Good morning southern Colorado and here's what you need to know on your Thursday morning.
If you'd like to read the full story, be sure to click on the story headline.
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King Soopers will require customers to wear masks starting July 22
Kroger, which owns Colorado's King Soopers grocery chain, announced on Wednesday that it will begin requiring all customers to wear masks on July 22. Store employees have been required to wear masks for months amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While a statewide mask mandate is not in place, Colorado officials have urged residents in recent weeks to wear masks in public, as cases have seen an uptick this summer.
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Full story behind the "Blue Klux Klan" viral Pueblo deputy video
You may have seen a video circulating on social media appearing to show a Pueblo County Sheriff's Deputy showing off a button that says "Blue Klux Klan" on it. The video quickly went viral and led to numerous calls for the Pueblo County Sheriff's Deputy to be fired. But there's more to the story. News5 obtained body camera video which shows the deputy was handed the derogatory button by a protester at a rally over Pueblo's Christopher Columbus statue.
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Strong to severe storms today - less intense than yesterday
We're in for another day of strong to severe thunderstorms, but severe weather looks weaker and more isolated compared to yesterday. We could still see large hail (quarter-sized), 60 mph wind gusts, and localized flooding for areas that saw heavy rain yesterday. Rain and thunderstorms will come in multiple waves today and likely last a lot longer into the late day and evening.
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Local students offering tutoring sessions for 99 cents
Separated from their classrooms and teachers because of coronavirus, students had a difficult ending to last school year. Many parents fear their student may have even fallen behind. Two college students who recently graduated from the Discovery Canyon Campus are now back home and want to help those students rebound by offering tutoring sessions for 99 cents.
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Mandatory mask order coming to Manitou Springs
Manitou Springs is drafting an emergency order to require wearing masks in public. City Council gave direction Tuesday to have city staff write the order under the community's existing emergency ordinance. The news comes as a relief to many small business owners who've shouldered the responsibility of enforcing public health policy and irritated some customers along the way.
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