By Quentin Young | editor
“I’ve had officers who have had to work three weeks in a row, working 18-hour days, day after day … We have been worried about the mental health of some of our officers who are dealing with these issues. Some of them are having to euthanize a lot of bears this year. Nobody gets into this line of work because they want to put down animals.”
— John Livingston, public information officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Bears rummage through garbage at a dumpster in Whitefish, Montana. Wildlife officials nationwide have received a record number of calls about human-bear conflicts this year. (Photo courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)
By Alex Brown
Bears are having a very bad year. Across much of the United States, a warm winter and persistent drought have decimated the natural foods that black and brown bears rely on. With nearly every station at the buffet in short supply, the adaptable eaters are turning to human food. From California to Connecticut to Colorado, desperate bears have raided garbage cans, broken into homes and cars, torn through chicken coops and pulled down bird feeders. Wildlife officers in many states have received a record number of calls, working overtime through the summer to deter bears, put out traps and euthanize animals who pose persistent problems.
Construction on a data center expansion at the QTS site in Aurora, Colorado, is pictured on Aug. 6, 2026. (Photo by Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)
COMMENTARY
By Rhiannon Redinger
For the second year in a row, the Colorado state Legislature has failed to enact policy to regulate data centers. Elected officials in localities across Colorado are rightfully taking matters into their own hands, but priorities of local elected officials vary. Some residents of the state are feeling unheard by those who represent them.
Ukrainians living in Nebraska and supporters gathered at an event earlier this year marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
By Ariana Figueroa
Immigrants living in the United States with humanitarian status from Ukraine and Sudan will retain their deportation protections and work authorizations for now, the Department of Homeland Security said over the weekend. More than 100,000 Ukrainians and roughly 2,000 Sudanese with Temporary Protected Status will keep their protections until “such an announcement is made,” the agency said. It’s the same move the Trump administration made as the deadline for TPS renewal for more than 200,000 Salvadorans approached last month. While immigrants with TPS from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine will have deportation protections, it places more than 300,000 people in limbo because it’s not clear how long the protections will last.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Trump back on the road as analysts see more congressional races shifting in Dems’ favor | By Shauneen Miranda
Think balancing Colorado’s budget is easy? Try it. | By Sandra Fish
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