Post Premium: Our best stories for the week of April 27 – May 3

It’s hard to imagine a greater disruption to life as we know it than the coronavirus. It has us working from home, working in a more dangerous environment or not working at all.

But the crisis is compounded in Weld County, where an oil and gas price war has devastated the industry that powers restaurants and hotels, charities, local governments and school systems.

Today, reporters John Aguilar and Judith Kohler check in with Weld County workers who have been laid off or seen a drop in work, and they look at the wider community impact to come.

— Cindi Andrews, senior editor

Colorado’s oil and gas country – and its people – suffer from twin hits to industry

RELATED: New oil and gas permits in Colorado plunge by 96% in April from a year earlier

Meet the Children’s Hospital Colorado doctor who fought off coronavirus and returned to the front lines

Dr. Matthew Harris, 38, is the pediatric emergency medical attending physician at Children’s Hospital in Aurora and a supervising emergency room doctor. He is a husband and the father of 5-year-old twins. He eats well, exercises and easily manages his mild asthma. He had not used a sick day in two years.

But in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, with fewer than 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Colorado, Harris learned he had COVID-19. Read more from Kyle Frederickson.

RELATED: Are you a Colorado hospital worker? Tell us about your experience with coronavirus. 

More than one in five cases in Colorado are related to residential facilities

More than one in five known cases of the new coronavirus in Colorado are related to housing for older people or those with disabilities, with additional outbreaks at food processing facilities and correctional facilities. Read more from Meg Wingerter.

RELATED: 238 inmates test positive for coronavirus at Sterling prison, the largest known outbreak in Colorado

Metro district board candidates face election challenges because of coronavirus restrictions

It’s unclear just how many metro district seats are up for grabs Tuesday and how many are being challenged by residents who live there. But some residents say they chose to run after reading Denver Post stories that detailed the inner workings of metro districts, including how developers work both sides of financial deals. Read the latest in our Debt & Democracy series from David Migoya.

RELATED: Metro districts and developers create billions in debt, leaving homeowners with soaring tax bills

Pandemic sucking the economic life out of several Colorado counties, hitting tourism spots especially hard

Just as the novel coronavirus hits people in different ways, the job losses the pandemic have inflicted are not evenly distributed in Colorado, ranging from Great Depression-era dislocations in some counties to relatively manageable declines in others. Business reporter Aldo Svaldi takes a deep dive on how different Coloardo counties are faring.

RELATED: Governor says you still shouldn’t go to the mountains during new “safer at home” phase — The Know Outdoors

Colorado mountain lions hit with new hunting plan as people spread

Among the world’s most elusive predators, mountain lions join black bears in Colorado as the last surviving large carnivores, eating mostly elk and deer. These solitary cats weigh up to 150 pounds, run as fast as 50 mph and can leap 40 feet.

But, they face an uncertain future under a new state plan to let hunters kill up to 15% a year across western Colorado, and more near subdivisions — rankling animal rights advocates who favor a live-and-let-live approach to wildlife. Read more from Bruce Finley.

+ “The differences between the haves and have-nots:” Latino students disproportionately lack internet access

+ Colorado’s Muslims forgo community gatherings as they observe Ramadan amid a pandemic

+ 93% of CSU students living in dorms have gone home. Here’s what it’s like being one of the few remaining.

+ What does May 8 look like for the Denver Nuggets as the NBA tries to get back to work?

+ Gov. Jared Polis outlines state efforts to increase coronavirus testing

+ Development manger settles bid-rigging accusations in Denver convention center expansion

+ Denver scientist leads discovery of new, bizarre mammal species that walked with dinosaurs 66 million years ago

+ Denver sheriff’s deputy fired after lying about missing AR-15 rifle

+ Where to buy local flowers for your mother, your neighbor or yourself — The Know

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