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Pro-Palestinian protesters occupy Auraria campus in Denver, demand divestment
denvergazette.com, Local

Pro-Palestinian protesters occupy Auraria campus in Denver, demand divestment

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette More than 200 hundred protesters — many of them students — occupied the Auraria campus on Thursday night to make several demands, notably divestment from corporations that operate in Israel. The protesters, who chanted anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian slogans, also asked to meet with Michelle Marks, chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver, to discuss how to implement their demands.    The protest in front of the Tivoli Student Union is the latest in what has been a wave of pro-Palestinian rallies on campuses across the United States in the last several days and increasing worries by Jewish students for their physical safety.    READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
The votes are in and here’s what Colorado lawmakers want to spend money on
denvergazette.com, State

The votes are in and here’s what Colorado lawmakers want to spend money on

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette The votes are in following House Democrats' new process for determining which bills would pass, assuming the money is there. The new process, as outlined by House and Senate Democrats in early April, replaces the "quadratic" voting system that a Denver District Court ruled in January is illegal.  Once the 2024-25 state budget headed back to the Joint Budget Committee, which came with a compromise version approved by both the House and Senate, lawmakers got to work voting on their priorities for the scant amount of money, relatively speaking, that they have to spend on new programs. The "set-aside" from the Joint Budget Committee, the panel of lawmakers that drafts the state's annual spending plan, is around $22 million, but some of tha...
Kroger plans to sell Safeway brand in Colorado to prevent merger block
denvergazette.com, State

Kroger plans to sell Safeway brand in Colorado to prevent merger block

By Bernadette Berdychowski | Denver Gazette After state and federal officials put pressure on the largest potential supermarket merger in the U.S., Kroger and Albertsons announced Monday they plan to divest more stores to help the deal go through. Kroger said it will sell 579 stores across the country to C&S Wholesale — 116 more than originally planned — including 91 Albertsons-owned locations across Colorado. That’s nearly all the Albertsons stores in the state. The chain operates 105 stores under the Albertsons and Safeway banners. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Denver schools’ Super Alex Marrero uses NDAs to prevent employees from speaking out
denvergazette.com, Local

Denver schools’ Super Alex Marrero uses NDAs to prevent employees from speaking out

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Denver Public Schools — under Superintendent Alex Marrero — has offered severance packages to employees only if they are willing to sign a confidentiality agreement that prohibits them from speaking about their experiences in the district for three years after their employment. The explosive revelation came Monday night during the time the board of education has set aside for monthly public comment. Will Jones, the former executive director of communications, said he was dismissed by Marrero in February after nearly nine years with the district. Jones was hired under previous Superintendent Tom Boasberg. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Man given maximum sentence for killing of K-9 Graffit, other crimes
denvergazette.com, First Judicial District, Local

Man given maximum sentence for killing of K-9 Graffit, other crimes

By First Judicial District Eduardo Armando Romero was given the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison for killing Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) K-9 Graffit and other related crimes from the February 2023 incident. Romero pleaded guilty earlier this year and, as a result, faced 8-12 years in prison. Romero received a total of 12 years to be served consecutively to the sentence Romero is already serving for similar crimes he committed in Denver. At today’s sentencing, the resounding message was that K9 Graffit, who was the most experienced and trained dog on JCSO’s team, was not just a dog. Deputies from JCSO spoke and submitted letters describing the profound impact that Graffit’s death has had on them, detailing what he meant to each of them and to the JCSO family. ...
Denver imposes hiring freeze, diverts funds to come up with $90M for illegal immigration crisis
denvergazette.com, State

Denver imposes hiring freeze, diverts funds to come up with $90M for illegal immigration crisis

By Alex Edwards | Colorado Politics Denver taxpayers are on the hook for $90 million this fiscal year to pay for the city's response to the illegal immigration crisis that has been spilling over into America's interior cities from the southern border.  That's the latest estimate from Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration, which earlier said the city was poised to spend $180 million on the crisis and revised that number down to $120 million. Early in the crisis, Denver officials decided the city would assume the responsibility to temporarily house, feed and transport arriving immigrants. That decision has cost the city about $68 million since December 2022 — and counting. Of that amount, the city spent $35 million just in the past four months. READ THE FULL STORY AT C...
In Biden’s latest gaffe, President declares he’s living in the wrong century
denvergazette.com, National

In Biden’s latest gaffe, President declares he’s living in the wrong century

Jeff Mordock | The Washington Times President Biden on Wednesday struggled through a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, fumbling to find his list of preselected reporters to call on and concluding the event by announcing he’s living in the wrong century. Mr. Biden appeared confused about which reporters to call on during the press conference, struggling to find his list of preselected reporters that his staff decided should be allowed to ask questions. “Who do I call on next? … Hang on a second. … I’ve got my list here. … I apologize,” Mr. Biden said as he struggled to read the list for several seconds before calling on Aurelia End of AFP. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Boulder County food bank loses 1,500 pounds of food in power outage
denvergazette.com, State

Boulder County food bank loses 1,500 pounds of food in power outage

By Kirin Pandit | 9News (via Denver Gazette) Even after a food bank that serves Boulder and Broomfield counties lost 1,500 pounds of food, including 45 gallons of milk, in the power outage – the agency is still working to help thousands of families who lost spoiled food from the April windstorm. Staff with Community Food Share said the quick work of staff to seal up their food helped salvage the majority of it. "We were actually able to salvage almost all of the food that was in our freezers and our refrigerators. Which we're so thankful for that because that was about $80,000 worth of food," said Kim Da Silva, the CEO of Community Food Share. "And then we went in and tested a whole bunch of our food to make sure all the temps were within range of safe food distribution." READ ...
Efforts to close Boulder Airport stunted by community support, federal requirements
denvergazette.com, Local

Efforts to close Boulder Airport stunted by community support, federal requirements

By Alex Edwards | The Denver Gazette A small single-engine aircraft approaches Hep Ingram's house in northeast Boulder recently, clawing for altitude. Its engine screams in defiance of gravity. And ever so slowly, it drifts closer and closer to flying right over the top of Ingram's home. “This guy is way north of where he should be,” he said. As it approaches, Ingram’s voice is overpowered and he has to wait for the plane to pass over before finishing his thought. During a 45 minute period, roughly 20 aircraft flew over, several of which were north of where Ingram said they should have been. Ingram lives at the east end of the Boulder Municipal Airport (BDU). Recently, he’s noticed an increase in air traffic from the airport, pushing him to sign a petition that supports closing...
Colorado businesses starting to feel good about the economy again, report shows
denvergazette.com, State

Colorado businesses starting to feel good about the economy again, report shows

By Bernadette Berdychowski  | Denver Gazette For two years, state business leaders reported feeling pessimistic about the direction of Colorado's economy. It started when inflation was high. And to tame it, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates making it more costly to borrow money for business loans or mortgages. But for the first time since 2022, business confidence in the state turned positive, according to the Leeds Business Confidence Index — a measurement of Colorado business leader’s economic sentiment from the University of Colorado Boulder released Tuesday. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE