Olympics Countdown:

Denver’s students desperately need a superintendent and school board that will ensure student safety and learning every day. Denver has quickly fallen from one of the most successful urban school districts in the nation to one of the worst in Colorado. Parents fear for their children’s safety. There are regular reports of weapons in schools.

By Ali Slagle, The New York Times In Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are,” the Wild Things are hardly mild. When the main character, a little boy named Max, meets these monsters, he first notices their “terrible” roars, teeth, eyes and claws. A rumpus ensues, and Max comes to learn that these monsters aren’t terrible at all.

Three environmental groups plan to sue Suncor Energy because its Commerce City refinery has violated the conditions of the company’s federal air-pollution permits more than 1,000 times over the past five years, and they say governmental attempts to regulate the refinery are failing. “At the end of the day, it’s about accountability.

At least 13 people have died so far this year in Colorado waterways, something that has raised the alarm for state agencies, including Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Also concerning is that some weren’t wearing life jackets — a message that CPW has been trying to promote for many years. On Tuesday, CPW used a little humor to help educate people — but at the expense of Denver Nuggets star and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Jokic, who hails from Serbia was on an annual rafting trip with friends on the Tara river, which flows through nearby Montenegro, when passersby took video and posted in on X (formerly Twitter).

As summer temperatures continue to rise across Colorado, Denver and much of northeastern Colorado will see 90 degrees for the first time this year Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Denver will see a blistering high of 92 degrees Wednesday before temperatures dip to an overnight low of 57 degrees, according to NWS forecasters. The widespread heat comes under clear skies and breezy winds, forecasters said. Thursday and Friday will see similarly hot temperature highs in the Denver area — 91 degrees and 94 degrees respectively — before the city cools off slightly the rest of the week and highs fall back into the high 70s and low 80s, forecasters said. On average since 1900, Denver’s first 90-degree day falls on or around June 10, according to NWS records.

By SCOTT SONNER and ANITA SNOW (Associated Press) PHOENIX — The first heat wave of the season has arrived earlier than usual across much of the U. S. Southwest, with dangerously hot conditions that produced triple-digit temperatures on Tuesday. Forecasters say temperatures are likely to top 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) in some areas by Thursday. By Wednesday afternoon, much of an area stretching from southeast California to central Arizona will see “easily their hottest” weather since last September, and record daily highs will be in jeopardy from Las Vegas to Phoenix, the National Weather Service said. Excessive heat warnings were issued for Wednesday morning through Friday evening for parts of southeast California, southern Nevada and Arizona. “Temperatures well above average for the time of year — some spots as much as 10 to 20 degrees above average,” said Marc Chenard, a weather service meteorologist in College Park, Maryland.