🚁 County moves ahead with controversial herbicide spraying

Good Wednesday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by Bank of Colorado, a family-owned community bank serving Coloradans since 1978, with 45 locations statewide and roots in local communities. Learn more. 

Read more Boulder Market Meals: Rhubarb steps beyond pie season in this classic Gold Hill cake

Leading today: Following a tense public meeting and a split 2-1 vote, Boulder County commissioners revived a controversial Red Hill herbicide project that will use drones to spray roughly 800 acres of open space to combat invasive cheatgrass. Supporters say the treatment is needed to reduce wildfire risk and protect native ecosystems, while opponents argue the county has failed to fully explore alternatives and address allegations of past herbicide misuse. Por Jaijongkit reports.

Also today: Long before their dramatic downfall became Colorado legend, silver magnate Horace Tabor and his wife, Baby Doe Tabor, spent a little-known chapter of their final years in Boulder County, where they moved near Ward in a last attempt to rebuild their fortune through gold mining. Silvia Pettem tells the story of the Tabors’ forgotten Boulder County years.

And in BRL Opinion: BVSD parent Yoav Lurie argues the district should expand sibling enrollment preferences districtwide instead of eliminating Summit Middle School’s longtime policy for siblings of graduates.

Plus more, Below the Fold:

• BoulderCAST: Afternoon storm chances linger through the week.
• City of Boulder: Show off your climate-ready yard, earn a $50 gift card(sponsored). 
• Running: Local runners earn top finishes at BOLDERBoulder.
• Equity: BOLDERBoulder adds women’s Sub 50 Club.
• Open space: Marshall Mesa celebrates trailhead grand reopening Sunday. 

Thanks, as always, for reading,

– The BRL team

Boulder County moves ahead with controversial herbicide spraying at Red Hill despite backlash

Boulder County commissioners voted to move forward with a plan to use drones to spray herbicide across roughly 800 acres to combat invasive cheatgrass, as some residents raise concerns about past herbicide use and county oversight. Continue reading…

How Colorado’s richest mining family ended up in a Boulder County cabin

After their silver fortune collapsed in the 1890s, Horace and Baby Doe Tabor moved north of Ward in search of gold and a fresh start. Continue reading…

Rinse and repeat: Daily low-end rain chances

A sluggish blocking pattern over the central U.S. continues to bottle‑up the atmosphere across Colorado, leaving Boulder with a rinse‑and‑repeat weather forecast through the rest of the week. Moist, southerly flow will keep feeding the Front Range, but with minimal large‑scale forcing, storm coverage will remain on the lower, more “hit‑or‑miss” side each afternoon and evening.

Today fits that script. Expect mostly cloudy skies with scattered late‑day showers and a couple of thunderclaps. A few pockets of heavier rain are possible in the higher terrain, and localized flooding can’t be ruled out from the I‑70 mountain towns north toward Rocky Mountain National Park.

Boulder will top out near 73, followed by a mild drop into the mid‑50s tonight with spotty showers lingering. 

Our pattern won’t budge much heading into the weekend. Daily, low‑end storm chances will continue — primarily late in the day and favoring the higher terrain — while temperatures run warmer than normal, getting close to 80 each afternoon. 

— BoulderCAST

Submit your climate-ready landscape to Boulder’s new community showcase (sponsored)

Celebrate the landscapes helping our community adapt to a changing climate. Whether it’s a backyard, a shared neighborhood space or even a small apartment balcony, submit your project or idea and help spotlight the power of climate‑ready design in Boulder.

All projects that meet the basic criteria will be featured in our digital showcase, and the first 200 qualifying submissions will receive a $50 gift card as a thank you for participating.

Boulder runners shine at BOLDERBoulder, with locals landing multiple podium spots

Aiden Reed, who lives and trains in Boulder with the local running team Roots Running Project, finished as the top American in Monday’s BOLDERBoulder with a time of 29 minutes and 17 seconds. The event on May 25 drew tens of thousands of runners for the 10-kilometer race, which finishes at Folsom Field.

Read more Boulder runners shine at BOLDERBoulder, with locals landing multiple podium spots

“It’s always massively uplifting to receive so much community support, and I loved seeing and hearing so many friends along the course today,” Reed said in a post on Instagram. “Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer.”

In the men’s pro race, Reed finished behind Patrick Kiprop, who competes for Kenya and trains with the On Athletics Club in Boulder, who won the race in 28 minutes and 35 seconds, and Daniel Simiu Ebenyo, from Kenya, who ran 29 minutes and 6 seconds.

In the close women’s pro race, Rebecca Mwangi, from Kenya, won in 32 minutes and 33 seconds, followed by Jesca Chelangat, from Kenya, who ran 32 minutes and 36 seconds. Rachael Rudel, from Fort Collins and a former Colorado State University runner, finished third and was the top American with a time of 32 minutes and 46 seconds. Read more on BRL. 

After BRL column, BOLDERBoulder adds new women’s Sub 50 Club

Last year, BRL contributor Simon Testa argued that BOLDERBoulder’s longtime “Sub 40 Club” unfairly favored men, noting that women made up nearly half of race participants but had no equivalent recognition category tied to elite performance. In his column, Testa proposed a women’s “Sub 50 Club” based on comparable race-percentile standards.

This year, BOLDERBoulder appeared to have taken that suggestion to heart.

Race organizers announced a new “Sub 50 Club” for women and nonbinary runners who finish the 10K in under 50 minutes, giving them an exclusive commemorative shirt similar to the longtime prize awarded to runners who break 40 minutes. Organizers described the new category as recognizing an “elite accomplishment.”

Marshall Mesa Trailhead to reopen after major coal fire mitigation project

Boulder will officially reopen the redesigned Marshall Mesa Trailhead on May 31 following a major state and city effort to extinguish the century-old underground coal fire that has smoldered beneath the area for decades.

The city’s grand opening event will run from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the trailhead, 5258 Eldorado Springs Drive, and will include light refreshments, a ribbon cutting and a celebratory group bike ride.

The trailhead closed in 2024 as crews excavated and cooled underground coal seams that had burned beneath Marshall Mesa since the 1920s and long raised wildfire concerns in south Boulder County. The project gained renewed urgency after the 2021 Marshall Fire, though investigators ultimately concluded the coal fire likely did not ignite the blaze.

The rebuilt trailhead includes expanded parking, horse trailer parking, shaded gathering areas and other upgrades aimed at improving access to one of Boulder’s most heavily used open space areas.

Commentaries are opinion pieces from community members and newsmakers. They reflect the views of the authors, not Boulder Reporting Lab. Want to submit one? Here’s how.

Yoav Lurie: BVSD should expand sibling enrollment preference districtwide 

School communities are stronger and students are more successful when younger children can attend schools where older siblings have already built lasting family ties. Continue reading…

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Read more Yoav Lurie: BVSD should expand sibling enrollment preference districtwide