CENTENNIAL

Last-of-its-kind ULA rocket puts GPS satellite in orbit

A rocket that’s the last of its kind has delivered the newest, most powerful GPS satellite to orbit for the U.S. Air Force.

Centennial-based United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV medium-class rocket blasted into a hazy morning sky from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 22.

It was a fitting swan song for the rocket. Company President Tory Bruno tweeted that the liftoff was “hot, straight and normal.”

Two hours later, the satellite separated from the upper stage and the company declared success.

The Delta IV Medium ended its 17-year run with 29 launches. ULA said it will be replaced by the still-in-development Vulcan rocket. The Delta IV Heavy, meanwhile, will continue to soar.

The newly launched GPS satellite is the second in a series of next-generation navigation spacecraft. It’s nicknamed Magellan after the 16th-century Portuguese explorer. Lockheed Martin, also based in Colorado, built the satellite.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOULDER

Scientist claims officials tried to censor climate report

A former climate scientist for the National Park Service has filed a whistleblower complaint, claiming the Trump administration tried to edit her research and retaliated against her for resisting changes.

Maria Caffrey, whose research funding was funneled through the University of Colorado Boulder, is calling for an investigation, disciplinarian action and financial compensation.

Caffrey claims that officials tried to remove any mention of human-caused climate change in her report on potential sea level change that could affect national parks.

She claims that when she pushed back against the edits, she was threatened by colleagues and demoted. Her contract also wasn’t renewed.

The National Park Service did not return a request for comment.

The report was released with references to human-caused climate change, which Caffrey credits the Center for Investigative Reporting for making possible.

BOULDER DAILY CAMERA

COLORADO SPRINGS

State issues water advice after tests at Air Force Academy

Colorado health officials warned Aug. 24 that people living south of the Air Force Academy should switch to bottled water if they rely on wells with elevated levels of a toxic chemical the military used in firefighting foam.

The advice also applied to people who hadn’t yet tested area wells for the presence of chemicals called PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Tests showed elevated levels of PFAS in groundwater beneath the academy campus. The academy gets its water from Colorado Springs Utilities, but the state identified about 30 domestic wells near the school.

The chemicals were used in nonstick cookware and stain-resistant carpet as well as in firefighting foam. They’re sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they’re expected to take thousands of years to degrade.

THE GAZETTE

STATEWIDE

Ombudsman calls for transparency in youth corrections

Colorado’s child protection ombudsman has called for more oversight and transparency in youth correctional facilities after discovering a form of full-body restraint is still used on juveniles.

A report by ombudsman Stephanie Villafuerte highlighted the restraint procedures as an example that the juvenile detention system is “opaque, inconsistent and inaccessible” with its policies.

According to the report, the state Division of Youth Services introduced the new restraint method months after vowing to ban a form that involved putting juveniles in handcuffs, ankle straps and helmets.

In response to the report, the state Department of Human Services, which oversees the division, has agreed to make several changes aimed at making the policy process more transparent.

DURANGO

Ruins unearthed during construction preparations

Archaeological ruins have been unearthed in the path of a proposed highway construction project.

Well-preserved Native American ruins were discovered while surveying the Florida Mesa for realignment of the U.S. Highway 550 interchange.

Researchers say ruins found south of Durango included human and animal bones and shells from the Baja region.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says archaeologists have a few months before they plan to begin the $100 million construction project in spring 2020.

Archaeologists say digs have turned up indigenous ceremonial sites, large pit houses and living quarters for the first time in hundreds of years.

Officials say the new interchange is expected to prepare the state for increased traffic from an expected population increase.

DURANGO HERALD

ARVADA

Plutonium found in soil; 2nd test shows lower level

Elevated levels of plutonium were found in the soil near the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant, while a second test showed far lower levels, health officials said.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said it is trying to sort out the conflicting results of tests done near the Rocky Flats plant adjacent to Arvada, which made plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads from 1952 until 1989.

The plant underwent a $7 billion cleanup that was finished in 2005.

The health department is taking the test results seriously, but it does not believe there is an immediate threat to public health, said Jennifer T. Opila, director of the department’s Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division.

One test on the sample registered plutonium at 264 picocuries per gram, Opila said in a written statement. That’s more than five times above the Rocky Flats cleanup standard of 50 picocuries per gram.

The second test on another portion of the same sample registered 1.5 picocuries per gram.

The sample was taken from a former buffer zone east of the plant in the path of a proposed toll road.

The testing was done by the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority, which hopes to build the road to complete a belt route around the Denver metro area, Opila said.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOULDER

City council advances $10M debt to aid home buyers

Boulder has approved asking voters to weigh in on taking up to $10 million in debt to finance a program to assist prospective home buyers.

The Boulder City Council voted unanimously for the city to take out the debt to assist with down payments.

The council’s action puts the question on the ballot for voter approval or rejection in November.

Officials say middle-income earners are frequently unable to obtain private sector loans large enough to purchase mid-tier homes in Boulder’s expensive housing market.

The pilot program is aimed at residents making up to 120% of the area median income.

The city would use the line of voter-approved credit to provide additional municipal loans to buyers whose private loans do not cover home purchase prices.

BOULDER DAILY CAMERA

COLORADO SPRINGS

Air Force Academy chapel to close in September

The U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado has announced it will close its cadet chapel for extensive renovations beginning in September.

The military academy says Sept. 3 is the final day scheduled for visits prior to the chapel’s three-year closure.

Officials at the academy near Colorado Springs say a $158 million restoration and preservation project is scheduled to begin Nov. 1.

Officials say work crews are expected to remove furniture and conduct other preparation work between Sept. 3 and Nov. 1.

The chapel was originally scheduled to close in June, but the project was delayed.

The Air Force says the funds were reallocated for repairs at Florida’s Tyndall Air Force Base following Hurricane Michael in October 2018.

The chapel is registered as a national historic landmark.

KOAA-TV