Good morning southern Colorado and here's what you need to know on your Monday morning.
If you'd like to read the full story, be sure to click on the story headline.
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Gov. Jared Polis extends mask order to October 12
Gov. Jared Polis' office announced Saturday that the statewide mask mandate has been extended for 30 days. The order is set to expire on Oct. 12 unless extended further by another executive order. During a press conference Friday, Polis said the mandate would likely be extended. He also stated that mask-wearing has allowed the state to open many businesses and schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the press conference, he also said he hopes to end the mandate as soon as possible, and if the state's nightlife can return successfully, the mask requirement will be re-evaluated.
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KOAA-TV launches 4pm news, new daytime lineup on September 14
Beginning today, KOAA-TV is expanding news coverage to southern Colorado with the addition of an hour-long News5 at 4 p.m. KOAA News5 focuses on in-depth storytelling and News5 at 4 builds on that strength for unique local coverage. The mission of this newscast is to give voices to every walk of life in our diverse community - while staying on top of all our breaking news and weather.
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Beautiful today with hazy skies returning tomorrow
Today looks absolutely gorgeous, very similar to what we saw over the weekend! We'll have sunny skies with little to no smoke in the atmosphere along with pleasant and warm daytime conditions. Smoke will drift into the state tomorrow, most of that being a product of the California and Oregon fires. Smoke will probably get denser by the middle of the week, and it'll be most noticeable in and around the mountains.
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The Review & Preview: What southern Coloradans need to know this week
With so much information being announced daily about the COVID-19 pandemic, here is a review and preview of what is going on in Southern Colorado as it pertains to the virus. Besides Gov. Jared Polis extending the statewide mask mandate, the big story was the back and forth between Polis and the Colorado High School Sports Association over whether to bring football back in the fall. The two sides huddled on Friday to see if some variance restrictions could be revised to allow football.
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Despite pandemic, cost of living continues to rise
With the economic fallout from COVID-19, many are finding it harder to make ends meet. At the same time, new numbers suggest the cost of living is still going up. The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released new data comparing the consumer price index, which is essentially the price of common things we pay for all averaged together, of 2019 to that of 2020. The number has gone up.
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