Colleen Slevin, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - Flowers are left in remembrance of those wounded in a shooting at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colo., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Colleen Slevin, File)

Parents of Colorado school shooter won’t face gun charges, sheriff’s office says

February 4, 2026

Authorities say the parents of a 16-year-old boy who wounded two students at a Colorado high school with an old revolver won’t be charged. Investigators looked at whether the parents of Desmond Holly, who killed himself after opening fire, could possibly be charged with allowing access to the gun. But they decided there wasn’t enough evidence for that. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the family’s lawyer said the gun was kept in a locked gun safe. The lawyer says the family believes Holly took the gun while they were cleaning other guns kept in the safe. Authorities say they believe Holly randomly shot at students at Evergreen High School west of Denver on Sept. 10.

FILE - Candidate Tina Peters speaks during a debate for the state leadership position, Feb. 25, 2023, in Hudson, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Tina Peters’ lawyers try to convince Colorado court to overturn conviction for voting system breach

January 14, 2026

Lawyers for former Colorado elections clerk Tina Peters will try to convince a state appeals court to overturn her conviction. Wednesday’s hearing comes as her supporters, including President Donald Trump, continue to pressure the state to set her free. Peters was convicted of state crimes for orchestrating a data breach of Mesa County’s elections equipment, driven by false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential election. She is serving a nine-year prison sentence. Peters’ release has become a cause celebre in the election conspiracy movement. Trump pardoned her last month, but his pardon power doesn’t extend to state crimes.

Volunteers take phone calls from children asking where Santa is and when he will deliver presents to their house, during the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, at Peterson Air Force Base, in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (Thomas Paul/North American Aerospace Defense Command. via AP)

NORAD continues decades-long tradition of tracking Santa’s trip around the world

December 19, 2025

For the 70th year in a row, people of all ages will be able to get updates on Santa’s journey around the world from the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado. For the first time, those who want an update from NORAD will be also be able to place a call through the program’s website, which will make it easier for people outside North America to call one of 1,000 volunteers providing Santa updates. Last year, the NORAD Tracks Santa operation center received about 380,000 phone calls. NORAD is a joint United States and Canadian operation charged with monitoring the skies for threats since the Cold War.

Former Colorado clerk will remain in state prison after a federal judge rejects her bid for freedom

December 8, 2025

A federal magistrate judge has rejected a bid by a former Colorado county clerk to be released from prison while she appeals her state conviction for orchestrating a data breach scheme driven by false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race. Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters filed a federal lawsuit asking that she be released on bond while her appeal is considered. Attorneys for the state had argued the case should be thrown out partly because of a legal doctrine that prevents federal courts from getting involved in pending state criminal cases. Federal magistrate judge Scott Varholak ruled Monday that Peters didn’t make a case that he should get involved in overturning her state sentence.

Colorado doesn’t plan to transfer imprisoned former county clerk to federal custody

November 26, 2025

Colorado doesn’t plan to transfer former county clerk Tina Peters to federal custody following a request from the Trump Administration to move her out of a state prison. The Colorado Department of Corrections said Wednesday the department is not seeking a transfer of Peters. She was convicted last year of orchestrating a scheme to breach voting machine data driven by false claims of fraud in the 2020 election. The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment. Peters’ release has become a cause celebre in the election conspiracy movement.

FILE - United Airlines official W.C. Mentzer stands in front of the United Airlines plane which John Gilbert Graham is accused of sabotaging with a dynamite-charged time bomb, after it was reconstructed, in Denver, Nov. 17, 1955. (AP Photo/Edward O. Eisenhand, File)

70 years after the first sabotage of a US airliner, the 44 killed are finally being honored

October 31, 2025

A memorial to 44 people who died in the first confirmed case of sabotage against a U.S. airliner is being dedicated on the 70th anniversary of its bombing over Colorado. A farmer who helped recover the bodies of those killed and a woman who lost her father, who have recently become friends, will be among those there for Saturday’s ceremony in Denver. Attention on the dramatic details of the bombing, the lack of a federal law making it a crime to attack a plane and the meticulous investigation into what happened has overshadowed attention on the victims and those they left behind until now.

The gateway to the Vicksburg National Military Park tour road sits closed Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Vicksburg, Miss. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)

Fundraising groups step up to help reopen national park sites and welcome visitors

October 2, 2025

One of Mississippi’s most-visited cultural attractions has reopened in the midst of the government shutdown, thanks to funding from a nonprofit group. Other organizations that support the country’s national parks are stepping forward to welcome visitors. An organization that supports Vicksburg National Military Park, where a critical Civil War battle was fought, is contributing $2,000 a day to cover basic operations. The Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii briefly shut down before reopening as part of an agreement with a partner organization. Many national parks sites remain largely open but services like visitors centers aren’t.

FILE - A fire burns in a home destroyed by the Marshall Wildfire in Louisville, Colo., Dec. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)

Xcel Energy will pay $640M to settle claims from Denver-area wildfire that burned 1,000 structures

September 24, 2025

Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy said Wednesday it expects to pay about $640 million to settle lawsuits alleging it was responsible for starting Colorado’s most destructive wildfire that killed two people and destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in 2021. The announcement came right before jury selection was set to begin in a trial combining lawsuits brought by homeowners and insurers over the fire in the heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder. Court documents confirmed a settlement has been reached and the trial canceled. Xcel has maintained that its equipment did not cause or contribute to the fire. It said it does not admit any fault under the settlement.

‘Legend dairy’ man carries ice cream and dry ice up Colorado peak as treat for other hikers

September 4, 2025

Hikers who climbed one of Colorado’s tallest mountains got more than a sweeping view at the top. A man in an ice cream costume was handing out frozen treats. No one seemed to know the man who carried the ice cream sandwiches and bars and dry ice up Huron Peak over the Labor Day weekend. But word of him spread quickly to hikers still making their way up the more than 14,000-foot peak. Photos on social media show hikers with broad smiles posing with the man, who was sitting in a camping chair and wearing sunglasses with a fake mustache. Some called him a hero. One called him “legend dairy.”

FILE - This image from police body camera footage provided by the Mesa County Sheriff's Office shows sheriff's Deputy Alexander Zwinck conducting a traffic stop on June 5, 2025, near Fruta, Colorado. (Mesa County Sherrif's Office via AP, File)

Colorado sheriff’s deputy disciplined for helping immigration agents resigns, ending lawsuit

September 2, 2025

A Colorado sheriff’s deputy disciplined for helping federal immigration agents make arrests has resigned. The deputy’s departure has prompted the state’s attorney general to drop a lawsuit accusing him of illegally sharing information with immigration agents. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that deputy Alexander Zwinck no longer works for the office. Zwinck recently said in court filings that he planned to resign, and a judge agreed to dismiss Attorney General Phil Weiser’s lawsuit against Zwinck late last week. Zwinck has denied intentionally violating state law that bars state employees from sharing identifying information about people with federal immigration officials.

FILE - Law enforcement personnel provide security for a court appearance at the Arapahoe County Courthouse, July 23, 2012, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife’s protein shakes going on trial for murder

July 11, 2025

A Colorado dentist is set to go on trial next week, accused of killing his wife by poisoning her protein shakes. Prosecutors say James Craig bought poison online just before his wife began experiencing symptoms that baffled doctors. After his initial attempts to kill her failed, prosecutors allege he ordered a rush shipment of potassium cyanide, saying it was needed for a surgery. Craig’s attorneys have argued that testing of his wife’s shake containers did not turn up signs of at least one poison blamed for killing her. Craig is also accused of asking a fellow jail inmate to kill the lead detective in the case.

FILE - Bouquets of flowers stand along a makeshift memorial for victims of an attack outside of the Boulder County, Colo., courthouse on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski,File)

Judge ends order blocking deportation of family of man charged in Boulder firebomb attack

July 2, 2025

A federal judge has ended an order blocking the deportation of the family of a man charged in a fatal firebomb attack in Boulder, Colorado. The judge said Wednesday the order isn’t needed since the family of Mohamed Sabry Soliman is facing regular deportation proceedings while being held in an immigration detention center in Texas. The judge noted that government lawyers say the family is not being rushed out of the country as the White House originally stated. years. The man’s wife, Hayam El Gamal, and her five children were picked up June 3, two days after her husband was accused of throwing two Molotov cocktails at people raising awareness for Israeli hostages in Gaza.

This image provided by the Boulder Police Dept. shows Mohamed Sabry Soliman. (Boulder Police Dept. via AP)

Man pleads not guilty to hate crimes in attack on Colorado demonstration for Israeli hostages

June 27, 2025

A man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages has pleaded not guilty to hate crimes. Mohamed Sabry Soliman entered the plea through his attorney in federal court Friday. He has been indicted on 12 hate crime counts in the June 1 attack, accused of trying to kill eight people who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and others who were nearby. The hate crime charges include three related to the explosives he’s accused of using and carrying.

Man indicted on 12 hate crime charges in attack on Boulder demonstration for Israeli hostages

June 25, 2025

A man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 hate crime counts. He was initially charged with only one hate crime count in federal court. Tuesday’s indictment accuses Soliman of trying to kill eight people who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and targeting them because of their perceived or actual national origin, which prosecutors say was their perceived connection and support for Israel. He was also indicted for another hate crime for trying to kill the others at the event who were not injured, as well as three explosives charges.

From left, Lisa Turnquist and Carrie Spyva-McIlvaine place a bouquet of flowers at a growing memorial outside of the Boulder County, Colo., courthouse after Sunday's attack Monday, June 2, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Judge says hate crime prosecution in Boulder, Colorado, attack can proceed

June 18, 2025

A federal judge said Wednesday that prosecutors can proceed with a hate crime charge against a man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages. Mohamed Sabry Soliman appeared in federal court in Denver for a preliminary hearing following the June 1 attack in Boulder that injured at least eight people. Investigators say he planned the attack for a year and was driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people.” Prosecutors allege Soliman targeted people based on their national origin — their perceived connection to Israel. Soliman’s attorney argued that it wasn’t a hate crime because the evidence shows he was motivated by the demonstrators’ perceived political support for Israel.

Mike Lindell talks to the media on his way into federal district court for a defamation trial on Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Election conspiracy theorist sticks by false 2020 claims in defamation trial

June 9, 2025

One of the nation’s most prominent election conspiracy theorists, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, is sticking by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Lindell testified Monday during a defamation trial over statements he made about a former official for a leading voting equipment company. Lindell denied making any statements he knew to be false about Eric Coomer, the former product strategy and security director for Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems. Lindell accused Coomer of being “a part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen.” Coomer said his career and life have been destroyed by statements Lindell made about him.

FILE - Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speaks in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Feb. 8, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Man who says far-right content led him to threaten election officials is sentenced to 3 years

May 29, 2025

A man who blamed exposure to far-right extremist content for leading him to threaten Democratic election officials in Colorado and Arizona has been sentenced to three years in prison. A judge said Thursday that the penalty for what he called “keyboard terrorism” needed to be serious enough to deter others. The federal judge said threats against public officials are on the rise and people need to worked out differences through the democratic process, not violence. The convicted man, Teak Ty Brockbank, apologized for his “ugly posts” and says he has turned away from the online fear, hate and anger that derailed his life.

Colleen Slevin.