Michael Konopasek

Reporter

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Michael Konopasek is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who joined FOX31 Denver and Colorado’s Own Channel 2 in August of 2016. Before arriving in Denver, Michael was a reporter at NBC affiliate KING-TV in Seattle and CBS affiliate KWTV-TV in Oklahoma City.

Michael’s work as a journalist has affected change in people’s lives. While in Colorado, his reporting prompted state leaders to commit to a public dialogue on establishing best practices for AMBER Alerts following a delayed alert in 2017. The Denver Police Department credited Michael for bringing the Safe Place program to its attention. His coverage on the initiative to prevent hate crime in Seattle led to the adoption of a Safe Place program in Denver. His focus on Problem Solving Journalism holds the powerful accountable and aims to find solutions for people who have been victimized.

He has covered news that has attracted national and international attention, including his gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Taylor Swift sex assault trial in 2017 and Washington state’s largest wildfire in 2014. Michael served as a TEGNA correspondent— reporting for television stations across the country— during the 2015 Umpqua Community College shooting in Roseburg, Oregon.

Michael was part of Edward R. Murrow Award-winning coverage of the 2014 Marysville Pilchuck High School shooting north of Seattle. He was nominated for a regional Emmy Award for his coverage of a mass-casualty collision between a charter bus and a Seattle “duck boat” vehicle in 2016.

During Michael’s time in Oklahoma, he covered numerous tornado outbreaks, including the deadly 2013 Moore tornado. He was the first journalist to report live from the heart of the destruction path moments after the F5 twister devastated the Oklahoma City suburb. In 2014, Michael was awarded a regional Emmy Award for his role in KWTV’s continuing coverage of the disaster.

In his free time, Michael volunteers with Healthy Learning Paths— a nonprofit organization that provides affordable health education for children across Colorado. He emcees the group’s annual “Race 4Kids’ Health.”

Michael is originally from the Northwest Indiana suburbs of Chicago and is a former Chicago double-decker bus tour guide. He is a proud graduate of Ball State University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in telecommunications and a minor in political science. While studying at Ball State, Michael worked as a Congressional intern for Indiana’s First Congressional District. He officially began his television career as an intern at Chicago’s ABC-owned WLS-TV.

Michael is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Radio Television Digital News Association. He loves cycling, history, politics and traveling. His journeys, for both work and pleasure, have taken him to all 50 states and several countries.

You can email him at Michael.Konopasek@KDVR.com.

Recent Articles

  • Boulder police will no longer cite people for charging cell phones on city electricity

    BOULDER, Colo. — Police in Boulder are changing course after facing public pressure for enforcing an obscure law that most everyone is guilty of breaking. An ordinance, outlawing the unapproved use of city electricity, has landed some people in legal trouble for charging their cell phones. One woman even ended up in jail over the issue. “We’re juice hungry … we’ve got to have it,” a visitor to the Pearl Street Mall said on Friday. Those in Boulder were surprised […]

  • Migrant mom released from ICE custody in Aurora unsure when she’ll be reunited with daughter

    AURORA, Colo. — A migrant from Central America, released from federal custody in Aurora, may have to wait months to be reunited with her daughter. The girl was separated from her mom as they crossed into the United States illegally. The daughter is being held in a Texas shelter for migrant children, according to Colorado immigrant advocates. “One-hundred percent of her effort is focused on finding her child and getting her home,” immigrant advocate Sarah Jackson said. Jackson asked news […]

  • Thornton immigrant knows pain of being separated from children

    THORNTON, Colo. — Lupe Lopez, a migrant from Mexico, knows what it’s like to be in federal custody away from her children. The mother of five, who speaks little English, immigrated to the United States illegally in 1998 at the age 16. She came to America to escape sexual harassment and other hardships south of the border. “For me it’s very difficult,” Lupe said through a translator. She married and started a family after arriving in the United States. All […]

  • Investigators unable to break into cellphone belonging to man accused of killing deputy

    BRIGHTON, Colo. — New details surrounding the killing of Adams County sheriff’s deputy Heath Gumm were released Monday during a preliminary hearing. Suspect Dreion Dearing listened as prosecutors continued to lay out their case against him. Family members of the fallen deputy were in the courtroom. “The hardest part is just seeing the rest of my family go through it … but also their strength is very helpful,” Gumm’s cousin, Aaron Milner, said. The court case stems from a reported […]

  • Father’s Day gift of life: Lakewood man prepares to give dad kidney

    DENVER – A 23-year-old from Lakewood is celebrating this Father’s Day weekend after announcing he will give his dad the gift of life. Kidney functions failed completely six weeks ago for 51-year-old Don Fulton. He depends on dialysis to stay alive, but a gift from his son, Matt Fulton, promises to keep Don away from the grueling treatments. Matt didn’t waste time contacting Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center (PSL) after learning his dad was facing major health issues. “I’d do anything […]

  • 4 homicide investigations within 2 years keep police busy along Colfax near state Capitol

    DENVER — Wednesday night’s shooting on Capitol Hill that left a police officer wounded and a suspect dead is the latest in a series of violence along East Colfax Avenue. Police say they are working to turn the area around, but it hasn’t been easy. East Colfax, primarily between Sherman and Clarkson streets, is known to police for drug use, homicides and assaults. Along with crime, the stretch is filled with popular eateries, a landmark cathedral and the seat of […]

  • Firefighting technology helps limit wildfire size, threat

    DENVER — Teams responsible for fighting wildfires in Colorado are more effective today thanks to advances in technology. The State of Colorado has come a long way since the devastating Hayman Fire of 2002, according to emergency management personnel. The deadly wildfire — about 100 miles southwest of Denver — grew to become the state’s largest. Flames covered nearly 138,000 acres. Sixteen years later, firefighting breakthroughs are helping to ensure a fire that size stays in the Colorado history books. […]

  • Firefighters call for brush removal amid wildfire concerns

    JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Wildfires are growing in size and danger amid hot and dry weather in Colorado. The risk remains significant throughout the state. West Metro firefighters have been sounding the alarm to make sure Coloradans keep their homes and businesses as safe as possible. In places like Jefferson County’s Ken Caryl Ranch, residents live what’s called a fire wise community. “They know how to be proactive to help us help them,” West Metro Fire Capt. Brendan Finnegan said. […]

  • Water main breaks under Evans Avenue for third time in just over a year

    DENVER — A water main on Denver’s south side broke open Friday afternoon causing flooding that damaged properties and caused traffic delays. Water filled streets near West Evans Avenue and South Santa Fe Drive south of Overland Park Golf Course. The break created a large hole on Evans Avenue near Huron Street. Wow!! Look at this hole on Evans just east of Huron. #watermainbreak pic.twitter.com/e4WJqZtsW8 — Michael Konopasek (@MikeKonopasek) June 8, 2018 Business owners and people who live in the […]

  • Denver’s ‘angel of charity,’ considered for sainthood, is celebrated at special Mass

    DENVER — Thursday marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Julia Greeley. The woman, born into slavery and known as Denver’s angel of charity, is on her way to likely become Colorado’s first saint. In 2016, Denver’s archbishop proposed Greeley’s candidacy for sainthood — a long process that seeks the approval of Pope Francis. The faithful in Colorado, who have studied Greeley’s life, are confident the woman is still working miracles. “She has a missionary spirit.” Archbishop Samuel J. […]

  • Concerns raised over proposal to store AR-15 rifles at 2 remote high schools

    BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is proposing putting AR-15s in schools to help save lives during a school shooting. If approved, long guns will be placed in safes that only school resource officers could access. The current proposal calls for one AR-15 at Niwot High School and another AR-15 at Lyons Middle Senior High School. There was plenty of concern and disagreement over the proposal during a Tuesday community meeting in Lyons with school administrators, parents, […]

  • Bailey residents concerned after latest violent crime

    BAILEY, Colo. — A teenage suspect was shot and killed after an attempted carjacking near Bailey on Sunday, according to Park County sheriff’s deputies. A victim was stabbed during the altercation and is in critical condition, deputies said. The violence in Park County comes just six months after Maggie Long, 17, was killed near the small mountain community situated along Highway 285. Since early December, Long’s homicide has baffled investigators. Deputies were called to Echo Valley Ranch area late Sunday […]