Colorado

“Wellington is killing its residents,” northern Colorado residents say water bills have increased to more than $1,000 a month for some

Published

1 year ago

August 10, 2024

“Wellington is killing its residents,” northern Colorado residents say water bills have increased to more than ,000 a month for some

Many residents in a small but growing town in northern Colorado are accusing the town of increasing water bill rates to levels that are unaffordable, leaving many to wonder if there is a system error while others are contemplating moving. Wellington, a town of nearly 12,000 people, is at the center of the dispute.

The town, which is located just north of Fort Collins, has had issues with its water system for many years now. CBS News Colorado has covered issues from the water quality to the smell and even to the price, since 2016.

The town has seen steady growth in recent years, some describing it as a “commuter town” in which many new residents purchased their homes there in order to have more affordable housing while still working in other major communities like Loveland, Fort Collins and Greeley.

However, as the community has grown, so too have the concerns over the price of water in recent years.

“Our water prices have increased dramatically,” said Rose Francis, a resident of Wellington for nearly seven years.

Francis was one of dozens who emailed CBS News Colorado’s Dillon Thomas to express their frustrations with the recent spike in water bills.

Nearly every person who wrote Thomas said their water bills have skyrocketed this year even after they have drastically reduced the amount of water they are using.

“I live in a house by myself with two small dogs,” Francis said. “My current bill for this month was $733.”

Francis said that $733 bill suggested she used more than 40,000 gallons of water by herself in one month. She said during that billing cycle she had reduced her yard watering significantly, only watering twice per week in order to stay compliant with her HOA. She said she also dropped her water zones to water five minutes less per zone, yet her water bill still increased.

She provided Thomas with several bills she had received from Wellington’s water department, showing the same month in 2022 only cost her around $250.

“That is $700 for water,” Francis said, noting other utilities are not included in the bill. “I don’t know how I am going to pay it. I am going to have to do payment plans.”

Dozens of people wrote Thomas with their concerns. Amid dozens of paragraphs of complaints, the following statements summarized a majority of the sentiments received by CBS News Colorado.

“We are paying $600-800 a month in water. We don’t waste, we can’t. The less we use the more the bill,” a resident named Angela wrote. “Wellington is killing its residents.”

“It is truly unbelievable what they are charging us for an essential need of water,” Bret wrote.

“The town needs to be investigated,” Amanda wrote. “We are paying higher rates for water that has a similar smell of a dirty fish tank.”

Many emails suggested that the community is nearing hiring legal counsel in order to file a lawsuit against the town.

“Do you feel that may be your next step if there is not a resolution?” Thomas asked.

“I feel like if we can come together as a town, that would be the next step; Because I cannot afford $733 for water,” Francis said.

The town declined to have anyone interview Thomas for this report.

However, a spokesperson sent a three page statement that acknowledged they are aware of the outrage, and then explained the increased prices as a way to help catch up with funding the town has needed in order to maintain its infrastructure.

The town said they notified residents before starting a steady increase in prices, saying they told residents there would be a five percent increase in prices each year.

See the full town statement here:

There were also adjustments to the pricing tier system, which continues to increase the price of water for those who exceed certain amounts of water each month.

The town said they have to increase the price of water in order to catch up with the price of their operation, citing the town’s previous failure to properly increase water prices in prior decades.

The town suggested residents apply for the Hardship Utility Grant, or HUG, which can provide residents a $300 per year check to help offset some of the demand from their bills. The town also said they are continuing to work with residents to try and find a way to address the issues being raised.

However, not every resident agrees that the town is being proactive.

“They’re not helping us, so you guys are,” Francis said. “I have had more engagement from (Dillon Thomas and CBS News Colorado) than I have from the utility company or the town. We are all really frustrated. It is hurting us.”

Some residents who wrote CBS News Colorado said their water bills have been normal for this time of year in Wellington. However, those who said their bills have been fair also noted they live in and around the older part of Wellington, noting those who are experiencing the spiked prices seem to be more centralized around newer developments.

Some residents have paid out of pocket to have contractors come and check their water systems for leaks, only to learn there are not any. Some have suggested the problem may be rooted in the smart meters the town has been rolling out.

“We are all hard working or lower or middle class, we are hardworking American people, we cannot afford these kinds of prices,” Francis said.

Dillon Thomas

Dillon Thomas is multi-Emmy Award winning general assignment reporter/MSJ for CBS News Colorado. Read his latest reports or check out his bio and send him an email.

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Colorado

Bennett Zmolek’s first goal in four years sparks UND past Colorado College

Published

10 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Bennett Zmolek’s first goal in four years sparks UND past Colorado College

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — There was no elaborate celebration from Bennett Zmolek.

In fact, he didn’t even see it go in.

“I saw Resch coming at me,” Zmolek said of teammate Cole Reschny. “I was like, I guess it went in.”

Zmolek scored his first goal in nearly four years to help UND beat Colorado College 5-2 on Saturday night in Ed Robson Arena.

His last goal was Jan. 20, 2022, when he was a freshman at Minnesota State against St. Thomas. That was 1,450 days and three hip surgeries ago.

With the game tied 1-1 in the second period, Zmolek spotted open ice on the right side of the rink and pinched from his defensive spot. Reschny made a cross-ice pass and Zmolek one-timed it five-hole on Tiger goalie Kaidan Mbereko.

“I’d say huge props to Resch,” Zmolek said. “He set it all up. I just had to tap it in.”

Teammate Dylan James grabbed the puck for Zmolek to keep.

“So proud of him,” James said. “Obviously, he’s been through a lot these past couple years. He’s played minimal games the last two years and he was voted captain. That shows what kind of guy he is. He’s the rock of our team. It’s very special seeing him get his first in a UND jersey.”

Zmolek’s teammates celebrated the goal more than he did.

“We were all screaming on the bench,” forward Anthony Menghini said. “He’s such a great leader, such a great captain, does all the right things. For him to put it in the net was huge.”

UND defenseman Bennett Zmolek (center) celebrates his goal against Colorado College with forward Cole Reschny (17) on Jan. 10, 2026, in Ed Robson Arena.

Daryl Batt / Colorado College athletics

UND also received goals from James, Tyler Young, Abram Wiebe and Reschny. James and Reschny tallied assists and had two-point nights, while Menghini notched two assists.

UND (17-5) took four points from the weekend after losing Friday’s series opener 3-2 in overtime.

The Fighting Hawks finally got to Tiger goalie Kaidan Mbereko, who had won six in a row against UND. Mbereko gave up four goals on 24 shots before leaving with an apparent injury in the third period.

“I don’t believe our record is great against CC, but this team is different,” James said. “It feels great to bounce back from yesterday and get a win.”

The Fighting Hawks sit atop the National Collegiate Hockey Conference standings, five points ahead of Denver. The Pioneers come to Ralph Engelstad Arena next weekend.

“Their coach. . . I have a lot of respect for Kris Mayotte,” UND coach Dane Jackson said. “He kind of mentioned that he really thought our North Dakota mentality was evident this weekend. That was pretty nice for him to say.”

Jan Špunar, starting on consecutive nights for the first time since Dec. 5-6 at St. Cloud State, stopped 19 of 21. He allowed a pair of goals to defenseman Mats Lindgren, a midseason pickup from the ECHL.

But the night belonged to Zmolek.

After the game, Zmolek was asked what he remembered about his last goal.

“St. Thomas, right?” he said. “Their old barn. Low blocker.”

That goal came at the end of the 2021-22 season. Zmolek missed nearly the entire 2022-23 season due to hip surgery.

He transferred to UND in the summer of 2023, and helped anchor UND’s defensive corps to a Penrose Cup in 2023-24. He missed all but one game last year with another hip surgery.

“I’m so happy for him,” Jackson said. “It was a great read, a great pass and he got a lot of wood on it. It was really a high-skill play. The guys are so happy for him. He’s such a leader for us in so many ways. Obviously, most of the time it’s with his defensive play and penalty killing and everything else. But to see him bring out the offense in a big moment, I was just so happy for him. He’s a warrior.”

Notes: UND wore its black jerseys. It is 4-1 in the black jerseys this season. Colorado College wore gold. . . UND played without Josh Zakreski (lower body) and Cody Croal (illness). The Fighting Hawks moved Jayden Jubenvill into the lineup for Sam Laurila. . . Colorado College played without forward Owen Beckner (upper), forward Brandon Lisowsky (lower), defenseman Max Burkholder (lower) and defenseman Colton Roberts (upper).

By
Brad Elliott Schlossman

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.

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Colorado

Colorado mom, 6-year-old son found dead in Canyonlands National Park in apparent murder-suicide

Published

22 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Colorado mom, 6-year-old son found dead in Canyonlands National Park in apparent murder-suicide

A Colorado woman and her 6-year-old son were found dead in Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah, this week in what appears to be a murder-suicide, law enforcement officials said.

Park rangers responded to a suspicious vehicle parked in a no-camping area near Shafer Trail in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, the San Juan County, Utah, Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Park rangers found an unresponsive 6-year-old boy in the vehicle and started life-saving measures, but the boy was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.

The woman was found dead outside of the vehicle.

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Colorado

Battle with the Blue Jackets | Colorado Avalanche

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Battle with the Blue Jackets | Colorado Avalanche

Columbus Blue Jackets (18-18-7) @ Colorado Avalanche (32-4-7)

2 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

After a homestand-opening win on Thursday, the Avalanche hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets for Next Gen Night on Saturday. This is the second and final regular-season matchup between the teams in 2025-26, as the Avalanche defeated the Blue Jackets 4-1 in Columbus on October 16th.

A Big Night at Ball

Josh Manson recorded the first two-goal and four-point game of his career, along with a Gordie Howe hat trick, as the Avalanche defeated the Ottawa Senators 8-2 at Ball Arena on Thursday. Manson was one of five Avs to post at least three points on Thursday, alongside Nathan MacKinnon (1g/3a), Ross Colton (3a), Brock Nelson (2g/1a) and Cale Makar (1g/2a). Additionally, Brent Burns added a goal for Colorado while Scott Wedgewood stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced in net for the Avs. With the victory, the Avalanche extended its home win streak to 16 games.

At 10:11 of the first period, Manson opened the scoring with his third goal of the season via a shot from the point through traffic. MacKinnon doubled Colorado’s lead at 17:14 of the first period with his 36th goal of the season via a shot from the slot set up by Necas. The Avs took a 3-0 lead at 2:35 of the second period when Makar scored his 13th tally of the season via a left-circle shot after receiving a drop pass from MacKinnon. At 5:08 of the middle frame, Shane Pinto put the Senators on the board. The Senators momentarily made it 3-2 with 13:41 remaining in the second period, but the goal was disallowed after the Avs successfully challenged for offside. After the disallowed tally, the clock was reset to 13:48.

Necas gave the Avs a 4-1 lead on the power play at 11:46 of the second period with his 20th goal of the season via a sharp-angle one-timer from the bottom of the left circle set up by MacKinnon. At 12:03 of the middle frame, Burns made it 5-1 with his sixth goal of the season via a right-point shot through traffic. Nelson gave the Avs a 6-1 lead on a five-on-three power play at 14:23 of the second period with his 20th goal of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by MacKinnon’s cross-ice feed. The Avalanche took a 7-1 lead at 16:48 of the middle frame when Manson scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the season via a one-timer from the point set up by Jack Drury’s feed. At 18:04 of the middle frame, Nelson scored his second tally of the game and 21st of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Ilya Solovyov’s feed from the left point. Brady Tkachuk made it 8-2 with a shorthanded goal from the doorstep at 7:03 of the third period.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (36) and points (78) while ranking tied for third in assists (42).

All Hail Cale

Makar leads NHL defensemen in points (51) and assists (38) while ranking third in goals by blueliners (13). Among all NHL skaters, he’s seventh in assists.

Marty Party

Necas is seventh in the NHL in points (55) and tied for ninth in assists (35).

Series History

In 70 previous regular-season games against the Blue Jackets, the Avalanche has a record of 45-19-1-5.

Defeat on the Road

The Blue Jackets lost 5-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. In the first period, Columbus took a 2-0 lead after goals from Boone Jenner at 8:24 and Kent Johnson at 10:41 before Reilly Smith put Vegas on the board at 12:20. The Golden Knights took a 4-2 lead after second-period goals from Smith at 5:19, Jack Eichel at 13:07 and Mark Stone on the power play at 18:44. Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets to make it 4-3 at 14:28 of the third period before Brett Howden gave the Golden Knights a 5-3 lead at 16:14 of the final frame.

Contributors Against Columbus

MacKinnon has posted 26 points (7g/19a) in 22 games against the Blue Jackets.

In nine contests against Columbus, Makar has registered 17 points (6g/11a).

Necas has recorded 21 points (4g/17a) in 26 games against the Blue Jackets.

Producing Offense for Ohio’s Team

Zach Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in points (46) and assists (30) while ranking tied for first in goals (16).

Marchenko is tied for the team lead in goals (16) while ranking second in points (35) and tied for second in assists (19).

Dmitri Voronkov is third on the Blue Jackets in points (28) and goals (15).

A Numbers Game

30

Colorado’s 30 five-on-five goals since December 19th (10 games) are the most in the NHL during that span.

63

The Avalanche’s 63 second-period goals lead the NHL.

3.94

Colorado’s 3.94 goals per game since December 1st lead the NHL during that span.

Quote That Left a Mark

“It was fun. I don’t think he’s ever seen that before. He’s seen me fight. He’s maybe seen me score. But I don’t think he’s ever seen—actually, nobody’s ever seen that before out of me in the NHL. So, it was a first for everybody, including myself.”

— Josh Manson on recording a Gordie Howe hat trick with his father, former NHLer Dave Manson, in attendance

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