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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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Every household required to own a gun in small southwestern Colorado town
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Local, The Washington Post, Western Slope

Every household required to own a gun in small southwestern Colorado town

By Lauren Loftus | Washington Post NUCLA, Colo. — Driving north on U.S. 141 in southwestern Colorado, the road descends from red rock plateau into a wind-blown expanse of bedraggled shrubs and hardy desert trees called Paradox Valley. Passing only the occasional deer, the two-lane highway eventually ends at the intersection of the Dolores River. Just beyond its muddy bank lies the tiny town of Nucla. The area’s once booming uranium mine has long been shuttered, while the halls of Nucla High School echo with the sounds of only a few dozen students. Main Street is dotted with boarded-up buildings and deserted after sunset. With a poverty rate of nearly 20 percent, it’s clear Nucla is in need of jobs, an economic boon that remains out of reach. But there is at least one thi...
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Historic ghost town in eastern Weld County may have chance to become National Park Service location
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Eastern Plains, Local, Out There Colorado

Historic ghost town in eastern Weld County may have chance to become National Park Service location

By Tamera Twitty | Out There Colorado The historic ghost town of Dearfield, located roughly 24 miles east of Greeley and 70 miles northeast from Denver, could become Colorado's next national park if the U.S. Department of the Interior can prove its national significance.  Founded in 1910, the homestead was once the largest black homesteading settlement in Colorado, attracting African-Americans from across Jim Crow-era America. Its estimated that at its peak, the town was home to around 700 people from 35 states.  The community was devastated by the Dust Bowl, which was ultimately the catalyst to its current ghost town status.  Late last year, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper introduced the Dearfield Study Act. The act calls f...
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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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In Rifle, police officer initiates city discussion of obscured license plates, ‘huge problem’ of inoperable vehicles
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Western Slope

In Rifle, police officer initiates city discussion of obscured license plates, ‘huge problem’ of inoperable vehicles

An inquiry by Rifle police officer Kallie McCain to the municipal court led Wednesday to a full discussion on the appearance of license plates and vehicles by the City Council. At issue is obscured plates and the process by which police officers face additional workload writing citations to both municipal and county courts for the violation. The state’s statute on the display of license plates was not included in Rifle’s Model Traffic Code – a statute at least one member of City Council finds to be vague. By adding the language of the state statute to the local code, officers could write the ticket and potentially others into one court, said Municipal Court Clerk Kathy Pototsky, avoiding the need to appear in separate courts. It would be a $25 citation. “Most officers would write ...
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Denver Zoo to open 570-acre conservation preserve in Weld County
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BizWest, Local, Northern Colorado

Denver Zoo to open 570-acre conservation preserve in Weld County

By Dallas Heltzell | BizWest WELD COUNTY — The Denver Zoo will expand its operations onto the Lembke Family Preserve, a donated 570-acre tract east of Greeley in Weld County, the zoo announced Thursday. Conversations between the family and the zoo began about 18 months ago, said Bob Lembke, president of United Water and Sanitation District and a Weld County ranch owner. “I’ve always been a big fan of the zoo and came to the conclusion that this made sense,” Lembke told BizWest. “I signed the documents for the donation last December.” The gift was made, he said, because “Denver Zoo has been part of our family tradition since the late 1950s. Both Carol and I loved visiting the old zoo of our childhood, and we took our kids there many times. It’s always a special family outing. Wi...
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Vehicle window-washing by unskilled migrants in Denver raises safety concerns
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Downtown Denver, Local, thelobby-co.com

Vehicle window-washing by unskilled migrants in Denver raises safety concerns

By The Lobby The influx of Venezuelan migrants in Denver, who have taken to washing windshields of stopped cars at busy intersections, is raising concerns about safety and the city's sanctuary policies. Tens of thousands of migrants in the city, facing ongoing delays in obtaining government work permits, have resorted to working in teams, cleaning vehicles waiting at intersections in exchange for cash. While some see this as reminiscent of their home countries, critics argue that it highlights the flaws in U.S. border policies and Denver's burdensome sanctuary city strategy. Yoli Casas, the executive director of the nonprofit migrant support group ViVe Wellness, compares the sight of window washers to her origins in Venezuela. She says that in South America, such as Venezuela, Col...
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‘It shouldn’t be free’: In Grand Junction, EV owners will pay at city-owned charging stations
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Western Slope

‘It shouldn’t be free’: In Grand Junction, EV owners will pay at city-owned charging stations

‘The majority of the power is coming from coal,’ City Councilman Cody Kennedy says Electric vehicle operators will no longer have a free ride from the City of Grand Junction. City Council unanimously supported the implementation of a fee structure Wednesday, similar to fees implemented by some other local governments to cover public expenses related to charging stations. “I used one of the EV charging apps and there are 40 some odd places in town where you can charge for free,” said City Councilman Scott Beilfuss, also indicating he didn’t support a free-use structure. The proposed rates are comparable to what a gas or diesel-powered vehicle owner might expect to pay for metered parking, City Manager Greg Caton said. “There is a significant amount of public investment in thi...
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