SOUTHERN COLORADO — Each week, News5 tries to compile a list of the fun-filled events happening across Colorado. From Dia de los Muertos celebrations to a Switchbacks FC playoff game, there’s plenty to enjoy this Halloweekend.

Dia de los Muertos Colorado Springs

A Dia de los Muertos celebration is happening in Colorado Springs Friday and Saturday at the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. Festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. each day. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Latin American celebration dedicated to remembering loved ones who have been lost and honoring their impact on their community. More information here.

Dia de los Muertos Pueblo

El Pueblo History Museum set up a Day of the Dead altar at its location in downtown Pueblo earlier this month. They will be holding a ceremony on November 2 at 1 p.m. at the museum. The community is invited to put pictures of their loved ones on the altar to honor them publicly. More information here.

WATCH: El Pueblo History Museum sets up a Day of the Dead altar downtown

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Playoff Game

The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC made it to the USL playoffs! They will host Oakland Roots SC at Weidner Field on Saturday at 6 p.m. for a first round matchup. Tickets for the game start at $35. More information here. Can’t make it to the game in person? Click here for information on how you can watch.

Arkansas Valley Balloon Festival

The 35th Arkansas Valley Balloon Festival kicks off Friday with a balloon launch at 9 a.m. in Rocky Ford. Hot air balloon launches continue at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The events are planned around Rocky Ford City Hall on Main Street and at Railroad Park, which is located nearby. More information here.

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Trump campaign attorneys have demanded that Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold take immediate action to secure the state’s elections following the release of partial voting system passwords online.

In a letter sent to Griswold on Wednesday, the attorneys for former President Donald Trump’s Republican campaign said the password disclosure violates state law and “undermines the integrity of our elections.” They asked that Griswold immediately identify counties affected by the security breach, notify them, direct them to stop processing mail-in ballots and prepare to re-scan all ballots.

“We recognize these steps may be an inconvenience for your office and for the affected counties. But this inconvenience is necessary because it is the only way to guarantee that the elections equipment in those counties whose current BIOS passwords were disclosed by your office are secure and that the chain of custody for that equipment required by Colorado law and regulations is unbroken,” said the letter from Scott Gessler, a Republican attorney with Gessler Blue LLC representing the Trump campaign. Gessler served as secretary of state from 2011 to 2014.

The letter asked that Griswold, a Democrat, confirm by 10 a.m. Thursday that “you will undertake these steps.” Secretary of State officials confirmed they’d received the letter. They didn’t respond immediately to Denver Post questions about whether they’d taken the requested actions.

State elections officials are investigating how state voting machine passwords ended up online. Griswold has said an employee involved no longer works for the state. On Tuesday, state officials issued a news release saying they’d posted a spreadsheet to their website that “improperly included” partial passwords.

State Republican Party officials first announced the leak, saying they’d found a spreadsheet publicly posted on the secretary of state’s website containing a list of voting systems used around the state with tabs that led to the partial passwords.

Originally Published: October 31, 2024 at 12:51 PM MDT

The relatively low-key political races for seats on the Regional Transportation District board that governs metro Denver’s public transit have drawn nearly $100,000 in campaign advocacy group spending and high-profile political endorsements this year.

Most of the 13 candidates vying for the RTD director seats have spent $1,000 or less on their campaigns. But Conservation Colorado, an environmental advocacy group, got involved for the first time and injected $95,381 into two races. The group also made four endorsements, adding to the endorsements by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Gov. Jared Polis.

A non-profit with a staff of 38 and annual revenues topping $3 million, Conservation Colorado leaders looked at the RTD with its annual $1.1 billion budget as “a massively important taxpayer-funded agency” that will determine how people move around a densifying metropolis, executive director Kelly Nordini said Wednesday in an interview.

“Transportation is our biggest source of climate pollution. If we want to get on top of our climate objectives, RTD and transit have to be a central part of that,” Nordini said.

Conservation Colorado’s spending on RTD races, part of the group’s $800,000 in statewide election spending, is designed to ensure the RTD is run by directors who are “very pro-transit” and equipped to forge links with other agencies to combat climate warming, she said.

The funds target a three-way contest for a central Denver seat, boosting the campaign of Kiel Brunner, a digital data scientist who has support from Gov. Polis. Brunner faces Chris Nicholson, endorsed by Denver Mayor Johnston, and former RTD bus driver Bob Dinegar,who has the backing of state Rep. Meg Froelich, leader of Colorado’s transportation, housing and local government committee.

Conservation Colorado also spent funds on former bus driver Bernard Celestin, a U.S. Army veteran and civic leader running to represent Aurora, against Kathleen Chandler, who directs a citizens involvement project for the libertarian Independence Institute think tank. That’s because “libertarians as a whole are not very interested in expanding public goods like public transit,” Nordini said. Candidates Karen Benker (northwest suburbs) and Brett Paglieri (west metro Denver) also received Conservation Colorado endorsements.

The money — $45,000 sent on Oct. 23 and $50,381 on Oct. 25 — supported ads, according to Colorado Secretary of State records.

Dinegar said he’s spent less than $1,000, for a website and doorknob notices, hoping his two, better-funded opponents will “cancel each other out” and that voters will reward his professional experience.

“I have embraced the underdog role. I am the bus driver,” Dinegar said. “I harbor no other future political aspirations. I am the only one who has on-the-ground experience with RTD security, maintenance, governance, and operations. I know how the thing works and where it is broken.”

Originally Published: October 31, 2024 at 6:00 AM MDT