Good Wednesday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by Boulder Community Health. Join the conversation on local health care. Attend BCH’s community forum on April 27 to hear updates on local health priorities and share your feedback.
Leading today’s edition: This winter and early spring have been extremely dry and unsettling. Por Jaijongkit spoke with a Boulder County fire official who warns the dry conditions and low humidity are setting the stage for what could be a “really bad fire season.” With fuels already primed to burn and after multiple power shutoffs this winter, crews are preparing for heightened risk and urging residents to be especially cautious as spring begins. “Our fuels are fully cured in the grass … they’re fully available to burn,” he said.
Also today in Local History: Silvia Pettem looks back at Joseph Bevier Sturtevant, better known as “Rocky Mountain Joe,” the eccentric pioneer-era photographer who documented Boulder from the 1880s through the early 1900s. Carrying a bulky camera across town and into the mountains, he captured hundreds of images that now define how we see Boulder’s early years.
And ICYMI, John Lehndorff spotlights Boulder’s “untouchable” dishes — the longtime staples locals can’t live without, from Oak’s kale salad to Efrain’s green chile and Basta’s roasted half chicken — plus more food news in Nibbles, our weekly food newsletter. Sign up to get it next week.
Plus more, Below the Fold:
- BoulderCAST: Near-record heat today, fire danger elevated, cooldown Thursday.
- Boulder water: Supply steady, conservation messaging likely.
- Boulder police oversight: Union complaints could continue as tensions surface.
- César Chávez Day: Lawmakers move to rename holiday after abuse allegations.
- Electrification rebate: $10K for fire rebuilds; April 30 deadline.
Thanks, as always, for reading,
– The BRL team
Join the conversation on local health care! Boulder Community Health, your independent, nonprofit, locally governed health system, values community voices in shaping health care in our community. BCH conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years to address local priorities. Join us Monday, April 27, 2026, from 5-6:30 p.m. to hear progress from the 2023-2025 CHNA, learn about Colorado’s Hospital Transformation Program, and share feedback. Register here to help build a healthier community.
‘A really bad fire season’? Boulder County official warns conditions are already in place
From dry fuels to power shutoffs, a Boulder County fire manager explains what crews are seeing and how residents should think about risk heading into spring. Continue reading…
He roamed Boulder with a camera for decades. Now his photos define the city’s past.
Known as “Rocky Mountain Joe,” Joseph Bevier Sturtevant roamed Boulder with a camera from the 1880s to 1910, capturing the people and places that now define the city’s early history. Continue reading…
Exceptional warmth again today, but cooler to end the week
High pressure has rebuilt along the Mexican border this week, sending another surge of warm air into Colorado. Today marks the peak of this secondary heat pulse, with Boulder headed for 88 degrees, easily smashing the March 25 record high by about 10 degrees and coming just shy of the monthly record of 89 set this past Saturday.
Winds will be breezy, up to 20 mph, and humidity will drop into the critical range, keeping fire danger elevated even as conditions remain just below Red Flag criteria. Avoid any flames or sparks.
A sharp cold front arrives tomorrow morning, bringing cooler temperatures into the end of the week. Thursday’s highs will come early, mainly in the 60s to mid-70s, before leveling off or falling through the afternoon. Expect some breeziness and a few isolated to scattered showers Thursday evening and overnight, with minimal rainfall. The higher foothills may see a light dusting of snow.
Friday turns cooler, with highs in the 50s, but warmth returns this weekend, pushing temperatures back into the 70s and low 80s.
Boulder’s water supply OK for now, but conservation advisories likely
After a dry winter, Boulder officials say the city’s water supply remains in good shape, for now, but are preparing residents for possible conservation measures.
“We’re watching the situation closely,” Director of Utilities Joe Taddeucci told the board on March 16.
Boulder has several water resources, including local reservoirs and an allocation from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which brings water from the Colorado River Basin to the Front Range. Several key reservoirs, including Barker Reservoir near Nederland, sources in the Silver Lake watershed and Boulder Reservoir, currently appear to be healthy. As an older city, Boulder has senior water rights compared to towns like Erie and Superior, which rely more heavily on the Colorado River.
“We track the historic storage levels and where they are at right now for this time of year is a really healthy amount of storage,” Taddeucci said.
Allocations from the Colorado Big-Thompson Project vary based on snowpack and severity of drought. Taddeucci said that Boulder will likely not reach drought stage according to the city’s drought formula. Still, staff are already developing water conservation messaging in collaboration with other municipalities, as they did in 2021. Read more on BRL.
Boulder police chief says union could file more complaints against oversight panel members
Police Chief Steve Redfearn stopped short of criticizing a police union complaint against a volunteer member of the city’s Police Oversight Panel this week, and said similar complaints could happen again.
“It’s well within their right to file a code of conduct complaint,” he said of the union. “Obviously, just like anything else, they have to deal with the outcome and any potential impact it has on relationships.”
Redfearn met with the panel for the first time since new members were seated, following a complaint from the city’s police union accusing panel co-chair Maria Soledad Diaz of bias. A city attorney found Diaz did not violate the city’s code of conduct.
The city’s 11-member oversight panel reviews internal investigations into complaints of officer misconduct and makes recommendations to the police chief, who has the final say on discipline. The meeting revealed competing grievances within the city’s oversight system. Diaz said she believes the complaint was retaliatory and has impacted her personal life. Redfearn said panel findings of racial bias can impact an officer’s ability to get another job.
One allegation in the code of conduct complaint cited an April 2025 misconduct case in which a complainant alleged officers used force and discriminated against her. Diaz was one of three panel members who reviewed the case and sustained discrimination allegations against two officers. Read more on BRL.
Colorado lawmakers move to rename César Chávez Day amid abuse allegations
Colorado lawmakers are advancing a bill to rename César Chávez Day as Farm Workers Day following allegations that Chávez sexually abused girls and women, including fellow labor leader Dolores Huerta. The proposal passed its first House committee unanimously and has broad bipartisan support. Gov. Jared Polis has indicated he will not observe the holiday this year and supports revisiting the designation, Colorado Newsline reports.
The voluntary state holiday, created in 2001, is currently observed at the discretion of state agencies. Supporters of the bill say the change is meant to shift recognition toward farmworkers broadly rather than a single figure, while still acknowledging the labor movement Chávez helped lead. The legislation comes as officials in Colorado and elsewhere reconsider public honors tied to Chávez following the allegations.
$10,000 electrification rebate available for fire rebuilds; deadline April 30
Residents rebuilding homes after the Marshall and East Troublesome fires may be eligible for a $10,000 state rebate to support high-efficiency electric upgrades, including cold-climate heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and electric or induction stoves. The incentive applies to primary residences built to 2021 energy code standards or higher and can be combined with Xcel Energy programs.
Homes must have received a building permit before April 30, 2025, and applications are due by April 30, 2026. To get started, contact ceorebate@impactdf.org.
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