adams county

Colorado’s Front Range faces a risk of hail damage unlike any other area in the country, and it also happens to bewhere homeowners have installed solar panels on their roofs at some of the highest rates, according to a study from Roof Gnome, a platform that connects consumers with roofing and solar installation contractors. The combination can be a costly one when storms do hit and a contributor to rising home insurance premiums in the region. “Hail accumulation is an uncommon phenomenon but is most prevalent along the…

The land Cindy and Ronald McCormick bought for their “forever” home in the rolling hills of eastern Adams County came with a stunning view of the Front Range. It also came with an out-of-service oil well, an open pit, aging storage tanks, a dilapidated shed and a broken promise from a company to clean it all up. After learning that the company, Painted Pegasus Petroleum, went bankrupt, leaving nearly 200 wells across the county for others to take care of, the McCormicks decided to join a lawsuit seeking damages. The…

U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo of Colorado unveiled a package of migrant-related bills in the House Thursday that aim to break a partisan logjam on immigration reform and would assist cities like Denver that have shouldered unforeseen costs. The congresswoman, who represents Colorado’s most heavily Latino congressional district, said her aim is to help interior cities deal with sheltering and other costs in one of two bills she’s leading. Other bills she’s joined as a co-sponsor would shorten the time migrants must wait for…

The city of Brighton is about to get a little greener. This week, the Brighton City Council voted 7-2 to allow recreational marijuana shops for the first time. The council-approved ordinance allows for the establishment of four stores, with two of the licenses reserved for social equity applicants. Applications open March 1. This will be the first time Brighton, which is located primarily in Adams County, has ever allowed cannabis businesses within city limits, despite the fact that recreational weed has been legal in…

The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday dismissed an aircraft noise violations case against Denver International Airport that had prompted a lower court to award $33.5 million to Adams County and other plaintiffs. The high court concluded that Adams County’s 2018 lawsuit against DIA was filed 20 years too late. The county and other participating communities, including Aurora, alleged that the airport had been underestimating its noise impacts on surrounding communities for years by using a method that violated an…

Suncor Energy’s oil refinery in Commerce City has reported 13 malfunctions since Dec. 1, sending excessive amounts of harmful pollutants into the air as the company provided little public information as to whether or not people’s health was at risk. The malfunctions caused Suncor to release more pollutants than the company is allowed under its two federal air pollution permits, and on at least two occasions those excessive releases lasted for days. In one incident on Jan. 13, the amount of hydrogen sulfide expelled from…

Conditions are looking up for tenants in metro Denver and Boulder as more new apartments keep rolling into the market, keeping rents in check and providing more options for those looking for housing, according to a quarterly update from the Apartment Association of Metro Denver. The average rent for an apartment in the seven-county metro area, including Boulder, was $1,870 in the fourth quarter, which is down from $1,888 in the third quarter and not much above the average of $1,838 a year earlier. Two years ago, the…

Colorado drivers paid a premium for gasoline in early 2023 following the closure of the Suncor Refinery, but 2024 is welcoming them with some substantial discounts, including a handful of stations selling fuel for under $2 a gallon. A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in metro Denver averaged $2.55 a gallon on Wednesday, while the statewide average was $2.69 a gallon and the U.S. average was $3.08, according to the AAA. Gas Buddy, a website that relies on consumers to report the latest prices, listed a half dozen…

A local company has gone from “Shark Tank” to bankruptcy court. Thornton-based M.C. Squares, which makes whiteboard sticky notes, planners and to-do lists, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 22. The company said in the filing that it owes $3.3 million to 43 creditors and has assets of $900,000. Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows a business to restructure and keep operating while paying creditors over time. Founder and CEO Anthony Franco signed the filings. He declined to comment. Franco founded M.C. Squares nearly 10 years…

With more renewable energy going on the grid and more vehicles and homes turning all-electric, Colorado utilities and regulators are planning more transmission lines and equipment to handle the increasing demands. But questions about the location of new electric substations, which convert high-voltage electricity to power for homes and businesses, have come up after Xcel Energy-Colorado revealed plans for a substation in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood. The area is already home to several industrial sites, some of…