(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . 21 inches. A Colorado State Open Thread. May 11, 2026 [1] ['View Profile', 'Greg Dworkin', 'Thom Hartmann'] Date: 2026-05-11 Some of you probably heard that Estes Park got some snow last week. Apparently we were in the “bullseye” for Colorado’s low pressure systems on Tuesday into Wednesday when they met up. Fortunately, there were plenty of warnings and we were prepared for the heavy spring snowfall. I’m not sure where, but I heard measurements of up to 30 inches of snow fell in Estes Park, but the highest total I heard from any of my friends and neighbors was the 21 inches that we measured here at my house. By Friday, bare ground was starting to peek through under trees and by the weekend, Mother Nature was clearing major spaces. I was finally able to see the damage done to my crushed columbine flowers – they did not appreciate tons of snow burying them. By today, only a few mounds were left. We are expecting temperatures to hit up to the 70’s and maybe even 80 degrees even up here above 7000 feet this coming week, so kiss any remaining snow goodbye in Estes Park. The drought was not ended by the water brought by the snowfall, but it did help to ease our shortage somewhat. We can hope for a few more rainfalls this spring and summer like that and then, maybe, we can have our water flow improve and send some down to the cities and farms. I used to be able to block outline stuff, but for some reason I can’t figure out how to do that anymore. Sorry. The Colorado Senate round-up from the Denver Post: (still having problems with gift links…) https://www.denverpost.com/2026/05/11/legislature-chat-bots-data-centers-immigration/ There are three days left in the Senate’s legislative session and these are some of the things they’re trying to get through: 2:20 p.m. update: Colorado lawmakers passed a $174 million effort to reform the state’s competency and civil commitment systems. Senate Bill 149 aims to create a clear pathway within criminal cases to institutionalize people accused of serious crimes who are mentally ill or developmentally disabled and to ensure such defendants are not set free without care when their criminal cases end. The bill, which was finalized today when the Senate approved House amendments, is expected to cost Colorado $174 million by 2030 and then roughly $73.5 million annually in subsequent years, according to a fiscal note. The new approach will include increased bed capacity and outpatient care. The bill’s proponents say the effort will close loopholes in Colorado’s current competency process. Critics worry it will not solve broader problems within the state’s under-resourced mental healthcare system. 2:13 p.m. update: The second of two bills seeking to regulate data centers died this afternoon under the weight of a proposed last-minute rewrite. Senate Bill 102 was an attempt to mix regulations and incentives to rein in data center development in Colorado. Sen. Cathy Kipp, a Fort Collins Democrat, worked through the final weeks of the legislative session trying to find alignment between data center companies, Xcel Energy, environmental groups, labor unions and other interests. 2:07 p.m. update: The Colorado Senate passed legislation requiring increased inspections of immigration detention centers in Colorado — but only after stripping several provisions from the bill at the behest of Gov. Jared Polis. Once lawmakers clear a procedural vote in the House, House Bill 1276 will move to Polis’ desk for signature. As it’s now written, the measure would require health officials to conduct at least four annual inspections of detention facilities. Those visits would probe whether the facilities sufficiently meet food, water and medical standards, while also examining their temperature control and detainees’ access to medical care and legal counsel. Colorado has only one immigrant detention center, a privately run facility in Aurora owned by the GEO Group and contracted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill would apply to any state, county or privately run facility, but it would not cover future detention centers owned wholly by the federal government. From the Colorado Sun: More information on Legislation The Colorado Sun has a rundown on legislation that did pass the Colorado legislature (some will and some won’t be signed into law by Governor Polis). Follow this link to check out more from our legislature. No credit card fees on sales tax passes with one more hurdle The effort to eliminate credit card fees on sales tax passed the state legislature Wednesday. It was significantly watered down from last year’s failed bill, which proposed ending credit card fees on taxes and tips. But this year’s version focused just on sales tax, a fraction of the interchange fee that credit card companies collect from merchants that accept credit cards. Customers don’t usually see the charge on a bill but whatever they pay — including added tips — merchants pay up to 3% of the total to the credit card processor as an interchange fee, or swipe fee. Other working bits ➔ Copper wire theft grows, as CenturyLink beefs up security. As of Thursday, CenturyLink has logged 99 cases of stolen copper wires and damaged telecom pedestal boxes in Colorado so far this year. Last year? They had 78 cases. Just over half of the cases this year are in the Denver metro area, said Mike Griffith, senior security professional at CenturyLink in Denver. And those are just CenturyLink’s stats. CenturyLink boxes in Colorado neighborhoods are getting damaged by thieves search for copper wires to sell to recyclers or salvage shops for a quick buck. Wires are cut and the “pedestals” are damaged. It costs CenturyLink about $6,000 to replace the box, plus cut wires can impact internet and phone service for customers in the neighborhood. (Handout) “What the criminals are looking for is the copper wires because they want to sell it and get quick money for it because the price of copper has skyrocketed,” Griffith said. “And they know that by getting into a pedestal, cutting out some copper, they can take it to a scrapper or recycler and get quick and easy cash.” It’s a costly issue for the company, which has seen an uptick in the Denver area in the past six to eight months. The amount of copper could also be pretty small, “maybe only $15 worth of copper,” he said. And inside the boxes, it’s not always copper wiring but newer fiber-optic cables, which have little value for thieves. But fiber gets cut, too, which disrupts the internet for customers in the neighborhood. The pedestals also cost the company about $6,000 to replace. To combat the theft, CenturyLink supported a bill that penalizes junk shops, salvage yards and buyers of critical infrastructure material like copper wires. House Bill 1101 passed the legislature and Polis approved it on Thursday. Buyers of such goods must pay sellers by check and are prohibited from paying cash unless there’s documentation, including a picture of the seller or the transaction is less than $300. Cut wires and a damaged CenturyLink pedestal (Handout) Denver is a hot spot for some reason, and Griffith isn’t sure why. But the new state law would be similar to how the city of Denver adopted theft prevention measures a few years ago when theft of catalytic converters skyrocketed in the Denver area. The city passed a law to penalize scrap recyclers so thieves would have fewer options for a quick cash turnaround. Catalytic converter theft declined dramatically, from more than 3,000 a year to about 100, Denverite reported. Griffith said CenturyLink isn’t solely relying on the new law or law enforcement as its solution. The company is also adding GPS tracking devices in and around the copper lines. They’ve also added hidden cameras around the pedestals. I’m again putting out a call for anyone interested in writing one or more Colorado State Open Threads. It can be on a single topic, a round-up of topics from around the state, or it can be on whatever one wants to write about. It truly is an open thread. I tend to write about Colorado, but that can change when I’m traveling as I tend to do a few times a year. Please write a Kosmail to me or write to me in the comments below. Until we next have a meetup, the floor is yours, and I look forward to whatever you might wish to write in those comments… [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/11/800037278/community/21/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/