You count on BRL for local, independent reporting. During our year-end fundraiser, we hope you’ll make a donation to support the newsroom that supports Boulder. Your contributions keep us going.

Good Monday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by the Downtown Boulder Partnership – the Downtown Dash is on. Pick up your Dash Card and collect stamps through Dec. 31 for weekly giveaways and a grand prize drawing.

Leading today’s edition: Boulder’s mutual aid groups say they’ve become a lifeline for residents who can’t get to traditional food banks, especially immigrants and others staying out of public view as enforcement increases. Volunteers describe a growing number of people relying on doorstep deliveries and small community food networks, even as these groups receive only a fraction of the support directed to larger food banks.

They’ve now issued a public call for urgent support and a broader plan that recognizes how many residents fall outside the reach of brick-and-mortar food pantries. Brooke Stephenson reports.

Also today: CU Boulder dedicated a new statue of former football coach Bill McCartney on Friday, prompting quiet protests from LGBTQ+ community members and alumni. Critics say the monument overlooks McCartney’s long record of opposing LGBTQ+ rights, including his support for Amendment 2 in the early ’90s. CU leaders say the privately funded statue honors his record-setting coaching career.

Finally: As grocery chains take over wine sales, Boulder’s Hazel’s is shifting course with groceries, coffee and an expanded nonalcoholic selection to offset major customer losses after Prop 125. McKenzie Watson-Fore reports.

For more food and drink news, make sure you’re subscribed to Nibbles, John Lehndorff’s standalone Tuesday newsletter.

Plus more, Below the Fold:

Thanks, as always, for reading,

– The BRL team

Grab your Downtown Dash Card from 50+ participating businesses and start collecting stamps! Shop, dine and join holiday events from Nov. 23–Dec. 31, 2025, to earn entries into weekly giveaways and the grand prize drawing. It’s a festive way to celebrate the season — and get rewarded for supporting local favorites in the heart of Boulder. Find participating businesses and additional information at DowntownBoulderHolidays.com.

Fear. Empty shelves. Lost income. Boulder advocates say SNAP lapse revealed deep cracks in food safety net

They’re asking for $175,000 in immediate support and calling for a long-term food emergency plan to help Boulder County withstand future disruptions. Continue reading…

Bill McCartney statue installed at CU Boulder, drawing protests from LGBTQ+ advocates

McCartney was both a record-setting coach and an advocate for policies that stripped legal protections from LGBTQ+ people. His statue went up this month. Continue reading…

As grocery stores take over wine, Boulder’s Hazel’s pivots with food, coffee and nonalcoholic drinks

The longtime Boulder retailer is expanding into groceries and specialty drinks as Prop 125 opens wine sales to grocery stores and upends Colorado’s liquor market. Continue reading…

Sunny start to Thanksgiving week before temps take a sharp dip

A bright, mostly sunny start to Thanksgiving week. Expect a high near 58 today before temperatures drop into the mid-30s tonight, with just a chance of a stray shower earlier. Tuesday turns colder, topping out near 47 and plunging to around 26 overnight. Sunshine returns Wednesday, with a cool high back in the upper 40s.

Spruce St. offices to become boutique hotel and tavern downtown

Boulder City Councilmembers opted not to call up a plan on Nov. 21 to add several hotel suites and renovate a Tebo property on the corner of Spruce and 11th Street, clearing the way for the project to move forward.

The plan proposes turning professional offices into a bar/tavern and creating four hotel suites on the second and third floors. It would also renovate a historic carriage house into a hotel suite and add two two-story hotel suites totaling 2,023 square feet. The plan will proceed in conjunction with a second Tebo Properties plan to convert the adjacent office building at 1111 Spruce into “Hotel Eleven11,” a 37-room boutique hotel, by 2027. The two hotel operations will be run together.

The office building includes an 1895-era structure and a carriage house built by Valentine Butsch, who at different points served Boulder as a deputy assessor, police magistrate, justice of the peace, postmaster and owner and editor of the Daily Camera. The three new hotel suites are intended to reflect the original architecture. Read more on BRL.

Boulder-area local governments push for urgent action at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport

A coalition of nine Boulder County–area governments is calling for immediate steps to address what they describe as unsafe and “unsustainable” conditions at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA).

In a joint letter released this week, the Northwest Mayors & Commissioners Coalition — which includes Boulder County, Boulder, Broomfield, Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont, Erie, Superior and Westminster — points to a June FAA memo showing RMMA led the entire national airspace system in runway incursions and airborne safety issues. The memo said the airport now ranks as the most dangerous in the country for these types of incidents.

Local leaders say the problem isn’t flight paths but the sheer volume of traffic, driven by a rapid expansion of flight-school operations under Jefferson County’s leasing decisions. The coalition writes that the airport sees “one aircraft operation every minute during daylight hours,” fueled by “tens of thousands” of repetitive touch-and-go flights each month. Read more on BRL.

Boulder set to begin citywide fiber internet buildout in 2026

Boulder is entering the final planning stages for its municipal broadband network, with citywide construction expected to begin next year and continue through 2030. The goal is to provide “near ubiquitous” fiber-internet access, with the bulk of the work slated for 2026 through 2029. 

The city has been pursuing municipal fiber since 2015. After completing a feasibility study in 2016, city council approved construction of a 55-mile “dark fiber” backbone in 2018 along major transportation corridors, a $20 million project known as Phase 1. 

Initial construction began in Chautauqua in September as part of broader undergrounding and utility upgrades. Fiber installation there is expected to finish in 2026, the same year Boulder anticipates beginning citywide installation, according to city Communications Manager Shannon Aulabaugh. 

Boulder’s fiber infrastructure, as presented to the Water Advisory Board in October 2025.

Subsequent years will focus on “last mile” connections that link distribution lines directly to homes and businesses. Around 80% of the buildout is expected to be complete by 2027, and 97% by 2029. Read more on BRL.

What’s closed for Thanksgiving in Boulder (and what reopens on Friday)

Planning your Thanksgiving week? Here’s what will be closed around Boulder during the holiday and what to expect Friday.

All city administrative offices, recreation centers and Age Well Centers will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27. County services will pause too, including all government offices, the District Attorney’s Office and the 20th Judicial District Court.

Most city rec centers will be back open on Friday, Nov. 28. But several services will remain closed, including Age Well Centers, Planning and Development Services, the Justice Center and Judicial Court, and the Housing and Human Services hub and phone lines.

☀️ Explore events in Boulder and use the self-submission form on our events page to reach thousands in our community — for free! To have your event featured on our Monday to-do list, make sure to submit it to our events calendar.

Ladies Night at /pôr/ wine house: Monday, Nov. 24, 4:00-9:00 p.m., Por Wine House, 836 1/2 Main St, Louisville. Additional dates weekly. Read More

Muse Jazz Jam: Monday, Nov. 24, 7:00 p.m., The Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. Read More

Holiday Pop-Up Shops: Tuesday, Nov. 25, 11:00 a.m. – 5 p.m., Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, 1750 13th St. Additional dates Tuesdays through Sundays until Dec. 28. Read More

Pregnant & New Mama Hike + Circle: Wednesday, Nov. 26, 10:30 a.m., Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline Rd. Read More

Festive Appetizers and Party Bites: Wednesday, Nov. 26, 4:45-8:00 p.m., Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, 637 S Broadway St, Suite H. Read More

The 1st Annual First Responder Turkey Trot: Thursday, Nov. 27, 7:30 a.m., Boulder Reservoir, 5275 Reservoir Rd. Read More

Thanksgiving Yoga For All: Thursday, Nov. 27, 8:00 a.m., Chautauqua Community House, 301 Morning Glory Dr. Read More

The In Motion Project–3rd Law Dance/Theater: Friday, Nov. 28, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Boulder Community Health, 4747 Arapahoe Ave. Read More

The Nutcracker matinee showings: Friday, Nov. 28, 2:00-4:00 p.m., Macky Auditorium, 1595 Pleasant St. Additional dates Saturday and Sunday. Read More

Standup for Nederland: Friday, Nov. 28, 7:00 p.m., Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St. Read More

Junkyard Holiday Art Market: Saturday, Nov. 29, 12:00-6:00 p.m., Junkyard Social Club, 2525 Frontier Avenue, Unit A. Read More

The Artisan Collective at the Yard: Saturday, Nov. 29, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Rembrandt Yard, 1301 Spruce St. Read More

Epic Acoustic Classic Rock with Mike Masse: Sunday, Nov. 30, 7:00 p.m., Nissi’s, 1455 Coal Creek Dr, Unit T, Lafayette. Read More