Friday, December 19, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation designating Yucca House as a National Monument. One of the largest archaeological sites in southwest Colorado, Yucca House served as a vital community center for the Ancestral Puebloans from 1150 to 1300.

🍾 We're inviting you to make our New Year's edition extra special! What are you most proud of or thankful for this year? Reply to this email to share your reflections, achievements, or words of gratitude as we look back on 2025. Please include your first name and city so we can give you credit if we publish the reply.

As you finish your holiday shopping, today's sponsor, Brad's Deals, offers a free, personalized newsletter with last-chance sales and handpicked deals from brands you already love.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Outages, High Winds Continue

About 40,000 Coloradans remained without power as of midday Thursday, down from a peak of 120,000 Wednesday evening, after a windstorm that prompted proactive shutoffs and triggered unplanned outages.

Wind gusts topped 100 mph—reaching Category 2 hurricane speeds—along parts of the Front Range, downing power lines and breaking windows. See the top speeds here.

Winds continued to impact Colorado's high country, foothills, and far eastern plains Thursday. Several schools closed or remained closed due to outages.

Xcel Energy crews are working to restore power, a potentially days-long process. The utility said it anticipates a second shutoff today that could impact about 64,000 customers as early as 5 a.m.

Wind-Fueled Fires Threaten Yuma County

At least nine wildfires broke out Wednesday evening in Yuma County, on Colorado's Eastern Plains, as high winds toppled power lines and triggered extreme fire behavior.

Most of the fires were contained by early Thursday, allowing discretionary evacuations to be lifted. Officials estimated the total burn area at 14,000 acres.

Wind gusts reached up to 80 mph in the area, raising concerns about rapid fire spread and blowing dust, according to the National Weather Service.

Yuma Mayor Tim McClung called the fires a "wake-up call" for a small town with limited resources.

Cripple Creek Ice Castles Delayed

Ice Castles, a seasonal attraction featuring ice-sculpted towers, tunnels, slides, and fountains lit by color-changing lights, has yet to open in Cripple Creek, one of its two Colorado locations.

Unseasonably warm temperatures have been melting the ice sculptures during the day, slowing sculptors' progress, a spokesperson said. Organizers had hoped to open before the holidays.

Despite the setback, the ice artisans hope Cripple Creek's temperature swings and cold nights will allow the attraction to open soon.

Ice Castles in Silverthorne, where the winter wonderland is celebrating its 15th anniversary in Colorado, opens today at 6 p.m., and tickets are available through February.

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➤ Mesa County: An attorney for former clerk Tina Peters personally delivered a pardon from President Trump to state prison officials, who said the pardon is invalid and refused to release her. The attorney called the refusal "unlawful." (See Details)

➤ Aurora: A bond hearing will be held today for Jeanette Vizguerra, an immigration activist held at an ICE detention center since March, potentially allowing for her release after nine months. (See Details)

➤ Loveland: The driver accused of causing a crash on Interstate 25 that killed a child and injured two adults Tuesday was allegedly under the influence and has been charged with vehicular homicide. (More)

➤ Manitou Springs: Residents, business owners, and workers say they've received thousands of dollars' worth of parking tickets, many allegedly issued in error. (See Details)

➤ Boulder County: A former captain of the Hygiene Fire Department has been found guilty of sexually assaulting multiple women, including teenagers and subordinates. (More)

➤ Pueblo: Someone bought a winning lottery ticket worth $1.9 million at a local store. Another winner in Lafayette received $1,000 a day for life—a cash value of nearly $6 million. (More)

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➤ The Colorado Rockies hired former Twins and Reds coach Jeff Pickler to be their next bench coach. (More)

➤ The Denver Broncos may debut a new uniform combination this weekend against the Jaguars, wearing their white alternate helmets with their primary orange jerseys. (More)

➤ Colorado wide receiver Omarion Miller is expected to enter the transfer portal, ending his tenure with the Buffaloes. Miller was one of the team's top receivers in 2025, posting 808 yards and eight touchdowns. (More)

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➤ A Grand County judge ruled that Elk Creek and Cozens Meadows must be protected in Cornerstone Holdings' Grand Park development, upholding a 2003 agreement requiring conservation easements and siding with the town of Fraser in a long-running dispute. (See Details)

➤ NASA awarded $24.8 million to a University of Colorado Boulder lab to design and build instruments that analyze lunar dust for Artemis IV, a manned mission to the moon scheduled for 2028. (See Details)

➤ Natural Grocers, a Colorado-based health food chain, moved its Grand Junction location to a new store with expanded space and modern design. (More)

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➤ Grand Valley Horse Rescue is holding its fourth annual Ride to Meet Santa event tomorrow, giving children a chance to ride horses before meeting Santa Claus. (See Details)

➤ This list of residential Christmas light displays across the Denver metro showcases homes with up to 500,000 lights, inflatable-packed lawns, walk-through snowmen, and more. (See Photos)

➤ The Nutcracker returned to the stage in Grand Junction Thursday and is being performed by Colorado West Ballet through Dec. 23. (See Details)

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➤ Specialists at the Pacific Brain Health Center left in complete awe after they discovered that…Sleeping in this position makes you 3x more likely to develop memory loss. They were shocked to see that something so common can cause IRREVERSIBLE damage to the brain. Don't go to sleep until you see this shocking leaked video.