Good morning, Denver.

Humane Colorado rescued more than 70 horses and foals from a rural property in Franktown in July after they suffered severe neglect and moved them to Harmony Equine Center, where nearly half need farrier care plus some are battling eye injuries and other conditions.

Colorado-based Palantir reached its first $1 billion in quarterly sales with a 53% rise in government sales and a 93% jump in business sales—CEO Alex Karp raised future revenue guidance and said AI will help blue collar workers while analysts noted DOGE had no negative impact on its U.S. government business.

Colorado’s new Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program gives adults without a college degree a chance to become certified teachers by mixing online classes and on-the-job training; it will start this fall to help fill nearly 2,800 open teaching jobs.

Around 100 apprentices from five school districts have joined—Sergio De La Rosa now teaches 45 students from many countries—to build a more local and diverse teacher workforce.

Tens of thousands of Aurora Public Schools students returned to school Wednesday as the district began planning major facility improvements funded by a $1 billion bond and a $30 million capital mill levy approved last November.

Gateway High School will receive $30 million for renovations while plans include a complete replacement for Laredo Elementary and construction of new schools along the E470 corridor — improvements expected by the 2027-2028 school year.

Colorado is launching a new teacher apprenticeship program this fall to help adults without a bachelor's degree become licensed teachers — combining college classes with on-the-job training.

About 100 apprentices from five school districts will learn while earning to fill open teaching positions.

Most of the Intermountain West is in drought as nearly 73 percent of the region faces very dry conditions that are fueling wildfires and lowering water levels.

Colorado state climatologist Russ Schumacher warned the drought will worsen through August—while federal funding for relief remains uncertain.

Gov. Jared Polis has called lawmakers back to the capitol beginning Aug.

21 for a special session to address a state budget gap caused by a federal tax-and-spending law and has ordered a hiring freeze on state employees starting today to save an estimated $3 to $7 million—only safety and federally funded positions will be filled until January.

Colorado began enforcing a law yesterday that requires retailers to display cigarette-style health warning labels on gas stoves (in Spanish and English with a URL to a state webpage) to inform buyers of potential air quality risks while a federal lawsuit now challenges the rule for allegedly violating the First Amendment. Natural gas utilities and trade groups oppose the law and are closely monitoring how the state presents the health information.

On Wednesday, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington announced that the airport will launch a $1M study to check if small modular nuclear reactors—compact, advanced energy units—can supply enough power as the airport grows toward 120 million passengers by 2045. If the study shows the reactors work, they may be installed in 3 to 5 years to support the airport’s future energy needs.