Regionwide Power Outages Due to Severe Windstorm ; Repairs Still In Progress.
Over this last weekend, the company that supplies power to Boulder County, Xcel, shut off power for 55 thousand customers across Colorado, mainly in Boulder County, to cope with the severe windstorm from the last few days. The company reported it has hundreds of miles of power lines to manually check for damages before it returns power to some areas. It said the goal would be to restore power by this afternoon.
Overall, over 150 thousand people lost power Saturday afternoon, with Xcel reporting that almost half have by now had power restored.
Preemptively shutting off power lines in extreme weather conditions is done to mitigate the risk of fires caused by downed electrified wire. The city of Estes Park reported that they have so far contained one fire caused by a downed power line.
Colorado Legislature Passes Law Protecting LGBTQ+ Foster Kids From Discrimination.
A bill sent to the governor’s desk last week will establish a foster children’s bill of rights. Governor Polis is expected to sign the bill into law. It is being lauded for its protections for LGBTQ+ children placed into the system.
In addition to requiring that LGBTQ+ children be placed into families that are supportive of them, it also establishes a child’s right to choose their name, their pronouns and the style of dress that aligns with their identity.
Many are contrasting this bill with a similar one passed in the Tennessee legislature recently that moves in the opposite direction, allowing children who are LGBTQ+ to be placed with foster families who do not support their identities.
Boulder Chapter of PFLAG, a nationwide LGBTQ+ Support Organization, Disbanding.
After disorganization due to the pandemic, the remaining members of Boulder County PFLAG are disbanding their chapter later this month. PFLAG, which used to stand for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays until that name was dropped, is a national organization that advocates and supports LGBTQ+ folks. It was a favorite to join for people with LGBTQ+ children.
The chapter formed in 1993 and will host a [quote] “passing on” party at First United Methodist Church on April 21st, from 2-4 PM.
News Briefs Written By Tim Perrin