It’s Monday, June 12, 2023.
Welcome back to Monday, Boulder. I hope you’re enjoying the air quality we’ve had of late. The East Coast seems to be getting a taste of our normal medicine.
For today, Jenna Sampson covers the high waters of creeks in the area. On Thursday, for example, Saint Vrain Creek at Lyons was 150% above average streamflow. And an unspeakable tragedy struck yesterday on Boulder Creek. Anyone thinking of getting on a creek in a tube, raft or kayak should make sure they’re prepared with a life vest, state officials are warning, and maybe reconsider the decision to start with.
Also, we bring you a Community Voices story. Heramb Mohite is a legal immigrant studying medicine at CU Boulder. He has lived in the U.S. since he was 11 — mostly in Colorado — but because of a “baffling rule in our immigration system” he will likely have to self-deport back when he turns 21. The solution, he writes, is closing the immigration loophole with a new bill called the America’s Children Act.
Have a terrific day.
— Tim, reporter
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Join us for the premiere screening of the Sink’s 100th Anniversary film at Boulder Theater on June 14th! Grab a cold beer, chat with the owners and take in the exclusive insights and decades of history behind the icon landmark.
Featured stories
I’m a legal immigrant studying medicine at CU Boulder — and one of 200,000 STEM students at risk of deportation
Community Voices: Heramb Mohite, a sophomore at CU, is one of tens of thousands of “Documented Dreamers” who face self-deportation when they turn 21. “I just want to graduate, go to medical school and become a doctor,” he writes. Continue reading…
Tubing ban and flood warning: Saint Vrain Creek’s water levels reach dangerous levels while tragedy strikes on Boulder Creek
The creeks are running wild in what may be a trend for early summer, and residents in the flood zone in Lyons were told to prepare for possible evacuation. Meanwhile, the gauge at Boulder Creek and at Orodell — just east of Boulder — was well above average as tragedy struck one family over the weekend. Continue reading…
This week in Boulder: Juneteenth community celebration and the season’s first Bands on the Bricks show
Other events include Cultural Caravan’s June Festival, the kick off of the Boulder Concert Band summer concerts, the Ella’s mill exhibit and more. Continue reading…
Boulder Reporting Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization that empowers our community through non-partisan, locally focused journalism that informs and connects.
In other news
60s and showers (and thunderstorms), and maybe a flood?
The grumbling sky continues, though if you’re able to find patches of sun between storms hopefully you can keep your grumbling at bay. And hopefully the ground and creeks and stormwater infrastructure can find a way to handle yet more water. It doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Lyons was on alert for flooding over the weekend (as we reported), and Boulder sported a flood watch until early this morning. If you’re a bike commuter, keep these high water levels in mind. The roads may be fine, but some areas of the bike path are impassable. See the photo below for a holdup I faced while trying to get to the Marshall Fire press conference last Thursday. It’s the underpass that goes beneath the train tracks east of Foothills.
Tragedy on Boulder Creek on Sunday
On Sunday, at around 4:52 p.m., a distress call was made to Boulder police and fire units reporting a missing nine-year-old child who had fallen off a tube in Boulder Creek, the city said last night. First responders located the child near Broadway and Canyon Boulevard at around 5:00 p.m., pulling him out of the creek. They administered CPR and rushed him to Boulder Community Hospital, but tragically he was pronounced dead in the emergency room.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy for everyone involved, especially the boy’s family,” Deputy Fire Chief of Operations Jeff Long said. “All our responders were there — police, fire, medics, our swiftwater crew. We got to him as quickly as possible, and it’s a terrible feeling to not be able to save someone. Especially when that someone is a child.”
“I can’t imagine how terrible this must be for the child’s family, and also our first responder community,” Boulder Police Chief Maris Harold said. “Today has been heavy for the City of Boulder, and we are all thinking of the family who just lost their child.”
Baseline Road improvements begin
Boulder has launched the Baseline Road Transportation Safety Project, aiming to improve transportation safety. The first phase, scheduled to conclude in October 2023, will involve repaving Baseline Road and adding narrower travel lanes and expanding bike lane buffers. The project will also include the removal of an eastbound right turn lane and the installation of crosswalks, corner islands and concrete barriers. The initiative addresses one of the city’s top 10 crash locations and aligns with the Core Arterial Network (CAN) initiative. Read BRL’s previous coverage on the city’s shift in safety priorities from local streets to arterial roadways.
Juneteeth celebrations
The City of Boulder will commemorate Juneteenth, the celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, with various events. On June 16, a Juneteenth Flag will be raised at the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building, followed by remarks from local leaders. Other events throughout the month include spoken word poetry, storytelling and writing masterclasses. See BRL’s weekly roundup for more details.
“Juneteenth offers an important opportunity for our community to come together in reflection of our shared history,” said the city’s equity manager Aimee Kane. “The city is honored to participate in events that pay tribute to and celebrate the countless contributions of Black people to our country.”
Mental health supports after Marshall origin released
The City of Louisville is emphasizing mental health resources for residents and staff after the release of the Marshall Fire Cause and Origin Report.
“This report will certainly be information that will reopen trauma in our community and our organization,” said City Manager Jeff Durbin. “Our first priority as a city is to make sure our residents and our staff have access to the resources they need to take care of their mental health and continue to process the stress and trauma resulting from this event.”
Though many services were available over the weekend, Jewish Family Services and Mental Health Partners are continuing to provide community support, as is the Boulder Valley School District. Read BRL’s coverage of the urgent need for mental health providers post-Marshall Fire.
Boulder Comedy Festival is happening June 21-25! Boulder Comedy Festival highlights women and diversity in comedy and features comics from Netflix and Late Night alongside local headliners. All comics and shows are listed and tickets are available on www.BoulderComedyFestival.com.