Megan Verlee

The city is surprisingly diverse, with more than 90 languages spoken in its public schools. Local officials and residents are working to turn that diversity into an economic advantage — but creating a sense of community among such diverse groups is no small challenge.

Aurora is the third-largest city in Colorado, but it's probably not one many people had heard of prior to Friday's massacre that left 12 dead and dozens more injured. Residents are reflecting on what the shootings mean for their city during a summer that already had been less than quiet.

Burro racing began in the 1940s as the offspring of another Colorado industry: tourism. It has fewer participants than almost any other sport out there. On Sunday, the world champion of pack burro racing will be crowned in Fairplay, Colo.

The artist famous for works measured in miles wants to drape long, billowing panels of silvery fabric over sections of a Colorado canyon. Not everyone is excited; some residents say art is no excuse for the damage it could cause.

The nearly 200-year-old writing system may be meeting its match. Smartphones and screen-reading software are making Braille less and less necessary. Today, the National Federation for the Blind predicts that only one in 10 blind people can actually read it.

The once sleepy role of secretary of state is rising in profile and controversy as the business of conducting elections has become more and more contentious over the past decade. From Maine to New Mexico, secretaries of state are making activism their trademark.