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CBS Colorado

Westminster could shift toward hybrid ward system to elect City Council
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Westminster could shift toward hybrid ward system to elect City Council

By Gabriela Vidal | CBS Colorado Despite a growing and diverse community, Westminster remains one of the few big Colorado cities to have a council comprised of only at-large members.   "Westminster is a very unique city and we're very proud of who we are in the city, and I think the at-large system has worked for us for a very long time," said Claire Carmelia, City Councilor for Westminster. That is until a 2023 ballot question posed to voters in the community suggested it was time for a change in the city's governing body. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Man dead after late-night shooting at Wheat Ridge cemetery
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Man dead after late-night shooting at Wheat Ridge cemetery

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado A fight broke out Saturday between a group of people making a late-night visit to a friend's gravesite in Wheat Ridge.  One man was fatally shot and a woman injured.  The suspect was later found on the Crown Hill Cemetery property grounds, along with his weapon.  The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office booked 22-year-old Ryan Trujillo-Falcon on murder and assault charges Sunday.  READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Larimer County veteran, injured twice by explosives 54 years ago in Vietnam, receives Purple Heart
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Larimer County veteran, injured twice by explosives 54 years ago in Vietnam, receives Purple Heart

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado More than 50 years after being injured in the Vietnam War, a Larimer County veteran received one of the armed service's most distinguished medals -- the Purple Heart.  U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse presented the veteran with the long overdue honor at an emotional ceremony. For Carl Smith, it is the final leg of a decades-long journey that took him to the jungles of Vietnam, where he was injured twice by explosives, making him eligible for the Purple Heart. It is an honor he should have received 54 years ago but, the military couldn't find his medical records. Congressman Neguse found the medic who treated him instead and set the record straight. Neguse called Smith a local hero, "Whose courage under fire and willingness to ser...
Man who allegedly threatened Burger King clerk, participated in Aurora shootings gets 143 years
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Man who allegedly threatened Burger King clerk, participated in Aurora shootings gets 143 years

By CBS Colorado A Colorado judge sentenced a man to 143 years for a crime spree that involved threatening a Burger King employee with a gun, discharging the firearm inside a convenience store, and multiple shootings throughout Aurora. The Arapahoe County Court sentenced 40-year-old Eugene Robertson to 143 years in the Department of Corrections for the 2022 crime spree. According to court documents, on Oct. 17, 2022, Robertson placed an order in the drive-thru at a Burger King that was located in the 600 block of S. Buckley Road in Aurora. Afterward, Robertson drove up to the window and attempted to pay for the food with drugs. When the employee declined to accept, Robertson whipped out a gun and pointed it at the employee before taking off.  READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORA...
As school opens, in many districts there are too few teachers, drivers and declining enrollments
Approved, CBS Colorado, State

As school opens, in many districts there are too few teachers, drivers and declining enrollments

By Alan Gionet | CBS Colorado The 2024-25 school year is starting with districts seeking help. Across Colorado, many districts are again short of teachers, staff, and bus drivers.  In Jefferson County Schools, which resumes for most students on Thursday, the district is still looking to hire 11 teachers, 35 paraprofessionals, and 27 special education teachers, despite decades of declining enrollments due to a drop in birth rates and rising housing costs. In the Boulder Valley School District, officials are seeking to hire a dozen teachers as the district opens. They are offering a $3,500 signing bonus to bus drivers. "What we're trying to do is be proactive and engage the community," said Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson. "We've been talking about this for several years." ...
Boulder dentist arrested in Florida as suspect in DHS child sex sting
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Boulder dentist arrested in Florida as suspect in DHS child sex sting

By Austen Erblat | CBS Colorado A Colorado dentist is facing charges of trying to entice a mother and her underaged daughter into having unlawful sex, federal prosecutors say. Jason Atha, a dentist who practiced in Boulder, is accused of speaking to a woman to arrange to have sex with her and her 9-year-old daughter. The person he was allegedly talking to was an undercover federal agent and he was arrested in West Palm Beach after flying there last week. Atha, 49, didn't know he was messaging with an undercover Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations agent on a chatroom centered around "taboo" sex acts, according to a 27-page indictment. In those messages, Atha allegedly talked to the agent who he thought was a single mom about having sex with her and her ...
Westminster Schools ‘reimagining’ learning with new Ranum Reimagined Campus
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Westminster Schools ‘reimagining’ learning with new Ranum Reimagined Campus

By Gabriela Vidal | CBS Colorado It is inside the walls of a former high school and recently former middle school where leaders with Westminster Public Schools sparked a new idea: to create a campus where high school students can learn the skills needed to be ready for the workforce. "There is nothing worse than somebody who graduates and just feels lost," said Lottie Wilson. Wilson is the Career Tech Education Administrator for Westminster Public Schools and one of the leaders behind the Ranum Reimagined Campus. "I've seen a lot of our graduates that are turning 30 years old, 32 years old and they're still just trying to find their place in the professional world," she said. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
One of the country’s largest rodeos, at Denver’s National Western Stock Show, is run by a woman
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One of the country’s largest rodeos, at Denver’s National Western Stock Show, is run by a woman

By Jeff Gurney | CBS Colorado Caroline Lukens was born a cowgirl. "I got this cute little quarter horse named Ranger and he was my first horse," Lukens said. Now she's running the one of the nation's premier livestock, rodeo and horse shows at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. As the rodeo operations coordinator, Lukens is responsible for producing one of the largest rodeos in the country. "Sometimes there are advantages to being a woman in a male-dominated industry; and it's becoming less and less male-dominant too," Lukens said. READ THE FUL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Security badge data reveals RTD police chief rarely visited RTD facilities
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Security badge data reveals RTD police chief rarely visited RTD facilities

By Karen Morfitt | CBS Colorado It's been over a month since RTD Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald Sr. was put on leave and the public agency has yet to explain why. According to internal memos obtained by CBS News Colorado, Fitzgerald is under investigation for "alleged policy violations." While it's unclear what policies the chief is accused of violating, current and former staff under Fitzgerald raised concerns with CBS News Colorado about his time at RTD, prompting a public records request for Fitzgerald's security badge data. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
‘I’m opposed to the timing’: Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb pushes back on tax initiative
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‘I’m opposed to the timing’: Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb pushes back on tax initiative

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb says now isn't the time to ask voters to approve a sales tax hike for affordable housing.   Webb says the measure, pushed by current Mayor Mike Johnston, will put a tax measure by Denver Health in jeopardy. "I'm not opposed to affordable housing, I'm opposed to the timing," Webb said. "I was surprised that Mayor Johnston, who has a lot of issues on his plate primarily around homelessness, did not delay it until the spring in order to get one of these issues passed." READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO