Local

Mayor testifies in hate crime ‘hoax’ trial tied to 2023 election incident

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Right after the defense alleged the hate crime “hoax” that made headlines during the 2023 Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election was an act of “political theater,” Yemi Mobolade, now the city’s mayor, got emotional during his testimony Monday.

With only an hour left in the day’s proceedings, the prosecution called Mobolade to the stand. During his testimony, Mobolade teared up at times when identifying Derrick Bernard Jr., in the courtroom and seeing his defaced campaign sign again.

In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado announced that three individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury for “maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire” to draw support for the eventual mayoral race winner, Mobolade, who is Colorado Springs’ first elected Black mayor.

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Cities sue Polis over housing mandate, cite threat to local control

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Six “home rule” cities in Colorado are suing the state, alleging it has unconstitutionally usurped their local authority over land use and zoning as it pushes communities to allow denser housing development. 

The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of an executive order Gov. Jared Polis signed last week to withhold some state grants from local communities if they fail to implement a slate of recent housing laws. The cities say the order encroaches on the powers of both the General Assembly and the judiciary to say what the law is and is “beyond the governor’s authority.”

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Bent County declares Second Amendment Sanctuary, defies SB25-003

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An eastern Colorado county has passed a resolution declaring itself a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” in opposition to a bill passed by the legislature this year that requires individuals to participate in safety training to be eligible to purchase certain types of firearms.

On May 15, the Bent County Board of Commissioners and Bent County Sheriff unanimously passed a resolution declaring that no county resources will be used to enforce provisions of Senate Bill 003 that have not been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Denver City Council braces for layoffs, deep cuts—but Mayor Johnston delays details

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The Denver City Council met atop Lookout Mountain at Golden’s Boettcher Mansion last week to plan for the 2026 budget. The elected leaders knew they would likely need to make cuts — but nobody knew just how bad the city’s fiscal situation might be.

“I’ve been hearing rumors of layoffs and furloughs,” Councilmember Stacie Gilmore said as the all-day meeting began on Friday.

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A tale of two cities: How two Colorado mayors stand far apart on immigration

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Colorado’s two most populous cities are separated by fewer than 60 miles, but when it comes to their approach to immigration law enforcement, the mayors of Colorado Springs and Denver stand much farther apart.

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Denver sees 58% drop in homicides amid stricter immigration policies and crime crackdown

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A tougher approach on immigration and crime is yielding significant results in Denver, with the city experiencing a 58% drop in homicides during the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

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Governor’s executive order threatening loss of funding draws fire for overriding local housing control

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Gov. Jared Polis is putting local governments on notice: Either they comply with state housing laws, or they risk losing at least $100 million a year in state funding.

The governor signed an executive order that takes the battle over local control to a new level. Over the last two years, he’s signed bills regarding residential occupancy limits and accessory dwelling units, transit-oriented communities and manufactured homes, and even limits on staircases and parking spots.

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Radio outage at Denver Air Traffic Control Center, FAA points to antiquated system and staffing levels

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The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a radio failure at the Denver Air Traffic Control Center, which covers approximately 285,000 square miles of airspace covering parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. The outage temporarily affected communications Monday.

According to the FAA, both transmitters that cover a segment of airspace went down around 1:50 p.m., causing a loss of communications to part of the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center for about 90 seconds. The FAA said the outage affected some flights approaching Denver International Airport.

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