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Officers, staff walk out at prison in JeffCo in pursuit of higher wages
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Denver Metro, kdvr.com, Local

Officers, staff walk out at prison in JeffCo in pursuit of higher wages

By Heather Willard | KDVR-TV DENVER (KDVR) — Around a dozen correctional officers at a federal prison in Colorado walked out Thursday over claims of low staffing and pay and held a picket to foster support. According to staff at the Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood, correctional officers say they are short-staffed and forced to work overtime hours. They also said non-officers will sometimes be put on duty as officers, which is dangerous for all involved. AFGE Local 709, which oversees the Council of Prison Locals #33, released 12 points to share the workers’ perspectives. The main sticking point is the prison is currently short nearly 50 positions, and over half of those open positions are for correctional officers, according to the union. Members of the union said t...
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Denver cuts services in response to the migrant crisis that’s costing the city $180 million
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Denver Metro, Local, The Colorado Sun

Denver cuts services in response to the migrant crisis that’s costing the city $180 million

By Jennifer Brown | Colorado Sun Denver will cut hours at recreation centers, end in-person vehicle registration renewals and eliminate spring flower beds to save $5 million this year, a response to the migrant crisis that is expected to cost the city $180 million.  Mayor Mike Johnston on Friday blasted Congress for failing this week to pass a $118.3 billion bill aimed at stopping the flow of illegal entry at the southern border and making it easier for migrants who enter legally to get work permits.  About 40,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have arrived in Denver over the past year, and more than 3,500 are living in city-funded hotel rooms. Thousands took bus rides to other American cities after arriving in Denver, and an unknown number are trying to stay in the ci...
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Jason Batchelor now is Aurora’s permanent city manager at $330,000
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Denver Metro, Local, The Sentinel

Jason Batchelor now is Aurora’s permanent city manager at $330,000

By Max Levy | The Sentinel AURORA | Having finally shed his “deputy” and “interim” titles, Aurora City Manager Jason Batchelor said Wednesday that he’s focused on filling job openings and planning for Aurora’s future with the help of city lawmakers and employees. “There’s always things that, as an organization, we can improve on,” Batchelor said Feb. 7. “I’m just trying to continue the good work that we do day in and day out.” Aurora’s city manager oversees the day-to-day operations of the city as well as the hiring and firing of most city employees. They are also responsible for making sure the policy decisions of Aurora’s City Council are carried out by the rest of the city. Wednesday marked 10 months to the day since Batchelor took over as the city’s top administrator —...
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Missing 15-year-old girl from California vanishes in Denver airport layover
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Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Missing 15-year-old girl from California vanishes in Denver airport layover

Harper Cadman was last seen Jan. 30 and is believed to be in the Denver or Boulder area By Daniel Boniface | Denver Gazette A 15-year-old girl who stopped for a layover in Denver last month has gone missing and authorities are seeking the public's help in finding her. Harper Cadman landed at Denver International Airport on Jan. 30, but never boarded her flight back home to California, according to a news release from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The teen girl is believed to be in the Denver or Boulder area, officials said. Harper is about 5-foot, 7-inches tall and weighs about 115 pounds. She has blue eyes, her hair is dyed black, she has braces on her teeth, a nose piercing and tattoos on her waist and the middle finger of her left hand. READ T...
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Lakewood residents want transparency from City Council over migrant housing concerns
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Denver Metro, Local, thelobby-co.com

Lakewood residents want transparency from City Council over migrant housing concerns

By The Lobby An emergency community meeting in Lakewood on Tuesday night brought hundreds of concerned citizens together to address the potential for the city to become a sanctuary for migrants. The meeting, organized by the group Lakewood Concerned Citizens, saw an overwhelming turnout, with attendees filling the meeting room and spilling into the parking lot. However, the meeting was not without controversy, as a last-minute location change raised questions about transparency. Initially, the meeting was scheduled to take place at a Lakewood school, but the permit was changed under the group Lakewood Concerned Citizens. This sudden alteration raised eyebrows among residents who were seeking clarification on the city council's stance on housing migrants. Concern over Lakewo...
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Denver Public Schools Under Scrutiny for Alleged Racial Discrimination Against White Students
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Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver Public Schools Under Scrutiny for Alleged Racial Discrimination Against White Students

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Gazette The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened two discrimination complaints filed against Denver Public Schools’ use of race in selecting committee members to evaluate the district’s "discipline matrix" and in deciding which students can take math extension courses. The complaints, filed by the Mountain States Legal Foundation in November and September, respectively, alleged that the district gives preferential treatment to persons of color and inferred that its use of the word "diverse" is a veiled reference to considering race and people's gender identity.    Will Trachman, general counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation, said the district cannot discriminate against White students or individuals who iden...
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Aurora council votes to fill homeless service provider funding gaps at quarterly workshop
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Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Aurora council votes to fill homeless service provider funding gaps at quarterly workshop

By Kyla Pearce | The Gazette While Aurora's councilmembers held differing opinions on how to handle dollars for homeless service providers, they eventually agreed to allocate federal money to several organizations, bringing a few of them to flat funding. The councilmembers, however, entirely cut funding to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Aurora's policymaking body earlier delayed a decision on funding homeless service providers. The debate about city funding for homeless service providers has been going on since city staffers recommended last year that the council cut or limit funds to several organizations that provide services to homeless people in Aurora following a dip in the local government's revenues. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Homeless Advocates Protest Denver Mayor’s Veto
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Denver Metro, Downtown Denver, Local, thelobby-co.com

Homeless Advocates Protest Denver Mayor’s Veto

By The Lobby Denver's homeless advocates gathered outside the City and County Building on Saturday morning to express their dissatisfaction with Mayor Mike Johnston's decision to veto a bill that would have prohibited homeless sweeps in freezing temperatures. Despite the frigid conditions, about a dozen members of Housekeys Action Network (HAND) showed up to voice their opposition to the mayor's announcement. The City Council Ordinance 23-1960, introduced in December, aimed to amend the municipal code to prevent various city agencies from clearing homeless encampments when temperatures dropped to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. However, on February 2, Mayor Johnston vetoed the "No Freezing Sweeps" ordinance, which had been passed by the Denver City Council with a narrow 7-6 vote. ...
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U.S. Department of Education investigates Denver Public Schools over use of race
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coloradopolitics.com, Denver Metro, Local, National

U.S. Department of Education investigates Denver Public Schools over use of race

By Nicole C. Brambila | Colorado Politics The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened two discrimination complaints filed against Denver Public Schools’ use of race in selecting committee members to evaluate the district’s "discipline matrix" and in deciding which students can take math extension courses. The complaints, filed by the Mountain States Legal Foundation in November and September, respectively, alleged that the district gives preferential treatment to persons of color and inferred that its use of the word "diverse" is a veiled reference to considering race and people's gender identity. Will Trachman, general counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation, said the district cannot discriminate against White students or individuals who identify wi...
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Denver police arrest 13-year-old accused of killing bus passenger for blocking aisle
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Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver police arrest 13-year-old accused of killing bus passenger for blocking aisle

By Daniel Boniface | Denver Gazette A 13-year-old boy was arrested after Denver police alleged he fatally shot a 60-year-old man after an argument on a bus on Saturday. The Denver Police Department said the verbal exchange appears to have started because the victim's leg was blocking the aisle on the bus. The verbal exchange escalated and the boy shot the victim, police said. Denver police officers responded to the bus, which was located at South Federal Boulevard and West Mississippi Avenue, around 6:41 p.m. When officers got there, they found the 60-year-old man who had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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