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Residents of Southern Colorado retirement home say they have been without hot water for a month
Fox21, Local

Residents of Southern Colorado retirement home say they have been without hot water for a month

By Carolynn Felling | KXRM-TV Fox 21 News A retirement community in Colorado Springs has not had warm water for weeks as our region continues to deal with dangerous arctic air–some residents have been forced to heat up water in bowls and cups in order to wash their hair, but the complex said they are finally working to fix the issues. “It’s been very uncomfortable,” said one resident who wished to remain anonymous at Medalion Retirement Community. Nearly 160 people living at Medalion Retirement Community said they have not had hot water in nearly a month. READ THE FULL STORY AT KXRM-TV FOX 21 NEWS
Greeley-headquartered JBS to pay $4 million to settle child labor violations
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Greeley-headquartered JBS to pay $4 million to settle child labor violations

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice JBS USA Food Company, a leading meat packing processor and slaughterhouse in America, will pay $4 million in settlement to individuals and communities related to its unlawful child labor practices, the U.S. Department of Labor recently announced. The agreement requires JBS to hold "key elements of its supply chain, third-party contractors and service providers accountable" for illegal child labor practices, the news release reads. JBS will additionally lead a targeted advertising campaign to raise awareness of unlawful child labor practices. JBS claims to be the second-leading beef, pork and poultry producer in the United States, with more than 70,000 team members. The company has six operations in and is headquartered in Greeley. Other areas...
‘An elephant is not a person’ and doesn’t enjoy same liberties, Colorado Supreme Court decides
kdvr.com, Local

‘An elephant is not a person’ and doesn’t enjoy same liberties, Colorado Supreme Court decides

By Jacob Factor | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News “An elephant is not a person” and is not afforded the same liberties as a person under the Colorado Constitution, the Colorado Supreme Court decided Tuesday. The state’s highest court upheld an El Paso County District Court decision that decided five elephants at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo were not included in state liberty statutes. The petitioner, the Nonhuman Rights Project, had argued the animals should be included and should be moved to a sanctuary “because they are autonomous and extraordinarily cognitively and socially complex beings,” according to the opinion announcement. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo officials in a statement claimed the Nonhuman Rights Project is “abusing court systems to fundraise” by publicizing “sensational” court cas...
ICE officials not allowed on Denver school campuses, superintendent says
denvergazette.com, Local

ICE officials not allowed on Denver school campuses, superintendent says

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette A top Denver school official has reiterated a district policy that does not permit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on campus as the Trump administration prepares to crackdown on illegal immigration. In his inauguration speech on Monday, Trump said he will go after criminals and gang members, a reference to, among others, the Venezuelan gang that is seeking to entrench its tentacles in metro Denver. Trump campaign officials have said his administration will go after individuals convicted of crimes and those who already face deportation orders.    “No individual should be permitted to enter the building without ascertaining whether the individual has a legitimate business or educational purpose,” Denver Public Schoo...
Cody Davis, the new Mesa Co. Commission chair, prioritizes listening, engaging with community
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Cody Davis, the new Mesa Co. Commission chair, prioritizes listening, engaging with community

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice As Cody Davis received the gavel as the new chair of the Mesa County board of commissioners, he reflected on its playful history. Like when Bobbie Daniel became chair, Davis helped bedazzle it to add a glittery flair in honor of her leadership.  Now that the gavel has been passed to him, Davis joked about expecting “something like Thor’s Hammer” but admitted the simple wooden gavel feels fitting for his no-nonsense approach. “I’m not a very glittery, in-your-face personality," he said. "If I were to upgrade it, maybe I’d add a little plane or something aviation-related." In December, Davis accomplished a little-known feat — he earned his pilot's license. Flying has been a lifelong aspiration inspired by his father, who...
Arapahoe County using money from Prop. 123 for housing services
denvergazette.com, Local

Arapahoe County using money from Prop. 123 for housing services

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Arapahoe County is putting $200,000 in funding from Proposition 123 toward housing stability services via a program to target at-risk people, county officials said in a news release.  The county is one of four organizations in Colorado to get money from the proposition for Colorado Emergency Rental Assistance for Housing Stability Services, according to the release.  Arapahoe County's program to provide services with money from the Department of Local Affairs will start in February. Services to help with housing include application assistance, case management, community outreach and resource referrals to individuals and families facing financial hardships that threaten their housing security.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Harvest Junction Village HOA wants to exterminate prairie dogs in Longmont, but activists are involved
Local, Westword

Harvest Junction Village HOA wants to exterminate prairie dogs in Longmont, but activists are involved

By Catie Cheshire | Westword Jaime Fraina walks almost every day along Left Hand Creek in Longmont, where he enjoys a little fresh air and nature. Fraina particularly likes seeing the prairie dogs, which he often sees calling to each other, poking their heads out of the ground or relaxing in the sun. But those prairie dogs will soon be eliminated if the Harvest Junction Village Homeowners Association, which manages part of the open space where Fraina walks, follows through with a plan to kill them. To prevent the death of those prairie dogs, Fraina says he's proposed alternative solutions to keep the creatures from wandering into yards, but the HOA hasn't been receptive. READ THE FULL STORY AT WESTWORD
Martin Luther King Jr.’s nephew speaks on nonviolent protest at annual Colorado Springs event
gazette.com, Local

Martin Luther King Jr.’s nephew speaks on nonviolent protest at annual Colorado Springs event

By Natasha Lynn | The Gazette The importance of nonviolent protest highlighted Monday's annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Colorado Springs. The theme of this year's event, presented by the Pikes Peak Diversity Council and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Preservation Society, was "mission possible," stressing the importance of protecting freedom, justice, and democracy. Local events began with an “All Peoples Breakfast” at the Antlers Hotel with speakers from the African American Youth Leadership Conference board, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Preservation Society, and various musical performance selections. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Appeals court orders new Weld County murder trial after judge refused to give self-defense instruction
coloradopolitics.com, Local

Appeals court orders new Weld County murder trial after judge refused to give self-defense instruction

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Colorado's second-highest court on Thursday decided a Weld County judge should have instructed jurors to consider whether a man accused of murder acted in self-defense, given that some evidence at the crime scene supported that theory. Jurors convicted Kenneth James Hoschouer III in 2021 of murdering his friend, Christopher Grau, at Grau's residence in Firestone two years earlier. The prosecution's evidence showed Hoschouer was intoxicated, angry and had the murder weapon concealed in his home after the killing. Hoschouer received 48 years in prison. On appeal, Hoschouer claimed there were numerous errors with his trial, including his inability to have jurors consider the possibility of self-defense. READ THE FULL STORY ...
Cattle rustling — the ‘easy crime’ — decimating Western Slope ranchers
gazette.com, Local

Cattle rustling — the ‘easy crime’ — decimating Western Slope ranchers

By Rachel Wright | The Gazette, via the Denver Gazette The grass crunches underfoot and dust billows in dense clouds as a truck and trailer speed out of public lands in Montrose County. The trailer is full of calves lowing plaintively. The driver gives the Western salute, one or two fingers raised as a four-by-four rumbles past. The truck turns on to the highway, nose pointed east. And without anyone the wiser, more calves have disappeared. Cattle rustling is a tale at least as old as Colorado itself, when poverty and drought turned desperate people into thieves. And now, thanks to the high price of cattle and uneven enforcement of branding laws across the surrounding states, ranchers say rustling is back in a big way on the Western Slope. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETT...