Almost 40 years passed before anyone thought to miss the gray wolf. Wolves, along with grizzlies, had been deliberately eradicated in western states in the name of protecting people and their livestock. The last wolf in Colorado was killed in the 1930s.]]> Monica, who declines to give her real name, dreaded high school graduation, because most colleges don’t accept undocumented immigrants, and employers cannot legally hire someone without a Social Security number. “Graduating from high school, I wasn’t excited at all, because I was going to become a criminal,” Monica told Boulder Weekly.]]> On the evening of Jan. 12, the heat in Taylor Lindstrom’s Boulder home went out without warning. She called Xcel Energy, and was told that, indeed, Xcel had turned off the electricity because the bill had not been paid. Lindstrom, who thought she had been paying her Xcel bills, asked why she had not been notified of any overdue amount — or the pending disconnection, for that matter.]]> The little sign on the front door tells me I'm in the right place. It warns me that if I knock, I should be prepared for the fact that the people who live here are naturalists who more often than not go nude inside their home. It's their naturalist lifestyle or more specifically, some people's reaction to it that brings me here.]]> When Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, speaks of Colorado’s budgetary woes, he speaks of Band-Aids that can’t stop the bleeding, wounds that are hard to heal and rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic. He’s particularly worried about public education.]]> For a while now, we’ve known that black men are more likely to end up in prison than white men. Why isn’t this changing? Whether you’re a serial killer or as pure as a poster child for the Scouts, nothing counts as much as your race when it comes to encounters with police and the criminal justice system in the United States. It’s even true for Colorado, a state with a population close to 90 percent non-Hispanic white.]]> Swiatek’s experience is a common one for many youth aged 16 to 21 in Boulder County and across the nation: During the past three years, they are increasingly finding that jobs historically available for them, such as hospitality, food services and retail, are being taken by adults. Some are even calling this summer the most difficult yet in terms of youth employment opportunities. They are gradually becoming the last hired and first fired in these areas as adults scramble to find employment in the wake of the recession.]]> On the Fourth of July, citizens celebrate with barbeques, picnics, ceremonies and lots of fireworks each year in the United States. It marks a beginning point in this country%uFFFDs history, independence from the British. How does the American Indian fit into this idea of independence when it wasn’t until 1924 that, as a group, American Indians were granted citizenship?]]> So who is Harris, the writer behind this quirky vision of the future, in which vampires - not to mention werewolves, shape-shifters and other 'supes,' i.e., supernatural creatures - have 'come out of the coffin' and are struggling to live alongside humans?]]> Municipal elections are supposed to be quiet, nonpartisan events that revolve around things like city council seats, libraries, and maybe the tile in the locker rooms at the local recreation center.]]> After witnessing the first jetliner crash into the Twin Towers on that Sept. 11 morning, a friend of mine’s wife and 7-year old daughter fled to their nearby Manhattan loft and ran to the roof to look around. From there, they saw the second plane explode in a rolling ball of flaming fuel across the rooftops. It felt like the heat of a fiery furnace.]]> Had Dorothy and her dog stumbled into the Dec. 8 county commissioners meeting, where the issue of genetically modified crops on open space was the topic, she might have uttered the line, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Boulder any more.” And for good reason.]]> Since losing his eyesight, becoming asthmatic and contracting chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, Edward Celias’ life has been a constant battle to survive. He has lived in seedy motels surrounded by drug dealers and shootings. His life savings were stolen from his bank account after he failed to realize his checkbooks were missing.]]> For some victims of the Fourmile Fire that ravaged the hills of western Boulder County the week of Sept. 6, 2010, this has been the “year of the phoenix.” Others are still waiting to rise from the ashes.]]> It’s a well-known fact that prison inmates with strong family and community ties are less likely to wind up back inside the joint once they are released. So why are state prison systems, including Colorado’s, charging inmates high rates for phone calls, rates that discourage prisoners’ often frayed home attachments?]]> It was Oct. 6 before Wolfstar and Gray-Wolfstar were able to pick up the certified letter sent from the health department, informing them that they were being fined $250 for refusing entry to a health department inspector and needed to pay the fine by Sept.]]> Jared Lee Loughner, a 22-year old with a history of mental problems, buys a Glock 19 at a sporting goods store on Nov. 30. On Saturday, Jan. 8, he pops an extended magazine into the weapon and fires 31 rounds into a crowd of people who came to greet Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, 40, a moderate Democrat.]]> It seems nerve-wracking. Showing more than 50 films over four days at numerous venues in one small city. Hosting world-class celebrities including Oliver Stone and James Franco. Organizing a mostly volunteer staff of almost 300 people.]]> On Jan. 27, the U.S. Department of Agriculture raised environmental activists' hackles by announcing that it will not regulate alfalfa that has been genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup. Both the alfalfa and the pesticide are made by biotech giant Monsanto.]]> With the passage of the controversial law SB 1070 in Arizona, which gives more power to police when it comes to cracking down on undocumented workers, this 'hidden' population is now in the spotlight. We'll bring you voices of undocumented Boulder County residents, the majority of them hailing from Mexican roots.]]>