Good Monday morning, Boulder.

For today’s top story, I talked with Brian Oliver and Seth McKinney — both important gents for wildfire fighting efforts in the Boulder area — about the county’s new Pano AI camera system. Three algorithm-enabled cameras are being installed in the southern part of the county. With the attached AI designed to detect smoke, fire districts hope the system will give them a jump on new fires, and help them stop wasting resources on false warnings called in by citizens who mistook fog for a blaze.

Also, Boulder Police Department is now seeking the community’s help to locate missing Boulder High student Chloe Campbell, plus much more.

Have a great beginning of your week.

— Tim, reporter

Support our Boulder journalism

What to know today

  • Sublime sun: Temps this week will bounce between the 60s and 70s with sun shining all the while. Pair that with leaves to crunch on the sidewalk and you’ve got all the ingredients necessary for a lovely autumnal stroll.
  • Exemptions for sales tax: The Boulder City Council is asking city staff to draft an ordinance that would exempt feminine hygiene products and diapers from the city’s sales and use tax. The city estimates the exemption would cost it about $236,205, primarily due to sales tax revenue from diaper purchases. The discussion comes after state lawmakers, including state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis of unincorporated Boulder County, passed a 2022 law to exempt hygiene, diapers and incontinence products from the state sales and use tax beginning Jan. 1, 2023. 
  • Boulder Police ‘increasingly concerned’ about missing teen’s safety: After desperate family members and friends sent out calls for help on social media last week, Boulder Police Department issued a statement over the weekend asking for the community’s help in locating missing 14-year-old Chloe Campbell, a Boulder High student. The police are treating the case as a runaway.
    • “This case presently does not meet the criteria for the issuance of an Amber Alert, but investigators are growing increasingly concerned about the teen’s safety as it is believed that she has no access to money or her medication,” police said. The department said it would not talk to media about the case. (The Department of Justice has specific criteria for issuing an Amber Alert.)
    • Campbell has been missing since Friday, Sept. 30, and was last seen at the Boulder High football game. Her parents have not spoken with her since she went missing.
    • It remains unclear which state Campbell may be in. There have been reported sightings in the Boulder area, but friends have said they think she might be in Phoenix, Arizona. Police have not confirmed these leads. They said she may be with an adult male, and have said they have no reason to suggest foul play.
    • The family has published a Google doc about the search, which it is frequently updating. “We remain gravely concerned that she may be being trafficked and is not able to voluntarily come home,” the document said on Sunday.
    • If you have information, contact Detective Cody Hartkopp at 303-441-3330. To submit an anonymous tip, call 1-800-THE-LOST, press #1 and cite report #146-2673.
  • Boulder County untangling debris removal insurance web: As debris removal from the Marshall Fire nears completion, figuring out who will foot the bill for the removal is the next step. Before applying to FEMA, Boulder County is seeking to determine what private insurance companies will cover. Homeowners participating in the program should have already been notified, but for those wanting more information, the county released a website detailing the process. There’s also contact links for those with more specific questions.
  • CUPD and Boulder PD working to increase Hill police presence: After the shooting a week ago, police agencies are looking for improvement areas. One is increasing police presence on the Hill, especially for CU’s Family Weekend Oct. 13–16. Another is spreading the word about the county’s emergency notification system and the CU alert system. The city of Boulder also has an alert system.
  • What does the governor drive? In an interview with CPR’s Colorado Matters on Oct. 4, Gov. Jared Polis, who is from Boulder, talked about crime, California and cars.
    • On crime, he supported giving police officers retention and signing bonuses. He also supported co-responder programs that pair police with behavioral health clinicians on 911 calls.
    • On housing, he said, “We have to tie our water policy to our land use policy” and “If we fail to take the kind of steps that I’m talking about in terms of creating more affordable housing opportunities — $300,000s and $400,000s [homes] near where jobs are — Colorado will become like California.”
    • He also responded to a question about a Sept. 28 debate with the Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl in which he boasted about his car’s internal combustion engine. “I believe in freedom,” he said. “You probably see my ads. What do you get with me? Lower taxes, more freedom. Very simple. Drive what you want to drive.”
      • Polis, a millionaire who made it big in the dot-com boom, said he drives a Ford Escape. “If they had one, my current car would be a Ford Escape hybrid. But then they discontinued that so now I drive the regular Ford Escape.”
      • He also defended his opposition to a suggestion by air quality experts to require reformulated gas — a blend that reduces harmful tailpipe emissions — as a means of reducing toxic ozone across the Front Range. The idea is being discussed as part of a plan to comply with the Clean Air Act. For Polis, the sticking point was the potential costs. “It’s probably somewhere between 8 cents a gallon,” he said. “If you look at the value of that money, we could do so much more to clean our air than the marginal, at best, improvements from reformulated gas. For instance, you could put that money into supporting and making it even more affordable for Coloradans to drive electric vehicles and e-bikes.”
  • Fishing derby coming to East Boulder: This Saturday, Oct. 15 from 9 a.m. to noon, Boulder County is hosting a drop-in fishing program at the Wally Toevs Pond at Walden Ponds Widlife Habitat. The derby is a team event with one junior member who must be 15 or younger, and one senior member older than 65.
    • Fishing the pond for stocked Rainbow Trout, prizes will be awarded for the largest trout caught, the first team to reach the trout limit, and the biggest age difference between team members. Per the county’s website:
      • Artificial and live bait are permitted.
      • A wheelchair accessible pier is available. Bring your own fishing gear and lawn chairs for seating.
      • Seniors must have a valid Colorado fishing license.
    • For more information contact Michelle Marotti at 303-678-6219 or mmarotti@bouldercounty.org.

Go deeper

Can A.I. help detect Boulder County’s next wildfire? We may soon find out.

By Tim Drugan

Algorithms are scanning for smoke in Boulder County.

Part of a six-month trial period, Boulder is seeing how three cameras, backed by artificial intelligence, can help fire districts manage their fire-prone landscapes.

Made by a company called Pano AI, each camera cost $25,000. That initial investment includes the AI system, intelligence center service and hardware. Repairs are also covered. Boulder County bought one, the City of Boulder another, and Xcel Energy picked up the tab for the third. 

“It’s fairly expensive,” said Brian Oliver, Boulder Fire-Rescue’s Wildland Division Chief. “But it’s all about priorities.”

The cameras, also in use in California, Oregon, Montana and Aspen, are installed on existing radio towers selected for their view of the surrounding landscape. Two are already online and scanning — one near Eldora ski mountain and another in the Lee Hill area. A third, coming online in the next few weeks, will be on Mount Thorodin.

Continue reading…

TOGETHER WITH Comprise
A BRL Community Leader sponsor

By combining the messaging with the math, we’re multiplying our clients’ media coverage through an integrated fusion of PR, content, social media, SEO, web design and creative. Learn more at Comprise.

BRL picks

🧸 Dead and Company final tour: The iconic band and their noteworthy cohorts announced the schedule for their final tour. Boulder at Folsom Field got three nights. Probably best to get tickets sooner than later.

🧑‍🎤 World Singing Day nearly here: On Saturday, Oct. 15 from 2-3:30 p.m, the 7th annual World Singing Day in Boulder, founded by Boulder musician Scott Johnson, is happening on the Pearl Street Mall. Boulder City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde and Dairy Arts Center Director Melissa Fathman will emcee the event. “The playlist will include songs from the Beatles and Sinatra to current hits.”

🍕 Final Flatirons Food Film Festival: After 10 years, the festival is hosting its final event on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Boulder Public Library. The event will include Italian food from Boulder restaurants and businesses, a documentary called the Truffle Hunters, and a panel discussion.

🌎 Right Here, Right Now climate summit: Partnering with the United Nations Human Rights, CU is hosting the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit this December. Three-days, from Dec. 2-4, the summit will address the interconnectedness of human rights and climate change.

Covid in Boulder County: Oct. 10, 2022

  • 64 daily new cases (7-day avg.) ⬇️ Down 2% over preceding 7-day avg.
  • 9 patients hospitalized with Covid (7-day avg.) ⬇️ Down from a high of 13 last week.
  • 38% percent of ICU is occupied. ⬇️ Down from avg. of 65% since July 2020.

What else we’re reading

  • Monkeypox cases are plummeting: There have been roughly 300 confirmed cases in Colorado this year, no deaths, nine hospitalizations and no cases of infection in children, the Colorado Sun reported. Currently, just a handful of new infections per week are being reported. “The LGBTQ community, particularly men who have sex with men, really stepped up to protect their health and work with public health authorities to get the word out about monkeypox,” said Dr. Daniel Pastula, an associate professor of neurology, infectious diseases and epidemiology at the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Public Health.

ICYMI

Tim Drugan was a climate and environment reporter for Boulder Reporting Lab.