“Pueblo’s record-setting auto theft problems have been well-documented locally, and now a national news publication has brought more attention to the issue,” reports The Pueblo Chieftain. “Bloomberg News last week published a story identifying the top 10 cities in the United States with the highest per-capita rate of vehicle thefts in 2016. Pueblo was second on the list — which used the National Insurance Crime Bureau report as its source — behind only Albuquerque, N.M.”

“Three children under the age of 5 and their parents are living out of a car in the Yampa Valley despite the father having a full-time job,” reports The Steamboat Pilot. “A homeless seasonal worker is walking barefoot through the streets of Steamboat Springs after his housing ended at a downtown lodge. And a Routt County commissioner reported one of the county’s new department heads is living at the fire station in Stagecoach while he secures permanent housing.”

“President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that he would keep the nation out of the Paris Climate Accord has impacted next year’s race for governor, at least among Democrats,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “While U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter said he would have Colorado join the U.S. Climate Alliance, a group of mostly Democratic states that intend to uphold the 2015 agreement, others in the race for the Democratic nomination are calling for dramatic increases in the state’s renewable energy standard. Immediately after Trump’s announcement, former state Treasurer Cary Kennedy said she would seek legislation calling for public utilities to go to a 50 percent renewable energy standard by 2020, up from the current 30 percent.”

“Weld County is the leading county in the state for incoming investments, according to a new study,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “The annual study by SmartAsset, a New York-based financial technology company, looks at counties receiving the greatest amount of incoming investments in terms of business, real estate, government and the local economy as a whole. It considers four main factors — business establishment growth, GDP growth, new building permits and municipal bond investment — and assigns each county an index score. Weld’s index score is the highest in Colorado at 64.53, followed by Douglas County at 63.54, Denver County at 62.27, Larimer County at 57.15 and Broomfield County at 54.90.”

“A new foot and bicycle path that’s viewed as an important alternative transportation route between West Glenwood and Glenwood Meadows and on to downtown, especially during the upcoming Grand Avenue bridge detour, is nearly ready for folks to give it a try,” reports The Glenwood Springs Post-Independent. “The city of Glenwood Springs and its project funding partners invite the public to a grand opening celebration for the new West Midland Trail and pedestrian bridge at 1 p.m. Thursday.”

“The election isn’t until the end of 2018, but state Republicans and Democrats are searching for candidates to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat for Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. The race for the seat held by Democrat Rep. Jared Polis since 2009 will be open next year after Polis announced on Sunday his plan to join the crowded race for Colorado governor.”

“Zipped in drysuits, Cory Noble and Josh Nehring led a team of Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists through a thick maze of tree branches, slick rocks and black flies in Bear Creek Watershed. Each carried a tool critical to capturing a greenback cutthroat trout: namely, a net or bucket,” reports The Gazette in Colorado Springs about an effort to preserve the state fish. “Noble carried something else – a gray plastic box hitched to a backpack with a wire hanging off the back and a yellow wand connected to the front. At first sight, the contraption looks more like a small vacuum cleaner, as opposed to a $10,000 piece of electronic fishing equipment.”

“Local officials are considering the creation of a regulated homeless campground in Durango, and they’re looking to a New Mexico community for ideas,” reports The Durango Herald. “Earlier this spring, La Plata County Commissioner Brad Blake approached other county commissioners and local officials in an effort to garner momentum behind the construction of a designated homeless camp. While Blake initially suggested cordoning off a portion of the Durango Off Leash Dog Park, it was recently proposed that the area near Greenmount Cemetery, which used to be an old campground, would be better suited. The tentative location is an area south of the Durango Community Shelter and north of the transformer station near Greenmount Cemetery.”

“A former Colorado marijuana enforcement officer and a Denver-based marijuana entrepreneur already the target of fraud allegations were indicted in connection with a suspected massive illegal marijuana trafficking ring that operated throughout the state,” reports The Cannabist at The Denver Post. “A grand jury cast a wider net after the March indictments of 16 people in an allegedly illegal marijuana trafficking ring led by Michael Stonehouse, and on June 7 indicted former Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division officer Renee Rayton and three others. According to court records and the indictment obtained by The Cannabist, warrants were filed for the arrest of Rayton; entrepreneur Scott Pack, whose businesses Harmony Green LLC and HGCO LLC also were charged; and Travis Bridle and John Edward Loos, both growers and suspected middlemen in the operation.”