Fat Bear Week is out. Fat Marmot Week is in.

The big picture: Colorado's Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory near Crested Butte is launching its own gloriously chunky version of the famous Fat Bear Week.

• The inaugural competition will follow yellow-bellied marmots as they race to pack on pounds for winter.
• The more rotund the rodent, the better its odds of surviving months of hibernation.

How it works: Starting Aug. 24, the public can vote for the chubbiest marmot in a bracket-style tournament modeled after Alaska's beloved contest.

Yes, but: Beneath all the fluff is serious science.

• "Marmots give us a window on the health of high-alpine ecosystems," biologist Dan Blumstein, who leads the lab's long-running Marmot Project research initiative, said in a statement.

The intrigue: The contest comes as federal research cuts have put the lab's marmot studies, ongoing since 1962, under financial pressure.

• As a result, Blumstein and his team have turned to an unconventional fundraiser — posting wholesome marmot videos on OnlyFans under the account OnlyMarms, promising "uncensored marmot content" — to raise money and awareness for the lab's research.

The bottom line: As Blumstein put it to the New York Times, "All the marmots are minors, but we have to do this for science education."

Tell an animal lover

Colorado is poised to join a coalition of states to hold federal immigration authorities accountable for fatal shootings and arrests without warrants.

Why it matters: With Congress on the sidelines, states are emerging as the battleground for efforts to challenge the "absolute immunity" federal agents have recently claimed.

Driving the news: A coalition of Democratic state lawmakers, including Colorado state Sen. Mike Weissman (D-Aurora), vowed yesterday to hold ICE agents responsible by allowing people to sue for constitutional rights violations.

• The effort's led by the State Innovation Exchange, which developed a playbook to crack down on ICE agents that Illinois, Maryland and other states have adopted since President Trump's second term.

What they're saying: "We are making sure that every state is free from the terror that is being enacted upon them by these rogue agencies," said EJ Juárez, the organization's executive director, at a legislative summit hosted by the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures in Chicago.

The big picture: The alarm over ICE agents comes as the Trump administration targets foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas at airports, including at least one arrest last week at Denver's airport.

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Despite eviction filings topping near-record highs last year, a vast majority didn't result in enforced removals, city data shows.

Why it matters: The discrepancy suggests programs like Denver's eviction legal assistance helped dismiss evictions for some of the city's lowest-income residents.

The big picture: Households supported by the program grew by 8% from 2024 to 2025, figures shared this week by the Department of Housing Stability (HOST) show.

• Just 15% of the 15,953 total filings last year resulted in sheriff-enforced removals.
• Additional cases were resolved before an eviction was completed, HOST spokesperson Julia Marvin tells us.

Yes, but: The data doesn't paint a full picture. Experts estimate that for every formal filing, two households may move out before their case reaches court.

• And the city stresses the cases don't represent unique households — meaning some had multiple filings.

Keep reading

🚍 The Regional Transportation District voted this week to recommend $20 million in cuts next year, which could lead to a loss in routes across metro Denver, including possibly the 16th Street FreeRide. (Denverite)

💰 Colorado startups are seeing a slump in VC investments this year, as investors nationwide funnel more money into large, established companies over up-and-comers. (CPR)

🔎 Denver Public Schools is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education over allegations that a high school teacher required students of the same sex to kiss in class. The school board fired the teacher in May. (Denver7)

🚲 Denver launched North America's first pilot program for Veo's rental electric trikes, with 50 now available around Union Station. (KDVR)

🤔 Victor Marx, Colorado's Republican gubernatorial nominee, said he'll participate in a single debate against Democratic nominee Phil Weiser — and only if there's no moderator. (Colorado Politics 🔑)

Two intestinal illnesses — salmonella and cyclosporiasis — are on the rise in Colorado.

Why it matters: Consider this a public service announcement from your digestive system.

The latest: Salmonella cases in particular are climbing sharply, state health officials warned this week, though investigators haven't yet identified what's driving the surge.

• Common sources are raw meat, eggs, produce and unpasteurized milk and cheeses. Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting.
• Colorado's coordinating with the CDC to determine whether the cases share a food source or other connection.

Meanwhile, cases of cyclosporiasis, a food-borne infection caused by a parasite that causes "explosive" diarrhea, continue to tick up.

• However, state officials say there's no evidence the outbreak is linked to produce grown locally.

By the numbers: More than 250 salmonella cases have been confirmed here as of Tuesday — more than double the state's average July total over the past five years.

• At least 219 cyclosporiasis cases have been reported in the state this year through Sunday, including 79 since July 1. The vast majority (79%) of people infected reported international travel during their exposure period.

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