The family of University of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder, who died in a car crash last month, has launched a foundation in his honor to support student-athletes.

The latest: The Dominiq Ponder 722 Foundation directs funds toward scholarships for players who demonstrate "resilience and character, community awareness initiatives about responsible decision-making, and support for children's hospitals."

Zoom in: The foundation's name reflects Ponder's jersey change from No. 22 to No. 7, a symbol of his journey from walk-on to leader in Colorado's quarterback room.

Catch up quick: Ponder was killed in a single-car accident in Boulder County on March 1.

• Investigators said speed was a factor, and an autopsy report found his blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

Between the lines: Ponder's mother, Catrina Hughes, said she hopes the foundation encourages college athletes to look out for one another and feel comfortable seeking help.

What they're saying: "If anything good can come from this loss, it's the conversations it can start about responsible decision-making, supporting young adults, and making good choices even in ordinary moments," Hughes said.

• "One bad decision can alter everything."
• "What matters most to me is who Dominiq was as a person," Hughes said. "He was a determined student-athlete, a leader, and someone with a huge heart who fiercely loved his family, his teammates, and the game of football."

Those who wish to support the foundation can visit its GoFundMe page.

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The General Assembly began debating a $46.8 billion budget package for the next fiscal year that's marked more by cuts than spending.

State of play: The powerful Joint Budget Committee, which drafts the budget package, worked up to the last minute to find new revenue and reduce spending to fill a $1.5 billion shortfall.

• No areas emerged unscathed, with reductions in health care, education, public safety and environmental protections.

Zoom in: Here are three numbers Boulder County residents should pay attention to:

🎓 3.5%: How much higher education campuses can increase tuition for in-state students next year, except for community colleges and select programs that can hike their rates 5%.

😬 1%: The salary increase for most state employees. The state is not providing cost-of-living adjustments next fiscal year.

🏥 $6 billion: The total increase in spending for the Health Care Policy and Financing agency for the next fiscal year to cover rising Medicaid costs.

• Due largely to rising caseloads, the state added $213 million in discretionary spending, a 4% increase over the current year.

Go deeper

🍺 The owners of a new upscale sports bar moving into the old Harpo's location on Arapahoe Avenue told us they've formally decided on The Buff House as the name.

⚖️ The Colorado Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit seeking to halt enforcement of Boulder's camping ban. No timeline has been set for an opinion. (Boulder Reporting Lab)

🔥 A wildfire on the Goat Trail near the Sanitas Valley and Dakota Ridge trails prompted an evacuation warning early yesterday morning before firefighters fully contained it in the afternoon, according to Boulder Fire-Rescue.

🚍 RTD chief executive and general manager Debra Johnson plans to leave her role next year. (Axios Denver)

Diners in Colorado tip just over 19% on average — but we're not the most generous in the country, Toast data reveals.

The big picture: Delaware, West Virginia, New Hampshire and Indiana are home to America's best tippers, with diners leaving roughly 21% or more.

• At the bottom of the list for overall tipping are California, Washington, D.C., and Washington state, where averages run under 18%.

🗯️ Mitchell's thought bubble: I always tip 20%, because it's the only percentage I can do without a calculator. As we covered in the intro, math is not my strong suit.

State of play: Nationwide, tips at full-service restaurants averaged 19.2% in Q4 2025, the same as the previous quarter, per Toast's latest restaurant trends report.

The fine print: The report is based on data from restaurants using the Toast platform; cash tips aren't included.

Zoom in: Boulder is in the midst of studying whether to slow the pace of wage increases for tipped workers or allow them to rise along with its recent minimum wage increases, according to city meeting materials.

• Boulder's minimum wage is set to jump next year to $18.17. The tipped minimum wage, now $13.80, is scheduled to increase at the same pace unless council changes the policy.