Colorado
Pause in federal funding could impact billions of dollars in Colorado
A court ruling Monday has big implications for Colorado. A federal judge will decide whether the Trump administration can temporarily pause federal grants and loans that don’t align with his agenda.
Federal funding makes up 20%-40% of Colorado’s state budget in any given year, helping pay for everything from food banks and foster care to public health and crop protection.
In 2023 — the most recent data available – the state received $18 billion from the federal government. $1.2 billion went to K-12 schools, $628 million to transportation projects and $380 million to early childhood programs. Colorado municipalities, counties and nonprofits also receive hundreds of millions of dollars.
“These are real people. These are read families,” said Democratic state Sen. Jeff Bridges, Chair of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee.
He notes this year’s budget has a shortfall of about $1 billion.
“Making those cuts is already hard enough. If we are now losing billions of dollars in federal support, in federal investment into our state? That is a whole other scale,” Bridges said.
A memo from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget ordered federal agencies to analyze all financial assistance programs to make sure they comply with President Trump’s new executive orders, specifically those regarding “foreign aid, DEI (diversity equity and inclusion), woke gender ideology and the Green New Deal.” The budget office gave agencies until Feb. 10 to report programs that didn’t comply and temporarily pause federal funding to them in the meantime.
“We’ve got a crisis of priorities right here in this state and it seems like the president is saying the same thing about their budget,” said Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer. “He’s going through and basically doing what I’m going to call strategic budgeting.”
Kirkmeyer — who sits on the Joint Budget Committee with Bridges — says it would have been nice to get a heads-up from the administration, but she says there’s no reason to panic.
“I would tell everybody ‘Take a deep breath. Let us start sorting this out,’” she said.
But some Medicaid providers in Colorado did panic when they were locked out of a portal they use for authorization for several hours.
“We need to know what the real plan here is and what’s actually going to happen,” said Bridges. “You have to be thoughtful. These are people’s lives. These are people’s livelihoods.”
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget says the pause should be implemented “to the extent permissible under applicable law,” but Democrats in Congress say the president has no legal authority to stop or pause funding appropriated by Congress.
The budget office memo says the federal government issued $3 trillion in grants and loans last year. It’s unclear how much of that funding would be impacted by a temporary pause, should it take affect next week.
Colorado’s attorney general joined other states in filing a lawsuit to reverse the temporary freeze as well.
Women’s Lacrosse
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Final minute, full 2OT from Northwestern-Colorado lacrosse quarterfinal marathon
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Watch the full regulation finish and both OT periods from Northwestern and Colorado’s battle in the quarterfinals of the 2026 NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament.
Watch: Fort Collins boys relay team sprinting to school records
The Fort Collins high school boys relay runners are sprinting to school records with their sights set on a team state championship this season.
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.
— 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.
— 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
— Chris Abshire
Here are all the May 14 field finals at the 2026 Colorado state track & field championships:
8:30 A.M.
- 5A girls pole vault and discus
- 5A boys long jump
- 4A girls high jump and shot put
- 4A boys triple jump
11/11:30 A.M.
- 5A boys pole vault and discus
- 5A girls long jump
- 4A boys high jump and shot put
- 4A girls triple jump
1:30/2:00/2:30 P.M.
- 3A boys triple jump
- 3A girls pole vault and discus
- 2A boys high jump
- 2A girls long jump and shot put
4/5 P.M.
- 3A boys high jump
- 3A girls triple jump
- 1A girls pole vault and discus
- 1A boys long jump and shot put
— Chris Abshire
Since the calendar hit 2000, there have been many remarkable achievements from local athletes at the Colorado state track & field meet.
From throws domination to Ray Bozmans’ sprint sweep or multiple sister acts, here are 15 of the best Fort Collins-area performances in the new millennium.
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
(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.
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