
Colorado reports 8% increase for help to pay heating, energy bills
Colorado's Low Income Energy Assistance Program, also known as LEAP, is reporting a surge in applications for assistance.
Watch CBS News
Ashley Portillo is a multimedia journalist for CBS News Colorado and is passionate about Covering Colorado First.
Ashley chose reporting as a career with the goal of telling stories in her community and listening to what others have to say.
"I knew since middle school that I wanted to be a journalist when I grew up," she says.
She also believes it's important to get answers, hold people accountable and give people a platform to share their story through tragedy or through celebration. She's covered everything from court and crime to city and county government, plus education, breaking news and severe weather.
Before joining the team in Denver, Ashley was a reporter at KOAA in Colorado Springs for three years. At KOAA, she covered the mass shooting at Club Q, the Letecia Stauch murder trial and the Joshua Johnson murder trial. She also covered stories during the Olympics and Paralympics. Prior to that, she worked as a reporter at KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Outside of the newsroom, you can find Ashley trying new restaurants around town, cooking, traveling or hiking in the mountains. She also enjoys soaking in the hot springs and she says it's just a matter of time before she learns how to snowboard or ski.
Just The Facts
Position: Multimedia Journalist
Year hired: October 2023
Alma Mater: Temple University, go Owls!
Why I am a journalist: To give people a platform to share their stories, listening to others, creative storytelling and making a difference in my community.
Most memorable interview: Sharing the stories of recovery and resilience after the Club Q shooting
Dream job: I'm doing it!
Star sign: Taurus
First TV appearance: Haha, does doing the morning announcements in high school count?
First story: My first several months in the industry, I was covering the aftermath and devastation of Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 hurricane that hit the Coastal Bend of Texas.
Hidden talent: I can spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and antidisestablishmentarianism.
Hometown: Maryland/Pennsylvania
Favorite food: Mexican food
Number of pets: I don't have any pets, but I'm a big dog lover and will most likely ask to pet your dog if I meet them
Favorite sports team: I was born in Baltimore, so go Ravens!
Favorite vacation spot: Somewhere warm and tropical
What keeps you in Colorado? The mountains, the beauty, the fact that there is so many things to do, and of course the people and the community
What's the biggest risk you've taken? Moving away from all of my family and everything I knew when I was 22 years old
Who would play you in a movie? Selena Quintanilla, but then again J.Lo already did a phenomenal job playing her
You can contact Ashley by sending an email to yourreporter@cbs.com.
Colorado's Low Income Energy Assistance Program, also known as LEAP, is reporting a surge in applications for assistance.
It's been nearly a year since three businesses in Greenwood Village were burglarized in a crime spree, and two of them were set on fire.
On Tuesday families flocked to the National Western Stock Show in Denver to take advantage of Free Grounds Admission Day.
The annual "point-in-time" count is an effort to count how many people are unhoused and to get an idea of what resources are needed to help them.
Downtown Littleton is one step closer to getting a big makeover and facelift, including improvements and changes to the area to make it more pedestrian and biker-friendly.
This week, Englewood City Council put the brakes on an ordinance that would discourage people from street racing and speed exhibitions.
The Colorado Safe Parking Initiative is ending its operations and centralized services at the end of 2024.
Beloved boutique Angel Concept in downtown Littleton announced on Thursday it will close in a few months.
The City Council is considering a zoning change that would allow single-family homes and the owners to build duplexes and multiplexes on their property.
After the City of Englewood transitioned to a new billing system earlier this year, customers have run into some issues.
The number of people detained by police in Aurora is growing after an alleged home invasion and kidnapping at an apartment building.
The Denver City Council voted 11-1 to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in the city on Monday night.
A man fired a gun during the Denver home invasion, hitting one of the victims several times.
Investigators from across the Denver metro area are working together to solve two different burglary rings.
A popular access path to the High Line Canal trail in Littleton has been closed off by the property owner who owns the land. The access trail is used by many people of all ages, connecting the park and the canal.