. The decision effectively shields manufacturers from failure to warn lawsuits.

“The Court’s decision today is a tragic setback for public and environmental health, allowing companies that produce toxic pesticides to evade the most basic of responsibilities, warning consumers that their products may cause cancer and other deadly diseases,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, a national health and environmental group. “In an age of deregulation, the ability of farmers, farmworkers, and consumers to hold chemical manufacturers accountable for hazard warnings is the keystone to minimum protection of public health, as demand in the market for the safest possible products grows daily,” Mr. Feldman continued.

The Supreme Court case, Monsanto v. Durnell [24-1068], pits the manufacturer of the weed killer glyphosate, sold as RoundupTM, against a cancer patient with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma who was awarded $1.25 million in 2023 because the product label information provided no warning. The decision will vacate, or undo, billions of dollars in jury verdicts against Monsanto.

Before the Supreme Court heard the case on April 1, a statement decrying chemical company secrecy was released by over 200 grassroots, health, farm, farmworker, environmental, and consumer groups, socially responsible corporations, over 385 citizens from 47 states and the District of Columbia, and international partners. With support of the Trump administration, Bayer/Monsanto argues it should not be required to disclose on its product labels the potential cancer hazards of its pesticide products. Decades of jurisprudence have upheld the legal argument that chemical companies are liable for their failure to warn users of their pesticides about the harm that they could cause. Bayer/Monsanto wants to stop litigation and reverse years of case law and billions of dollars in jury verdicts in which the company has been held liable for causing cancer but not warning product users. [See statement, Stop Chemical Company Secrecy of Pesticide Product Hazards.]

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision shields manufacturers from liability associated with those who are harmed but not warned about pesticides’ adverse effects like cancer, neurological or immunological conditions, reproductive dysfunction, and other chronic illnesses. The court establishes liability immunity under federal pesticide law, finding that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act “preempts a state-law failure-to-warn claim concerning a pesticide registered by [the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] EPA, where the agency has determined that a particular warning is not required and the warning cannot be added to a product label without EPA approval.”

The Supreme Court’s decision is preceded by thousands of successful lawsuits and settlements against Bayer/Monsanto for the company’s failure to warn about long-term hazards on their RoundupTM product label. While EPA does not recognize glyphosate to be cancer-causing, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, finds it to be “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Lawyers for plaintiffs against Monsanto argued that the company sought to hide behind a weak regulatory review process, while juries issued verdicts that held the company responsible for failing to warn of the chemical product’s potential adverse effects. The total number of jury verdicts amounts to billions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages that the Supreme Court is wiping away with its decision, while putting end to pending cases of over a hundred thousand additional plaintiffs.

The Court is overturning (reversing) its 2005 decision in Bates v. Dow Agrosciences, 544 U.S. 431 (see analysis), which affirmed EPA’s approved pesticide product label as minimum protection, without releasing manufacturers of the responsibility to seek approval for a label that exceeds EPA’s minimum requirements. Pesticide manufacturers propose the text for their product labels and EPA ensures compliance with its minimum requirements, which does not preclude them from disclosing potential adverse effects they know or should have known about. EPA does not require a cancer warning (or other chronic effects) typically on pesticide product labels, even when the agency and the chemical manufacturer have identified a harm, including cancer, under EPA’s risk assessment review that it deems “acceptable.”

The Court in the Bates case made the important point that the notion of liability “emphasizes the importance of providing an incentive to manufacturers to use the utmost care in the business of distributing inherently dangerous items.”

Beyond Pesticides joined an amicus brief filed in the Supreme Court in April and led by Center for Food Safety (CFS), which challenged Bayer/Monsanto’s position that it should not be held liable for failing to warn consumers that the use of their pesticide products could cause cancer or other diseases.

For more information, please visit the Failure to Warn Resource Hub; the latest version of this release is available at https://bp-dc.org/supreme-court-monsanto-v-durnell-pr-6-2026.

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Beyond Pesticides is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., which works with farmers, farmworkers, consumers, researchers, and the medical community, in protecting health and the environment with science, policy, and action to lead the transition to a world free of toxic pesticides. Learn more at https://www.beyondpesticides.org/.

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Media contact: coreartspace.pr@gmail.com

“Red, White & Blue”

Core Art Space is proud to present “Red, White & Blue”, a juried exhibition of artists from the Front Range and across the country. This summer marks the 250th Anniversary of the United States. To honor this moment, Core Art Space is presenting a juried exhibition on the theme of “Red, White and Blue.” The theme was interpreted broadly as artists submitted works that simply feature the colors of red, white and/or blue; or treated the theme as inherently political. Some of the pieces expressed the concepts associated with “red, white and blue,” whether or not those colors are actually employed in the works. All in all, this is a spirited exhibition held during this time of celebration and reflection. Juror: Michael Paglia is an art historian and professional art writer whose weekly columns appeared in Westword for 25 years. In addition, Paglia’s art reviews have been published in national periodicals, and he has authored more than twenty books on modern and contemporary art in the American West. Paglia has juried and curated many exhibitions.

Participating artists in “Red, White & Blue”

John Affolter, Vashon, WA

Emma Alcazar, Powhatan, VA

Fred Becker, Denver, CO

Sara Behling, Lakewood, CO

Carol Bivins, Denver, CO

Richard Chamberlain, Westminster, CO

Roj Cooper, Englewood, CO

John Decker, Boulder, CO

Carolyn Doran, Lakewood, CO

Tom Edwards, Evergreen, CO

Jennifer Evans, Denver, CO

Alix Evendorff, Lakewood, CO

Kent Flora, Denver, CO

Patrice Gelband, Los Altos, CA

David Griffin, Broomfield, CO

Scott Hays, Fort Collins, CO

Deidre Holmberg, Richland, WA Mary Hood, Mesa, AZ

Wade Johnston, Fairway, KS

Mirka Knaster, The Sea Ranch, CA

Kimberly MacArthur Graham, Denver, CO

Brian Maly, Helena, MT

Jennifer Marks, RALEIGH, NC

Donna M Meeks, Beaumont, TX

Melanie Mills, Savannah, GA

Antoinette Peshek, Denver, CO

Joshua H Phelps, Edmonds, WA

Marlene Polmear, Greenwood Village, CO

James Rabiolo, Lakewood, CO

Camie Rigirozzi, Broomfield, CO

Beans Ryan, Denver, CO

Sydney Solis, Denver, CO

Marla Sullivan, Centennial, CO

Clifford Traverse, Frisco, TX

Harry Utter, Denver, CO

Chris Warot, Aurora, CO

David Wollmann, Denver, CO

Vlad Zadneprianski, Staten Island, NY

Joseph Ziegler, Colorado Springs, CO

Core Art Space has memberships available, and the Core Annex is available to rent for non-member shows. Please contact coreartspacecontact@gmail.com for more information about membership or renting the annex.

Where:

Core Art Space 6501 W. Colfax Ave. Lakewood, CO 80214

303-297-8428

When: Show Runs: July 10 – 26, 2026

Opening Reception: Friday, July 10, 5:00 – 9:00 PM

Gallery Hours: Friday 5:00 – 9:00 PM

Saturday and Sunday 12:00 – 5:00 PM

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At a June 9 Thornton City Council meeting, council members unanimously advanced an ordinance to rezone almost 29 acres of land to make way for a new apartment complex. The land, on East 112th Avenue and York Street, is vacant. City council has long been searching for a way to fill it, especially as the nearby RTD rail station sees a decline in ridership. 

Hillpointe, a developer managing more than 12,000 units across over 10 states, hopes to build a new residential space geared towards providing affordable housing for what it calls the “missing middle,”  those who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing but too little to comfortably afford luxury apartments . The development would feature a three-story complex, 508 units, and amenities ranging from fiber internet and a 24-hour fitness center, to a dog spa and pickleball courtsHowever, the idea is being met with stiff opposition from locals. Prior to the meeting, seven petitions had been created with nearly 600 signatures in opposition. Of the 13 individuals who participated in the meeting’s public input portion, all opposed the project. Concerns were wide-ranging, but residents’ biggest beef revolved around traffic impacts, crime and safety, and wildlife. The city used an independent traffic consultant, Westminster-based SM Rocha, to conduct a study to determine how traffic might intensify.

The study found that York Avenue’s current capacity supports up to 10,800 daily drivers while 112th Avenue can carry 28,800. If the development were to move forward, projections into 2045 show traffic volume would only rise to 7,880 vehicles on York Ave. and 17,930 vehicles on 112th Ave. However, several residents disputed the veracity of the study, which was done last April. 

Though council members shared many of the same concerns with the public, they believe Hillpointe’s intentions represent an opportunity too valuable to forego.

“For years, we have been working to figure out what to do in this area,” Mayor Jan Kulmann said. She emphasized concerns won’t go unaddressed and moved to direct city staff to develop a comprehensive plan for community outreach related to the project. 

Representatives from Hillpointe were fervent in their intention to address these issues, stating that the project will include constructing improvements to the area’s walkability and lighting. 

Per city rules, at least one more community meeting is required. Hillpointe representatives reassured the city council they will attend as many meetings as needed.

“If there’s developers trying to hide, I can understand how it breeds that fear. I commit to any meeting,” Marcus Wiedower, Hillpointe’s vice president of external affairs, said.

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EPA Invests in Making America Healthy Again with Announcement of $1.6 Million to Improve Drinking Water in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming

June 26, 2026

Contact Information: Region 8 News (Region8Media@epa.gov)

DENVER – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing $1.6 million in grant funding to improve drinking water infrastructure in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. These grants will help Make America Healthy Again by providing communities with needed resources to make critical drinking water infrastructure upgrades, combat Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), remove sources of lead, and address specific local drinking water challenges.

“Reliable access to clean, safe drinking water is essential for American communities to thrive and a top priority for the Trump EPA,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water, Jess Kramer. “Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American is Pillar 1 of Administrator Zeldin’s ‘Powering the Great American Comeback’ Initiative. Small and rural water systems often face disproportionate challenges when it comes to drinking water, and these grants will help them access needed resources to make important water infrastructure investments that will protect Americans from the dangers of PFAS and other harmful contaminants.”

“EPA is committed to advancing safe, reliable drinking water across the country,” said EPA Region 8 Administrator Cyrus Western. “Through strong state partnerships, this funding will help communities across the region improve their water systems, access resources to meet their unique challenges, and deliver the clean, reliable water families depend on.”

Approximately $25 million is available nationwide through the Small, Rural, and Tribal (SmaRT) Drinking Water Assistance Program. This grant program was established under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act to help water systems provide clean, safe drinking water. The funding is available to states and territories, who are responsible for administering the grant funds and ensuring that the funds efficiently and effectively reach communities that need assistance with local water infrastructure upgrades or Safe Drinking Water Act compliance.

FY 26 Allocation

• Colorado: $432,000
• Montana: $297,000
• North Dakota: $205,000
• South Dakota: $221,000
• Utah: $280,000
• Wyoming: $235,000

More information on this grant program and this year’s allotments can be found on the SmaRT website. Tribal allotments for this program will be released separately.

Background:

The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act establishes the SmaRT grant program – formerly known as Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities (SUDC) – to award funding to states, territories, and tribes to assist public water systems in meeting Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements.

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Media Contact:

Jack Todd

Jack.Todd@ColoradoSOS.gov

China Scroggins

China.Scroggins@ColoradoSOS.gov

June 26, 2026

Reminders for Voters Ahead of Primary Election Day

Denver, CO – Secretary Griswold is reminding Coloradans of important voter information ahead of Election Day, June 30.

“Election Day is next Tuesday, and we hope every eligible voter makes their voice heard,” said Secretary Griswold.

Colorado voters should return their ballots at a drop box or voting center. It is too late to return a ballot by mail to ensure that it will be received by county clerks by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Coloradans can still register to vote and vote in person at a voting center until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

Important information for Unaffiliated voters:

• Unaffiliated voters were sent both the Democratic and Republican Party Primary Election ballots. They may contact their County Clerk to request a Unity Party ballot.
• Unaffiliated voters may only vote and return one ballot. Returning two voted ballots will result in neither ballot being counted.

Important information for all Colorado voters:

• This year, 137 voter centers and 437 drop boxes are available for voters. Voters can look up their locations and hours at GoVoteColorado.gov.
• Coloradans should always use trusted sources when searching for information on elections. Information from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office is distributed via ColoradoSOS.gov or GoVoteColorado.gov.
• Voters can visit GoVoteColorado.gov and select “Contact my County Clerk” to ensure they are only visiting legitimate Colorado Clerk websites.
• All Colorado voters can sign up to track their ballot from when it is sent to when it is counted using BallotTrax.
• Voters should return their ballot to a drop box or voter center, or they can vote in-person. It is too late to mail a ballot back.
• In-person voting on Election Day, Tuesday, June 30, will be available from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole. 

Friday, June 26, 2026

Media Contacts:

De’Von Kissick-Kelly, Court Administrator, kissick-kellyd@bouldercolorado.gov

Jennifer Ciplet, Communications Sr. Manager, cipletj@bouldercolorado.gov

Community Court to partner with St. John’s Episcopal Church to provide Thursday programming

Location change will take effect on July 23

BOULDER, Colo. – St. John’s Episcopal Church has generously agreed to host the Community Court Program at 1419 Pine Street on Thursday afternoons from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This program has been hosted in the plaza area in front of the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building for the past two years. The location change will take effect on July 23, 2026.

The Community Court Program is a collaborative effort involving the Municipal Court, City Attorney’s Office and a variety of community and non-profit agencies including Deacon’s Closet, TGTHR, Behavioral Health Assistance Program (“BHAP”), Clinica, Focus Reentry, All Roads, the Boulder Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team (“HOT”), Annie and Millie’s Place, Haven Ridge, Hazelbrook Recovery, Recovery Café, Soma-Soul Psychotherapy, Veteran’s Affairs, and most recently representatives from the City’s Open Space and Mountain Parks department. A host of community volunteers also assist with the success of this program. St. John’s Episcopal Church has provided resources and support to Boulder’s unhoused population for decades. The Community Court Program is grateful to St. Johns and TGTHR for making it possible for the Community Court Program to continue its outreach to our unhoused community.

For those interested in learning more about Boulder Municipal Court and the Community Court program, click this link: Understanding Boulder Municipal Court | City of Boulder. Our dockets are open to the public and can also be viewed virtually on the city’s YouTube Channel at Boulder Municipal Court – YouTube.

–CITY–

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole. 

Friday, June 26, 2026

Media Contact

Antonia Gallegos, Media Relations, 303-413-7299

bouldercolorado.gov

City of Boulder closures for July 3, 2026

City services, facility hours and holiday weekend reminders for the Independence Day observance

BOULDER, Colo. – All City of Boulder administrative facilities and Age Well Centers will be closed Friday, July 3, in observance of the Independence Day holiday. The following facilities and services will be open:

• Scott Carpenter Pool will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Spruce Pool will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Flatirons Golf Course will be open normal operating hours.
• East Boulder Community Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; North Boulder Recreation Center and South Boulder Recreation Center will be closed.
• Boulder Reservoir will be open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the exit gates closing at 5 p.m. The swim beach will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Boats will need to be off the water by 4 p.m. Alcohol and dogs are not allowed at the reservoir on this day.
• The city’s parks will be open normal hours 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Please follow the city’s parks rules and regulations.
• Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) trails and trailheads will be open. Visit OSMPTrails.org or the city webpage to plan your visit to city open space.

Fireworks are illegal in the city, including on open space. The Boulder Police Department and city OSMP rangers will have increased patrols throughout the week to help deter the use of fireworks and asks anyone who sees individuals actively setting off fireworks to call Dispatch at 303-441-3333 with as much information as possible. All ignition sources — including smoking and campfires — are also prohibited on OSMP land. Boulder Fire-Rescue and other city wildland fire resources deployment will be considered on special occasions and on high-risk days. It only takes a small spark to put the community at risk so please be aware of your local fire regulations and recreate responsibly to help prevent wildfires.

Access to Flagstaff will be limited. From 6 to 11 p.m. on July 4, all traffic will be diverted from Baseline Road at 6th Street. Only residents who live west of Chautauqua will be allowed beyond the closure.

Parking will be free on city streets and in all city-owned lots and open downtown garages on Independence Day, July 4. Paid parking will be in effect at/near Chautauqua Park on the holiday, and the free Park-to-Park shuttle will be running from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The HOP bus will operate with holiday service levels.

Parking at Eben G. Fine Park will be open and Urban Park Rangers will be patrolling the entire Boulder Creek corridor to ensure everyone is recreating responsibly. Community members are encouraged to park at the Boulder County Justice Center, 1777 6th St. or the Main Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave. Alcohol, grills and glass bottles are not allowed at Eben G. Fine Park. The city urges community members to recreate safely around Boulder Creek, as water in the creek can be running stronger, deeper and colder than it looks.

Information about other events in Boulder can be found on Visit Boulder’s website at bouldercoloradousa.com/events.

— CITY–

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When Jacob Giron graduated high school, he was shocked by the price of student housing  and tuition at the University of Colorado Boulder. Giron, like many prospective students in Boulder and East County, initially desired to attend CU Boulder. But CU and other public universities in Colorado enforce on campus housing during a student’s freshman year. So when Giron saw the tuition and housing costs that the University would require, he instead opted to attend Front Range Community College. 

The price for residence housing at Boulder ranges from $8,000-$10,000 per semester on top of tuition. “I remember looking at the prices of (living on campus), it became very inaccessible to me,” said Giron. “When I live close enough to drive to campus, why should I have to pay for a dorm?” 

Although Giron is satisfied with his university choice from a financial perspective, he has found that Front Range has not brought the same sense of community as a four-year university would. Lacking on-campus housing, a football team, and a vast range of clubs that would otherwise be found at CU, Giron finds Front Range missing that crucial experience in student involvement and social dynamics. 

“I want to go to a school with a lot of people. It makes it easier to find your niche, something that interests you,” he said. 

At Boulder, students are afforded more accessible student life opportunities, extracurriculars, and a surplus of amenities. For Giron, life at CU Boulder seemed to be a perfect fit. Yet financial barriers have increasingly made CU out of reach for Giron and many of other students.

  CU’s tuition has steadily increased seven years in a row. In 2026, incoming undergraduate students will face a 3% increase in their already substantial tuition. On top of that, students are charged fees for on-campus services such as recreation, transportation, educational resources, and athletics. For students, education at a large public university like CU Boulder comes with a looming financial burden: loans and student debt. Now, some are wondering if tuition and cost increases actually lead to improvements in education and the well-being of students. 

Max Harte, an out-of-state CU Boulder student from Texas, was aware of CU’s high tuition cost. For students who live outside of Colorado, tuition is approximately double the in-state rate. Nevertheless, hundreds of out of state students still find themselves drawn to the CU system.

Harte is grateful for the opportunity to study psychology at CU Boulder. They make an effort to attend all of their classes, noting the financial costs that their family has incurred for them to study. Nonetheless, Harte acknowledges a public university system that has become unattainable for many students purely due to cost. 

Buckingham Hall undergraduate student housing dorm at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) campus in Boulder, Colorado, with the Flatirons in the distance.

“The value of education isn’t valued as highly because it is so difficult, financially, to attain,” said Harte. “I have several friends (back home) that don’t go to college simply because they can’t afford to, not even for in-state schools, let alone out-of-state ones.”

Despite the increase in tuition for new students, Harte has not seen renovations within their department. Harte notes a lack of investment in student research opportunities that are crucial to secure an undergraduate psychology degree. The lack of investment has left some students struggling to secure them. Harte acknowledges that these students are missing out on a key component of attaining an undergraduate psychology degree from the school. On top of the disadvantaged students, Harte themselves have never been paid for any of the research which they have conducted. Some students, like Harte, are fortunate enough to still land a research opportunity. Nonetheless, they feel that the school should be utilizing students’ expensive tuition to ensure research success within the psychology department. 

“It shows what the university cares about, where they put their money, and it’s not toward the psychology department,” said Harte. 

The contrast between Harte’s tuition and the educational struggles within their department are stark. While they value their education in Boulder, Harte wishes that they could feel the impact of their hefty tuition bill in their day-to-day education. 

Giron and Harte’s experience with university tuition are not remotely unique to CU Boulder. Nearly every public university in the U.S. has steadily increased tuition over the last two decades. Understandably, these universities face increasing development costs and payroll for already underpaid educators. Nonetheless, these financial burdens are often offloaded onto students through a raised tuition and increased fees. Instead of incurring these costs, some Colorado students have opted for a different path in life. 

In Colorado, the popularity of community college is rapidly growing. From 2024 to 2025, data from the National Student Clearinghouse Project saw a 3.9% increase of enrolled students into community college. At the same time, the number of incoming freshmen at big universities in Colorado has fallen. The state’s public universities have experienced an enrollment drop of 0.5%, while private ones saw a drop of almost 9%. For some, tuition is expensive enough to rule out college altogether. For others, the high cost means sacrificing their top choices for whichever institution offers the best financial aid package. Many of Colorado’s student population simply take what they can get.

Mooji Boldbaatar graduated from the University of Denver in 2017. She mainly relied on scholarships to pay her way through college because, although she had lived in the U.S. since she was 10 years old, Boldbaatar was still classified as an international student from Mongolia. Due to her status, she was not able to receive adequate financial aid from a public university despite consistent academic success. The University of Denver, a private institution, offered her scholarships, and she ended up studying there instead. Originally, she wanted to attend Colorado School of Mines to study chemical engineering.

“I got into Mines, and then I couldn’t attend because I couldn’t afford it,” said Boldbaatar. “The lack of finances dictated which school I could go to.” 

A lack of aid was not the only barrier for Boldbaatar in obtaining her college education. Out-of-state tuition was worse. She researched and applied to out-of-state universities and, similar to DU, she was able to receive financial aid from some of the schools. But it wasn’t enough; the financial burden of an out-of-state school wasn’t worth the acceptance. 

“I really wanted to study elsewhere, but in order to save on living expenses, I had to stay in Colorado. It was another difficulty for me,” said Boldbaatar. 

Boldbaatar, like numerous other students, finished her degree from the University of Denver while working almost full-time hours. There was also the cost of room and board at the University; the high costs forced Boldbaatar to live with family off-campus. The result was a daily commute of about an hour and 20 minutes. For her, it was the only way to financially sustain herself while pursuing her education. 

After she graduated, Boldbaatar used her college degree to kickstart a professional career working with other young students. She is now a program manager with the Mongolian School of Colorado. While not directly related to her studies, she values the knowledge and experience that her education gave her. Boldbaatar credits higher education for her work ethic and time management. 

“Getting my education opened up doors that I had never really thought about,” said Boldbaatar. “The most valuable part (of my education) was the mindset that I got from it.”

But for many other young Coloradans, a college degree isn’t always attainable or valued. Are tuition, student loans, and lifetime debt worth it for the degree? While people like Max Harte have the incredible opportunity to attend a four-year public university, for others like Jacob Giron, a community college degree was the only option. Academically, Giron has been happy with his experience studying at Front Range Community College. But as a whole, he was looking for something more out of his college education—and, due to the increasingly unaffordable tuition bills at prominent state universities, Giron can’t help but feel that he may have missed out on a valuable experience. 

Yellow Scene’s 2026 Summer Support Drive is underway with a goal of 1,000 Sustaining Supporters by summer’s end.

For 26 years, we have remained fiercely independent, free from sponsored content and outside editorial influence.

Reader-driven support keeps local journalism unbossed, unbought, and our journalists fed. Become a sustaining supporter for $8/month and get Yellow Scene delivered to your home.

Join the Summer Support Drive and keep local journalism strong.

The post Priced Out the Quad: Colorado’s Vanishing College Dream appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Media Contact:

Jack Todd

Jack.Todd@ColoradoSOS.gov

China Scroggins

China.Scroggins@ColoradoSOS.gov

June 25, 2026

Statement from Secretary of State Jena Griswold after Trump Elections Executive Order Enjoined

Denver, CO – Today, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts enjoined much of President Trump’s Executive Order on mail ballots, which mandated the creation of a federal citizenship eligibility list and required the United States Postal Service to only deliver mail ballots to specific individuals.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has issued the following statement:

Today, a federal court enjoined major provisions of Donald Trump’s unconstitutional and unlawful executive order on mail ballots. Trump will not be able to use the Postal Service to control which voters receive a mail ballot, and cannot use the DOJ to intimidate election officials into following his unlawful order. The Constitution is clear: States run elections, not Trump. This is a major victory for American democracy.

Today’s ruling focused on an Executive Order signed by Trump on March 31, 2026. It was the second Executive Order he had issued directly related to election administration during his second term. The first executive order on elections issued during his second term has been the subject of numerous legal challenges and is also largely enjoined by the Federal Courts.

In Colorado, every active voter is mailed a ballot. Colorado voters prefer to vote their mail ballot, with over 98% of all Colorado voters using a mail ballot in the 2025 coordinated election.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

For Immediate Release

June 25, 2026

Shannon Carbone

303-441-3804

scarbone@bouldercounty.gov

Boulder County, Colo. – On June 24, 2026, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty received a second letter from members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee regarding the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office’s immigration policy.

Our immigrant protection efforts have been in effect since 2018. They have enhanced community safety. And they will continue. Our office had responded to the first letter from Congress, and their reply to our letter is neither productive nor helpful to the interests of Colorado.

District Attorney Michael Dougherty stated, “This latest letter is another example of political theater that does nothing to make our communities safer.

Every day, our prosecutors are focused on holding violent offenders accountable, supporting victims, and protecting public safety. We prosecute criminal conduct based on the facts, the evidence, and the law, not politics and not a person’s immigration status.

Congress has every right to debate federal immigration policy. But local prosecutors are elected to enforce state criminal laws and keep their communities safe. That is exactly what we will continue doing.

While Congress spends time sending repeated letters to local prosecutors, Americans deserve action on issues that directly affect their lives, including affordable housing, public safety, and other pressing challenges facing our communities.

We will continue to respond through the appropriate legal channels, and we will not be distracted from our mission of serving victims, protecting constitutional rights, and prosecuting crime.”

The House Judiciary Committee’s latest letter reiterates requests previously made to the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office regarding its policies and requests additional documents with a July 8 response deadline.

District Attorney Dougherty remains available to discuss how Boulder County prosecutors make charging decisions, protect victims, and work every day to keep communities safe.

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The post District Attorney Responds to Second Congressional Letter on Immigration Policy appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The following letter was sent to Yellow Scene Magazine. As with all Letters to the Editor, the views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publication.

Dear Mayor and Members of the Erie Town Council,

I want to begin by thanking each of you for your service to the people of Erie. As a fellow elected official and former city council member, I understand that public service is often demanding work with little recognition. Yet you continue to show up and make difficult decisions on behalf of your community, and for that I am grateful.

Last night, at the invitation of several community members, I attended your meeting regarding the proposed sale of Erie’s mineral rights. I remained in the audience from approximately 7:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. because I felt it was more important to listen than to speak. I wanted to hear directly from the residents whose lives will be affected by this decision.

While I do not represent Erie in the Colorado House, environmental and public health impacts do not stop at municipal boundaries, which is why I felt compelled to attend and listen.

What I witnessed was a community deeply engaged in its future. Residents came prepared, spoke thoughtfully, and shared their concerns with sincerity and conviction. Their testimony moved me.

I also want to acknowledge Council Members Anil Pesaramelli, Emily Baer, and Dan Hoback for their willingness to voice concerns and advocate for the constituents they represent. Regardless of where one stands on the issue, public service requires courage, and I am grateful for their commitment to the community.

It is clear that members of the council believe they acted in what they view as the best interests of Erie. The central question, however, is whether the long-term costs of this decision may ultimately outweigh its benefits. That question cannot be fully answered today.

During the meeting, you heard from an extraordinary range of community leaders and residents, including former Mayor Justin Brooks and School Board Director Meosha Babbs. While perspectives differed, a common theme emerged: many residents believe that a decision of this magnitude should have been submitted directly to Erie voters.

Several speakers argued that a ballot measure would have provided an opportunity for public education, robust debate, and community ownership of the outcome. Whether one supports or opposes the mineral rights sale, there is value in allowing residents to make an informed decision on an issue that could shape the future of their town for generations.

Among the testimonies that resonated most deeply with me was that of a cancer survivor who urged the council to proceed with extreme caution. Equally powerful was a resident who urged all of us to approach these conversations with softer voices and greater empathy. She reminded us that policy debates are not merely about numbers or contracts; they are about people. Her words have stayed with me: if a decision causes harm to even one child or one family, we must carefully weigh whether the benefits justify the risk. She also spoke of the need to give both the land and the people a chance to rest. I do not recall her name, but her remarks were among the most compelling of the evening.

Director Babbs offered another sobering perspective, sharing her experience from a Texas community that she said incurred more than $2 billion in costs associated with addressing the impacts of extensive oil and gas development. Her testimony served as a reminder that communities elsewhere have confronted challenges that deserve careful consideration as Erie charts its own course.

I also want to acknowledge that supporters of the agreement have identified tangible benefits. According to a CBS report, these include approximately 158 acres of land, revenue estimated at roughly $20 million over the coming years, the plugging of certain existing wells, and inspection and oversight provisions associated with the project.

The question remains: do those benefits outweigh the potential long-term costs?

According to the same CBS reporting on the proposal, this project could become one of the largest oil and gas operations in Colorado. We do not know today what the ultimate environmental, health, or infrastructure impacts may be. We do know, however, that residents have raised serious concerns and have asked their elected leaders to proceed with caution.

This issue is larger than any individual elected official, organization, or political perspective. It is fundamentally about stewardship, about what kind of community and environment we hope to leave for the next generation.

One comment from Council Member Emily Baer particularly resonated with me. She observed that a municipality’s ability to provide basic services should not be dependent upon continued oil and gas extraction. That observation raises an important challenge for all of us in Colorado. If we are serious about transitioning to a cleaner energy future, we must provide communities with realistic pathways to maintain essential services without forcing them to choose between immediate fiscal needs and long-term environmental considerations.

The reality is that local governments face difficult choices. Immediate needs often carry greater urgency than future risks. It is therefore incumbent upon state leaders, local governments, and stakeholders to work together to ensure communities are not placed in that position.

Although the vote has been taken, I hope the Town continues to engage residents transparently, rigorously monitor potential impacts, and ensure that community concerns remain central as this project moves forward.

Thank you again for your service and for the thoughtful deliberation you bring to these difficult issues. While I respectfully disagree with the outcome, I remain grateful for your commitment to Erie and to the democratic process.

Respectfully,

Junie Joseph

Colorado State Representative

The post Letter to the Editor: Reflections on Erie Mineral Rights Ordinance and Community Testimony appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Media Contact:

Dionne Waugh, Police PIO, 303-518-1894

WaughD@bouldercolorado.gov

bouldercolorado.gov

Boulder Police Arrest Man Who Attacked Two People with a Knife

BOULDER, Colo. – Boulder Police arrested a man within minutes this morning after he attacked two strangers with a knife.

At 7:54 a.m., officers received a call that a man had attacked a woman with a knife in the 1300 block of Pearl Street. The woman, 44, was walking to work when the man approached her and began hitting her with the knife. She suffered bruises and cuts to her hand. She was able to get away, and the suspect then walked up to a man walking to work. He cornered him and stabbed at him, but did not make contact. The man, 50, threw his coffee at the suspect and ran away.

The suspect then walked in the opposite direction. Within 10 seconds, officers in the city’s Public Safety Information Center found the suspect via surveillance camera. At 7:56 a.m., officers took the suspect into custody at gunpoint.

Further investigation revealed a possible witness that officers are working to identify. If you recognize her below, please contact detectives.

Based on interviews with detectives, the suspect said he came to Boulder to hurt people. Detectives believe he targeted strangers who were walking alone and that he was the only suspect.

The suspect has been identified as Marcus Ariel Valles, 35, of Lakewood. He has been charged with three felony counts of attempted murder in the first degree, two counts of felony menacing, and one felony count of first-degree assault. These charges can change, and additional charges are likely.

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

Anyone with any information about the suspect or this morning’s crime is asked to contact detectives via the Boulder Police tipline at 303-441-1974 regarding case 26-05470.

As in every criminal case, these charges are an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.

Photo of possible witness detectives are trying to identify:

Photo of the suspect’s knife:

–CITY–

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The post Boulder Police Arrest Man Who Attacked Two People With a Knife appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Media contact: Heidi Rodríguez, hrcppio@denvergov.org, 720-948-4645

Denver celebrates individuals making a lasting impact through service and leadership. 

Denver, CO — Denver Human Rights & Community Partnerships (HRCP) and Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, P.C. are proud to announce the return of the Monte Pascoe Civic Leadership Award, reviving the distinguished recognition for the first time since 2022 through a collaborative effort during the firm’s centennial year to honor Monte Pascoe’s enduring impact on Denver.

The Monte Pascoe Civic Leadership Award, established in 2006, honors the legacy of Monte Pascoe, attorney, civic leader, and one of Ireland Stapleton’s founding partners. Throughout his life, Pascoe exemplified civic engagement, public service, and courageous leadership. Among his many accomplishments, he led the successful legal battle, ultimately before the U.S. Supreme Court, to desegregate Denver Public Schools, helping build a more equitable future for Denver.

“As Ireland Stapleton celebrates its centennial year, we wanted to honor not only our firm’s history, but the civic leadership that has helped shape Denver,” said Kelley Duke, Managing Director of Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, P.C. “Monte Pascoe exemplified a deep commitment to community, and we are thrilled to revive this award in his honor. Special thanks go to Director Tom Downey, whose vision and tireless work with the City and County of Denver have been instrumental in bringing this award back to life.”

Presented annually by the Mayor of the City and County of Denver for nearly two decades, the Monte Pascoe Civic Leadership Award recognizes individuals whose leadership and service have shaped and strengthened communities throughout Denver.

“Denver has always been shaped by people who choose to step forward and serve their communities and Monte Pascoe was one of those leaders,” said Mayor Mike Johnston. “His commitment to justice and public service helped make Denver a stronger city, and as we bring back this award, we honor not only his extraordinary legacy, but also the leaders who carry that spirit by strengthening our communities and helping create opportunity for every Denver resident.”

Nominations for the 2026 Monte Pascoe Civic Leadership Award will be accepted through Wednesday, August 5, 2026. The recipient will be recognized during Ireland Stapleton’s Centennial Celebration on September 10, 2026, at the Denver Art Museum.

• To learn more or submit a nomination, please visit Monte Pascoe Awards.
• Click here to view the online version of the news release.

About HRCP: At Denver Human Rights & Community Partnerships, we are dedicated to protecting the human and civil rights of our community through advocacy, partnerships, and direct support. At the heart of our work is inclusiveness, building a Denver where everyone feels seen, valued and empowered.

The post Nominations Open for the 2026 Monte Pascoe Civic Leadership Award appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phone: 720.326.7311

Email: mediarequests@rtd-denver.com

RTD launches mobile history tour aboard 16th Street FreeRide

RTD invites customers to discover 16th Street’s story through a free on-vehicle link

DENVER (June 24, 2025) –– The Regional Transportation District (RTD) has launched a one-year pilot of a mobile-first, 16th Street FreeRide history tour, offering customers an enhanced travel experience along 16th Street between Denver Union and Civic Center stations.

The mobile history tour, a collaborative effort among RTD, Historic Denver, Denver Public Library, and the Downtown Denver Partnership, highlights the essential role 16th Street has played as a key connector since the late 1800s, tracing how the street’s development has evolved largely as a result of transit innovations.

With simplicity of customer experience as a key objective, the tour features a QR code that customers can scan from an interior card advertisement while on board a 16th Street FreeRide vehicle, at one of the Public Information Displays at Union and Civic Center station, or at an Interactive Kiosk Experience (IKE) bus stop while waiting for a shuttle. The QR code will direct customers to a platform hosted by RTD that offers multiple options at no cost to them that include:

• An option to access a free, three-minute audio tour of the corridor narrated by noted Colorado historian Tom Noel, about the evolution of transit along the corridor and the pivotal role transit has played in development of 16th Street and downtown Denver; or customers can choose individual segments of the audio tour
• A map of historic sites along the corridor, including Union Station, the Tabor Block, the Daniels and Fisher Tower, the Denver Dry Goods Building, and others.
• Customers can customize their adventure by clicking on photos of individual sites along the route to take a deeper dive into the location’s history through the Historic Denver website
• A link to expanded local history content through Historic Denver and Denver Public Library websites
• A link to RTD services and connections and ability to Plan a Trip through RTD’s NextRide app
• A link to information about the historic anniversaries (250/150) celebrated in 2026. The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—our nation’s semiquincentennial, is happening concurrently with the 150th anniversary of Colorado’s entrance into the Union—our state’s sesquicentennial.

“RTD is proud to have partnered with History Denver, Denver Public Library and Downtown Denver Partnership to capture key milestones in the history of 16th Street and bring this experience to FreeRide customers,” said Debra A. Johnson, RTD’s General Manager and CEO. “It is remarkable to see the transformational role transit has played in providing vital connections along 16th Street that have driven Denver’s growth from the start.”

“The Denver Public Library is pleased to share from its extensive collection of historic photos to help bring the history of Denver’s 16th Street to life for residents and visitors alike,” said City Librarian & Executive Director Nicolle Davies.

The mobile history tour of 16th Street offers a unique chance to learn about Denver’s illustrious history. “Historic Denver is delighted to have collaborated on the content of the FreeRide History Tour, bringing history to life and making it accessible to Denverites and visitors alike,” said Historic Denver President and CEO John Deffenbaugh. “16th Street has been at the heart of our city for decades and this tour will allow riders insight into the previously unknown stories which have shaped the appearance of downtown.”

“The 16th Street FreeRide History Tour beautifully encapsulates how 16th Street has historically brought opportunities to strengthen connections across downtown and to nearby neighborhoods, creating a more accessible, inclusive center city,” said Kourtny Garrett, President & CEO, Downtown Denver Partnership.”

The history tour will continue through April 2027, at which time results of the pilot will be re-evaluated.

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) was created in 1969 by the Colorado General Assembly to develop, operate, and maintain a mass transportation system that now benefits more than 3.1 million people in the Denver metro area. The transportation agency is governed by a 15-member publicly elected Board of Directors and has a service area of 2,349 square miles. RTD provides transit services via 126 bus routes, six light rail lines, four commuter rail lines, and paratransit options. 

For more information, visit rtd-denver.com/about-rtd or call 303.299.6000.

The post RTD launches mobile history tour aboard 16th Street FreeRide appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole. 

DENVER — June 23, 2026 — As this summer’s twin anniversaries near, History Colorado’s museums across the state are recognizing 250 years of US independence and 150 years of Colorado statehood through a month-long series of events, exhibitions, and experiences.

Whether you’re planning a summer road trip or staying close to home, History Colorado’s museums across the state are hosting a variety of family-friendly activities to engage with our state and nation’s stories this Sesquisemiquincentennial summer.

July through early August officially marks the anniversaries for Colorado and the United States. Coloradans overwhelmingly voted to approve the state’s constitution on July 1, 1876. The nation was then celebrating its Centennial: exactly 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Coloradans held massive unofficial parades and parties in anticipation of imminent statehood. By August 1, now known as Colorado Day, President Ulysses S. Grant officially signed the proclamation welcoming Colorado to the Union as the 38th state. 

The Declaration of Independence similarly went through a month-long process from when the nation’s founders agreed on a plan for independence on July 2 to when delegates signed the declaration and made it official on August 2. 

“The United States is both a place and an idea. Our shared ideals are more than abstractions – they are what weave us together as Americans,” said Dawn DiPrince, History Colorado’s President/CEO and State Historic Preservation Officer. “When you feel untethered, the best antidote is to reconnect to the fundamentals – to reach for our roots… to reflect on the originating ethos of this nation, to re-anchor to our formational ideals and to remind us who we are, who we could be and should be as a nation.”

As Coloradans mark this milestone Independence Day on July 4 and Colorado Day on August 1, History Colorado is offering intriguing ways to connect with this history all across the state – from heritage train rides in the mountains to a trio of thought-provoking America 250 – Colorado 150 exhibitions at the History Colorado Center, outdoor poetry and music, an immersive art installation in Fort Garland, Indigenous perspectives on US history in Montrose, and so much more. 

Community is also invited to come together for free Colorado Day festivities and museum access on August 1. Experience Colorado’s rich history, vibrant culture, and local community spirit at the Colorado Day Community Fest in Denver and at free events at History Colorado museums statewide. 

America 250 – Colorado 150 Exhibitions:

Moments That Made US | Denver, CO

History Colorado Center | Now on View!

Moments that Made US brings together extraordinary artifacts spanning eight hundred years of American history – revealing the struggles, triumphs, and resilience that have shaped the nation. Much of what is on display has never before made its way to Colorado – like a silver spoon crafted by American Revolutionary Paul Revere and President Richard Nixon’s tape recorder from the infamous Watergate Scandal. Moments That Made US is a signature initiative of the America 250 – Colorado 150 commemoration.

38th Star: Colorado Becomes the Centennial State | Denver, CO

History Colorado Center | Now on View!

Colorado’s origin story is full of tension and intrigue, with powerful interests clashing on a long road to statehood. But why did it take five tries and more than fifteen years to become the 38th star on our nation’s flag? As our state turns 150 years old, 38th Star: Colorado Becomes the Centennial State brings you along for the winding journey. Through a unique collection of photographs, artifacts and voices – you’ll see why each attempt at statehood came with challenges and opportunities.

Expedition 1776: The Journey of Domínguez & Escalante | Denver, CO

History Colorado Center | Now on View!

At the same time that the nation’s founders were signing the Declaration of Independence on the East coast, one of the earliest European expeditions was traversing the treacherous terrain of the West. Expedition 1776: The Journey of Domínguez & Escalante traces the exploration of two Spanish priests whose maps – spanning what is now Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico – shaped where people settled and created essential trade routes for centuries to come.

New Exhibitions Open Now:

Outside, Looking In | Montrose, CO

Ute Indian Museum | Now Open!

Through Outside, Looking In artist and author Vickie Leigh Krudwig seeks to promote awareness and compassion by examining the past 250 years of American history from an Indigenous perspective, acknowledging both historical injustices and the enduring resilience of Native communities. The exhibition includes 12 mixed-media paintings and short essays that symbolize Indigenous stories and the preservation of ancestral knowledge.

Exhibitions Opening Soon:

Unearthing Futures / Desenterrando Futuros | Fort Garland, CO

Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | Opening June 28

Unearthing Futures / Desenterrando Futuros is an ambitious and sprawling cross-border exhibition exploring adobe as a living practice that connects art, architecture, and ancestral knowledge across the Southwestern United States. The Fort Garland Museum – itself housed in five original adobe buildings – is collaborating with the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, New Mexico to share unique installations at both locations. Artists show how adobe endures not through permanence but through renewal. Unearthing Futures also extends well beyond the museum galleries, offering a road trip experience guided through a website and phone app highlighting historic and contemporary adobe structures dotting the landscape between these southwestern cities. 

Ed Dwight: Casting A Legacy | Denver, CO

History Colorado Center | Opening July 17

Ed Dwight is a living legend whose artwork makes history come alive. Working from his Denver studio since 1977, Dwight has dedicated his artistic career to sharing African American history – while he himself continues to shape history as a trailblazer with astronomical accomplishments. Ed Dwight: Casting A Legacy showcases more than a dozen of Dwight’s artworks and explores his life and contributions as a renowned sculptor and innovator as a pilot, engineer, and the first Black astronaut candidate in the United States.

Avondale: Fields of Devotion | Pueblo, CO

El Pueblo History Museum | Opening July 18

From fertile farm fields to boisterous baseball fields and foreign battlefields, the people of south-central Colorado’s small town of Avondale step up to the plate in many ways. Avondale: Fields of Devotion draws on stories shared with El Pueblo History Museum by the town’s residents through History Colorado’s Avondale Museum of Memory project. Through an intriguing array of historic photographs and artifacts, alongside the stories and voices of community members themselves, this exhibition honors the deep love shared by this community.

Exhibitions Closing Soon: 

Declaration of Sentiments | Denver, CO

Center for Colorado Women’s History | Closing July 6

The oldest-known printing of the Declaration of Sentiments is leaving Denver on July 6. This groundbreaking declaration dared to demand equal rights for women – helping launch the women’s suffrage movement, and paving the way for Colorado to become the first state where men voted to extend that right to women. Displayed alongside the Declaration is a remarkable letter sent by Susan B. Anthony congratulating Colorado activist Ellis Meredith on the successful inclusion of women in the electorate – more than 25 years before the rest of the nation. After this rare copy of the Declaration returns to Washington DC, a reproduction copy will be on view as part of the ongoing Votes and Dreams exhibition. 

July Events and Experiences:

Ethnobotany Tours | Montrose, CO

Ute Indian Museum | July 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, & 22, 9:30 – 10:15 am

See what’s blooming in the Ute Indian Museum’s gardens on an ethnobotany tour guided by a museum docent. Hear about the trees, shrubs, and plants connected to the Ute people, and learn about how the Utes found value in these plants for food, fiber and cultural uses. These tours are free and open to the public, with no RSVP required.

Independence Day 250th Celebration Trains & Tours | Georgetown, CO

Georgetown Loop Railroad | July 4, 10 am – 3:50 pm

Ride through towering evergreens, over iconic trestles, and along mountain vistas aboard the Georgetown Loop’s historic narrow-gauge railroad. This special themed train ride is inspired by America’s heritage and legacy, and commemorates a major milestone in our nation’s history with a special celebration honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States. Learn more and book tickets on the Georgetown Loop Railroad’s Events webpage.

4th of July at CCWH: Music, Poetry, Groundbreaking Declaration | Denver, CO

Center for Colorado’s Women History | July 4, 10 am – 4 pm 

Enjoy the gorgeous gardens at the Center for Colorado’s Women History on July 4th for a series of free poetry and music performances featuring women and gender diverse artists. The performances will run from 11 am to 4 pm. The performances are free with advance RSVP. The museum is also open for general admission to see Votes and Dreams and a rare printing of the groundbreaking Declaration of Sentiments, on display for a limited time until July 6th.

Monday Morning Movement & Meditation | Trinidad, CO

Trinidad History Museum | July 6, 13, 20 & 27, 8 – 8:40 am

Join free yoga and meditation classes on the Trinidad History Museum’s Bloom Lawns each Monday morning this summer. Please bring a water bottle and mat or blanket. Enter through the gate on Walnut St. Please note that the class is outside and weather-dependent. Reserve your space to attend this event. For questions or more info, contact Millie Duren at emily.duren@state.co.us. 

Tuesday Night Summer Socials | Denver, CO

Center for Colorado’s Women History | July 7, 14, 21, & 28, 4 – 7 pm

Special summer hours are back at the Center for Colorado Women’s History every Tuesday evening in June. The museum is open until 7 pm. Explore the Votes and Dreams exhibition with General Admission or join a 45-minute Women’s History Tour to also see the rest of the historic home and learn more about Colorado’s trailblazing women. Purchase tickets online or in person. For more information, contact Cat Jensen cat.jensen@state.co.us.

Little Saigon Teacher Professional Development | Denver, CO

History Colorado Center | July 8, 8 am – 3 pm

Educators are invited to learn about the historic roots and resilience of Denver’s Little Saigon through a one-day workshop. Engage with a film, oral histories from community members, a featured lecture by Dr. Joie Lê, and a guided tour of the exhibition Big Dreams in Little Saigon. As the community faces many changes today, this workshop will discuss how to share educational resources in classrooms. Register in advance to attend. This workshop is organized in partnership between History Colorado, Colorado Asian Pacific United, and the University of Colorado Center for Asian Studies South, Southeast, and West Asia (SSEWA) Outreach Program. 

Move & Groove: Family Fitness Class | Trinidad, CO

Trinidad History Museum | July 10 & 24, 9 – 10 am

Join the Trinidad History Museum every other Friday on the Bloom Lawns for a movement class that is fun for the whole family! Taught by Sabra Lopez, this class is open to all ages. Tickets are $5 per person or use the discount code 2for8 at checkout when purchasing a child and adult ticket for a total of $8. Please bring a mat and water bottle. Enter the museum grounds through the gate on Walnut Street. For more information, contact Millie Duren at emily.duren@state.co.us.

Low Sensory Tour | Denver, CO

History Colorado Center | July 11, 8 – 10 am

The History Colorado Center is happy to open its doors for families and self-advocates who prefer a lower sensory museum environment. For one morning every other month, the museum will be closed to the general public, attendance limited, and sounds in the exhibits turned down. Tickets are free, but space is limited, so reserve your spot in advance.

Dementia-Friendly Tour | Denver, CO

History Colorado Center | July 11, 9:30 am or 10:30 am

The History Colorado Center is offering a dementia-friendly tour to promote connection and belonging for adults with dementia and their companions. This tour is designed for those who want to linger and enjoy the museum at a slower pace. Tour participants will sit down and engage in a facilitated discussion, learning new information and contributing their own observations along the way. Tickets are free but space is limited, so reserve your spot in advance. Please reach out to Emily Turner at reservations@state.co.us or (303)-866-2396 with questions about this program.

Poetry on the Porch Series | Denver, CO

Center for Colorado’s Women History | July 11, 18, & 25, 1 – 3 pm

The beloved Poetry on the Porch summer series is back at the Center for Colorado Women’s History every Saturday in July. Join us in our garden to experience the work of women and gender diverse featured poets, and share your own! Hosted by author, educator and poet, Marissa Forbes, this series includes an open mic for all poets, complimentary hand fans and water. Come for the poetry and stay for the community. These events are free and open to the public, but please reserve tickets in advance. The featured poets are Victoria “Tori” Martinez on July 11, Megan Foley on July 18, and Ashley Cornelius on July 25. 

Sasquatch Adventure Trains & Tours | Georgetown, CO

Georgetown Loop Railroad | July 11 – 12, 18 – 19, & 25 – 26, 10 am – 3:50 pm

Enjoy a fun, family-friendly ride through the mountains, explore the Sasquatch Museum, and take part in a Bigfoot scavenger hunt. Each booking receives a 2026 Sasquatch Adventure Faro Chip. Sasquatch Adventure Trains have three opportunities varying in time slots, pricing, and tour activities. Learn more and book tickets on the Georgetown Loop Railroad’s Events webpage. 

Music on the Lawn | Trinidad, CO

Trinidad History Museum | July 16, 5:30 – 7 pm

Bring a blanket, lawn chair, and snacks to enjoy live music on the Bloom Lawns at the Trinidad History Museum. This evening will feature a performance by Desert Mountain Revival. Enter through the gates on Walnut or Chestnut Street. RSVP in advance for free admission. This event is recurring every Third Thursday from May through September, and admission is free!  

Colorado Statehood Teacher Professional Development | Denver, CO

History Colorado Center | July 20 & 27, 8:30 am – 2:30 pm 

Explore the 1876 creation of the Centennial State in honor of Colorado’s 150th anniversary. During this professional development workshop, educators will explore new standards-aligned lesson plans and resources that provide a more complete and diverse understanding of the people and events surrounding Colorado’s statehood. These educator materials are a signature initiative of the America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission and are generously sponsored by Comcast. A $250 stipend will be provided to educators who complete the workshop. RSVP to secure your spot.

State Historical Fund Webinar | Virtual

History Colorado | July 22, 12 – 1 pm

Historic preservation projects can be expensive. Join presenters Winter Roybal & Laurel Schlegal for a free webinar event to learn more about the variety of grants available from the State Historical Fund and how to apply. Register in advance for the Zoom webinar.

Harlem of the West: A Tribute to Five Points’ Jazz Era | Denver, CO

Dazzle at the Arts Complex | July 23, 7 – 8:30 pm

Harlem of the West: A Tribute to Five Points’ Jazz Era brings the music, style, and spirit of Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood to Dazzle for an evening of live jazz, visual storytelling, and historic interpretation in partnership with History Colorado’s Blaxplanation program. Featuring songs from the 1930s through the 1950s, the concert honors the sounds once heard in the clubs, stages, and gathering places that made Five Points nationally known as the “Harlem of the West.” Book tickets before they sell out. Doors open at 6 pm.

Colorado Day 150th Celebration Trains & Tours | Georgetown, CO

Georgetown Loop Railroad | July 31, August 1 & August 2, 10 am – 3:50 pm

Celebrate the spirit of Colorado with these mountain train experiences dedicated to the state’s history, wildlife, and natural beauty. Featuring special programming with Nature’s Educators and additional Colorado-themed activities, this event honors everything that makes Colorado unique. Colorado Day 150th Celebration Trains have three opportunities varying in time slots, pricing, and tour activities. Additional details for each train tour can be found on the Georgetown Loop Railroad’s Event Page. RSVP to reserve your tickets! 

“Adobe: Past, Present, Future from Fort Garland to Taos” Overnight Trek | Denver, CO

History Colorado Center | September 30 – October 3 (Deadline to register is August 18)

Immerse yourself in adobe art on this two-day excursion through the southwestern towns of Fort Garland and Taos. In this overnight trip with History Colorado’s Tours & Treks series, visit historical places to learn about the practices of adobe making that predate statehood, and see modern interpretations of adobe art through the Unearthing Futures/Desenterrando Futuros installations at the Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center and the Harwood Museum of Art. Register for tickets by August 18.

About History Colorado

History Colorado is a 146-year-old institution that offers access to our state’s history through enriching experiences at eleven museums and historic sites. As an agency of the State of Colorado and a non-profit organization, History Colorado is committed to serving all Coloradans through generational work that centers communities, deepens knowledge and catalyzes the transformative power of history.

History Colorado is also home to a free public research center, people-centered preservation work done by the State Historical Fund and the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of the State Archaeologist, the State Historians Council, and many other community-driven public history projects such as the Museum of Memory. History Colorado stewards more than 15 million objects, photographs, and archival resources that make up the State’s collection, and serve tens of thousands of learners of all ages each year. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole. 

Contact:  

Jack Todd – Jack.Todd@ColoradoSOS.gov 

China Scroggins – China.Scroggins@ColoradoSOS.gov

Secretaria de Estado Jena Griswold Destaca Recursos Disponible para los Votantes de Habla Hispana en Colorado y Línea de Asistencia Multilingüe

NOTE: This release is also included in English below.

Denver, CO – La secretaria de Estado de Colorado, Jena Griswold, recuerda a los votantes de habla hispana los recursos disponibles en www.VayaVotarColorado.gov.

“Todos los votantes merecen tener acceso a información precisa al registrarse para votar y emitir su voto”, dijo la secretaria Griswold. “Votantes elegibles pueden usar VayaVotarColorado.gov para acceder a información electoral precisa antes de las Elecciones Primarias de 2026.”

Los coloradenses elegibles pueden registrarse para votar, actualizar su registro de votante y encontrar otra información importante en VayaVotarColorado.gov en español.

Los coloradenses de habla hispana elegibles también pueden utilizar VayaVotarColorado.gov para:

• Registrarse para votar o actualizar su registro de votante.
• Encontrar al secretario y registrador de su condado local.
• Encontrar los buzones electorales de entrega o el centro de votación más cercano.
• Inscribirse para rastrear su boleta utilizando BallotTrax.
• Informarse sobre los procesos electorales seguros de Colorado.
• Encontrar información precisa sobre las elecciones.

Los votantes de Colorado también pueden llamar a la línea directa de asistencia lingüística para recibir ayuda en la interpretación del contenido de su boleta. La línea directa permitirá que las personas reciban interpretación del contenido de su boleta en tiempo real de un intérprete en vivo en español, vietnamita, coreano, taiwanés, chino y muchos otros idiomas adicionales.

Según la ley de Colorado, los servicios de interpretación solo se pueden proporcionar para el contenido de la boleta, incluyendo:

• cómo marcar las casillas o hacer correcciones,
• cómo colocar su boleta y firmar su sobre,
• cómo devolver la boleta por correo, buzón de entrega o Centro de Servicio y Votación.

Se recomienda a los votantes que necesiten servicios de interpretación que llamen al secretario de su condado para averiguar si este servicio está disponible en un centro de votación cercano durante las elecciones primarias de 2026 y luego acudan a tal centro de votación para acceder a la línea de asistencia junto con un juez electoral. Como alternativa, pueden marcar el 303-860-6970 para que el personal de la Secretaría de Estado les ponga en contacto con un intérprete.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold Highlights Resources Available to Spanish-Speaking Voters in Colorado, Multilingual Hotline

Denver, June 24, 2026 – Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is reminding Spanish-speaking voters in Colorado of the resources available to them at VayaVotarColorado.gov.

“Every voter deserves access to accurate information when it comes to registering to vote and casting a ballot,” said Secretary Griswold. “Eligible voters who speak Spanish can use VayaVotarColorado.gov to access accurate election information ahead of the 2026 Primary Election.”

Eligible Coloradans can register to vote, update their voter registration, and find other crucial information at VayaVotarColorado.gov in Spanish.

Eligible Spanish-speaking Coloradans may also use VayaVotarColorado.gov to:

• Register to vote or update their voter registration
• Find their local County Clerk
• Find their closest drop box or voting center
• Sign up to track their ballot using BallotTrax
• Learn about Colorado’s secure election processes
• Find accurate election information

Colorado voters can also call the Language Assistance Hotline for assistance with interpreting their ballot content. The hotline allows individuals to receive real-time interpretation of their ballot content from a live interpreter in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, and many additional languages.

In accordance with Colorado statute, interpretation services may only be provided for the content on the ballot, including:

• How to fill in ovals or make corrections,
• How to properly put the ballot in the ballot envelope and sign
• How to return the ballot by mail, drop box, or Voter Service and Polling Center.

Voters who need interpretation are encouraged to call their County Clerk to determine whether this service is available at a nearby voting center during the 2026 Primary Election, and then visit that center to access the hotline alongside an election judge. Alternatively, they may dial 303-860-6970 to be connected to an interpreter via the Secretary of State staff.

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The post Recursos Para Votantes de Habla Hispana/Spanish-Speaking Voting Resources appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient is a record-holding troupe devoted to shadow casting, an art they showcase in union with Rainbow Cult. I had the pleasure of interviewing Jolee Harston, the Head of Marketing, in anticipation of the upcoming Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadow Play, which has been entertaining at Denver’s Meow Wolf installation over the past few years. Tickets are available for this year’s Summer Beach Party Extravaganza on July 9th and 10th.

Tommy Milo: Given the improvisational aspect of the Rocky Horror performances, from a rotating cast to ample room for ad libbing, has there ever been a feeling that the text of Rocky Horror has been changed for a new audience?
Jolee Harston: Part of the joy of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and shadow casting is that we are constantly working on adding/updating callbacks to be relevant to current events. We have a callback script that we mostly stick to, but we work together as a cast to come up with new jokes and bits, as well as checking in with any callbacks that may not feel appropriate in the current day and age. The original callback script for Rocky Horror is still very present in our performance.

Photo provided by rockyhorrordenver

Milo: After attending multiple shows, I’ve noticed small changes to the cast’s traditions and catch phrases. How do you meet the moment and remain conscious of the audience and surroundings while making changes like these?
Harston: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, at its core, is a film meant to challenge norms and remain somewhat shocking. We try to find a balance between still bringing humor and pushing boundaries, while also being aware of certain things in the Rocky community that may have worked at one point, but no longer hold the same meaning and may be considered offensive. Language is ever-changing, and that gives us an opportunity to be creative and find new ways to express certain sentiments in a new way.

Photo provided by rockyhorrordenver

Milo: There was a recent controversy surrounding the PACE Center performing arts in Parker, Colorado, having to do with the censorship of LGBTQ flags. In such a contentious time for representation and diversity among the performing arts, how does Rainbow Cult break the mold?
Harston: I can’t speak for Rainbow Cult, but Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient breaks this mold by being LOUD, PROUD, AND UNAPOLOGETIC about the message of the film and our cast’s beliefs. Before every show, our MC delivers a speech where we clearly state our shows are not a place for hate in any form – racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, and F*CK NAZIS. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has historically been a safe place for the queer community and those looking for freedom and rebellion. The film and shadow casting community is about breaking gender norms, and we hope anyone who comes to our performances leaves with a little more freedom and confidence to express themselves authentically in all areas of life.

Photo provided by rockyhorrordenver

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The post Spotlight: Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadow Play appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.