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Today’s edition · Thurs., Nov. 5

CSU will pay Amy Parsons $1.1 million as rail tax passes

Plus, Poudre School District's board will hold a new vote on Blevins Middle School.

The Good Day Fort Collins team2 stories17 sources5 min read

CSUTop story

CSU will pay President Amy Parsons $1.1 million by Jan. 5 under her resignation settlement

CSU is paying Parsons $1.1 million, versus $325,000 for the provost

Sources: The Coloradoan, BizWest

View as table
Value
Amy Parsons, president$1.1M
Marion Underwood, provost$325K

If you've been following CSU, the president's exit now has a price tag. Amy Parsons announced her resignation Oct. 28 and will step down Dec. 31, giving no reason. A settlement obtained through an open-records request spells out what CSU owes her.

  • Payment: $1.1 million, due by Jan. 5
  • Basis: rest of her contract, which ran through January 2028
  • Plus: the equivalent of five months of salary
  • Also in the deal: a non-disparagement clause

, CSU's longtime provost, steps in as interim president on Jan. 1, 2027. He's done it before: BizWest reports he served as interim from June 2022 until Parsons took over in February 2023. Parsons says she and her husband, Jeff, will remain in Fort Collins.

Parsons leaves Dec. 31, and her payment is due Jan. 5

  1. Oct. 28Parsons announces her resignation.
  2. Dec. 31Parsons will step down as CSU president.
  3. Jan. 2027 will begin as interim president.
  4. Jan. 5CSU must pay Parsons $1.1 million under the settlement.

Sources: The Coloradoan, The Rocky Mountain Collegian, CBS News

Getting Around

The Front Range Passenger Rail District declared victory on its 0.333% sales tax, Ballot Issue 7A

If you're counting on a train to Denver, the 2029 date didn't move. , a permanent 0.333% sales and use tax for the district, was passing in Tuesday night's early count. The district declared victory Wednesday, with the measure leading by over 90,000 votes as of 5 p.m.

Yes votes led no votes in Tuesday's early count

Source: Denver Gazette

View as table
Value
Yes321.4K
No257K

Starter service between Denver and Fort Collins is planned for 2029 regardless of the vote. The tax would help extend the Colorado Connector, known as , south. Voters in 29 municipalities and the Sterling Ranch districts were asked. Sal Pace, the district's general manager, said, “The citizens of Colorado have decided that they want to be connected.”

The tax would raise $295 million a year for a 190-mile line

$295 million
projected each year from the tax
$580 million
in new debt the measure authorizes
190 miles
of track from Fort Collins to Pueblo
12
communities the full corridor would connect

Sources: Denver Gazette, FOX21 News Colorado

  • Exempt from the tax: gasoline, food, residential utilities, prescription drugs, medical supplies
  • Sunset: none, so the tax is permanent
  • Starter service: three daily round trips, Denver to Fort Collins
  • Full network: up to 10 daily round trips
  • Back to communities: about $55 million a year for 25 years

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Asked

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Asked

Will you ride the Denver–Fort Collins train once it starts?

Be the first to answer.

News Notes

Blevins

The Poudre School District Board of Education voted 5-2 to close Beattie, Johnson and Putnam elementary schools and Blevins Middle School. The closures would take place over the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years. The board has since agreed to hold a new vote that could possibly save Blevins. The ColoradoanThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Secret Santa

Starting Sun., Nov. 8, kids 18 and younger can pick one free toy at Goodwill's Fort Collins store, 315 Pavilion Lane. No purchase is necessary, and toys last while supplies do. North Forty News

More than 500children got free toys from the Secret Santa last year

An anonymous donor funds toys valued at up to $10 each.

Source: North Forty News

Chick-fil-A

Fort Collins' only Chick-fil-A, at 3605 S. College Ave., was expected to welcome customers back Wed., Nov. 4. It closed in June for a major remodel. The Coloradoan

Wellington

The Wellington community is using a home playoff football game to raise money for Pagosa Springs as the area recovers from major Colorado floods. The Coloradoan

Trending

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We hope you’re enjoying what we deliver to your inbox: a feel-good snapshot of what’s happening around town. No doomscrolling, no dry headlines — just real stories, uplifting news, and local happenings that bring our community together.

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Over the next few days, we’re organizing a fundraising campaign to boost our daily, hyperlocal newsletters, and we’d love your support with a recurring monthly gift. Think of it like buying us a cup of coffee every month. You'll help keep our content free and continue growing a positive local space we can all be proud of. Prefer a one-time gift? That's great, too — every dollar is a high five to our small team and a boost to local news.

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Asked

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Asked

Are you heading to the Downtown Holiday Lighting Ceremony on Fri., Nov. 6?

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Today’s puzzles

A new puzzle in each one every morning, played right here.

All 13 games

Quoted

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

— Sylvia Plath

Things to Do

Things to Do

Fort Collins, CO

Thursday, Nov. 5

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Around the Block

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Neighbors

I have not been able to stop thinking about this, its a bit long so just bare with me..

“On halloween we took our children to Huntington Hills neighborhood like we always do. At the very end we told our kids we will stop at a couple more houses before we go home. We drove up to a house an older i would say teen was buy himself dressed up in a onesie sort of costume didn't get a good look what he was…”

— A neighbor, Ridge Wood

399 likes · 20 comments

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The Wrap

Sourdough has gone from bread to breakfast. Auntie Jo's Donuts is a family-run truck that makes handmade sourdough donuts fresh every day. It's based in Cheyenne but spends part of the week on the Colorado side, with a Saturday morning stop on East Prospect Road in Fort Collins. Tangy and pillowy sounds like a fine way to start a weekend.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Front Range voters lean yes on the Fort Collins-to-Pueblo train tax

Read yesterday’s edition

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Every source in this edition17 links · 12 outlets
  1. The Weather Channelweather.com
  2. The Coloradoancoloradoan.com
  3. The Rocky Mountain Collegiancollegian.com
  4. The Colorado Suncoloradosun.com
  5. BizWestbizwest.com
  6. CBS Newscbsnews.com
  7. Denver Gazettedenvergazette.com
  8. Denver Gazettedenvergazette.com
  9. KDVRkdvr.com
  10. FOX21 News Coloradofox21news.com
  11. CBS Coloradocbsnews.com
  12. The Coloradoancoloradoan.com
  13. The Rocky Mountain Collegiancollegian.com
  14. North Forty Newsnorthfortynews.com
  15. The Coloradoancoloradoan.com
  16. The Coloradoancoloradoan.com
  17. Fort Collins events calendargooddayfortcollins.com

Past issues

  1. Wed., Nov. 4Front Range voters lean yes on the Fort Collins-to-Pueblo train tax
  2. Tues., Nov. 3Platte River drops its 2030 noncarbon deadline; polls close at 7 p.m.
  3. Mon., Nov. 2Fort Collins grabs the No. 4 seed in the Class 5A football playoffs
  4. Sun., Nov. 1Fort Collins High finishes the city's first unbeaten regular season in 12 years
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Good Day Fort Collinsto me · Thurs., Nov. 56:00 a.m.

CSU will pay Amy Parsons $1.1 million as rail tax passes

Plus, Poudre School District's board will hold a new vote on Blevins Middle School.

The TLDR

  1. CSU will pay Amy Parsons $1.1 million by Jan. 5
  2. Rail district declares victory on Ballot Issue 7A
  3. Poudre board will vote again on Blevins Middle School
Read this edition

More stories this week

From Good Day Fort Collins’ other editions

All the news
ElectionFront Range voters lean yes on a sales tax for the Fort Collins-to-Pueblo trainIf you'd like a train from Fort Collins to Denver, Tuesday night's returns leaned your way. Ballot Issue 7A was ahead 453,474 votes to 368,746 as of 10:25 p.m., Westword reported from the Secretary of State's office, though it called the count too close to officially call. BizWest says the tax won't be assessed on food, gasoline, residential electricity and gas, prescription drugs or medical supplies.Wednesday’s editionRead SchoolsTimnath Elementary has a year to find funding for a new schoolIf you live in Timnath or have a kid at its elementary school, you've got some breathing room. Poudre School District's Board of Education decided it would close Timnath Elementary in 2028 unless funding is secured over the next year, KDVR reported.Wednesday’s editionRead UtilitiesPlatte River Power Authority drops its 2030 deadline for 100% noncarbon powerIf you live in Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont or Estes Park, this one reaches you. Platte River Power Authority provides wholesale electricity to all four, and its board voted unanimously Oct. 29 to remove the 2030 date from its 100% noncarbon goal.Tuesday’s editionRead

Around Fort Collins

From El Comercio de Colorado, 9NEWS and 4 more newsrooms, gathered by 6AM News, 6AM City’s local news service.

More local news

  1. El Comercio de Colorado4 hours ago

    Enmienda 87 toma ventaja mínima en reñido escrutinio

    ELIMINARÍA LA TARIFA ÚNICA PARA IMPUESTO SOBRE LA RENTA EN COLORADO Redacción El Comercio de…

  2. 9NEWS8 hours ago

    Construction flagger charged in death of longtime Fort Collins educator over the summer

    The investigation determined the flagger had positioned himself and Catherine Withrow in an unsafe place where the semi-truck driver couldn't see them.

  3. KRDO10 hours ago

    What’s next for CoCo after Ballot Issue 7A passes

    EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Ballot Issue 7A, the measure about the Front Range Passenger Rail District's (FRPRD) project, "CoCo" passed state-wide on Election Night. The CoCo team says nine of the 12 counties voted in favor of funding the project by establishing a sales use tax that will cost consumers one-third of a

  4. FOX21 News Colorado11 hours ago

    Voters go "loco for COCO"

    (COLORADO SRPINGS) -- Colorado voters have approved the Colorado Connector passenger rail initiative, authorizing a project to connect 12 communities across 190 miles of track from Fort Collins to Pueblo. The completed rail network is planned to provide up to 10 daily round trips along the Front Range. Starter passenger service between Denver and Fort

  5. Denver Gazette12 hours ago

    Front Range Passenger Rail District declares victory on tax measure

    The Front Range Passenger Rail District declared victory on a question to impose a 0.333% sales and use tax for funding future train service in Colorado.

  6. North Forty News12 hours ago

    Fort Collins Secret Santa Returns With Free Toys for Children

    An anonymous Fort Collins donor is bringing back a holiday tradition at Goodwill, offering free toys to children ages 18 and younger beginning November 8.