Good Friday morning, Boulder. Heading into the Labor Day weekend, we’ll have to dodge a little rain before the sunshine settles in, just in time to enjoy it.
Leading today’s edition: A yearslong defamation case from the 2021 city council race ended this week with a settlement and apology, John Herrick reports. Political organizer Eric Budd admitted in court to creating a fake Twitter account targeting candidate Steve Rosenblum, who lost in the race. The lawsuit underscored Boulder’s sharp divisions over homelessness policy and raised unresolved legal questions about the limits of political speech in Colorado.
Also today: On Wednesday night, Sundance officials took the stage at the Boulder Theater the 2027 festival’s arts and film programming and how it spotlights undiscovered filmmakers. Por Jaijongkit reports on the evening. And Boulder County commissioners have finalized two measures for the 2025 ballot: a new three-year sales tax for mental health and addiction services — approved with what one commissioner called “regrettable” changes — and a permanent sales tax for open space programs.
More, Below the Fold:
- BoulderCAST: From wet to wonderful this Labor Day weekend.
- Run for Their Lives: Boulder group moves walks after harassment.
- National parks: Trump cuts strain Mesa Verde, other sites.
- NCAR Mesa Lab: Refreshed exhibit lets visitors “touch the Sun.”
- Labor Day: What’s open and closed in Boulder Monday.
- Meadowlark Trail: Superior path closes Sept. 1 for grazing.
Thanks, as always, for reading,
– The BRL team
Former Boulder council candidate, political organizer settle defamation lawsuit
The agreement ends a bitter legal battle over campaign tactics in the 2021 city council election, a race that was also a flashpoint in Boulder’s debate on homelessness. Continue reading…
Sundance introduces itself to Boulder ahead of 2027 debut
Sundance curators shared how the 11-day festival discovers new filmmakers and highlights under-the-radar films. Continue reading…
Holiday weekend weather: From wet to wonderful
Labor Day weekend is shaping up to be split down the middle weather-wise, with the back half offering near ideal conditions in Boulder, but not before more rain.
Friday and Saturday will keep that monsoon moisture hanging around, so don’t be surprised if late-day storms bubble up — especially Saturday, when chances jump to about 50%. Think afternoon clouds, a rumble or two, and maybe a quick downpour. Keep an eye out if you’re on the trails or at the farmer’s market.
But by Sunday and Monday, Mother Nature will flip the switch. Drier air sweeps in across the Front Range, and we’ll finally break free from this rainy stretch. Expect mostly sunny skies, with just a slim shot at a stray mountain storm—nothing that should mess with your outdoor plans.
Irrespective of the rain, daytime temperatures will be pleasant all weekend long, hovering in that sweet spot between 75 and 80 degrees.
County commissioners reaffirm support for mental health and open space taxes — but with changes
The Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 28 unanimously supported proposed tax measures that, if approved, would funnel millions of dollars into mental health and addiction services and open space programs. A majority of commissioners previously supported each measure but decided this week to tweak the ballot language and reconsider their positions.
For the mental health tax, commissioners shortened the proposed expiration timeline to three years, down from five, and removed requirements for how revenue should be divided among services. The 0.15% countywide sales and use tax is projected to generate about $13.8 million in 2026, according to county officials. The money would fund prevention, crisis response, addiction treatment, recovery services and programs to help residents navigate resources.
Commissioner Claire Levy, who has spearheaded the measure, said she was disappointed by the changes but voted yes to move it forward. She said the revisions undermined the work county staff put into the Behavioral Health Roadmap, which guided the measure.
“This is a significantly diminished measure and it’s going to take a tremendous amount of work again in three years, so I think it is regrettable,” Levy said. Read more on BRL.
Boulder’s Run for Their Lives shifts to undisclosed locations after harassment
The Boulder chapter of Run for Their Lives said it will no longer publicly advertise its weekly walks, three months after a Molotov cocktail attack killed a participant and injured more than a dozen others. Future walks will be held under heavy security at undisclosed locations.
Organizers said the decision follows escalating harassment, including slurs and intimidation at recent events and inside Boulder City Council meetings. Videos reviewed by the Jewish Community Relations Council show protesters shouting insults such as “genocidal c**t,” “racist” and “Nazi” at participants, the group said.
“This walk has already been the target of deadly violence. Now participants are facing harassment that makes it impossible to continue safely in public view,” said Brandon Rattiner, senior director of the JCRC. Stefanie Clarke of Stop Antisemitism Colorado added: “We will not be intimidated, and we will not be driven out of public spaces where we should feel safe.”
The announcement comes after the June 1 attack on Pearl Street that killed 82-year-old Karen Diamond dead and injured more than a dozen others. Federal hate crime charges are pending against the suspect, who prosecutors say targeted the group because he “hated the Zionist group.”
Report: Trump cuts hit national parks hard, including Colorado’s Mesa Verde
The New York Times published an investigation this week showing that at least 90 national parks are under strain from Trump administration staffing cuts. Since Trump returned to office, the National Park Service has lost 24% of its permanent workforce, more than 1,800 employees, leading to reduced emergency response, canceled education programs, uncollected entrance fees and delayed maintenance. At Zion National Park alone, lost fee collection could reach $2 million this year.
Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park was also cited for reduced emergency response capacity.
Boulder Rep. Joe Neguse, whose district includes Rocky Mountain National Park, said: “It’s simply unacceptable. We must exhaust every tool available to reverse these efforts to weaken our national parks, the true crown jewels of America’s public lands.”
Neguse has introduced legislation with fellow Democrats to block politically motivated firings at the Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, and to rehire staff terminated under the administration’s workforce reduction initiative.
New Sun-Earth exhibit opens at NCAR Mesa Lab
Boulder’s NCAR Mesa Lab has reopened its revamped Sun-Earth Connections exhibit, offering free, hands-on learning about the relationship between the Sun and our planet. Visitors can run their hands over a tactile model of the Sun, create an aurora, or play a game preparing infrastructure for a solar storm. The redesigned exhibit also streams live solar images from NSF NCAR’s Mauna Loa Observatory and NASA. Open daily at the Mesa Lab Visitor Center.
What’s open and closed in Boulder on Labor Day
Most City of Boulder administrative facilities and Age Well Centers will be closed Monday, Sept. 1, for the Labor Day holiday. But several services remain open:
- Scott Carpenter Pool and North Boulder Rec Center: open 6 a.m.-6 p.m. (South and East Boulder rec centers closed).
- Boulder Reservoir: open 6 a.m.-8 p.m., with swimming 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Flatirons Golf Course: open sunrise to sunset.
- OSMP trails and trailheads: open as usual (visit OSMPTrails.gov for planning tips).
- HOP bus: running holiday hours, 7 a.m.-10 p.m., every 23 minutes.
City parks will be open 5 a.m.-11 p.m., though fires, outdoor grills and alcohol are prohibited, and dogs must be leashed.
Parking is free citywide on Labor Day except at and near Chautauqua Park, where paid parking and free shuttles run 8 a.m.-8 p.m. for the final weekend of this summer’s Park to Park shuttle program.
Meadowlark Trail closing Sept. 1 for grazing
The Meadowlark Trail at Coalton Trailhead in Superior will be closed from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 for seasonal cattle grazing, Boulder County officials announced. Other trails at the Coalton Trailhead, which connects to the Open Sky Loop and the broader trail network south of Rock Creek, will remain open.
The county said the closure is for safety, since cattle can be protective of their young and aggressive toward people and dogs. Grazing is used to maintain healthy grasslands and reduce wildfire fuel.
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