LAKEWOOD — One of the most anticipated events in Colorado high school sports is back on the track.

The annual Colorado high school track and field state championship meet returns May 14-16 for the 2026 edition.

It kicks off May 14 as the Centennial State’s top leapers, runners, jumpers, sprinters, vaulters and throwers take over Lakewood’s JeffCo Stadium.

More than 100 Fort Collins-area athletes across four different classifications have qualified for the state meet.

Follow here for day one live state track & field updates from local athletes, plus some notable scores and results for Northern Colorado and statewide competitors.

This has the potential to be a massive state meet for the Fort Collins area.

Our top local sprinters and relay teams account for more than 40 top-two seeds in their events, while there are field contenders galore and several distance runners in the mix.

Full story: Meet top Fort Collins-area title contenders at Colorado state track

— Chris Abshire

It’s a busy year for Fort Collins-area athletes down at state track, with over 100 athletes qualifying from nine local schools.

Fort Collins High School leads the way with eighteen individual qualifiers and seven relay sqauds, but there’s plenty of representation across schools and events.

Full list: Nearly 100 Fort Collins-area athletes qualify for state track meet

— Chris Abshire

Here are all the May 14 running finals at the 2026 Colorado state track & field championships:

• 8:20-8:35 a.m.: 5A boys/girls 3,200 meters
• 10:00-10:50 a.m.: 4A and 5A boys/girls 4×800 relays
• 11:00-11:30 a.m.: 4A/5A Special Olympics/Paralympics 100 dashes
• Noon: 4A/5A Special Olympics/Paralympic 200 dashes
• 2:20-2:45 p.m.: Special Olympics/Paralympic 3A/2A/1A 100 and 200 dashes
• 4:00-5:00 p.m.: 3A and 2A boys/girls 4×800 relays
• 5:00-5:35 p.m.: 1A boys/girls 3,200 meters
• 6:00-6:15 p.m.: 3A boys/girls 3200 meters

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Efforts are underway to bring more homes to Colorado Springs, just days after housing advocates pointed out some shortfalls. The Pikes Peak Housing Network says El Paso County has a housing deficit of between 13,000 and 27,000 homes right now. The organization says affordable housing remains a big need, but Colorado Springs officials say the community is pushing back on some developments.

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said housing “Will continue to be a crisis, but it’s also an opportunity.”

“Homes have risen far more in price than income; three times more,” said Pikes Peak Housing Network Executive Director Jill Gaebler.

Gaebler presented to the Colorado Springs City Council on Monday and said El Paso County is not building enough homes that the average person can afford right now. She said the median home price in the county currently sits around $500,000.

“The average age of the first-time homebuyer has increased to 40 years old. Just a decade ago, it was 31 years old,” said Gaebler, “we’re renting longer, getting that nest egg ready to purchase a home and put down a deposit.”

In Colorado Springs, Mayor Mobolade says the city is working on the issue.

“We’ve invested $230 million in affordable housing projects… But what I’m really proud of is 3000 homes since I got into office, affordable homes,” said Mobolade.

City of Colorado Springs Media Relations Manager Max D’Onofrio said in a statement to FOX21 the city is working to advance several initiatives, including “developing a Housing Action Plan; investing in new affordable and attainable housing through federal funds and private‑activity bonds; supporting rehabilitation programs for low‑income seniors; providing tenant‑based rental assistance; strengthening partnerships with the Colorado Springs Housing Authority; and maintaining the City’s eligibility for Proposition 123 to keep more projects moving forward.”

“We will continue to ensure that every money from the federal government that passes through the city and every money from the state that passes through the city will be prioritized for housing that targets the area median income that our residents need,” said Mobolade.

Gaebler says her organization helps builders who construct all types of homes connect with decision makers when seeking project approval. But she and the mayor say affordable housing often gets pushback from the community.

“It’s getting harder and harder for those projects to get approved because community members fight and oppose a lot of these housing developments,” said Gaebler.

“We’re seeing a pushback from our community on just about every affordable housing project,” said Mobolade, “I know people get hung up on that term. We’re not talking about Section 8 lower-income homes, not that that doesn’t matter, that matters. We’re talking about teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, military members that can’t afford to live in this city.”

D’Onofrio also stated, while the city focuses on affordable rentals and attainable homeownership, it is also aiming to preserve neighborhood character and protect quality of life.

The city did not give a date on when it is aiming to complete the Housing Action Plan, which it says is currently in the works.

Glendale city leaders are forcefully opposing Colorado’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit project on Colorado Boulevard, warning the plan could dramatically worsen traffic for drivers while delivering only modest transit gains.

Last week, Glendale City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution recommending “no build” for the Colorado Department of Transportation’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, project along a seven-mile stretch of Colorado Boulevard.

“Hell no,” Glendale City Manager Chuck Line said in an interview with CBS Colorado.

“The juice is not worth the squeeze, not by a little, but by a long shot,” Line said.

The resolution cites concerns about increased congestion and what Glendale leaders described as negative impacts that outweigh the project’s forecasted increases in bus ridership and reductions in transit travel times.

And some of CDOT’s own projections appear to support at least part of Glendale’s concerns.

According to agency data reviewed by CBS Colorado, one proposed configuration featuring center- and side-running bus lanes would double southbound commute times for drivers traveling the full 7-mile corridor — from about 25 minutes to roughly 50 minutes.

Another option using side-running lanes would increase travel times by about 40%, according to CDOT projections.

 Drivers traveling shorter distances would likely experience smaller delays.

CDOT spokesperson Tamara Rollison suggested for people not wanting to spend more time stuck in Colorado Boulevard traffic, “Busses could be a viable option to take instead of your vehicle.”

“The plans they are offering,” said Line, “are so extreme and have such a big impact on millions of residents of this area that I don’t think they should be considering any of these three plans and should go back to the drawing board.”

CDOT is studying the BRT project as a way to improve transit service and safety along Colorado Boulevard between 40th Avenue and Hampden Avenue. About 1 mile of the corridor runs through Glendale.

The agency is considering several alternatives, including side-running bus lanes, center-running bus lanes, and mixed-flow traffic. No final decision has been made, and the project does not yet have a finalized cost estimate. CDOT hopes the eventual design will reduce crashes, improve traffic flow, and speed up bus service.

“A critical goal of this project is to improve safety as Colorado Boulevard is on the High Injury Network and has one of the highest crash rates and road-related fatalities in the region,” said Rollison.

CDOT data shows all of the proposed options would increase bus speeds along the corridor by roughly 20% to 30%.

Part of that improvement would come from simply reducing the number of bus stops. There are currently about 50 stops along the 7-mile corridor. Under the proposed BRT plans, that number would be cut to approximately 20.

State data also shows roughly 2,800 people currently ride buses along the Colorado Boulevard corridor each day. CDOT forecasts that number could rise to about 6,000 daily riders under a BRT system.

But Line argues the tradeoff could create ripple effects far beyond Colorado Boulevard itself.

He said prioritizing north-south traffic flow would likely require longer green lights on Colorado Boulevard, leading to longer red lights — and backups — on east-west streets.

“If that convenience is disrupted,” said Line, “it could have a significant impact on our business community.”

Glendale is not alone in its concerns. The Hilltop Neighborhood Association recently met with CDOT representatives to discuss the proposed changes.

“The success of this project should not be measured only by bus ridership,” said association president Courtney Mamuscia. “It should also be measured by whether nearby neighborhoods remain safe, livable, and protected from cut-through traffic.”

Residents worry that reducing lanes on Colorado Boulevard could divert more traffic onto neighborhood streets.

“Most residents,” said Mamuscia, “are skeptical of the current direction.”

She said many Hilltop residents share Glendale’s concerns that increasing bus ridership may not justify disruptions for tens of thousands of daily drivers.

CDOT has scheduled an open house on the Colorado Boulevard BRT project for Wednesday, May 13, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Clayton Early Learning Center, 3801 M.L.K. Jr. Blvd. in Denver. People who are interested but can’t attend can take an online survey on a special section of CDOT’s website.

“We are still in the planning process, figuring out what is the best solution for Colorado Boulevard,” said Rollison, “and we haven’t gotten there yet.”