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MSU Denver cybersecurity students protect school districts, local governments from hackers

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MSU Denver cybersecurity students protect school districts, local governments from hackers


A program at the Metropolitan State University of Denver is helping local governments and small organizations in Colorado protect important data.

In MSU Denver’s CENTURION Secured program, cybersecurity students are trained to monitor and protect public-sector entities that represent more than 447,000 Coloradans. So far, program participants have spotted 1,682 potential security threats and mitigated 556 viable threats.

“I would say at the moment, the one which is pervasive and is most problematic is that of ransomware,” said Richard Mac Namee, leader of the CENTURION Secured program and director of cybersecurity at MSU Denver.

Mac Namee said the program monitors six school districts, two counties and one first responder organization.

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“A lot of these public institutions don’t have the bandwidth to hire people to do this job,” said Monica Ball, a computer science major in her junior year at MSU Denver.

Ball is an analyst for the CENTURION Secured program. She said the program allows students to gain experience in cybersecurity and helps them understand the gravity of data breaches.

“It is devastating because it’s a life,” said Ball. “It can be a lifelong challenge to overcome certain data that gets leaked.”

Mac Namee said the experience students receive will help them stand out when it’s time to apply for jobs.

“Employers are very reluctant to bring on somebody straight out of a four-year degree program with only theoretical knowledge,” said Mac Namee. “They want hands-on experience. So what this does is really complement the degree program.”

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The CENTURION Secured program, formerly known as Project PISCES, was awarded a two-year, $500,000 grant from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. The funding is part of a $3.6 million settlement Colorado received from Equifax, Inc. following a nationwide data breach that occurred in 2017.

MSU Denver’s CENTURION Secured program is just one of many initiatives funded by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office to protect public-sector entities that are resource-limited and vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The program has also extended to six other academic institutions and recruited 203 student analysts, far more than the original goal of 85 recruits within its first year.

CENTURION Secured offers free protection programs for local governments and paid protection programs for private entities.


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Denver, CO

Keeler: Why did 2026 Broncos trade for Jaylen Waddle? Because they learned a lesson from 2025 Chiefs

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Keeler: Why did 2026 Broncos trade for Jaylen Waddle? Because they learned a lesson from 2025 Chiefs


Even Snakes roll snake eyes. As a Broncos quarterback, Jake Plummer went 3-3 in one-score games during the 2004 regular season. In 2005, Jake The Snake improved to 5-2 in those tilts. Plummer followed that up with a 3-5 record in one-score games during 2006.

Down. Up. Down. Close wins in the NFL, year-to-year, are about as consistently reliable as New Jersey Transit.

“You can’t coach clutch,” Plummer texted me Tuesday. “It’s either in your blood, or it isn’t.”

The Bo-lief is strong enough in Broncos Country right now to bench press a F-450 Super Duty. Bo Nix is 24-10 as a Broncos QB1 in regular-season tussles, 25-11 overall. He’s 13-8 in games decided by eight points or fewer as an NFL starter, and went 12-2 last fall.

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The Broncos put up a mark of 11-2 in one-score games in 2025, tying an NFL record for one-score victories (11) in a season. Nix replaced Patrick Mahomes as the NFL’s Comeback King. Before the madness of Sean Payton’s fourth-down call in the AFC Championship, Denver had a method.

“The ones that have it, you can see it in their eyes,” Plummer continued. “It permeates the whole situation and something akin to faith!”

Faith is contagious.

Fortune is fickle.

Why did Denver trade for Jaylen Waddle?

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Why are fans clamoring for another hammer at tailback to pair with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey?

Why do they want more speed at inside linebacker, someone who can run with tight ends up the seam?

Because history doesn’t say 11 one-score victories is hard to repeat.

History says it’s nearly impossible.

Over the last five decades, only five NFL teams have won 10 or more one-score games in a season — the Broncos became the newest member of that club last December.

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Colorado weather: Record heat returns to Denver, northern part of state

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Colorado weather: Record heat returns to Denver, northern part of state


Two more days of record-breaking heat are forecast for northern Colorado this week, including in the Denver area, according to the National Weather Service.

Earlier forecasts from the weather service projected 90-degree temperatures in Denver on Wednesday, which would have marked the city’s first of the year and earliest on record. The expected temperature high has since dropped to 88 degrees, which would still break daily and monthly heat records, according to the weather service.

NWS Tuesday forecasts:

  • 64 degrees in Dillion, breaking the 63-degree record for March 24.
  • 75 degrees in Evergreen, breaking the 71-degree daily record.
  • 81 degrees in Denver, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
  • 83 degrees at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
  • 83 degrees in Boulder, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
  • 84 degrees at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, breaking the 80-degree daily record.

NWS Wednesday forecasts:

  • 69 degrees in Dillion, breaking the 62-degree record for March 24.
  • 80 degrees in Evergreen, breaking the 75-degree daily record.
  • 88 degrees in Denver, breaking the 75-degree daily record and the 86-degree March heat record. Denver has broken or tied the March heat record three times so far this month, according to the weather service.
  • 89 degrees at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
  • 87 degrees in Boulder, breaking the 78-degree daily record.
  • 89 degrees at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, breaking the 79-degree daily record.



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Married couple stars on stage at Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ “Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors”

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Married couple stars on stage at Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ “Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors”


The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating more than 100 performances of its hit comedy “Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors.” The show, which puts a funny twist on the classic tale of Dracula, is filled with comedy and romance, and that romance can be seen both onstage and off.

“It is a great date night. It is fast, it is fun,” said Marco Alberto Robinson, the actor who portrays Dracula on stage.

Adriane and Marco Robinson

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“People leave with a smile on their face, it is a good time,” said Adriane Leigh Robinson, an actress who plays multiple characters during the show.

The duo not only finds romance on stage in the production, but off stage, they are already in love.

“We are just best buddies,” Marco Robinson said.

“We are married,” Adriane Robinson said as she laughed.

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The duo has lived in Denver for years and has enjoyed helping bring Dracula to life at the Garner Galleria.

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“Dracula is a cult classic about a blood thirsty monster. But this is different, because he is not only blood thirsty, he is spicy,” Adriane Robinson said.

The other cast members of the production told CBS News Colorado they are confident both Robinsons are capable of starring on Broadway in New York. However, both said they have found a purpose and belonging in Denver and at the DCPA.

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“We have found a super tight and loving community that we don’t ever want to leave,” Adriane Robinson said.

Both have been in many productions at the DCPA, but added Dracula has given them an opportunity to explore a side of their relationship that they’ve never had before.

“It’s the easiest (to be romantic interests on and off stage),” Adriane Robinson said.

“It is super easy. We can come up with something at home and bring it in. It is nice to not be passing ships,” Marco Robinson said.

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Both said they have an appreciation for the surrounding arts community in Colorado, and have loved being on the same funny production in Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors.

“We are putting roots down here, and regional theatre is super important. And, the Denver Center is doing some of the best of it,” Marco Robinson said.

Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors, plays at the DCPA through May 10. For more information on tickets, visit their website.

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