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The greatest Red Rocks concerts of all time, according to readers

Immortal performances include Rage Against the Machine in 1996, U2 in 1983 and The Beatles in 1964.

Culture

The rush of hearing live music at a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="natural mountain amphitheater" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/09/10/red-rocks-shows-attendance-capacity" data-vars-content-id="0a9166c5-b822-458b-a581-028814b0adff" data-vars-headline="The greatest Red Rocks concerts of all time, according to readers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/09/10/red-rocks-shows-attendance-capacity" target="_self">natural mountain amphitheater</a> in a sleepy Colorado town transforms a concert into something closer to a spiritual experience.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="That&#x27;s Red Rocks" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/03/20/red-rocks-concerts-2026-lineup" data-vars-content-id="0a9166c5-b822-458b-a581-028814b0adff" data-vars-headline="The greatest Red Rocks concerts of all time, according to readers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/03/20/red-rocks-concerts-2026-lineup" target="_self">That&#x27;s Red Rocks</a>. Those two words represent countless memories, performances, sounds and unforgettable nights at the crown jewel of American music venues.

Rattlesnake bites are up in Colorado this summer

The state's warm, dry winter helped create conditions for the venomous reptiles to emerge earlier than usual..

News

Rattlesnake bites are climbing in Colorado and across <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="parts of the West" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/06/18/rattlesnake-bites-double-utah-hiking" data-vars-content-id="4fcc404b-e4e9-418b-a59e-a309638e4eec" data-vars-headline="Rattlesnake bites are up in Colorado this summer" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/06/18/rattlesnake-bites-double-utah-hiking" target="_self">parts of the West</a> this summer due in part to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="record-warm, dry winter" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/03/23/the-west-s-record-breaking-warm-winter-mapped" data-vars-content-id="4fcc404b-e4e9-418b-a59e-a309638e4eec" data-vars-headline="Rattlesnake bites are up in Colorado this summer" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/03/23/the-west-s-record-breaking-warm-winter-mapped" target="_self">record-warm, dry winter</a> that experts say prompted the venomous reptiles to emerge earlier than usual.Why it matters: State wildlife officials say hikers, trail runners and dog owners should be extra vigilant as snake activity ramps up across the state.

Gut-wrecking stomach bug cases confirmed "throughout" Colorado

The state has recored 90 cases this year.

Health

Colorado public health officials have recorded 90 local cases of a parasite so far this year, though where specifically remains unclear.The big picture: The gastrointestinal illness — called cyclosporiasis — is caused by a microscopic parasite spreading through contaminated food

Colorado's CoCo passenger train unveils new logos and a mascot

CoCo — short for Colorado Connector — is more than a cute nickname.

Colorado&#x27;s planned Front Range passenger rail service officially has a name, a look and now a personality.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CoCo" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/04/06/colorado-connector-front-range-rail-name" data-vars-content-id="08139e5d-9e3c-4f5d-be1d-25bd242d91e2" data-vars-headline="Colorado&#x27;s CoCo passenger train unveils new logos and a mascot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/04/06/colorado-connector-front-range-rail-name" target="_self">CoCo</a> — short for Colorado Connector — is more than a cute nickname. It will become the public face of a campaign to persuade voters <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="to pay for " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/04/09/colorado-proposed-passenger-train-costs" data-vars-content-id="08139e5d-9e3c-4f5d-be1d-25bd242d91e2" data-vars-headline="Colorado&#x27;s CoCo passenger train unveils new logos and a mascot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/04/09/colorado-proposed-passenger-train-costs" target="_self">to pay for </a>the long-promised rail line linking Front Range communities from Fort Collins to Pueblo.

Graduate degrees can boost earnings by 20%

The University of Denver offers 200+ graduate programs to help you take the next step in your career.

Partners

Today&#x27;s labor market is tight and unpredictable.The challenge: Major shifts in business operations, hiring, technology and revenue are making it harder than ever for candidates to stand out, no matter their industry.The solution: Graduate programs with strong experiential learning models can directly impact success when seeking career advancements or changing fields.<ul><li>Workers with graduate degrees see an average of 20% higher earnings and overall lower unemployment rates.</li></ul>

Colorado voters to decide on TABOR refunds or more school funding

Before they adjourned, Colorado lawmakers left voters some homework: a ballot measure.

Politics

Before they <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="adjourned" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/05/14/2026-legislative-session-colorado-adjournment" data-vars-content-id="88c956f6-1141-4589-9daa-d1003fde0acb" data-vars-headline="Colorado voters to decide on TABOR refunds or more school funding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/05/14/2026-legislative-session-colorado-adjournment" target="_self">adjourned</a>, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Colorado lawmakers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/05/14/bills-legislation-passed-colorado-legislature-adjourn" data-vars-content-id="88c956f6-1141-4589-9daa-d1003fde0acb" data-vars-headline="Colorado voters to decide on TABOR refunds or more school funding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/05/14/bills-legislation-passed-colorado-legislature-adjourn" target="_self">Colorado lawmakers</a> left voters some homework: a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ballot measure" data-vars-click-url="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-135" data-vars-content-id="88c956f6-1141-4589-9daa-d1003fde0acb" data-vars-headline="Colorado voters to decide on TABOR refunds or more school funding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-135" target="_blank">ballot measure</a> asking permission to trade tax refunds for more K-12 funding.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The referendum" data-vars-click-url="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-135" data-vars-content-id="88c956f6-1141-4589-9daa-d1003fde0acb" data-vars-headline="Colorado voters to decide on TABOR refunds or more school funding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-135" target="_blank">The referendum</a> tees up one of Colorado&#x27;s biggest tax-and-spending fights in years, touching the third rail in state politics: the Taxpayer&#x27;s Bill of Rights.

Why top companies keep coming back to Leeds

In a volatile hiring market, 99% of Leeds grads report positive career outcomes within six months.

Education

For business students, six months can define a career. But at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder, 99% of undergraduates report positive career outcomes within six months of graduation.*Why it&#x27;s important: Entry-level hiring has grown more competitive as AI absorbs the rote analytical work once assigned to early-career professionals.<ul><li>Employers increasingly look for graduates who can contribute beyond automation on day one.</li></ul>

Jeffco schools push back against Trump administration

Jefferson County Schools is rebuking the Trump administration's claim that the district violated federal civil rights protections.

Jefferson County Schools is rebuking the Trump administration&#x27;s claim that the district violated federal civil rights protections by allowing transgender students to compete in girls&#x27; sports and access their facilities.Why it matters: The clash between the Trump administration and Colorado&#x27;s second-largest school district highlights the widening national debate over how federal civil rights law applies to transgender students.

How Denver's future policymakers learn from live reform

Students are helping Denver measure which housing reforms increase supply.

Cities across the country are under pressure to build more housing fast, and Denver is no exception.The challenge: Colorado faces a shortage of more than 134,000 affordable and available homes, with low- and middle-income households feeling the strain.<ul><li>Evidence-based policymaking has never been more essential — and Denver is a particularly dynamic setting for this work.</li></ul>

Colorado education storylines to watch in 2026

The concerns start with how much money the education system will get in the state budget.

What&#x27;s old is new again in 2026 for education.Why it matters: 2025 left many unresolved questions about everything from spending to religious freedom — and the answers are expected to come this year, our education reporting partners at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Chalkbeat write" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/12/22/seven-colorado-education-issues-to-watch-in-2026/" data-vars-content-id="c88ec4ab-8930-4078-bc27-e00e05a760d3" data-vars-headline="Colorado education storylines to watch in 2026" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/12/22/seven-colorado-education-issues-to-watch-in-2026/" target="_blank">Chalkbeat write</a>.

Colorado's K-12 system needs an overhaul, voters say

Like politics and the economy, Colorado voters are pessimistic about the state's K-12 public education system.

Like they say about <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="politics" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/11/20/poll-colorado-voters-politics-crisis" data-vars-content-id="1cd1db32-f6a8-4160-a180-f4cedb496cb3" data-vars-headline="Colorado&#x27;s K-12 system needs an overhaul, voters say" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/11/20/poll-colorado-voters-politics-crisis" target="_self">politics</a> and the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="economy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/07/15/colorado-pulse-poll-health-foundation-2025" data-vars-content-id="1cd1db32-f6a8-4160-a180-f4cedb496cb3" data-vars-headline="Colorado&#x27;s K-12 system needs an overhaul, voters say" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/07/15/colorado-pulse-poll-health-foundation-2025" target="_self">economy</a>, Colorado voters are pessimistic about the state&#x27;s K-12 public education system, a newly released poll finds.Why it matters: It&#x27;s not a good look for policymakers, particularly Gov. Jared Polis, who has made education his top priority since taking office in 2019.

How Colorado teachers unions won big in 2025 election

The 2025 election tilted the balance of power toward the teachers union in the state.

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2025 election" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/11/05/colorado-2025-election-results" data-vars-content-id="03f2f29c-f9a4-4cb3-9eb5-4e25e9af88d2" data-vars-headline="How Colorado teachers unions won big in 2025 election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/11/05/colorado-2025-election-results" target="_self">2025 election</a> tilted the balance of power toward the teachers union in Colorado.Why it matters: The success of the union-backed candidates exemplifies how the &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="blue wave" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/05/democrats-blue-wave-progressives-moderates" data-vars-content-id="03f2f29c-f9a4-4cb3-9eb5-4e25e9af88d2" data-vars-headline="How Colorado teachers unions won big in 2025 election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/05/democrats-blue-wave-progressives-moderates" target="_self">blue wave</a>&quot; that swept the nation manifested in Colorado, our reporting partners at Chalkbeat <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="write" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/06/why-school-board-candidates-backed-by-the-teachers-union-won-in-denver/" data-vars-content-id="03f2f29c-f9a4-4cb3-9eb5-4e25e9af88d2" data-vars-headline="How Colorado teachers unions won big in 2025 election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/06/why-school-board-candidates-backed-by-the-teachers-union-won-in-denver/" target="_blank">write</a>.

Denver school board race favors union-backed candidates

The union's preferred candidates have held control of the board for the last six years.

Election

Denver voters stayed the course, electing a union-friendly school board that backs Superintendent Alex Marrero, unofficial election results show.Why it matters: With a majority of the board seats at stake, the election had the potential to shift the balance of power in the state&#x27;s largest school district, our education reporting partners at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Chalkbeat" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/04/election-results-denver-school-board-2025/" data-vars-content-id="5eba0aa9-cd39-4a96-8303-cae2d082e0a4" data-vars-headline="Denver school board race favors union-backed candidates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/04/election-results-denver-school-board-2025/" target="_blank">Chalkbeat</a> write.

CU Denver opens applications for psychedelic training program

The program is accepting applications through September.

The University of Colorado Denver is stepping into uncharted educational territory this fall, offering a program teaching people to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="administer psychedelic therapy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2024/12/05/providers-prepares-psychedelic-therapy-launch" data-vars-content-id="ce60ddb9-1c19-489e-907b-d30119596da0" data-vars-headline="CU Denver opens applications for psychedelic training program" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2024/12/05/providers-prepares-psychedelic-therapy-launch" target="_self">administer psychedelic therapy</a>.Why it matters: It&#x27;s the first public university-affiliated program for licensure in the country in a nascent field providing an alternative to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="traditional medical practices" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/06/16/2025-psychedelics-science-conference" data-vars-content-id="ce60ddb9-1c19-489e-907b-d30119596da0" data-vars-headline="CU Denver opens applications for psychedelic training program" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/06/16/2025-psychedelics-science-conference" target="_self">traditional medical practices</a>.

Axios Boulder

CU research spending faces $87M decline

Boulder

Boulder County speller eliminated at national bee

CU delays ChatGPT access for students

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Education 📚

CU research spending faces $87M decline

Graduate degrees can boost earnings by 20%

Boulder County speller eliminated at national bee

Colorado voters to decide on TABOR refunds or more school funding

CU delays ChatGPT access for students