The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 said 97% of the union members voted Friday to authorize a strike in response to what union officials said is the company’s “ongoing illegal conduct at and away from the bargaining table.”

Workers at the plant in Denver process meat products for Kroger stores throughout the Southwest, including King Soopers and City Market stores in Colorado, Fry’s Food and Drug Stores in Arizona, and Ralphs Grocery Company in California.

The timing of any strike will be determined at a later date.

Members of UFCW Local 7 reached a tentative contract agreement with JBS at its flagship beef processing plant in Greeley in mid-April following a three-week strike over pay and working conditions.

JBS spokeswoman Nikki Richardson said in an email the company is disappointed that UFCW Local 7 “has chosen to pursue another strike rather than continue productive discussions at the bargaining table.”

If a strike is called, Richardson said it would be the fifth initiated by the same union in just four years across multiple employers. Richardson said the company has negotiated in good faith and made proposals that include meaningful wage increases and a one-time bonus.

The union, which represents 23,000 members in Colorado and Wyoming, approved a three-year contract with King Soopers in 2025 after a 12-day strike at stores in metro Denver.

Kim Cordova, UCFW Local 7 president, said the union represents about 300 members at Denver Processing. Negotiations on a new contract began in December.

Union officials said they have filed multiple unfair labor practices against Denver Processing stemming from two categories of illegal conduct. The union accuses the company of engaging in interference and retaliation by disciplining a bargaining committee member for attending bargaining sessions, protected activity under federal law.

The union has also accused Denver Processing of bad-faith bargaining by repeatedly stalling negotiations, failing to respond to the union’s proposals on key safety and work-life balance issues and declaring a final offer before meaningful bargaining could occur.

“We came to the table ready to negotiate a fair contract. Instead, Denver Processing wasted our time, retaliated against our committee members, and refused to seriously engage with our proposals on safety and scheduling,” Natalia Gonzalez, a Denver Processing worker and UFCW Local 7 member, said in a statement.

Workers at the HF Sinclair terminal in Henderson on Jan. 8 failed to close a valve, which allowed diesel fuel to mix with regular unleaded gasoline, regulators with announced Friday. The mistake led to the contamination of more than 1.6 million gallons of gasoline, of which 365,694 gallons were sold to 49 gas stations across the Front Range.

More than 1,000 people reported problems with their vehicles because of the contaminated fuel, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Deputy Executive Director Cher Haavind said at a news conference Friday.

The state Division of Oil and Public Safety fined Sinclair $365,694 for the incident — $1 per gallon of contaminated gasoline. The company also implemented a system requiring two people to verify proper valve opening and closing and to use a checklist.

While state statute only allows for fines of $500 per violation per day, regulators didn’t feel a $500 or $1,000 fine adequately addressed the violation, Zach Hope, Division of Oil and Public Safety spokesperson, said Friday. The division worked with the Colorado Attorney General’s office to levy a more fitting fine, he said.

“We are also going to work with them to make sure we have ongoing fuel quality monitoring with them,” Hope said.

The improper mixing of fuel began at approximately 2 p.m. Jan. 7 but was not discovered by Sinclair employees until approximately 6 a.m. Jan. 8 when gas station operators notified the distributor of irregularities, . In the interim, more than 360,000 gallons of fuel had already been sold to gas stations, including some operated by King Soopers, Costco and Murphy Express.

Sinclair began notifying the fuel distributors of the incident on the morning of Jan. 8, but did not notify the Division of Oil and Public Safety.

Officials with the division began receiving complaints from consumers that same morning. Drivers reported stalling, sputtering and newly illuminated check engine lights shortly after refueling their vehicles. By 11 a.m., state regulators confirmed the sale of contaminated fuel at one Costco in Sheridan, but throughout the day realized the issue was much broader.

“It wasn’t a great Friday morning,” Hope said of the day of the incident.

Investigators eventually traced the contaminated fuel to the Henderson site.

State regulators contacted Sinclair on the morning of Jan. 9. The company had already begun to recover the contaminated gasoline and state investigators requested a list of the gas stations impacted. Sinclair did not provide the list until Jan. 13.

Gas station owners responded quickly once they discovered contaminated fuel and helped prevent broader consumer impacts, the report states.

The Division of Oil and Public Safety is working with 1,090 people who purchased the contaminated fuel to help them recover the cost of car repairs. The state believes all impacted people have already initiated the claims process, but encouraged anyone else who purchased the fuel to file a complaint by calling 303-866-4967 or filling out and emailing it to cdle_oil_inspection@state.co.us.

Fuel contamination is very rare, Haavind said. The Sinclair incident is only the second in 20 years in the state.

Sinclair did not immediately respond to about the fine, Hope said. The company has 10 days to request a meeting about the violation and fine.

can take up to three weeks to appear and initially are nonspecific: a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. The rash, which typically starts at the hairline and moves down, appears about four days after someone becomes contagious, so people can spread the virus before they know what they have.

Check MMR vaccination rates for Colorado schools, preschools and child care facilities

Many of the exposure sites identified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as being linked to the Broomfield outbreak have expired, though they still include a sports bar in Arvada, a Chipotle restaurant in Westminster and Broomfield High School.

Two new exposure sites have been identified at the UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland in connection with a Weld County measles case.

The current locations where people could have encountered the virus are:

• Bout Time Pub & Grub, 5225 W. 80th Ave., Arvada, 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. March 10-11. Symptoms could appear through April 1.
• Broomfield High School, 1 Eagle Way, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 19-20 and Feb. 23-27. Symptoms could appear through March 20.
• Chipotle, 5160 W. 120th Ave., Westminster, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 26. Symptoms could appear through March 19.
• UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies Emergency Department, 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave., Loveland, 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., March 17. Symptoms could appear through April 7.
• UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies Outpatient Pharmacy, 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave., Loveland, 11:25 a.m. to 1:25 p.m. March 18. Symptoms could appear through April 8.

People who encountered the virus and develop symptoms should call ahead before going for medical care, to reduce the odds of spreading the virus.

Two doses of the measles vaccine reduce the odds of infection by about 97%. People who haven't been vaccinated can get partial protection if they receive the shot within about three days of exposure to the virus.

Last year, the state recorded 36 cases -- a huge increase over the past decade, during which each year saw between zero and two cases.

Foran has a reputation as a tech-savvy and detail-oriented leader. He led Walmart����ap U.S. division from 2014 to 2019, where he focused on cleaning up stores, ensuring items were in stock and improving the fresh produce selection. He also introduced online ordering and pickup, and accelerated Walmart����ap digital capabilities.

Walmart has reshaped itself into a that has leaned heavily into automation and artificial intelligence, and it����ap one of the biggest competitive threats to Kroger, the largest standalone U.S. supermarket chain.

Shares of The Kroger Co. rose nearly 7% in early trading Monday after Kroger said Foran would lead the company.

Walmart has become a larger challenge to Kroger and other traditional grocers as Americans increasingly pick up their groceries along with other general goods that Walmart sells. Walmart currently controls around 21% of the U.S. grocery market, compared to 8.5% for Kroger, according to the market research company Numerator.

Kroger has also felt pressure from fast-growing discount chains like Aldi and Lidl and online behemoths like Amazon.

Kroger with Albertsons in 2022 as a way to better compete with its rivals. But the and two states — and — sued to block the merger in 2024, saying it would raise prices and lower workers’ wages by eliminating competition. Judges ultimately ruled that the merger should not proceed.

Kroger has struggled to adjust as customers increasingly embrace delivery, pickup and ship-to-home for their groceries. The company said in December that its e-commerce sales jumped 17% in the latest quarter.

In November, Kroger in Wisconsin, Maryland and Florida and said it would monitor its five remaining facilities. The company said it found that delivering directly from its stores was faster and cheaper than using the automated facilities, where robots pick and pack groceries. Kroger said the closures could help make its e-commerce business profitable this year.

Kroger also recently with the third-party delivery services DoorDash and Uber Eats. For years, Kroger had limited what third parties could deliver and instead tried to meet demand with its own delivery drivers.

But Kroger has also found that it needs to tread carefully when experimenting with new technology. When some of its stores switched to , which allow stores to change prices instantly, state and federal lawmakers questioned whether the company would use the technology to surge prices.

Kroger also got heat from lawmakers about a partnership with Microsoft that would place cameras in aisles and offer personalized deals to shoppers based on their gender and age.

Foran succeeds Ron Sargent, who has been Kroger’s interim leader since former CEO Rodney McMullen resigned last March. McMullen had been Kroger’s CEO since 2014 and was also the company’s chairman. Kroger said he resigned after an investigation into his personal conduct, which was unrelated to the business but violated its ethics policy.

Sargent will continue to serve as Kroger’s chairman to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

“Greg is a highly respected operator who knows how to run large-scale retail businesses, strengthen store execution and lead high-performing teams,” Sargent said in a statement. “His leadership style, focus on the customer, commitment to associates, and disciplined approach to execution are the perfect fit for Kroger.”

Foran, a New Zealand native, most recently served as CEO of Air New Zealand, where he also improved digital capabilities, led negotiations with the airline’s union and guided it through the pandemic.

Kroger, based in Cincinnati, has 2,731 stores operating under various brands, including Ralphs, King Soopers, Smith’s and Fred Meyer. It has 409,000 employees. In Colorado, the company has 120 King Soopers and 32 City Market locations.

The winning ticket — worth $3,328,106 — was sold at King Soopers, 12167 Sheridan Blvd., according to a news release from the Colorado Lottery.

The winner was the 471st player to win at least $1 million through the Colorado Lotto and Lotto+ system, and the first Colorado Lotto+ jackpot winner of 2026, lottery officials said in the release.

Monday’s winning numbers were 4, 18, 23, 30, 32 and 40, . The next drawing will be Wednesday night, with an estimated jackpot of $1 million up for grabs.

“Think about this: I’m sitting in an office with a guy who was a coach for 25 years in the NFL,” Mullen High coach Jeremy Bennett told me Friday. “Having never met with him before, talking with him, it was like being with a buddy I’ve known for 20 years. It was comfortable. It was authentic.”

How authentic? Last Wednesday, Mora, the CSU Rams’ new football coach, popped his head into the football offices at Mullen just to say, “Hi.” Only as Bennett remembers it, that ‘pop’ lasted for about 55 minutes.

They talked shop. Mutual friends. The insanity of the transfer portal. Twenty minutes became 30. Then 40. Then 45. After 50, Mora glanced at his watch. Oh, crud.

“Coach, I gotta get going,” Mora said to Bennett. “My wife’s been out in the car this whole time.”

“Coach,” Bennett laughed, “she could’ve come in.”

“No, no, she gets it,” Mora said. “I just got caught up in the conversation.”

Time flies when you’re having a Rams run. Or a Rams Rush, in this case.

“And here’s the thing: We could have sat there for another hour,” Bennett recounted with a chuckle. “We would have just kept chopping it up.”

Mrs. Mora was left waiting, Bennett was told, because the couple planned to do some car-shopping in Denver on their way back to FoCo. Talk about Front Range multi-tasking at its finest. While we’re running errands, why not make new friends, build some bridges, while we’re at it?

“So I feel we’re going to see out of (CSU) better (recruiting) coverage in-state,” Bennett said. “I really do … it’ll be interesting to see how many ’26 guys (are signed) and how many offers are out in ’27. You can say, ‘We’ve got to see.’ But I think it is going to be better out of Fort Collins. I do.”

National Signing Day — like drive-ins, yes, it’s still a thing — falls on Wednesday. The Rams have just one in-state signee so far for the Class of 2026, They’re trying to improve on that number for 2027, for obvious reasons.

“We want Colorado kids to play in Colorado,” Mora told me by phone early in the week. “Now, they have to fit our profile. But the only way you find that out is if you spend time around them and build those relationships … (so) it’s not just a one-time thing. It’s an ongoing process.”

To that end, this past January 15, with the transfer portal spinning at about 50,000 rpm, Mora and CSU tried something a little different:

The Rams had 11 staffers out on the highways, driving to and visiting with Colorado high school coaches as part of Operation: Ram Rush, posting updates to social media with the hashtag #RamRush.

Mora’s ‘pop,’ in fact, was the Rams’ second trek to Mullen in 13 days. Bennett said that was new, too.

“It was way, way different,” Bennett said. “It was apologetic. And not that they needed to be, but they understand (the dynamics).

“You hear (that) all the time, but for some reason, it just hit different. They understand they’ve got to take the top guys in Colorado to be successful — not only on the field, but in the community. You’ve got to recruit your backyard.”

And now, maybe, more than ever. Why? For one, open transferring and revenue-sharing for players have made Power 4 schools more inclined to swoop in and pluck smaller schools’ more finished products rather than develop their own. CU football coach Deion Sanders’ newest portal haul reads like a Group of 5 all-star travel team.

Part of the CSU football brand is baked into getting the not-quite-fast enough, not-quite-big-enough Colorado prospects that the Buffs traditionally take a pass on. Some of the best Rams teams of the last 30 years had enough chips on their respective shoulders, collectively, to fill the entire snack aisle at King Soopers.

Based on the 247Sports database, CU offered eight in-state recruits for the Class of ’26 and had one Colorado signee as of last Friday afternoon. They’ve reportedly got five in-state offers out for 2027. CSU has 12.

“(Sanders and I) know each other very well,” Mora said of Coach Prime. “But I’m not competing against anybody but our standard. We don’t spend one section of our day worrying about other people. We just do the best we can.”

Sanders has targeted players that the Buffs can plug-in-and-play immediately, be they freshmen or former Mid-American Conference/Sun Belt Conference seniors. CU has checked in — but so have about 25 other major programs.

In fact, local coaches will tell you that The Prime Method of transfers first + recruiting nationally has only opened doors for CSU’s new staff when it comes to Colorado kids. If they want to run through them. The Rams haven’t produced a class with more than two in-state prep recruits since 2023. They haven’t produced one with more than seven since 2014.

Mora, no dummy, has already noticed. CSU, per 247, had 23 in-state offers out in the Class of ’26 and a dozen so far for the Class of ’27. This after the Rams offered one for the Class of ’25, 13 for ’24 and 14 for ’23.

“Like I said when I took the job, you’ve got to try to win your state (by) recruiting high-school players,” Mora told me. “And the only way that you can do that is to get out and meet people and create relationships and build trust.”

Unlike his previous three predecessors, Mora’s already got one foot in several doors on that last front. His dad helped coach Dave Logan while the latter was starring at CU. His quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator, Matt Mitchell, is the brother-in-law of Valor coach Mike Sanford. He’s known Legend coach Jake Heaps for years and the Pagano family forever.

“We want to be able to go and to see people,” Mora continued, “but it’s important that we try to get as many players and coaches as possible up to our campus to watch our spring practices and get with our coaches and exchange football ideas.”

And not just at clinics, either. Bennett says he landed a personal invite to Canvas Stadium. One he plans to accept.

“For all that he’s done, everywhere he’s been, for all the success he’s had in our industry, (Mora) didn’t treat me any differently,” the Mustangs coach recalled. “He just sat, and he talked to me like a ball coach. It was different.

“My staff was in there with us. And every one of them, when he left said, ‘Wow, what a great guy. That was cool.'”

List: Here are the Colorado gas stations that pumped contaminated gas

Ryan Mahon, a Littleton resident, is suing on behalf of himself and “all similarly situated persons” affected by the contaminated gas that an HF Sinclair terminal in Henderson distributed across the metro area last week, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday evening in Denver District Court.

The lawsuit had not yet been certified as a class action as of Thursday morning, but that certification had been requested by Mahon’s attorneys at Franklin D. Azar & Associates, P.C., a personal injury law firm.

Anyone who experienced engine issues after filling up with gas last week is asked to contact the law firm at 1-303-800-0000.

The firm had already received hundreds of phone calls as of Thursday morning, Frank Azar said. Unfortunately, the process to certify and see through a class action lawsuit can take years and years, he said.

"I think this could turn out to be a real mess, with everyone suing everyone else," Azar said, referring to the potential for additional lawsuits between the gas stations where contaminated fuel was sold and Sinclair, the distributor.

Mahon purchased roughly 28 gallons of gas for his Toyota Tundra from a Costco gas station in Englewood at about 8:30 a.m. Jan. 8, according to the lawsuit. He noticed his truck was not running properly immediately after purchasing the fuel and returned to the gas station.

He opened his hood in the Costco parking lot and notified gas station staff that there was an issue with the fuel, the lawsuit stated. Mahon then contacted the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety to report the issue and file a complaint.

While he was still waiting in the parking lot, with the hood of his truck propped open, Mahon saw Colorado investigators with the division arrive on site and collect samples from Costco’s gas storage tanks. That����ap when he decided to get his vehicle towed to a nearby Toyota dealership for inspection.

Dealership technicians told Mahon that his engine had malfunctioned because of contaminated fuel and that several parts of the engine and fuel systems may have been damaged, the lawsuit stated.

"It's like putting mud in your engine," Azar said.

As of Wednesday morning, Colorado’s Division of Oil and Public Safety had received more than 600 complaints from drivers who experienced engine issues after filling up with contaminated fuel at dozens of gas stations across the state’s Front Range.

At that time, all the contaminated gasoline had been recovered and returned to Sinclair from 46 stations across metro Denver, Division of Oil and Public Safety spokesperson Zach Hope said.

The exact number of people affected remained unknown on Thursday, but the lawsuit alleged the number may be in the thousands.

“Because the Class encompasses hundreds, if not thousands, of claims, a single Colorado class action is more efficient than thousands of individual actions, each requiring the same discovery and proof,” the lawsuit stated.

The lawsuit names Sinclair and the owners of the gas stations where the contaminated gas was sold: King Soopers Fuel Center, Costco Wholesale Corporation and Murphy Express.

Those four parties are guilty of negligence, violating the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, defective product and breaching the warranty of merchantability -- which “asserts that the goods are reasonably fit for (their) ordinary and intended purpose for which they are sold and are free of defects,” -- the lawsuit claims.

The distributor and gas stations engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices by “knowingly or recklessly representing that the contaminated fuel was safe to use,” according to the lawsuit. The parties also failed to use “reasonable care” to prevent the gasoline from being contaminated by diesel and then to prevent the contaminated fuel from being sold.

Sinclair, King Soopers, Costco and Murphy Oil USA did not respond to requests for comment.

“We’ve received over 600 complaints … from consumers who experienced a variety of engine issues after receiving gas last week,” Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Deputy Executive Director Cher Haavind said in a .

As of Wednesday, all the contaminated fuel had been recovered and returned to Sinclair, the distributor, Division of Oil and Public Safety spokesperson said in the news conference. The division is part of Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment.

“At this point, all indications, including our own investigations, have suggested that all fuel in the marketplace that you can buy at gas stations meets specifications,” Hope said.

The Division of Oil and Public Safety confirmed 46 gas stations across metro Denver and the Front Range received the contaminated fuel, including stations in Denver, Breckenridge, Lakewood, Fort Collins, Littleton, Greenwood Village, Westminster, Henderson, Aurora, Greeley, Wellington, Superior, Lone Tree, Parker, Arvada, Firestone, Federal Heights, Castle Rock, Longmont, Conifer, Colorado Springs, Sheridan, Broomfield, Timnath, Arvada, Johnstown and Erie.

In a statement Tuesday night, Sinclair officials apologized for the inconvenience caused by the contaminated fuel.

“We continue to work with distributors and are committed to making this right for all affected,” company officials said.
“…A thorough review is underway, and we are taking appropriate steps to prevent this from happening again.”

State officials started getting complaints about bad gas on Thursday from stations at Costco, Murphy Express, King Soopers and others.

The contaminated fuel was loaded from the HF Sinclair terminal and sent to stations between 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7 and 6 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, state officials said.

By 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Sinclair had notified its distributors that there was a problem, started recalling the fuel and ordered affected stations to shut down sales, Hope said.

“Consumers would experience a variety of engine performance issues, from sputtering to stalling, and it would have presented itself pretty quickly upon filling up with the contaminated fuel,” Haavind said.

Where and how the fuel got contaminated remains under investigation, Hope said. That investigation could take two to three weeks.

Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety investigators received a list Tuesday night from Sinclair of 42 gas stations that pumped contaminated fuel.

Colorado gas stations that sold contaminated fuel:

• Costco Gasoline #676, 5175 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada

• King Soopers Fuel Center #137, 14887 Candelas Pkwy, Arvada

• Stinker Store #333, 13700 E Quincy Ave, Aurora

• Costco Gasoline #439, 1405 S Havana St, Aurora

• King Soopers Fuel Center #107, 25751 E Smoky Hill Road, Aurora

• King Soopers Fuel Center #49, 2351 S Buckley Road, Aurora

• Farmers Korner Gas, 16115 Hwy 9, Breckenridge

• King Soopers Fuel Facility #718, 2395 W 136th Ave, Broomfield

• King Soopers #86 Fuel Facility, 5275 W 120th Ave, Broomfield

• Castle Pines King Soopers #691, 7296 Lagae Road, Castle Rock

• King Soopers Fueling Facility #732, 750 N Ridge Road, Castle Rock

• Costco Gasoline #1014, 5897 Barnes Road, Colorado Springs

• Safeway, 27102 Main St, Conifer

• West Evans Sinclair, 2110 S Federal Blvd, Denver

• Twin Star Energy #2, 3550 Downing St, Denver

• Circle K Store #2709854, 1600 S Colorado Blvd, Denver

• Broadway Cardlock, 6185 Broadway, Denver

• King Soopers Fuel Center #607, 1470 S Sheridan Blvd, Denver

• Costco Gasoline #1652, 4741 North Airport Way Building 2, Denver

• Circle K #2706475, 6702 N Tower Road, Denver

• Circle K Store #2706786, 202 S Briggs St, Erie

• Safeway Fuel Center #1635, 10300 Federal Blvd, Federal Heights

• Safeway Fuel Center #4614, 8206 Weld CR 13, Firestone

• Safeway Fuel #2913, 2451 S Taft Hill Road, Fort Collins

• Singh Food and Sinclair, 213 18th St, Greeley

• S&S Fuels #302, 9171 E Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village

• Circle K Store #2709880, 7701 E Orchard Road, Greenwood Village

• R B Food And Gas, 11010 E 120th Ave, Henderson

• Johnstown C-Store, 106 E South 1st St, Johnstown

• K & D Enterprise Inc, 1490 S Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood

• Coal Mine Gas Express, 9819 W Coal Mine Ave, Littleton

• Bowmar Gas Express, 5200 S Lowell Blvd, Littleton

• Costco Gasoline #443, 8050 W Quincy Ave, Littleton

• Costco Gasoline #468, 8686 Park Meadows Center Drive, Lone Tree

• King Soopers Fuel Center #702, 1619 Pace St, Longmont

• King Soopers Fuel Center #675, 13057 S Parker Road, Parker

• Costco Gasoline #1022, 18414 Cottonwood Drive, Parker

• Murphy Express #8621, 13001 Copperhead Trail, Parker

• Costco Gasoline #1027, 4000 River Point Pkwy, Sheridan

• Costco Gasoline #480, 600 Marshall Road, Superior

• Safeway Fuel Center #1873, 9640 Washington St, Thornton

• Costco Gasoline #629, 16375 N Washington St, Thornton

• Costco Gasoline #1178, 4665 Weitzel St, Timnath

• Big D Oil Co. #64, 8214 6th St, Wellington

• Circle K Store #2741185, 5390 W 112th Ave, Westminster

• Costco Gasoline #440, 6400 W 92nd Ave, Westminster

The Division of Oil and Public Safety also received complaints about a handful of stations not included on the list, and those stations remain under investigation to determine if the gas sold there was contaminated, Hope said.

Hope did not specify the number of stations that remain under investigation, but he said it was in the single digits.

Customers who were sold contaminated gas should where they purchased the fuel, state officials said. They can also file a complaint with the online or by calling 303-866-4967.

“Unfortunately, the Division of Oil and Public Safety is not involved in that reimbursement process,” Haavind said. “We receive the complaints, we test the fuel and we work with the station owners on making sure that consumers know where to go for support.”

The first step is for affected customers to report the issue where they bought the gas, but any damage to vehicles from the contaminated gas will ultimately be paid for by Sinclair, Hope said.

Colorado officials can help “encourage” gas stations on Sinclair’s list whose owners claim not to be affected by the bad gas, or who otherwise aren’t cooperating with customers, to honor claims, Hope added.

While customers who started experiencing engine issues after Thursday were likely not affected by this specific distribution error, Hope said they should still file a complaint with the division so the agency can investigate.

“Consumer complaints happen all the time, certainly not in this volume, but this is a reality of our work,” Hope said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Consumers and OPS for answers after learning that diesel fuel was mixed with regular unleaded gasoline and distributed to gas stations operated by Costco, Murphy Express and King Soopers. At least 13 King Soopers gas stations were affected.

State officials said the contaminated fuel originated from the HF Sinclair terminal in Henderson, and was then sent out to “numerous” gas stations. The fuel was distributed to the gas stations between 2 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday.

“OPS continues to log and process these complaints,” the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment wrote in an email to The Post on Monday evening.

“Inspections and fuel sample testing remain ongoing with a focus on smaller locations that may not have as robust of a claims filing process. All retailers are being encouraged to honor customer claims.”

OPS said it has also requested that Sinclair produce a list of retailers that received the contaminated fuel from the HF Sinclair terminal in Henderson.

Sinclair has not yet produced such a list, but OPS said it is hopeful Sinclair will release a list in the coming days.

Consumers who have been impacted are encouraged to contact their point of sale to start a reimbursement process. Individual gas stations will work with each customer through their specific claims process.

Those affected are encouraged to keep all receipts and repair records.

To file a complaint, call 303-866-4967 or and email it to cdle_oil_inspection@state.co.us.

King Soopers customers who believe they received the contaminated fuel should contact their local store for assistance.

“OPS continues to investigate the cause of the incident and is considering appropriate enforcement mechanisms available in current OPS rules and regulations,” CDLE further said in its statement.

“OPS remains committed to protecting consumers and is exploring all options to ensure Sinclair also upholds its commitment to help affected customers.”

This is a developing story and may be updated. 

The German-based discount supermarket chain announced Monday it will open more than 50 stores across the Denver and Colorado Springs areas, supported by a new distribution center in Aurora.

The move marks Aldi’s first expansion into the state, with the Aurora facility expected to open in 2029 and bring hundreds of new jobs to the region.

“One in three U.S. households shopped at Aldi this past year, and in 2026 we’re focused on making it even easier for customers to shop our aisles first,” said Aldi U.S CEO Atty McGrath in a news release.

“That means bringing Aldi to even more neighborhoods, upgrading our website and planning additional distribution centers to keep our shelves stocked with the products our shoppers love.”

As Aldi enters its 50th year in the United States, the discount grocer plans to open 180 new stores by the end of 2026 and is outlining expansion plans for the next five years.

The company said it will continue expanding in Southeast and Western markets and will open three new distribution centers nationwide, including the Aurora center and facilities in Goodyear, Arizona, and Baldwin, Florida.

In addition to Colorado, Aldi is expanding in key U.S. markets such as Maine, Phoenix, Las Vegas and the Southeast, while continuing to convert nearly 80 Southeastern Grocers locations to the Aldi format.

Since acquiring Southeastern Grocers in 2024, Aldi has converted and opened nearly 90 stores, with plans to convert more than 200 in total by the end of 2027.

With its increased footprint, Aldi said it will operate nearly 2,800 stores by the end of 2026, moving closer to its goal of 3,200 locations by the end of 2028.

By 2028, the company said it will have invested $9 billion over five years to expand its store footprint, strengthen its supply chain and upgrade its online shopping experience.

“These strategic investments are all about making sure customers can continue to count on us for the quality, affordable groceries and enjoyable shopping experience they love,” McGrath said.

“As we look ahead to our next 50 years in the U.S., we’ll continue to earn shopper loyalty by staying true to what’s made Aldi successful: keeping things simple and delivering real value.”

and launching its first U.S. store in Iowa in 1976, Aldi now operates thousands of stores in more than 10 countries.