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Top 5 most-read stories last week: Monsoon, electric mountain bikes and the legacy of John Dyer

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Pictured is a stained glass portrait of John L. Dyer skiing in the Father Dyer United Methodist Church on July 13, 2025.
Kit Geary/ Summit Daily News

Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com from July 13-19. 

1. The North American Monsoon is on its way to Colorado. Whether it will be a typical monsoon season is yet to be determined

After a dry start to the summer in Colorado, with wildfires burning across the Western Slope, the approaching North American Monsoon could provide some needed relief.  

Snowmelt happened unusually early for Colorado’s Western Slope after the state experienced well-below-normal snowpack through much of the 2025 winter and spring seasons, with consistent deficits across most basins. In addition to droughts and rain deficits since the start of the summer, several fires have popped up across the mountain region, leaving many to wonder whether relief might come from the monsoon.



Some areas of Colorado’s mountain region have started to feel some early effects from the North American Monsoon, providing “cautious optimism,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But plenty remains to be determined.

— Andrea Teres-Martinez



2. Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance releases firm stance on electric mountain bike use

Though electric bikes are now a common sight at rental shops across Summit County, that wasn’t always the case. Commonly referred to as e-bikes, the enhanced, battery-assisted bicycles have become increasingly popular for people of all ages. 

As the popularity of e-bikes continues to spike across the country, policymakers, the U.S. Forest Service and local organizations have had to make decisions that keep the public safe while also allowing people to enjoy the trails they love.

The Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance is the latest organization to release a firm statement on e-bike use in the county. After ample research and discussion on the topic, Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance has decided to support the use of Class 1 e-bikes on trails where they are currently permitted.

It is important to note that the organization only supports the use of Class 1 e-bikes where users have pedal assist and do not surpass 20 miles per hour. The local mountain bike alliance has no plans to support the use of Class 2 or Class 3 e-bikes which feature a throttle. 

As of summer 2025, the only areas where Class 1 electric mountain bikes are allowed in the county are on the Frisco Peninsula and on the Summit County Recreational Pathway. All classes of e-bikes are allowed on trails that are open to motorized use.

— Cody Jones

3. I-70 reopens following fatal crash that ejected driver between Frisco, Copper Mountain in Colorado

Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Ivan Alvarado said one person was pronounced dead at the hospital following a roll-over crash on Interstate 70 around 4:45 p.m. on Monday, July 14.

Alvarado said a black SUV rolled while traveling eastbound on Interstate 70 before going into the westbound lanes of Interstate 70. Alvarado said the driver was the sole passenger in the vehicle.

— Kyle McCabe

4. Details emerge on ‘unrelated’ criminal case against Blue River suspect facing murder charge

A Blue River man facing a first-degree murder charge following a shooting in Blue River has another active case against him.

Daniel J. DeVito, 46, was arrested on five criminal charges — assault in the first degree, menacing with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, criminal mischief and domestic violence — the night of Monday, July 7, according to court records. The five criminal charges are reportedly “unrelated” to the shooting of Jordan Elizabeth Labarre, 32, of Breckenridge, on Monday, July 7, according to a Colorado Bureau of Investigation news release. 

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday, July 9, obtained probable cause to arrest DeVito on a preliminary first-degree murder charge, according to a news release issued by the agency. 

District Attorney Heidi McCollum, the top prosecutor for the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, said at a hearing for the murder case that the unrelated case involved “violent” and “coercive” control of a woman.

A woman, whose name will not be released, reported an assault that occurred July 4 to authorities days after it originally happened, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case. It states the woman did not make the report initially out of fear DeVito would retaliate.

— Kyle McCabe

5. He’s credited with founding Colorado. The church he created in Breckenridge aims to carry out his life’s mission

Where Jesus was said to have washed people’s feet, preacher John L. Dyer was said to de-thaw them. 

Considered one of 16 founders of Colorado, the farmer-turned-miner-turned-preacher’s legacy is scattered throughout the mountain West, Midwest and Southwest. While Dyer’s been gone for over 120 years, his mission still has a heartbeat in Breckenridge. 

Aside from knowing about the tale of the Methodist preacher who made his way mostly on foot from the Midwest to the Rocky Mountains, Pastor Ben Wentworth said he knew the name “Father Dyer” to be associated with a Colorado congregation known for efforts to keep the community around it fed before even setting foot on the church’s campus. 

When taking over the reins of the church in 2022, Wentworth found himself in the midst of big plans to expand the congregation’s offerings to the community. It would end up entailing the building’s first renovation since the early 2000s, and a price tag upwards of $4 million. After years of holding church service at a local movie theater due to construction, the church is wrapping up work and is back to holding service in the building. 

The renovations made to the church on Wellington Road helped bolster Father Dyer’s outreach efforts related to food services and general community support to serve even more people. The members of the congregation stepped up to put it on their dime, Wentworth said, and they did it to better the community around them.

— Kit Geary

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