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Mesa County is not illegal immigrant sanctuary, commissioners declare in letter, resolution
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Western Slope

Mesa County is not illegal immigrant sanctuary, commissioners declare in letter, resolution

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The solution to Denver’s illegal immigrant crisis cannot be transferring responsibility to other municipalities and governments, Mesa County commissioners said Tuesday. Commissioners have passed a resolution and written a letter to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, clarifying Mesa County as a non-sanctuary county. “We appreciate Denver's efforts to address the complex and sensitive immigration issues, but we must be clear and communicate Mesa County's inability to extend aid,” the letter reads. “Our decision stems not from a lack of empathy or understanding, but from fiscal responsibility and the constraints and challenges we face within our jurisdiction.” Mesa County’s resources are strained by an estimated population of 2,300 homeless, a popul...
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Colorado Springs cracks down on homeless camping in hopes of pushing people toward shelter, services
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El Paso County, Local, The Colorado Sun

Colorado Springs cracks down on homeless camping in hopes of pushing people toward shelter, services

By Jennifer Brown and Hugh Carey | Colorado Sun Jeremy Krause has a simple code for making it on the streets of Colorado Springs: “Stay dry and avoid the cops.”  To keep warm, he burns hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol. To steer clear of the police, he and his dog move often.  But avoiding them is not working as well anymore.  “It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, but the last two years they’ve been really irrational,” said Krause, who has been homeless for about eight years. “They’ve stolen my things like six times. They take your tent, your blankets, your heat, everything you need to survive. That’s to force us into the shelter.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Big Brother or crime fighter? Elbert County says ‘no’ to license plate readers
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Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Big Brother or crime fighter? Elbert County says ‘no’ to license plate readers

By Carol McKinley | Colorado Springs Gazette In a clash between personal freedoms and technology-driven public safety, the guys controlling Elbert County's purse strings won. In May — to the dismay of the Elbert County Sheriff's Office — its own panel of county commissioners became what is likely the first governmental entity in Colorado to challenge the reach of cutting-edge surveillance technology avowed by law enforcement as a powerful crimefighting tool. In December, the Elbert County Commissioners voted, 3-0, against renewing the contract for the region’s nine Flock Safety brand license plate readers because constant surveillance of passing vehicles is too much "Big Brother" for their comfort. “This is a place where people ought to be able to live freely and enjoy their pr...
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Immigrants buoys Denver schools’ enrollment by 200 to 250 students each week
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Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Immigrants buoys Denver schools’ enrollment by 200 to 250 students each week

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette The number of immigrants arriving in Denver may have slowed, but Denver Public Schools, which has struggled with declining enrollment for years, is seeing a steady pace of new students each week. And district staffers warned during the board’s regular meeting on Thursday that, if the enrollment numbers continue to climb, budget "adjustments" may arise this year and next. That could potentially mean cuts.    The district saw roughly 300 students enroll since its last update in January. This time last school year, the district had 82,401 students, according to a district update on Thursday. Now, the district has 84,327 students. READ THE FULL STORY IN THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Yuma District Hospital will draw on reserve fund to cover $2.5M operating loss
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Eastern Plains, Local, Yuma Pioneer

Yuma District Hospital will draw on reserve fund to cover $2.5M operating loss

By Yuma Pioneer Yuma District Hospital has been authorized by the board of directors to access up to $2 million of the district’s investments to help cover operations cost. The move came during the YDH Board’s regular monthly meeting on January 24. Interim CEO Ted Beckman made the request to board members Monica King, Mitch Korf, Delaina Klein and De Ann Rawson Sewell. Board member Robert Dorothy was absent. It had been addressed earlier in the meeting when an employee voiced her concerns about the hospital district operating at a $2.5 million loss. She added she was anxious to hear where the the process is in regards to hiring a permanent CEO. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE YUMA PIONEER
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Study: $95K income is ‘lower middle class’ in Denver
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Denver Metro, kdvr.com, Local

Study: $95K income is ‘lower middle class’ in Denver

BY Maddie Rhodes | KDVR-TV It takes a lot more money to be considered anything above the lower middle class in the Mile High City. In Denver, making $95,000 a year isn’t enough to break you out of the lower middle class, according to a new study – but it is close. GOBankingRates researched the 100 largest cities in the U.S. and found the median household incomes for those cities. The study then followed the Pew Research Center’s definition of middle-class income as “two-thirds to double” the median income of an area. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV
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Meet ‘The Good Ol’ Boys’ Club of Douglas County, where you can ‘throw your two cents in’
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Meet ‘The Good Ol’ Boys’ Club of Douglas County, where you can ‘throw your two cents in’

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice CASTLE ROCK – There’s no mollycoddles or wallflowers allowed. But just about anything else goes. In a back room of the Castle Cafe here once a week meets a group of like-minded men from a variety of professional backgrounds known as ‘The Good Ol’ Boys’. Now, this isn’t Bo and Luke Duke, and Boss Hogg is no where to be found, mind you. Cigar smoke doesn’t fill the air and no one is running illegal moonshine. No, in fact, most of the members of this club might have trouble sliding across the hood of a 1969 Dodge Charger. These Good Ol’ Boys meet weekly to hear from candidates for office, other subjects, and in general to reach conservative solutions on the big issues of the day. “We may all be retired – or most of us – but that doesn’...
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Metro District board member recalled in special election amid complaints of ‘verbal abuse and physical intimidation’
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Denver Metro, kdvr.com, Local

Metro District board member recalled in special election amid complaints of ‘verbal abuse and physical intimidation’

By Heather Willard | KDVR-TV DENVER (KDVR) — According to the unofficial vote tally published by the Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder, a reportedly contentious board member of the Ebert Metropolitan District Board of Directors has been recalled and replaced. Murray Hawthorne, treasurer and board member for the Ebert Metro District, was described in a recall petition as someone who “does not represent or respect Ebert residents.” The petition further claimed a pattern of verbal abuse and physical intimidation from Hawthorne to residents. Hawthorne protested the recall election on Nov. 29, 2023. The protest was dismissed and the recall election date was set for Feb. 13, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV
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Denver Coliseum to act as 24/7 severe weather shelter through Feb. 16
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DENVER7, Downtown Denver, Local

Denver Coliseum to act as 24/7 severe weather shelter through Feb. 16

By Claire Lavezzorio | Denver7 DENVER — The City of Denver opened the Denver Coliseum as a 24/7 severe weather shelter Friday afternoon, allowing those experiencing homelessness to escape the cold and snow for an extended period of time. The Coliseum, located at 4600 N Humboldt Street, will remain open until 9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. People in need can go directly to the Coliseum. The city said this shelter is best suited for individuals, not families. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER7
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Homeless kids on rural Eastern Plains have few resources, no shelters
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Eastern Plains, Local, The Sentinel

Homeless kids on rural Eastern Plains have few resources, no shelters

By Rae Solomon and KUNC | Aurora Sentinel On a broad commercial drag in rural Fort Morgan, Colo., there’s an aging roadside motel with a yellowed sign out front advertising vacancies at daily and weekly rates. But it’s no longer a functioning motel in the traditional sense, so much as a pay-as-you-go refuge for locals who have nowhere else to call home. Marygrace Lankhorst and her husband, Lonnie Walker, are among the residents. By the time a major cold snap hit the region in mid-January, they’d been living at the motel for about two and a half months. Their room was small and crammed full of possessions – suitcases, boxes of food, bags of clothing and various treasures rescued from the alleyways of Fort Morgan. A microwave next to the TV served as the kitchen. READ THE FULL ST...
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