Good morning southern Colorado and here's what you need to know on your Friday morning.
If you'd like to read the full story, be sure to click on the story headline.
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Smoke to increase across southern Colorado once again today
We are expecting smoke to return to Colorado today, most of it from wildfires burning in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. The four main fires producing smoke are the Mullen, Cameron Peak, Williams Fork, and Middle Fork fires. The Mullen fire has grown the quickest this week and is going to keep throwing the majority of our smoke into southern Colorado.
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President Trump and first lady test positive for the coronavirus
President Donald Trump tweeted early Friday morning he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus. The president confirmed late Thursday that Hope Hicks, a senior White House staffer who serves as counselor to the president, was infected with the coronavirus.
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Car crashes into back of tractor trailer in Pueblo
Traffic on Highway 50 is moving slowly Friday morning after a driver crashed into the back of a tractor trailer while attempting to reach for a cellphone, according to the Pueblo Police Department. The department responded to the crash at Highway 50 and Club Manor Drive in the westbound lanes around 5:10 a.m. The driver told officers they were reaching for their phone when they hit the tractor trailer from behind. As of 6 a.m., the department said they were contacting the Pueblo Fire Department for cleanup assistance as there is "quite a bit of oil spilled on the roadway." Use caution in the area if you are traveling this morning.
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News5 Investigates: State Health Dept. hides statistics, data during COVID-19 pandemic
News5 Investigates has found the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has been hiding data pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic. A few months ago, News5 Investigates started asking for more specific data on ICU bed counts and capacity numbers for hospitals in southern Colorado. Hospitals didn't want to give us their daily statistics, and CDPHE decided to hide the raw data from us by denying a records request we submitted.
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Story of hope after Pueblo girl beats cancer
A little girl in Pueblo recently beat cancer and now her family is sharing her story of hope and remarkable strength. Four-year-old Cecilia "Cece" Long was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia when she was 13 months old. Her parents, Katie and Chance Long, said the diagnosis was an unexpected shock to the family. Thanks to doctors' quick actions at Children's Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs, the Long family began treatment for Cece right away. The family took dozens of trips to the hospital for treatments, making the drive from Pueblo to Colorado Springs up to four times every week.
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