The Catch Up: April 14-18, 2025
Each week, KUNC collects and curates some of the more important stories of the week that have aired on our daily newscast. We know how busy life can be, and that it's not always possible to get your news on our airwaves (or from streaming us right here on our website). Fill in the gaps and catch up right here. No one enjoys the feeling of missing out!
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Colorado Republicans want the feds to intervene in freshly signed gun law
Less than a week after Gov. Jared Polis signed Colorado鈥檚 latest gun-control law, Republicans in the legislature announced Wednesday they have asked the federal government to investigate whether it infringes on the U.S. Constitution. Colorado House Republicans say they have sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi asking her to review the law鈥檚 constitutionality through the Department of Justice鈥檚 newly created . The law, Senate Bill 25-003, makes it illegal to buy, sell and manufacture a wide range of semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, pistols and some handguns that use detachable ammunition magazines, unless a person has a special permit. To obtain a permit, they would have to go through up to 12 hours of safety training and get approval from their local sheriff.
Former Colorado deputy gets 3 years in prison for fatally shooting man who called for help
A former Colorado sheriff's deputy convicted in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man in distress who called 911 for help was sentenced Monday to three years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed. In February, jurors found Andrew Buen guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the 2022 death of Christian Glass. Prosecutors alleged that Buen needlessly escalated a standoff with Glass, who showed signs of a mental health crisis and refused orders to get out of his SUV near Silver Plume, a small, former mining town along Interstate 70 in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver. His parents and the agencies involved reached a $19 million settlement that also made changes to how officers are trained to respond to people in mental health crises.
Caraveo will run to re-take District 8
Yadira Caraveo will run again for Colorado's 8th Congressional District seat in 2026. The Thornton Democrat announced her campaign Tuesday. She'll likely face Congressman Gabe Evans, who narrowly beat her in last year's election. Colorado's 8th District race is one of the most competitive in the country and could shift power in Congress. The district was established in 2020 and has the state's highest concentration of Latino voters.
Interior secretary orders national parks to 鈥榬emain open鈥� despite federal workforce cuts
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered all national parks to 鈥渞emain open and accessible.鈥� The directive comes after about 1,000 National Park Service employees were fired. In March, a federal judge ordered them 鈥� and thousands of other laid-off federal workers 鈥� to be reinstated, but the U.S. Supreme Court that order. Secretary Burgum鈥檚 also calls for a review of each national park鈥檚 operating hours, trail and campground closures, and staffing levels. He said the Interior Department will ensure there鈥檚 enough staffing to support the operating hours and needs of each park. But given the White House鈥檚 budget cuts, some are raising concerns about what visitors to national parks may experience this year.
Scenes from the 'Galeton Geyser': a community responds to the Bishop Well blowout
Emergency workers stopped a Thursday at a Chevron well pad in Galeton that caused evacuations and closed a local elementary school for a week. Hundreds of residents showed up for a community meeting at the fire station that evening seeking information about the incident that several said public officials have been slow to release. The Galeton Geyser turned out to be steam mixed with oil, gas and wellbore fluids, which spewed into the neighborhood for four days before workers got control of the release. KUNC鈥檚 Rae Solomon was at the community meeting and you can hear her coverage here.
Larimer Co. gets conservation green light for Livermore land
Larimer County is protecting about five thousand acres in Livermore to preserve wildlife habitat and agricultural resources. The county worked with owners of three connected ranches to secure conservation easements. Sustainable livestock grazing practices and hay production have been in place at the ranches for five generations. The land is also critical habitat for a threatened species of meadow mouse. The conservation work was partially paid for by the state and the city of Fort Collins.
Denver donates 23 bison to tribes for their own herds
Denver is playing a big role in restoring bison to Indigenous lands and management across the Mountain West. The city has two bison herds in mountain parks it owns. It used to auction off several animals each year to maintain a healthy population. But a few years ago, it started donating them to tribes so they could establish their own herds. Over the past seven years, Denver has given 140 bison to 10 tribes. That includes the Northern Arapaho in Wyoming and the Northern Cheyenne in Montana.
CU Boulder to retire numbers of standouts Sanders and Hunter
The University of Colorado Boulder will retire the jerseys of standout QB Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter at Friday鈥檚 annual Spring Football Game. Sanders and Hunter are part of a select group of CU players to have their numbers retired by the program. Just four others have the honors, including Bobby Anderson and Rashaan Salaam. Sanders and Hunter are expected to be top picks in this month鈥檚 NFL Draft.
