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CBS Colorado

University of Colorado Board of Regents condemns protestors who targeted homes of two regents
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University of Colorado Board of Regents condemns protestors who targeted homes of two regents

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The University of Colorado's Board of Regents unanimously passed a resolution Thursday condemning a group that organized protests outside the homes of two regents in the Denver metro area. The group, Students for a Democratic Society, demonstrated outside the Superior home of Board Chair Callie Rennison on June 2 and then gathered outside the Arapahoe County home of Regent Ilana Spiegel, who is Jewish, on Sunday. SDS called for the university system to divest from companies with ties to Israel and called for violence against and the murder of Jewish people.  The resolution reads, in part, "The Board of Regents condemns Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) for its actions directed at Jewish people in the town of Superior and Arapahoe County, ...
RTD faces scrutiny from state regulators because of slow trains and “significant disruption”
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RTD faces scrutiny from state regulators because of slow trains and “significant disruption”

By Ashley Portillo | CBS News Colorado Ten mph speed restrictions and longer travel times for RTD light rail users are causing significant frustrations for commuters traveling to and from the south Denver metro area. RTD says the slowdowns are due to "rail burns" and maintenance, along with other projects. Meanwhile, it has led to a push for more transparency from RTD on multiple fronts. Now, safety regulators with Colorado's Public Utilities Commission are intensifying their scrutiny of RTD, as is a local organization. PUC state regulators sent a letter to RTD last week, requesting information such as safety inspection results, schedules for completing inspections, and progress on repairs. This comes after the PUC claims RTD didn't notify the commission about issues and slowdo...
Frederick police officer charged, accused of pistol-whipping suspect during arrest in Colorado
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Frederick police officer charged, accused of pistol-whipping suspect during arrest in Colorado

By Jennifer McRae | CBS Colorado A Frederick police officer is facing several charges after allegedly pistol-whipping a suspect during an arrest in Colorado. The arrest and alleged assault happened on April 28. The Weld County District Attorney's Office filed criminal charges against Frederick Police Officer Trevor McCourt on Tuesday. Those charges include second-degree assault, first-degree official misconduct and reckless endangerment.  The Frederick Police Department terminated McCourt on June 6 following an internal investigation into the incident for violations of the department policy related to the use of force standards of conduct.  According to the Weld County District Attorney's Office, McCourt is accused of "striking a suspect with the muzzle of his firearm duri...
Superior passes first-of-it-kind resolution condemning anti-Israeli protesters
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Superior passes first-of-it-kind resolution condemning anti-Israeli protesters

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado An anti-Israeli protest outside a private residence has prompted the town of Superior to take unprecedented action. Town trustees -- including one who is married to a Palestinian -- unanimously passed a resolution condemning protesters for "hate speech, antisemitism, and racism" against Jewish people. While other places have seen far bigger protests, Superior is the first municipality in the state -- and possibly the nation -- to take a stand. Trustees say protesters have the right to hateful, even racist speech, but they -- as town leaders -- have the right and responsibility to condemn it. "We typically don't wade into these types of political issues in a small, little municipality," said Mayor Mark Lacis. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS C...
Fort Collins to start 2-year, $42M infrastructure project in Old Town to address 150-year-old issues
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Fort Collins to start 2-year, $42M infrastructure project in Old Town to address 150-year-old issues

By Dillon Thomas | CBS Colorado The City of Fort Collins is moving forward with one of its largest infrastructure projects ever as the city prepares to address more than a century of flooding concerns. The project will install a new drainage system through Old Town, largely along Oak Street, west of College Avenue. The project, which is expected to take two years to complete, was first reported by the Coloradoan. Larimer County and Fort Collins have a history of flooding, with some floods in recent decades resulting in fatalities. However, project manager Heather McDowell said the issues with flooding around Old Town have been an issue since the heart of the city was developed in the 1800s. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Weld County issues disaster declaration for damages related to Northern Colorado flooding
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Weld County issues disaster declaration for damages related to Northern Colorado flooding

By Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado Two weeks after a severe storm moved across northeastern Colorado and brought hail and flooding, Weld County Commissioners have approved a disaster declaration. The intent is to request that state funds be used to help pay for recovery efforts. According to county officials, 279 homes and businesses and 77 government buildings and public infrastructure have been reported as damaged. The total damage is estimated at over $3 million. The storm brought a month's worth of precipitation to the eastern Greeley and the surrounding areas in a period of about two hours. Two inches of hail were measures in Greeley. Parts of Johnstown and Milliken were also affected. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
$5.5M project in Arapahoe County aims to make travel safer for Colorado cyclists
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$5.5M project in Arapahoe County aims to make travel safer for Colorado cyclists

By Brian Sherrod | CBS Colorado Construction crews in Arapahoe County are working to make a popular intersection more bike-friendly. Right now, crews are adding three new roundabouts around sections of Inverness West, Inverness East, and Inverness Boulevard by Dry Creek Road. The Inverness Drive Project is just one step in a very big project. CBS First Alert Traffic Tracker Reporter met with CIP Transporation Engineer Trent Marshall to discuss the project in depth. Marshall tells CBS Colorado it will take a four-lane road and turn it into a two-lane road. It will dedicate those lanes to be street bike lanes. This program will provide bicycle facilities from Denver to Douglas County. The construction started the week of May 27 but the design for this project is two years in the making...
Denver Health Medical Center wants voters to approve a sales tax to help with funding pinch
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Denver Health Medical Center wants voters to approve a sales tax to help with funding pinch

By Alan Gionet | CBS Colorado Times have been getting tougher and tougher in health care. It shows up in the copays, the bills and now Colorado hospitals are facing a crisis.  "Reimbursement is down everywhere partly because we have an increase in the number of uninsured patients across the country," said Denver Health's CEO Donna Lynne. Lynne went before a Denver City Council committee Wednesday to ask them to advance a ballot question to Denver voters requesting a sales tax hike. The increase would be devoted to help pay cost shortages and would cost shoppers an extra 3.4 cents on a $10 purchase. It would mean an estimated $70 million to help meet the rising cost of running the services of the hospital, including emergency services, paramedics, clinics and other operations. T...
Community input sought ahead of possible Denver Public Schools closures
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Community input sought ahead of possible Denver Public Schools closures

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado Despite a surge in the enrollment of migrant students this year, Denver Public Schools continues to experience a drop in the size of its student population. The school board is asking for community input as it plans how to consolidate and close schools. The school board says it's necessary to close schools to keep the district financially viable and to re-allocate limited resources. As proposed "guardrails", the board wants the Superintendent to consider schools of any size and not to use standardized test scores or school performance ratings as a condition for consolidation. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
No veterans living on Denver streets? That’s Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal.
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No veterans living on Denver streets? That’s Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal.

By Austen Erblat | CBS Colorado Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said he wants to make Denver the largest city in the country to have no veterans living on the streets. Johnston says that by tracking people experiencing homelessness in the Mile High City and partnering with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Denver Department of Housing Stability, the city identified and plans to provide housing for the 52 homeless veterans. "We think this puts us in a position to, before the end of this year, house all 52 of those veterans who we know are still experiencing unsheltered homelessness," he said at a news conference on Monday. "We will be the largest American city to make sure that no veteran who has served this country sleeps outside in the streets of Denver." RE...