New area code planned for 970 coverage area in 2026

Starting in 2026, phone customers in the 970 area code region, which covers western and northern parts of the state, could be assigned a new 748 area code, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission announced Monday in a news release.

The new area code will not be used until the 970 area code has been used up, according to the news release. That area code is expected to run out of phone numbers by early 2026, and the new 748 code will last about 38 years.

The implementation plan for the new area code will happen over a nine-month schedule at least six months before the 970 area code runs out.

The 970 area code region was created in 1995 after the original 303 Numbering Plan Area that covered the entire state was split between the Denver area and the southeast 719 area code in 1988.

The 720 area code was added to the metro area in 1998, and the 983 area code was added in June 2022.

— Jacob Factor, The Denver Post

EPA says funeral home scheduled for demolition

The southern Colorado funeral home at the center of an improper storage investigation will be demolished Jan. 17, the federal Environmental Protection Agency said Monday.

Hazardous materials contractors will mobilize at the site Jan. 17, and demolition will take about 10 days, weather permitting, according to the EPA.

In early October, neighbors reported a foul odor near the Return to Nature funeral home in Penrose, 33 miles south of Colorado Springs. Investigators entered the 2,500-square-foot building Oct. 4 and made a “horrific” discovery.

Authorities initially said 115 bodies were improperly stored in the funeral home. Fremont County officials said at least 189 bodies were removed from the funeral home and taken to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

— Sydney Isenberg, Denver7