At about 8:30 a.m., authorities received a call about a fallen climber near a climbing area at the Red Garden Wall and Yellow Spur. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain View Fire Rescue and Rocky Mountain Rescue Group conducted a rescue to get the man from where he had fallen.

Authorities carried him out of a fallen-rock field and then brought him to the South Boulder Creek before an ambulance arrived.

The three-hour rescue ended when the man was sent to a hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.

Taulere and Arrone Appel were on their nightly walk with their small, white Cavachon dog on Friday. It was about an hour after sunset when their dog, Bodhi, stopped walking and looked off, as though he noticed something.

Within “two seconds,” Bodhi was dead, Taulere said. A mountain lion had pounced from a nearby bush to steal the dog.

Arrone started to approach the lion, not as sure that the lion had killed Bodhi, before Taulere beckoned him back. The couple was only about a half-dozen houses down from their home on Balsam Drive, where they would take Bodhi for his nightly walk.

“It was just, like, out of nowhere,” Taulere said. “We walked home in shock.”

The Appels have lived in Boulder since 1984. Taulere said she has never heard of such an attack on a leashed pet in a residential area.

Once they got home, the Appels called Boulder’s non-emergency line. Boulder Animal Protection; the city’s department of Open Space & Mountain Parks department; and Colorado Parks and Wildlife responded.

On and off starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, the three agencies came to Balsam Drive, knocking on doors to warn neighbors and looking for the mountain lion.

The CPW could not find the wild cat, said Kara Van Hoose, CPW’s Northeast Region public information officer.

Now, Taulere said, the couple is not as confident about going outside as they were before they lost their dog.

“It wasn’t afraid of us,” Taulere said. “But we’re afraid of it now.”

Mountain lions are common in Boulder, Van Hoose said. The Boulder area has one of the densest mountain lion populations in the country. That does not mean Boulderites will see them often.

The predator cats are territorial, solitary animals, Van Hoose said. They usually come out between dusk and dawn, traveling under the cover of darkness.

They have been known to prey on small animals such as dogs. Usually, though, those dogs are off-leash.

Van Hoose said young lions or older lions are more likely to go after easy targets such as small house pets. Small dogs, like the 10-pound Bodhi, can make an “easy meal,” Van Hoose added.

Mountain lions may also develop a pattern; if a mountain lion knows a certain prey to be an easy source of food, it might return and try again.

Van Hoose said Boulder is full of wildlife, whether mountain lions, deer or elk. People should expect to encounter wild animals when in the city. But, she said, there are ways Boulderites can protect themselves and their pets against attacks.

• If you must take your dog out at night, turn the lights on or bring a flashlight.

• Make noise before letting a dog out to scare off any nearby wild animal.

• Do not let a dog run around at night in the dark.

Mountain lions are far more likely to prey on a pet at night, when the dog is off-leash and nothing is making the cat think twice.

“They’re not necessarily very visible,” Van Hoose said. “And they want it that way.”

Anyone who sees a mountain lion in their neighborhood should call CPW, Van Hoose said. The state agency will assess the situation and figure out the best protective path forward.

Sometimes a cat creates a “cache” of food, rather than eating it all in one place. Residents are advised to leave them alone and call CPW. The agency’s main numer is 303-297-1192​.

So far this year, Boulder County residents have reported mountain lions 28 times to the agency. By this time last year, county residents had called 24 times, of a total 43 reports in 2024.

Taulere said she wished there were a better warning system for the presence of mountain lions. She and her husband would not have taken Bodhi out had they known a mountain lion was in the area, she said.

The Appels’ dog had only been with the family for a year before he was killed on Friday. The couple got Bodhi while grieving their previous dog, who died from health complications last year.

“Bodhi was a really good dog,” Taulere said. “He wasn’t afraid of anything.”

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Boulder County Public Health confirmed the death and its cause. The press release did not specify when the person died.

CDPHE has confirmed nine human cases of West Nile in eight Colorado counties, including Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas, La Plata, Larimer, Pueblo and Weld counties.

The Weld County case was confirmed by its health department on Friday, and two Adams County cases were confirmed on July 17. Larimer County announced in late June that a sample of the mosquito population in Larimer tested positive for West Nile.

Mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile in eight of the 16 counties where the insects were tested for the virus. Those positive tests have come back in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the first West Nile virus-related death in our state this year. This tragic loss underscores the serious nature of this virus and why personal prevention is so vital,” Dr. Ned Calonge, chief medical officer at CDPHE, said in a release. “I cannot stress enough the importance of taking simple, effective steps — like using repellent and draining standing water — to protect yourself and your loved ones from West Nile virus infections.”

Last year, there were no West Nile deaths in humans in the state, according to CDPHE historical data. Officials also recorded that 18 counties saw confirmed human cases of West Nile, including Adams, Boulder, Weld, Jefferson and Broomfield. In total, those counties counted 76 cases.

In 2023, 51 people died of West Nile — the most since 2003, when 66 people died of the virus and when the state started collecting data. State health officials counted 634 cases that year — also the most since 2003, when there were 2,948 cases.

Humans most often contract West Nile from a bite from an infected mosquito, according to the press release. Symptoms include fever, severe fatigue, headache, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph nodes. People over the age of 60 are at a higher risk for severe or deadly symptoms.

Humans generally cannot contract West Nile virus from another human.

The CDPHE recommends Coloradans protect themselves from West Nile by wearing insect repellent with DEET; staying indoors between dusk and dawn when possible; wearing long sleeves, pants and socks; removing standing water in yards, and installing door and window screens.

University of Colorado Boulder student Megan Trussell died by suicide, the Boulder County Coroner’s Office reaffirmed in an updated autopsy report.

In the updated report dated July 15, forensic pathologist Meredith A. Frank stated that tests on Trussell’s stomach contents did not result in findings of any “toxicological significance.” Frank further affirmed that Trussell, then 18, died by suicide and that the high level of amphetamine content in Trussell’s stomach was degrading as expected.

Trussell died in February in Boulder Canyon as a result of the toxic effects of amphetamine—a primary ingredient in Adderall. Trussell’s mother, Vanessa Diaz, previously confirmed that Trussell was prescribed amphetamines to treat ADHD.

Exposure to a cold environment, or hypothermia, contributed to her death, according to the autopsy.

Trussell was last seen at 9 p.m. Feb. 9 while leaving her campus dorm, Hallett Hall. On Feb. 15, she was found on “hard-to-reach” terrain near the 40-mile marker of Boulder Canyon Drive, just west of the intersection of Cañon Park Drive and Boulder Canyon Drive. The recovery effort included a technical evacuation, including rappelling.

In May, the Boulder County Coroner’s Office first ruled her manner of death as suicide. Trussell’s mother, Vanessa Diaz has said she believes that ruling to be wrong.

In March, Diaz said she believes “there was a struggle” involved in Trussell’s death, citing Trussell’s ripped purse and a missing shoe. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office determined that foul play was not involved. In May, after the initial suicide ruling, Diaz said she believed suicide was not possible.

“Megan was so vibrant and just a happy, happy child,” Diaz said in May. “Anybody who knows her knows she was not suicidal. She wouldn’t kill herself. She’s never had any history of that.”

Diaz could not be immediately reached for comment.

At about 7:30 p.m. Friday, deputies said a man armed with a handgun robbed the convenience store on U.S. 36, according to a news release. Deputies reported there were no injuries, and said the man fled the scene after robbing the Circle K.

The man deputies say robbed the convenience store is still at large, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Communications Specialist Carrie Haverford confirmed in an email.

In the initial pursuit, county sheriff’s deputies, Longmont police officers and Erie police officers searched for the man with K-9 units and a drone, but were unable to locate him.

Witnesses told deputies the man is in his early 20s and wore dark-colored pants, a black-and-white hoodie with angel wings on the back, and a blue bandana over his face.

Deputies advise anyone who sees someone matching the description not to approach them. Anyone with information about the robbery or the suspect can call the sheriff’s office at 303-441-4444.

So far, the woman has tried to withdraw money from three banks using fake IDs. She was successful at a bank in Denver and another in Longmont.

On July 1, the woman reportedly withdrew $88,000 at a UMB in Denver from a woman’s bank account, according to CBS Colorado. On July 2, police say she tried at Adams Bank & Trust, but was stopped when an employee recognized the ID as fake and denied the woman the withdrawal.

On Friday, she tried again, police say. This time, a Longmont customer lost more than $100,000 in an illegal withdrawal, the police say. Longmont Communications Director Lindsay Diamond said the department could not disclose the specific bank.

Police ask anyone with information identifying the woman to email mark.cooper@longmontcolorado.gov or to call 303-774-3517 in reference to Longmont police report 25-7901.

In the summer of 1989, Tracey, who sometimes went by the name Tracey Ragains, was reported missing by her roommates in Colorado Springs, according to a social media post from the sheriff’s department. On July 9 of that year, Disbrow was found dead in an irrigation ditch near the intersection of Weld County Roads 4 and 7 east of Erie, roughly a mile north of Children’s Hospital Colorado North Campus.

At the time of her death, Tracey was a witness set to testify against defendants in a case involving narcotics, prostitution and arson of a nightclub in Colorado Springs. She was a confidential informant for El Paso County and her information led to charges against several suspects.

The Weld County Sheriff’s Office asks that anyone with information regarding Disbrow’s murder call the office’s tip line at 970-340-6464 or email Crimetips@weld.gov.

Boulder County Public Health confirmed that, last week, mosquitoes trapped on the east side of Niwot tested positive for West Nile. No other testing sites returned positive results.

West Nile virus most often causes mild infections, but can, in some cases, become more serious, leading to encephalitis, meningitis, vision loss, paralysis or death.

Although the West Nile mosquito numbers are low, any risk of transmission is worth taking precautions, BCPH said.

“We’ve seen low numbers of mosquitoes so far, but we expect them to increase as the season goes on,” Marshall Lipps, environmental health specialist at Boulder County Public Health, wrote in a release. “However, West Nile virus transmission risk still exists in Boulder County and surrounding areas, and we encourage the community to take personal precautions to prevent mosquito bites. Finding a positive mosquito in one location doesn’t mean the risk is limited to that area. West Nile virus can still be present anywhere across the county.”

Boulder County residents are encouraged to use insect repellent with DEET, wear long pants and sleeves, limit activity during nighttime hours and remove standing water from their property.

West Nile symptoms include fever, fatigue, body aches and sometimes rash or swollen lymph nodes. Those experiencing any of those symptoms are encouraged to contact their health care provider, BCPH said.

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