Roger Leon Estergaard will receive credit for 100 hours served in the Larimer County jail since his arrest in 2024 on suspicion of internet sexual exploitation of a child, internet luring of a child and attempted sexual assault of a child, all felonies, Larimer County District Attorney spokesperson Kylie Massman said.

Judge Juan Villasenor issued the sentence with the conditions that Estergaard have no contact with anyone under 18 and that he register as a sex offender, according to the court order.

Fort Collins police identified Estergaard through his “inappropriate engagement with an underage online persona” and arrested him in July 2024 after he traveled to Fort Collins believing he was meeting a juvenile girl for sex.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital with second-degree burns from fighting the Ponds fire, which started in the 1200 block of Catalpa Place at around 5 p.m., Poudre Fire Authority officials said in a post on X.

The fire burned approximately 8 acres before crews gained containment just after 7 p.m., according to the agency.

Most voluntary and all mandatory evacuation orders were lifted as of 7 p.m.

Firefighters are strengthening the fire line around the fire to ensure no further spread. The fire is estimated at 8 acres at this time. Fire suppression aircraft are responding to strengthen the fire line.

— poudrefire (@poudrefire)

Local beer purveyors made an impressive showing, collecting 26 medals this year, including four gold, up from 21 medals in 2025. Winners were selected from a pool of 8,166 beers submitted from breweries in 50 countries from across the globe, according to competition organizers at the Brewers Association.

The winningest local outfit was Denver’s River North Brewery, which scored three medals: gold for Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun in the coffee beer category, silver for Espresso Hello Darkness in the coffee stout or porter category, and silver for Pumpkin Spice J. Marie in the pumpkin/squash/pumpkin spice category.

Several other breweries won two medals including Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. in Golden, Bull & Bush Brewery in Denver, and New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins.

Also of note, Colorado dominated the competition’s most competitive category, West Coast-style IPA. Out of 293 entries, gold was awarded to Cannon Ball Creek Brewing Co. and silver was awarded to Crystal Springs Brewing Co. in Louisville.

While much of the haul was concentrated with companies on the Front Range, Durango’s Ska Brewing and the namesake Telluride Brewing Co. represented the Western Slope with gold and silver medals, respectively. (Coincidentally, those beers are now brewed at the same facility in Durango.)

“Colorado continues to showcase why we are the state of craft beer. Taking both silver and gold in West Coast-Style IPA, the most competitive category in the competition, is a testament to our brewers’ skill and creativity,” Shawnee Adelson, executive director of the Colorado Brewers Guild, said in a statement. “And with nine beers earning World Beer Cup medals for at least the second time, it’s clear that Colorado doesn’t just make world-class beer — we make it consistently.”

See the list of local World Cup winners below, or visit the for the full list.

World Cup gold medals

Bull & Bush Brewery – Ghoul Fuel, Rum Diaries Edition; Wood- and barrel-aged beer

Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. – Project Alpha 81; West Coast-style India pale ale

River North Brewery – Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun; Coffee beer

Ska Brewing – True Blonde; English-style pale ale

World Cup silver medals

Bull & Bush Brewery – Kauai Pie; Dessert or pastry beer

Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. – Mindbender; American-style strong pale ale

Crystal Springs Brewing Co. – Mosaic Madness; West Coast-style India pale ale

Hideaway Park Brewery – Little Mac; Australian-style pale ale

New Belgium Brewing Co. – Trippel; Belgian-style Tripel

New Belgium Brewing Co. – Dominga Grapefruit Paloma; Fruited American-style sour ale

Peculier Ales – Bärenbräu Bock; German-style Bock or Maibock

Odell Brewing Co. – Friek; Fruited American-style sour ale

River North Brewery – Espresso Hello Darkness; Coffee stout or porter

River North Brewery – Pumpkin Spice J. Marie; Pumpkin/squash or pumpkin spice beer

Telluride Brewing Co. – Face Down Brown; American brown ale

Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project – Grow Old With You; Barley Wine-style ale

Westbound & Down Brewing Co. (Westbound Mill) – Trade Deficit; Export stout

World Cup bronze medals

12Degree Brewing – Cactus Juice; Berliner-style Weisse

The Empourium Brewing Co. – Animals Strike Curious Poses; Honey beer

Liquid Mechanics Brewing – El Poblano Borracho; Chili beer

Lone Tree Brewing Co. – Mexican Lager; Mexican-style lager

Los Dos Potrillos Cervecería (Parker) – Agua Fresca; Fruit beer

The Post Brewing Co. – East County Fine Malt Liquor; Other strong beer

Ratio Beerworks – Dear You; American-Belgo-style ale

The Sandlot Brewery (Coors Field) – Key Lime Pie in the Ski; Fruit wheat beer

Stodgy Brewing Co. – Gin Barrel Sour Red; American-style sour or wood and barrel aged sour beer

UPDATE at 3:49 p.m. on April 23: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated which brewery won gold in the West Coast-style IPA category. It has been updated to reflect the correct winner, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co.

Friday-Sunday. Denver Film’s Women+Film Festival stands out even among the many, mini-fest highlights at the nonprofit movie organization, which also runs Film on the Rocks and puts on the annual Denver Film Festival. The Friday, April 24-Sunday, April 26, lineup features globe-spanning titles that make it easy to catch up on women’s issues and the best work by female filmmakers, organizers said, with screenings, filmmaker Q&As and community conversations.

That includes the delightful opening-night presentation “Cookie Queens,” which looks at Girl Scouts through the lens of cookie season, and the closing-night “Ask E. Jean,” which looks at writer and activist E. Jean Carroll’s life — including becoming the only woman to beat President Donald Trump twice in court.

All events take place at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver. are $85 and individual tickets are $16 via .

Día del Niño 2026

Sunday. The annual celebration of children known as DĂ­a del Niño returns to the metro area this weekend, with the marquee event taking place at the Denver Art Museum. Admission is free all day on Sunday, April 26, as the museum joins nearby institutions in the Golden Triangle for activities and fun, including the Denver Public Library main branch, History Colorado Center, Clyfford Still Museum and the Center for Colorado Women’s History.

Expect live dance and music from a dozen-plus global performers, hands-on artmaking, access to exhibits and more. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 26 at 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway in Denver. Call 720-865-5000 or visit for more details.

Read up!

Through Saturday. It’s a great week for readers, with National Library Week and Independent Bookstore Day overlapping on Saturday, April 25. Metro area libraries are hosting fun, free, literary-adjacent events, screenings, talks and performances such as Shakespeare in the Parking Lot (2 p.m. Saturday at Aurora Central Library, 14949 E. Alameda Parkway), while raising awareness about banned books and the importance of reading.

It’s a great time to sign up for a card and donate to a books nonprofit, but also to our brick-and-mortar booksellers for Colorado Indie Bookstore Day, such as The Shop at Matter (2114 Market St. in Denver). Like lots of others, they’ll have free, live readings, craft activities (printmaking, zines), a DJ set, specials and more. Check out the full list of Colorado locations, including Petals & Pages, Black and Read, Trident Book Sellers and others at .

FoCoMX returns

Friday-Saturday. The biggest indie music fest in Colorado returns this weekend with the FoCoMX, which packs a whopping 450-plus live performances onto 40 downtown Fort Collins stages on Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25. The smoothly run, generously booked event, now celebrating its 18th year, features all-ages performances from hip hop, R&B, folk, bluegrass, indie rock, pop, country, metal, jazz and many more artists.

Get your ticket online for $60 — or $75 for day-of, in-person purchases — and start building your schedule now. Visit for the full lineup and filters to search by venue, genre, and day. Venues include the Aggie Theatre, Avogadro’s Number, Sound Bar, The Neighbor, The Magic Rat, Washington’s, and Odell Brewing Co.

Bo Yennie has made significant progress in regaining some of the independence he lost after suffering a spinal injury in a severe ski crash at Steamboat, and is confident he can make more with continued work.

But his insurance company believes he no longer needs to be in the nursing home where he receives physical and occupational therapy, which could force him to stop working on his recovery early.

Yennie’s family home is in rural Routt County, and traveling to a physical therapy center or finding someone willing to make frequent house calls is unfeasible, his son Ben Yennie said.

Yennie has a insurance plan through the . Medicare, including Advantage plans, covers up to 100 days of rehabilitation care following a significant injury or illness, if medically necessary. He started care on March 4.

But United made it increasingly difficult to get that care, requiring the family to get reauthorization every two days for Yennie to stay at Lemay Avenue Health & Rehab in Fort Collins, Ben Yennie said.

On April 10, after paying for about five weeks, United determined Yennie no longer needed residential care, forcing the family to pay out-of-pocket during the appeals process, he said.

About 99% of people in Medicare Advantage must get prior authorization for at least some services, typically high-cost ones such as nursing home care or non-emergency hospital admissions, .

Insurance companies say that prior authorization and reauthorizations as treatment progresses ensure that patients are getting the right level of care, while consumer groups see them as a way for insurers to save money by denying services patients need — or by adding enough hassles that they give up. Most authorizations ultimately go through, particularly if patients appeal.

In his appeal, Ben Yennie said his father’s and he requires treatment to raise it long enough to participate in physical therapy. It wouldn’t be safe for him to get that treatment in a setting without providers monitoring him before his sessions, he said.

They learned Wednesday that they won their appeal, meaning United will reimburse the family for their out-of-pocket spending, but another reauthorization is coming up. Ben Yennie said the company plans to review his father’s care again Thursday, meaning the appeals process could start again if it recommends discharging him.

Paying out-of-pocket for a $20,000-per-month nursing facility isn’t feasible for long, he said.

“He was a public school teacher. There’s only so much there,” he said.

United Healthcare released a statement saying that it conducts reviews to ensure plan members are getting the right care, using “peer-to-peer” conversations with providers and facilities. How often a patient’s care comes up for review depends on how complex their condition is and how it has evolved.

“We understand how difficult recovery and transitions between different levels of care can be for patients and families, especially following a serious injury. Our goal is to support members in accessing coverage for the right care, in the right setting, for the best possible recovery and health outcomes, following evidence‑based care to support that goal,” the statement said.

Kylie Thompson, social services director at Lemay, said insurance companies typically require more frequent reviews as a patient’s stay goes on, to ensure they’re still making progress, but not well enough to move to another setting. Part of her job is to help patients and their families understand their rights and navigate the process, she said.

In most cases, a review is just a phone call, but families want to focus on their loved one’s recovery and may get nervous that someone they don’t know is deciding on the person’s care, Thompson said.

“The process is not difficult… but it can be emotionally taxing,” she said. “Everything is on the line for that phone call.”

Insurers see requiring prior authorization and periodic reviews as a way to produce savings, but given the high percentage of care that they approve initially or following an appeal, no one knows if they’ve succeeded in that regard, said Adam Fox, deputy director of the .

A study found independent review organizations if the patient appealed, at least in New York.

“A lot of this is creating a huge amount of busywork,” he said.

A separate study estimated the average prior authorization request — significant, when added up over tens of thousands of customers, but far less expensive than the care patients are seeking in most cases. Since only a small percentage of people appeal their denials, insurers likely have savings in the short term, though those may not last if people experience complications from discharging too early, Fox said.

“They’re sort of gambling on that someone released early is not going to have additional care needs,” he said.

People can reduce their chances of disruption from insurance authorization by working closely with their medical providers, who are often the ones submitting the paperwork, Fox said. Everyone has a right to appeal a decision that went against them, but not to challenge how often the insurer requires reauthorization, he said.

Yennie said he has improved significantly since January, when he went over an unmarked ledge while skiing at Steamboat, essentially bruising his spinal cord in the crash. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, he could wiggle his toes, but couldn’t get his abdominal muscles to contract, which prevented him from sitting up without help. Other muscles over-contracted, pulling his arms in toward his body.

The doctors don’t know how much function he’ll regain, but they’ve warned him to expect a long process of physical therapy, Yennie said. He’s talked to people with similar injuries who aren’t back at baseline five years out, but continue making incremental progress.

At the moment, he’s working on transferring from his bed to a motorized wheelchair, as well as performing daily activities such as shaving and brushing his teeth. He needs to reach a point where he can get out of bed with only one person’s help before moving to a step-down facility, Yennie said.

“I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it,” he said.

His physical and occupational therapists have canceled sessions at times because of uncertainty about whether insurance would pay, Yennie said. United Healthcare initially reviewed his care after a week, then after four days and then after two days. He thinks the company is trying to wear him down.

“I don’t know what a person would do without advocates,” he said.

City officials have not developed a plan to stop the discharge as they investigate the source of water polluting one of the Front Range’s most important rivers. Arsenic can be toxic to people, animals and aquatic life.

It’s not a huge problem because it’s not a major flow of water into the river, said John Spear, an environmental engineering professor at the .

“But it’s enough of a problem where it’s worth fixing, and it could take a while to fix and figure out who’s going to pay for it,” said Spear, who reviewed a consultant’s analysis of what the city is calling an “illicit discharge” for The Denver Post. “In the meantime, the riparian corridor could suffer because there’s arsenic coming into it.”

Commerce City officials are reluctant to talk about the pipe, citing their ongoing investigation.

“…While we have not yet identified the source of the discharge and total volumes, we have been able to confirm the presence of arsenic, iron and other heavy metals in the discharge,” Travis Huntington, a city spokesman, wrote in an emailed statement. “Commerce City is following all applicable state and federal requirements and will keep relevant stakeholders updated as we identify the source and advance remediation efforts.”

The pipe was discovered in February after a resident reported it through the city’s online portal that allows people to flag potholes, streetlights that are out, and other infrastructure issues, Huntington said. But it is unclear how long the pipe has been spilling hazardous chemicals into the South Platte. No one has determined how much water from the pipe is flowing into the river.

Commerce City officials hired a consulting firm to test the water on March 9.

The consultant’s report, which The Post obtained from the Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division, shows that arsenic levels in the mud along the riverbank are hundreds of times higher than amounts naturally found in Colorado soil.

The tests, conducted by of Fort Collins, found 528 milligrams of arsenic per kilogram of soil in the mud just below the pipe. At the water’s edge, the contaminant level was 73 milligrams of arsenic per kilogram of soil, according to the CGRS report.

Arsenic concentrations in Colorado soil typically range from 1 to 20 milligrams per kilogram of soil.

“The concentrations detected at the site substantially exceed these background levels and are not consistent with naturally occurring conditions alone, suggesting a potential localized source associated with the discharge,” the consultant’s report stated.

That means the water is most likely coming from an old mine or industrial site.

The arsenic in the water spilling directly from the pipe had “marginally high” levels, testing at 11.15 and 11.35 micrograms per liter. That level is higher than what is acceptable for public drinking water levels, the report said. In some cases, that level of arsenic can be naturally occurring in groundwater.

Still, the consultants recommended further evaluation to determine the source of the spill.

‘Like a kitchen sponge’

Spear, the School of Mines professor, said the higher concentrations in the soil mean the arsenic has been accumulating for years as water pours from the pipe onto the ground.

“The soil is removing the arsenic from the water and holding onto the arsenic,” he said. “It’s like a kitchen sponge.”

But the sponge can’t hold all the water, so some arsenic is flowing into the river.

Water coming from the pipe also contains elevated levels of manganese that are more than 100 times the amount recommended for tap water, according to the CGRS report.

Readings taken from water at the pipe were 5,408.51 and 5,226.68micrograms per liter. Manganese is typically less than 50 micrograms per liter in water.

Manganese naturally occurs in ground and surface water, but the high levels found in the pipe indicate it is runoff from an industrial site. The mineral is a nutrient important to human health, but it can be toxic if people are exposed to large amounts or over an extended period.

“Such elevated levels are not representative of typical background conditions and may reflect a potential localized source associated with the discharge,” the consultant’s report said. “Given the magnitude of exceedance, additional evaluation is warranted to assess the source and extent of manganese in the discharge.”

The consultant’s testing also found low levels of 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane, a man-made chemical used as a fungicide. The fungicide, also known as DBCP, became notorious decades ago when male workers on Latin American banana plantations became sterile after the chemical was absorbed into their skin.

The presence of DBCP led Spear to conclude that the source of the discharge is from an old industrial site.

“The fact that it’s present means you can use it as a tracer for human activity,” Spear said. “Somebody did something at that site and we can see it today. It’s probably not groundwater coming up from the subsurface. It’s probably coming through historic use and what somebody did in the past.”

The pipe flows under property owned by a real estate investor, according to Adams County records, and is used by a tree surgeon. But there is no indication that either of those entities is responsible for the pipe or the substances discharging from it.

Downstream water districts warned

Branden Ingersoll, a spokesman for the state health department’s Hazardous Materials Division, said the data show arsenic concentration in the water is acceptable for surface water but not for tap water.

As a precaution, Commerce City has notified downstream water districts, including Brighton, Thornton and the South Adams County Water and Sanitation District, of the illicit discharge. No one has reported impacts on fish or aquatic life, he said.

“We are recommending that Commerce City conduct additional evaluation of the pipe and the site of the release to assess the potential source, impact on soils and remediation of soils,” Ingersoll said.

The earth between the pipe and the riverbank is covered in a slick-looking, bright orange goop. The soil turned orange because microorganisms are breaking down the iron and other heavy metals in the water, Spear said.

“That’s actually normal,” he said. “It can look really toxic and really gross, but it’s a good thing to see that.”

The South Platte is a source of drinking water for thousands of Front Range residents, and the river also provides water for livestock and crops in northern Colorado and western Nebraska.

The first step to solving the problem is to determine the source of the water discharge, Spear said. Commerce City and the state health department need to figure out a remedy, most likely by treating the water to eliminate the toxic levels of arsenic and manganese.

Those government agencies will also need to figure out who pays for it, and if they connect the discharge to an industrial source, they could seek compensation from that business — if it still exists, he said.

“Commerce City is doing their own due diligence and I respect them for that,” Spear said. “They’re going to need to get to the bottom of this.”

But the ‘s $331 million “starter service” trains would roll by January 2029 with three daily roundtrips, at speeds up to 79 mph, also stopping at Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins.

And the 150 residents who attended the meeting in the East Boulder Community Center mostly applauded. The Front Range Passenger Rail District presentation was the latest in in which state officials are rallying support for a tax increase to eventually fund an expanded Colorado Connector rail service with 10 daily roundtrips linking cities from Fort Collins to Pueblo.

“Boulder is ready for rail. We have been for 20 years,” said Kristofer Johnson, the city’s comprehensive planning manager, referring to the voter approval of a tax hike in 2004 to fund a FasTracks train linking Denver and Boulder, which the Regional Transportation District has failed to deliver.

That¶¶Ňőap been a sore spot in northwest metro Denver. RTD collected sales tax revenues that residents paid over the past two decades, setting aside about $190 million in an agency savings account. Johnson pointed out that Boulder developed a “transit village,” including apartments and shops near an existing RTD bus station, in anticipation of trains to Denver.

Boulder County Commissioner Claire Levy, who also serves on the rail district board, addressed questions from residents about what happened to the sales taxes they paid for two decades.

“The actual costs of FasTracks just far exceed the revenue that was raised. You cannot change that,” Levy said.

“We’re hoping to tap a substantial amount of that money that RTD has put away,” and RTD is expected to pay a share of the annual operating costs, around $25 million, she said. “For more than that, we just have to be realistic about the funding that is available.”

The starter service trains would run on existing RTD B-Line tracks to Westminster, then shift to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway freight tracks. RTD directors and several state boards must first approve funding.

At Wednesday’s meeting, residents wanted to know the train timetables. Where could riders park their vehicles at stations? What’s the potential for an expanded system eventually to bring all-electric fast trains at higher frequencies?

“I was underwhelmed,” said Indira Pranabudi, who moved to Boulder from Boston, where she relied only on public transit. “I came in here quite hopeful. Then I heard ‘three daily round-trips.’ That¶¶Ňőap not enough.”

Afterwards, she sat with fellow Boulder resident Andrew Robinson, who embraced the plans. “It¶¶Ňőap definitely a start.”

The turnout on a weeknight, following crowds of up to 300 at meetings in Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver and Longmont, shows that “people really want this service,” Front Range Passenger Rail District director Sal Pace said.

He and attorney John Putnam, chairman of the rail district’s board and former general counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation, also acknowledged residents’ desires for higher-frequency, faster trains in the future.

“I want that, too,” Putnam said. “Ultimately, we want to be there. If we want that, how do we get there?”

Updated 1:15 p.m. April 16, 2026: This story has been updated to correct Kristofer Johnson’s title. He is Boulder’s comprehensive planning manager.

Saturday-Sunday. It wouldn’t be spring without the return of Elitch Gardens, Denver’s biggest theme park and one that’s chock full of roller coasters, kids’ attractions and water slides (maybe too early for those). Following a season pass-holder preview last week, the theme park just west of downtown Denver reopens to the public for limited dates starting Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19.

The Saturday-Sunday dates continue through late May, when the 135-year-old park is open daily. Still, the 10 a.m.-6 pm. April and May windows are great chances to beat the summer crowds and take advantage of short lines at the most popular rides. Season passes run $80-$110 while single-day tickets are $48, with prices going up on May 21. The park is located at 2000 Elitch Circle in Denver. Call 303-595-4386 or visit for more.

Record Store Day at Wax Trax

Saturday. The vinyl rarities sold exclusively during the annual Record Store Day in April run from Taylor Swift to the Grateful Dead and local indie acts, but much of the appeal is the joyous atmosphere that surrounds the industry promotion. Audiophiles of all ages and backgrounds gather at local brick-and-mortar stores to celebrate physical media, often standing in line for hours to get first crack at one of hundreds of live albums, singles and reissues.

Among the many metro-area record stores that are celebrating on Saturday, April 18, Wax Trax Records is activating its trio of locations, including its newly opened Highland neighborhood outpost, with free breakfast for the line, local bands (including a preview of the forthcoming Blucifer’s First Rodeo festival), DJs, ticket and turntable giveaways, and a limited edition beer collaboration with Cerebral dubbed First Pressing. Doors open at 8 a.m. at the locations in Capitol Hill, South Broadway and Northside locations. Free admission. Call 303-831-7246 or visit for more details.

A masterful Colorado Ballet

Friday-Sunday. Colorado’s best ballet company will bring back its MasterWorks program this weekend with a triple threat of titles, this year including a world premiere. In addition to George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco (set to Bach) and Glen Tetley’s The Rite of Spring (on stage for the first time since 2013), there’s the intriguing S. Rachmaninoff, a world premiere by choreographer Yoshihisa Arai, commissioned by Colorado Ballet following his acclaimed take on BolĂ©ro. “The new ballet traces Sergei Rachmaninoff’s emotional journey from crisis to creative triumph, embodying the healing power of art,” organizers wrote online.

Performances include live music from the Colorado Ballet Symphony Orchestras. They started last week and continue at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18, with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis St. in Denver. Tickets are $40-$160 at .

Fort Collins Book Fest

Friday-Saturday. Readers, take note: The Fort Collins Book Fest is wrapping up its second and final weekend at Foothills Mall, from Friday, April 17, to Saturday, April 18. The event features multiple panels and workshops with poets, children’s authors, sci-fi novelists, illustrators, comics artists and more, plus a marketplace showcasing dozens of Colorado writers.

This weekend’s cohort includes Denver Post reporter Meg Wingerter, whose new book, “The Silence that Remains” (Mission Point Press), is “a historical fiction novel with the sweep of ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ set against the full weight of Stalin’s reign of terror,” organizers wrote (see more at ). The marketplace is open 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, although all authors may not be present the whole time. Tickets are pay-what-you-can at . 215 E Foothills Parkway in Fort Collins.

Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to the crash involving two semitrailers near milepost 275, just south of Wellington, at 5:24 a.m., according to a news release from the agency.

Both commercial trucks were traveling in the same direction, and it’s not yet known what caused the crash, state patrol officials said in the release.

The crash sparked a small brush fire in the center median of I-25 that was quickly extinguished, investigators said. No vehicles caught fire, and no injuries were reported.

Both directions of I-25 were briefly closed because of the crash, and all southbound lanes reopened just before 7 a.m., according to the state patrol. The northbound lanes fully reopened at 10:40 a.m.

An unvaccinated adult who was a close contact of a known measles case in Weld County visited two health care facilities on Monday, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The virus can stay in the air for up to two hours, so the exposure windows overlap:

• UCHealth Primary Care Johnstown, 4846 Larimer Parkway, 3:15-5:20 p.m. Monday
• Banner Fort Collins Medical Center emergency department, 4700 Lady Moon Drive, 3:35-6:10 p.m. Monday

Getting the shot up to 72 hours after exposure to the measles virus reduces the odds of getting sick. People who miss that window may still be able to prevent or reduce symptoms if they get an antibody product within six days, though the odds get longer as time passes.

Two shots of the measles vaccine are about 97% effective in preventing illness, if given at least two weeks before the person encounters the virus.

People exposed on Monday could develop symptoms through May 4.

Early signs include a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, with a rash starting at the hairline about four days after someone becomes contagious.

Anyone who develops symptoms after a known measles exposure should call ahead before seeking medical care, so the clinic or hospital can reduce the odds that other patients will get the virus. The state health department couldn’t immediately confirm if the person who sought care Monday knew they could have measles.

Typically, the health department asks unvaccinated people with a known measles exposure to quarantine for 21 days.

The new measles case is the fifth confirmed in Weld County this year and 16th in Colorado.