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Sundance tickets go on sale Thursday

There are a range of packages, but the lineup won't be announced until December, so you'll be buying blind.

News

Thursday&#x27;s your first shot at tickets for the Sundance Film Festival&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="debut year in Boulder" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/07/31/boulder-sundance-2027-festival-dates-venues-programming" data-vars-content-id="9444ad2e-509b-48ee-a5bd-315349e2f00e" data-vars-headline="Sundance tickets go on sale Thursday" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/07/31/boulder-sundance-2027-festival-dates-venues-programming" target="_self">debut year in Boulder</a>.Zoom in: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Available packages" data-vars-click-url="https://festival.sundance.org/tickets/in-person" data-vars-content-id="9444ad2e-509b-48ee-a5bd-315349e2f00e" data-vars-headline="Sundance tickets go on sale Thursday" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://festival.sundance.org/tickets/in-person" target="_blank">Available packages</a> will range from $350 for 10 matinee tickets to $4,500 for unlimited access to the second half of the festival.

1-minute voter guide: Amendment 81 on the Colorado ballot

The measure would override existing Colorado restrictions on cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement.

Politics

Colorado voters will decide whether to require police to alert federal immigration authorities when certain people are charged with crimes.Why it matters: Amendment 81 would loosen Colorado&#x27;s restrictions on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Lawmakers demand action on Boulder County cell service woes

Federal research restrictions have disrupted coverage, raising concerns about wildfire safety.

Colorado lawmakers want federal regulators to fix spotty cellphone service in parts of Boulder County after restrictions meant to protect a government research facility disrupted coverage.Why it matters: Unreliable service could leave residents unable to receive emergency alerts or call for help during fast-moving wildfires — not to mention the everyday inconveniences.

1-minute voter guide: What to know about Proposition 133 on the Colorado ballot

It would impose life in prison for child sex trafficking.

Colorado voters will decide whether to impose life sentences without parole for child sex trafficking.Why it matters: Proposition 133 would impose the state&#x27;s toughest prison sentence for the crime and broaden what qualifies as child sex trafficking.

Parents sue BVSD over school closure plan

Families allege the district violated Colorado's Open Meetings Law.

Parents from three Boulder elementary schools <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="slated for closure" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/09/23/boulder-valley-school-closure-plan" data-vars-content-id="65c35cba-c707-4087-9998-641bb33dd7b1" data-vars-headline="Parents sue BVSD over school closure plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/09/23/boulder-valley-school-closure-plan" target="_self">slated for closure</a> are suing the Boulder Valley School District, alleging it violated Colorado&#x27;s Open Meetings Law while developing its consolidation plan.Why it matters: The lawsuit is the latest effort by parents to block — or at least delay — a plan set to reshape 16 BVSD schools beginning in the 2027–28 school year.

BVSD votes for sweeping school changes

The plan will close four elementary schools and consolidate others.

The Boulder Valley School board is moving ahead with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a controversial plan to close four elementary schools" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/08/26/boulder-bvsd-elementary-school-closures" data-vars-content-id="657a9c5a-c0c1-43c9-95ef-ef07fbc9e118" data-vars-headline="BVSD votes for sweeping school changes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/08/26/boulder-bvsd-elementary-school-closures" target="_self">a controversial plan to close four elementary schools</a> and consolidate or relocate several others.Why it matters: District leaders say the sweeping changes are necessary as enrollment declines, but parents argue the district hasn&#x27;t exhausted other options before closing or merging schools and upending students&#x27; lives.

CU Boulder falls out of top 100 universities

A methodology change complicates CU Boulder's slide in the latest rankings.

CU Boulder fell off U.S. News &amp; World Report&#x27;s top 100 national universities list this year as the publication changed how it calculates the closely watched rankings.Why it matters: College rankings can shape how prospective students and families see schools, even as critics question <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="how much they really reveal" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/18/harvard-medical-school-ranking-us-news" data-vars-content-id="9b6effcf-64e8-49c4-a510-c42c7ab8713a" data-vars-headline="CU Boulder falls out of top 100 universities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/18/harvard-medical-school-ranking-us-news" target="_self">how much they really reveal</a> about the quality of an education.

International student decline hits CU Boulder enrollment

International students drove the university's first enrollment decline since the pandemic.

CU Boulder&#x27;s enrollment fell this fall for the first time since the start of the pandemic, driven by a steep drop in international graduate students.Why it matters: International students are an important source of tuition revenue and research talent, making their decline a financial and academic challenge for universities nationwide.

Inside BVSD's plan to shrink its school footprint

Four schools would close as BVSD responds to years of declining enrollment.

South Boulder would bear the brunt of Boulder Valley School District&#x27;s sweeping consolidation plan, with three elementary schools slated to close and students shuffled across the area.Why it matters: The proposal shows how BVSD is responding to declining enrollment while trying to preserve its preferred model of at least three classes per grade.

CU rolls out ChatGPT amid continuing concerns

The launch follows months of faculty concerns over privacy, equity and the contract.

University of Colorado students will get free ChatGPT access this semester despite a months-long delay — even as concerns about privacy, equity and the university&#x27;s OpenAI contract persist.Why it matters: CU is betting that giving every student access to AI — with required training and school safeguards — is better than leaving them to navigate the technology on their own.

Boulder Valley students make math gains

Middle school students made some of the district's biggest improvements.

Boulder Valley middle schoolers made significant leaps in math this year, following the district&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="revamped curriculum" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2025/08/11/boulder-valley-back-to-school-ai-cellphones-funding" data-vars-content-id="ab74f529-0d56-4822-b017-40756edc232e" data-vars-headline="Boulder Valley students make math gains" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2025/08/11/boulder-valley-back-to-school-ai-cellphones-funding" target="_self">revamped curriculum</a> and increased focus on the subject.Why it matters: Boulder Valley School District&#x27;s math push appears to be gaining traction, putting the district on track with a broader rebound across Colorado.

Boulder Valley sees gains from phone restrictions

Principals say students are connecting more, but enforcement remains uneven.

Boulder Valley principals are largely feeling positive about the district&#x27;s new cellphone restrictions, though there are still problems with consistent enforcement.Why it matters: BVSD has had nearly two years to learn what works while many other Colorado school districts have only just begun implementing phone restrictions.

Edie Hooton wins CU regents Democratic primary

The former state lawmaker is now favored to win the open regent seat in November.

Former state Rep. Edie Hooton won the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="three-way Democratic primary" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/06/23/boulder-democrats-seek-cu-regent-seat-cd2" data-vars-content-id="f4ac65dd-b4f9-406b-84e9-753d6f5f711a" data-vars-headline="Edie Hooton wins CU regents Democratic primary" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/06/23/boulder-democrats-seek-cu-regent-seat-cd2" target="_self">three-way Democratic primary</a> race for the University of Colorado&#x27;s 2nd Congressional District seat, with both the Daily Camera and Boulder Reporting Lab calling the race Wednesday morning.Why it matters: Hooton will now be the favorite in November to claim the only regent&#x27;s seat without an incumbent running this cycle.

CU research spending faces $87M decline

Federal funding cuts are expected to hit CU Boulder hardest next year.

The University of Colorado expects to spend nearly $90 million less on research next fiscal year, including a $60 million drop at CU Boulder alone.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Federal funding cuts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/05/20/boulder-budget-deficit-2027-federal-funding-cuts" data-vars-content-id="71851ee4-5b01-422f-963e-2faf1f22ea5b" data-vars-headline="CU research spending faces $87M decline" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/05/20/boulder-budget-deficit-2027-federal-funding-cuts" target="_self">Federal funding cuts</a> are punching a hole in CU&#x27;s research budget, even as the university system grows overall.

Education 📚

1-minute voter guide: Propositions 134 and 135 on the Colorado ballot

Parents sue BVSD over school closure plan

BVSD votes for sweeping school changes

CU Boulder falls out of top 100 universities

International student decline hits CU Boulder enrollment