Golden Transcript

Due to the ongoing drought, City of Golden, Colorado - Municipal Government officials have predicted this year’s tubing season would be ‘earlier and shorter’ than usual.

And, so far, that is proving to be true.

June 6’s green-flag conditions and 90-degree temperatures brought hundreds if not thousands of tubers to Golden’s section of Clear Creek, marking the unofficial beginning of tubing season.

According to the USGS website, creek flow was around 260 cubic feet per second on June 6. Normally, it’s around 700 cfs during the first week of June. The NOAA website also measured Clear Creek’s depth around 4.6 to 4.8 feet throughout the day.

That said, June 6 seemed like a perfect day for it, as the consensus among tubers was that the experience was “cold but fun.”

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Golden’s 2026 tubing season kicks off a month early Due to the ongoing drought, Golden officials have predicted this year’s tubing season would be ‘earlier and shorter’ than usual.

Every year, more and more community members can’t afford to rent, let alone buy, a home in Golden.

But, next year, 40 households will have a chance to buy new downtown condos.

On June 3, Habitat Denver, the City of Golden, Colorado - Municipal Government and its many partners celebrated The Prosper at Golden, an upcoming affordable for-sale housing project at 817 14th St.

Construction started April 1 and is scheduled to conclude mid-2027. Applications will be accepted starting next summer.

Habitat Metro Denver and its partners emphasized how these 40 condominiums — previously called Calvary Flats — will allow people who grew up in Golden to move back, people who are struggling to afford their current homes to stay in Golden, and people who work in Golden to move closer to work.

“The very people who bring character and charm to this community in Golden are the ones that are getting pressured because they can’t find housing affordability,” said Jaime Gomez, Habitat Metro Denver’s chief executive officer. “So, those are the ones that we are trying to help first and foremost.”

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Habitat for Humanity celebrates Prosper at Golden project Every year, more and more community members can’t afford to rent, let alone buy, a home in Golden.

Tubing season is underway in Golden this weekend, with hundreds of people beating today's heat on the city's section of Clear Creek.

We'll have more on this topic in the June 11 paper and on our website this weekend. In the interim, enjoy this photo gallery of today's tubing adventures:

Ralston Valley High School multisport star Zeke Andrews is the 56th recipient of the prestigious Steinmark Award, awarded by the Colorado High School Coaches Association. The award recognizes excellence in athletics, academics, leadership and community service.

Andrews was a star on the football field and basketball court for the Mustangs before graduating in May. The two-time first-team All-State quarterback headed to the University of Northern Colorado to play Division I football in the fall.

He spoke about how his work ethic in the classroom translates to his success in sports.

“The discipline that you learn from the classroom is just applicable to everything on the field and on the court,” Andrews said. “So that's kind of the biggest thing for me is that it's all just so similar. Just all the work that it takes to be successful in the classroom is, it's really the same as being successful on the football field and on the basketball court. All that, it's so connected.”

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Ralston Valley’s Andrews earns prestigious Steinmark award Ralston Valley multisport star Zeke Andrews is the 56th recipient of the prestigious Steinmark Award, awarded by the Colorado High School Coaches Association. The award recognizes excellence in athletics, academics, leadership and community service.

The median Jefferson County homeowner now pays roughly $3,300 a year in property taxes, up about 40 to 55 percent from five years ago, according to Jefferson County Assessor data. A meaningful share of that goes to the schools.

And yet the district is cutting tens of millions from its budget. Now it's weighing whether to ask voters this November to approve a $135 million tax package for staff pay and building repairs.

If homeowners are paying more, why isn't the district flush, and why is it asking for more? The answer starts not with Jeffco, but with how Colorado funds its schools.

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Why your rising tax bill isn't helping your schools The median Jefferson County homeowner pays about $3,300 yearly in property taxes, yet the school district faces budget cuts and may propose a $135 million override to fund staff and repairs.

"It's about whether we can afford healthcare, housing, transportation or food on the table," Whitney Newman, a third-grade teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools, told her school board on May 11. "I do not know if I will ever have the financial stability to raise a child of my own," she said.

Less than an hour later, the board approved a benefits package that more than doubled the monthly health insurance cost for some Jeffco employees and cut coverage on the rest. Staff paid the full 28.7% premium increase.

About 720 of the district's roughly 7,300 employees switched health plans this year to escape the rates. Many will see new doctors when the plan year begins July 1.

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Some Jeffco school staff see health costs more than double Whitney Newman, a Jeffco teacher, highlighted the struggle to afford essentials as the school board approved a health plan doubling employee premiums while district contributions stayed flat.

The man accused of s*xually assaulting a woman at Golden Cemetery Jan. 18 has had his preliminary hearing delayed until July 24.

Feliciano Blanco-Araujo, 27, was arrested April 29 in Denver and later booked into the Jefferson County jail on a $200,000 cash bond. He’s been formally charged with s*xual assault, kidnapping, second- and third-degree assault and more.

Blanco-Araujo appeared virtually from the Jeffco jail for his June 3 preliminary hearing.

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Hearing for Golden Cemetery s*x assault reset for July 24 The man accused of s*xually assaulting a woman at Golden Cemetery Jan. 18 has had his preliminary hearing delayed until July 24.

After nearly 15 months of work and roughly $10 million, City of Golden, Colorado - Municipal Government’s beloved Ulysses Park looks as good as new.

The city completed a major redevelopment project at the park earlier this year, and the two new multi-use fields on the south side hosted its inaugural practices and games this spring.

Golden is planning to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the park later this summer or early fall.

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Golden’s Ulysses Park opens new fields after redevelopment After nearly 15 months of work and roughly $10 million, Golden’s beloved Ulysses Park looks as good as new.

Jeffco Public Schools - Colorado has named Rob Stein, who ran the Roaring Fork School District for six years, sole finalist for interim superintendent starting July 6.

The announcement comes weeks after Superintendent Tracy Dorland said she'd leave the district. She departs July 5, one day before Stein would step in.

Stein would inherit a budget gap that returns every year rather than a one-time shortfall, one district officials have warned could reach $60 million a year. He'd also take over weeks before the board decides whether to ask voters in November for $135 million in new school property taxes, about $20 a month for the owner of a $550,000 home.

The board votes to finalize the pick at a special virtual meeting June 18.

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Jeffco board picks Rob Stein as interim superintendent The Jeffco school board named Rob Stein interim superintendent starting July 6 following Tracy Dorland's departure. Stein faces a recurring $60 million budget gap and a November tax vote.