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Boulder man who lost home in Marshall Fire now dealing with parents’ loss of home in LA wildfires
kdvr.com, Local

Boulder man who lost home in Marshall Fire now dealing with parents’ loss of home in LA wildfires

By Nate Belt | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News A Boulder man is stunned to be living through two of the same tragedies twice: His parents lost their home to wildfires in Los Angeles not long after the third anniversary of losing his own home in the Marshall Fire. Christian Maljian was visiting his family in California back in December 2021 when his roommate in Superior texted him smoke was getting close to their home. “Hoping it didn’t burn, like, for hours and hours and found out, you know, the next day when I’d actually flown back to Colorado that it got lost,” said Maljian. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV FOX 31 NEWS
Fences on target to come down this year on Denver’s 16th Street Mall
kdvr.com, Local

Fences on target to come down this year on Denver’s 16th Street Mall

By Maddie Rhodes | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News The 16th Street Mall has been under construction for three years, leaving the heart of downtown Denver covered in fences. While the project still has a ways to go, it’s expected to wrap up in 2025. The 16th Street Mall started construction in 2022 in hopes of improving safety and mobility. Over the past three years, the city has been working on demolishing the street and touching up storm and sewage work before rebuilding the area. By the time the fences come down, the street is rebuilt with a transit way, trees, new curbs at shuttle stops and more. Denver opened up the first part of the mall in the summer of 2024, with four blocks between Market and Curtis Street finished. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV FOX 31 NEWS
Teen pleads guilty to second degree murder in shooting at Longmont car rally
CBS Colorado, Local

Teen pleads guilty to second degree murder in shooting at Longmont car rally

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado A teen charged in a fatal shooting at a car rally in Longmont pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Friday. Christian Mendoza, 17, was charged as an adult after he fatally shot 16-year-old Robert Maldonado in the Longmont Hobby Lobby parking lot in March 2024. Officials said an altercation at the car rally between Mendoza and Maldonado turned physical. When Maldonado turned to head back towards the vehicle he arrived in, Mendoza shot him in the back right side. Maldonado fled the rally in his vehicle and crashed nearby. He later died from his injuries at the hospital. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Lakewood sued by developer, as expected, over controversial new open space law
Local, Westword

Lakewood sued by developer, as expected, over controversial new open space law

By Catie Cheshire | Westword As members of Lakewood City Council predicted when they passed a controversial new open-space law last November, the City of Lakewood has been named in a suit claiming that the law is illegal and being applied unfairly to a planned development next to Belmar Park. In September, Lakewood residents successfully petitioned to eliminate the city’s option to allow developers to pay a fee to build parks instead of dedicating parkland for each development; the council had no choice but to either send the issue to a special election or turn the petition into law. As a result, every project must now dedicate 10.5 acres of parkland for every 1,000 people expected to live at a new Lakewood development. Kairoi Properties filed the lawsuit ...
Colorado Springs firefighters have been assigned to Zuma Beach in Malibu
Fox21, Local

Colorado Springs firefighters have been assigned to Zuma Beach in Malibu

By Dara Korn | KXRM-TV Fox 21 News The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) reported that crews deployed to assist with the fires in California have arrived and received their assignments on Sunday morning, Jan. 12. According to CSFD, crews have been assigned to Zuma Beach in Malibu for an initial attack on the fires. READ THE FULL STORY AT KXRM-TV FOX 21 NEWS
Lawsuit filed against town of Palmer Lake, officials over Buc-ee’s plan
gazette.com, Local

Lawsuit filed against town of Palmer Lake, officials over Buc-ee’s plan

By BRETT FORREST | The Gazette, via KOAA Several nonprofit organizations are suing the town of Palmer Lake, its mayor and other city officials over a controversial plan to annex land to open a Buc-ee's convenience store. The lawsuit, filed Friday, alleges a multitude of complaints including improper land annexation agreements, restriction of free speech and violation of open meeting laws for matters surrounding the development of the popular Texas-based chain, which opened its first Colorado location near Johnstown in 2024. Nonprofit Integrity Matters filed the suit along with Westside Watch, TriLakes Preservation, Inc, United Congregational Church, and other individuals and business owners in the Palmer Lake area. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Passenger rail advocates push state to connect southern, western Colorado
denvergazette.com, Local

Passenger rail advocates push state to connect southern, western Colorado

By David O. Williams | Denver Gazette Passengers or petroleum products? That’s one of the key questions being bandied about in a renewed effort to revive part of the long-dormant Tennessee Pass rail line linking southern Colorado to the state’s Western Slope. As the Polis administration continues to focus almost exclusively on planning for passenger rail in the northern Front Range and through the northern mountains between Denver and Craig, some rail advocates, experts and elected officials are urging the state to study the out-of-service Union Pacific rail line between Pueblo and western Eagle County that last saw freight trains in 1997. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
DA George Brauchler launches new 23rd Judicial District with tough-on-crime approach
CBS Colorado, Local

DA George Brauchler launches new 23rd Judicial District with tough-on-crime approach

By Olivia Young | CBS News For the first time in over 60 years, Colorado is getting a new Judicial District. The change will happen on Tuesday. For decades, the 18th Judicial District has encompassed Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. As those communities grew, the district became the largest in the state. A political divide also emerged between left-leaning Arapahoe County and the other conservative communities. In 2020, a bipartisan effort in the state legislature split the district, leaving only Arapahoe County in the 18th Judicial District and creating a new district for the remaining counties, the state's 23rd. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Denver home prices are falling, but does that mean buying a house is affordable?
Local, Westword

Denver home prices are falling, but does that mean buying a house is affordable?

By Catie Cheshire | Westword Denver had the seventh-highest drop in home prices in 2024, according to Realtor.com. But that doesn’t necessarily mean buying a home in Denver is affordable. Though the median list price of a home in Denver was down 5.35 percent in December 2024 compared to December 2023, the median list price is still $577,350. Still, real estate experts are taking the news of the drop as another sign that markets are leveling out from pandemic-induced, skyrocketing prices. “Austin, Denver, Phoenix and Nashville were the darling markets of 2021 and 2022 and places where prices went wild,” says Joel Berner, Realtor.com senior economist. “Now, with more homes on the market, prices are returning to where they belong.” READ THE FULL STORY AT WESTWORD...
Fruita city manager search down to a pool of four finalists
KKCO-TV Grand Junction, Local

Fruita city manager search down to a pool of four finalists

By Aiga Petelo | KKCO-TV 11 News The Fruita community got the chance to hear from finalists for the vacant City Manager Position. The four finalists spoke at a meet and greet Thursday evening at the Fruita Community Center. The finalists include Jay Harrington, Keith Rinehart, Drew Sanders, and Shannon Vassen. READ THE FULL STORY AT KKCO-TV 11 NEWS