Breaking news reporter

Lauren Penington

Lauren Penington is a breaking news reporter at The Denver Post. Before joining the Post in 2023, she wrote for Law Week Colorado, the Lincoln Journal Star in Nebraska and more. Born and raised in Colorado, Lauren studied journalism and political science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before returning home to Parker. When she's not in the newsroom, Lauren enjoys concerts (especially at Red Rocks), crossing national parks off her bucket list and hiking in the mountains.

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Emily Dara Miller, an acquisitions, media & teen collection development librarian, works on her computer that shows availability of digital books at the Jefferson County Library's Library Service Center in Wheat Ridge, Colorado on April 14, 2025. Dara Miller oversees digital acquisitions, helps with e-books and DVDs and helps to select what to buy for the library’s collection. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Rising popularity, cost of e-books forces some Colorado libraries to limit access

May 25, 2025 at 11:45 a.m.

The boom in e-book popularity is accompanied by a rise in cost, forcing some Colorado libraries to limit who can access their highly sought-after digital collections.

Abou Diol holds his head near the picture of his brother Djibril Diol and other family members after the news conference announcing the arrests of three juvenile suspects in the arson fire that killed Djibril Diol and four family members, at the Denver Police Crime Laboratory on Jan. 27, 2021. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

Final arsonist in Green Valley Ranch fire that killed 5 members of Senegalese family is sentenced to 60 years in prison

July 3, 2024 at 9:18 a.m.

“The sentencing of Kevin Bui marks the end of one of the darkest chapters in Denver’s history,” Deputy District Attorney Courtney Johnston said during the hearing.

Sisters Jennifer and Miranda Wetzler pose for a portrait in Fort Collins on July 12, 2023. The two sisters had hoped to sue their alleged abuser under Colorado's Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act, but the Colorado Supreme Court stuck down the law last week. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Colorado victims of childhood sex abuse, blocked by state Supreme Court, hold out hope for future chance at justice

July 22, 2023 at 2:47 p.m.

The Wetzler sisters were preparing to file a lawsuit under Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act when a unanimous decision by the Colorado Supreme Court on June 20 struck down the...

Aurora cyclist killed in suspected DUI crash on Havana

July 31, 2025 at 11:08 a.m.

Investigators believe both speed and alcohol were factors in the crash on South Havana Street.

The speed limit on Denver's Eighth Avenue viaduct was lowered from 30 mph to 10 mph when it reopened on Monday, July 28, 2025. (Photo courtesy of the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure)

Speed limit on Denver’s 8th Avenue bridge drops to 10 mph

July 31, 2025 at 10:56 a.m.

Watch out, Denver drivers. The speed limit on the recently reopened Eighth Avenue viaduct has been dropped to only 10 mph.

Man gets life in prison for fatal stabbing at Family Dollar store in Adams County

July 31, 2025 at 8:15 a.m.

Anthony Dennis Grayson, 51, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the 2016 stabbing of a Family Dollar Store manager in Adams County.

Dentist James Craig, front right, is led away as Judge Shay Whitaker, back, looks on after the verdict was rendered in his murder trial Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, Pool)

Aurora dentist guilty in wife’s poisoning murder, will spend rest of life in prison

July 31, 2025 at 6:07 a.m.

"I was supposed to be able to trust my dad. He was supposed to be my hero, and instead, he’ll forever be the villain in my book."

As of July 25, 2025, drivers can only turn left at the intersection of Tower Road and East 81st Avenue when they have a green arrow. The change was implemented after a recent fatal crash at the intersection. (Photo courtesy of Commerce City).

Fatal shuttle bus crash prompts traffic light changes at Commerce City intersection

July 30, 2025 at 5:58 p.m.

New traffic light rules went into effect last week at one Commerce City intersection after a shuttle bus crash earlier this month killed one person and sent nearly a dozen...

David Fries hikes around Crater Lake near the Maroon Bells on Sept. 7, 2023. (Tynin Fries, The Denver Post)

Injured hiker rescued from Maroon Bells trail

July 30, 2025 at 12:01 p.m.

The hiker injured a knee while on the Crater Lake Trail, a popular hike that starts about 30 minutes from downtown Aspen, Pitkin County sheriff's officials said.

Ben Coryell climbs lead on Cat Slab during a climbing trip in Clear Creek Canyon

Climber dies after falling from Colorado mountain, stranding 2 others

July 30, 2025 at 9:40 a.m.

A three-person climbing group was scaling the “Hasta la Vista Amichi” route Tuesday morning near Officers Gulch, north of Copper Mountain on Interstate 70, when one of them fell.

Judge Mark Gonzales’s gavel lies in his courtroom before the morning docket begins at Greeley Municipal Court in Greeley, Colorado.on Sept. 18, 2024.. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)

Man who attempted to kidnap Westminster student gets 25 years in prison

July 30, 2025 at 8:27 a.m.

A man who attempted to kidnap a student walking to school in Westminster last year was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison, according to court records.

FILE - In this May 27, 2021 file photo, vehicles move along southbound Interstate 25 while motorists sit on the Interstate 70 overpass to start the Memorial Day weekend in Denver. Americans were hitting the road in near-record numbers at the start of the holiday weekend. More than 1.8 million people went through U.S. airports on Thursday, and that number could top 2 million over the weekend, the highest mark since early March of last year. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Motorcyclist injured in Denver hit-and-run on I-25, under I-70 overpass

July 30, 2025 at 7:41 a.m.

The crash happened just before 9:30 p.m. on July 23, when an unknown driver made an unsafe lane change in front of a motorcycle on northbound I-25, police said.

Police tape and a Boulder Police cruiser is seen near a death investigation with suspicious devices in an apartment on the 4500 Block of 13th Street in Boulder on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

2 dead, 1 injured in separate Denver shootings

July 30, 2025 at 9:43 a.m.

Two people were shot and killed Tuesday evening in Denver in what police are investigating as a murder-suicide, police said.

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