Happy first week of March, Bucket Listers! Before we get into this week’s stories, today is the last day to fill out our annual survey. By completing this survey and providing honest feedback, we can improve your weekly news experience. In our first stories of March, one of our high school journalists discusses how the 2026 Iran war is affecting her family in Syria, we investigate the Flock camera controversy, provide an update on conditions inside Aurora’s ICE facility and recap this month’s radio show.
Iran War Hits Close to Home for Denver High School Student
As tensions rise between Iran, Israel and the United States, a Colorado student spoke with her Syrian family to discuss the impact of another armed conflict in the region. Although the Middle East conflict has been going on for decades, families like Thomas Jefferson High School student Rawaa Zardy’s were starting to feel like the area “was finally safe, but now it feels uncertain again.” Rawaa shares stories told by her grandmother, father, mother and cousin about their personal experiences living in the Middle East during the ongoing conflict.
Colorado’s Controversial Flock Cameras
Across Colorado, police departments are quickly adopting automated license plate readers, which are frequently manufactured by Flock Safety, a $7.5 billion technology company. Local officials claim that Flock cameras are used for public safety as a crime-fighting tool, but many citizens believe they are surveillance and want to know what else is being done with the data. Bucket List reporter Brooklyn Miller speaks with people on both sides of the issue and provides updates on what the Denver mayor has implemented and what is coming up in Congress.
New Report on Conditions at the Aurora ICE Facility
People detained at the Aurora immigration detention center require between $80 and $100 per week to contact family members and purchase commissary items to supplement the facility’s food offerings, according to a new report from a coalition of local advocacy organizations. In a story first published by Colorado Newsline, reporter Sarah Wilson investigates what is going on inside the Aurora ICE facility and what the conditions are like for detainees.
March Radio Show Recap
Before March brings us daylight saving and Saint Patrick’s Day, we dropped a brand new episode of the Bucket List Community News radio show that we produce for KGNU. This month’s show includes stories about the Denver Summit FC’s upcoming home game, Ollin Cafetzin, cellphone policies in public schools, the Academy Awards’ impact on local movie theaters and Colorado’s unexpected role in our return to the moon. Click here to listen to all previous episodes, and next month’s episode will air live on KGNU on Thursday, April 2, at 3 p.m.
Stuff We Noticed
Denver is a finalist for the DNC in 2028. The Mile High City is one of five finalists, along with Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston, to host the next Democratic National Convention in 2028. Denver last hosted the DNC in 2008, when the party nominated Barack Obama. Although the convention will not be held until August 7, 2028, the DNC is expected to announce the host city in the coming months.
Denver Pride Changes Things Up. The Center on Colfax announced on Monday that Denver Pride will be held on 16th Street instead of Civic Center Park due to construction and will last one day, June 28, rather than a weekend. This year, instead of the second day of the festival, there will be a “rolling Pride,” with multiple celebrations beginning on June 4 and continuing throughout the month. The Center has also changed its policy on accepting corporate donations to ensure that it does not accept funds from organizations that support wars abroad or harm marginalized people in the country.
Colorado Athletes Compete in the Paralympics. Colorado is sending multiple athletes to the Paralympic Winter Games to compete in events such as sled hockey and snowboarding. The opening ceremony for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 is scheduled for Friday, March 6, with competitions running from March 7 to March 15. All events will be streamed live on Peacock and broadcasting channels USA, CNBC and NBC for viewers to watch.
Congratulations to Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and his wife Izzy Smoke Nix, who revealed this week that their first child was born. Izzy announced in an adorable Instagram post that their daughter, Riley Belle Nix, had arrived on her father’s birthday, February 25. Finally, if you haven’t already, please take a few moments to fill out our survey. Please let us know what’s working and what we can improve at Bucket List. As always, thank you for reading, and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Warmest Regards,
Kathryn Cronin
Editorial Intern/Bucket List Community News
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