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Gaines: Is Gov. Polis sending homeless people to my hometown? Fact check finds no support to claim
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Commentary, Local

Gaines: Is Gov. Polis sending homeless people to my hometown? Fact check finds no support to claim

By CORY GAINES | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I was talking to a friend the other day and he remarked that his neighbor had told him that Gov. Polis was sending homeless people out to Sterling, Colo. It got me curious.  I do know that I've seen more homeless people out here than when I first moved out, but are there a ton more?  Are they coming from Polis? I'll get to the answer in a sec, but I wanted to take this as an opportunity to discuss (yet again) the importance of skepticism when you hear a claim.  I wanted to take this as an opportunity to provide an example of some simple steps you can take to evaluate claims you hear. The first thing you should do is the first thing I did when I started investigating:  go to your favorite search eng...
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Denver voters will decide whether to allow non-citizens to serve as police, firefighters
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denvergazette.com, Local

Denver voters will decide whether to allow non-citizens to serve as police, firefighters

By Alexander Edwards | Denver Gazette Non-citizens are one step closer to being able to apply to become a Denver police officer or firefighter after the City Council unanimously approved a ballot measure seeking to change the city charter during Monday’s meeting. The proposed charter change requiring police and fire departments to drop a requirement that applicants be a U.S. citizen must be approved in November by voters, who face an increasingly dense ballot.  Monday’s proposed charter change will allow immigrants of “legal status” to serve as Denver police officers and firefighters, bringing the city in line with employment discrimination laws, according to Councilmember Jamie Torres. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Douglas Co. has invested $2.7 million in a helicopter, and says it is worth it
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CBS Colorado, Local

Douglas Co. has invested $2.7 million in a helicopter, and says it is worth it

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado Douglas County fire crews experienced a busy weekend as a heat wave warmed the Denver metro area. The agency's fire suppression helicopter responded to several calls, including a destructive brush fire in Byers Arapahoe County, a plane's emergency landing and three smoke checks. CBS Colorado learned more about the resource proving to be instrumental for communities around the metro area by watching the Helitack team demonstrate their approach, which is a combination of aerial and ground firefighting.When a wildfire sparks, every second counts. "We just arrived on scene. I got eyes on the fire. We're going to try to anchor in at the heel and go up the right flank. If you could just have the helicopter drop on the left flank," a firefighter radioed oth...
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For third time since 2019, Jefferson Co. voters will weigh in on elimination of TABOR refunds
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denvergazette.com, Local

For third time since 2019, Jefferson Co. voters will weigh in on elimination of TABOR refunds

By Anya Moore | Denver Gazette For the third time in five years, Jefferson County's elected officials are asking voters to allow the local government to spend all of the revenue that it collects above the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights limit, thereby eliminating refunds to taxpayers.  For fiscal year 2024, that refund amount is estimated to be $54.4 million. Last year, the county refunded $39.4 million to roughly 210,000 property taxpayers. The county's voters rejected the idea twice — in 2019 and 2022 — but the county's commissioners this month insisted that, after "engaging" with the public through "both qualitative and quantitative research," voters need to decide the question again.   READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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The cowboy hat is back for some law enforcement officers in Colorado
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kdvr.com, Local

The cowboy hat is back for some law enforcement officers in Colorado

By Maddie Rhodes | Fox 31 News A decades-old fashion trend is hitting police departments and sheriff’s offices across the state, and it’s just about as Colorado as it gets. Many departments across the state are allowing cowboy hats as part of the uniform. Deputies in Boulder and Arapahoe County posted about the new look earlier this year. Now, University of Colorado Boulder police officers are carrying on the fad and sporting the hats too. As of early July, the university told FOX31 that police and residential service officers were granted permission to wear cowboy hats meeting certain specifications. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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‘Uncertainty’ hits Boulder Valley S.D. amid enrollment decline, new funding law and tax cap measure
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Boulder Reporting Lab, Local

‘Uncertainty’ hits Boulder Valley S.D. amid enrollment decline, new funding law and tax cap measure

By Jenna Sampson | Boulder Reporting Lab The Boulder Valley School District is set to spend over $550 million on operating expenditures next school year. In lockstep with declining enrollment, fixed costs continue to rise, increasing the cost per student. Boulder spends over $4,000 more per pupil than the state average of $15,000, with some schools allocating over $22,000 per student. This yearly enrollment decline of 1.5%, combined with a new funding law and a November 2024 ballot measure to cap property taxes — a major revenue source for BVSD — has sparked concerns about the district’s future budget. Although the new funding law may provide additional state aid, this will be offset by declining enrollment unless the district manages to reduce fixed costs. One potenti...
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Aurora police preparing to roll out auto theft tracking program
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denvergazette.com, Local

Aurora police preparing to roll out auto theft tracking program

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Aurora Police Department is preparing to roll out a new tracking program that would enable officials to locate stolen cars. The goal is to spread the program, called Metro Track, across the region to make it more powerful, APD Division Chief Mark Hildebrand said at a Thursday Public Safety, Courts and Civil Service Committee meeting. Metro Track, done in collaboration with the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Agency (CATPA), is based on a similar program in Cook County, Illinois, and another similar program in Denver, called DenverTrack, Hildebrand said. Those interested in participating in the program can enroll with the police department, giving officers consent to track the car in the event that it gets stolen. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER ...
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In Elbert County, manager and attorney get 40% pay increases, with perks
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coloradopolitics.com, Local

In Elbert County, manager and attorney get 40% pay increases, with perks

By Deborah Grigsby | Colorado Politics Two of Elbert County’s top officials received contract extensions this year, each with pay raises and county-owned cars, among other perks. The Board of County Commissioners extended “Engagement of Service” contracts to County Manager Shawn Fletcher and County Attorney Bart Greer. Fletcher, who has been on the job for less than 18 months, saw a pay bump of $80,000 over his 2023 contract, bringing his annual salary to $220,000. Additionally, he gets the use of a county-owned or leased vehicle, a monthly housing allowance of $1,500, and an extra two weeks (8 days) of vacation leave above his current accrual rate. Greer, who has represented the county for close to seven years, will also receive an annual salary of $220,000 and use a county ve...
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Douglas County approves $312K senior transportation services grant, but at less than requested
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denvergazette.com, Local

Douglas County approves $312K senior transportation services grant, but at less than requested

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette Douglas County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $312,728 grant for providing transport services to seniors and people with disabilities. However, the grant is more than $250,000 less than what the county’s Community Development Department requested for six months ago — thus severely limiting the number of one-way trips provided for people who need the service. Back in January, Douglas County requested $453,000 from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, which is a "planning organization where local governments collaborate to establish guidelines, set policy and allocate funding in the areas of transportation, personal mobility, growth and development, and aging and disability resources," according to its website. Douglas County req...
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Aurora may get tougher on penalties for motorists without license plates
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CBS Colorado, Local

Aurora may get tougher on penalties for motorists without license plates

By Tori Mason | CBS Colorado It's not uncommon to see vehicles with expired tags or no plates at all in Aurora. The Aurora Police Department has already increased enforcement. Now a city council member wants to get even tougher on drivers who think they're above the law in Colorado. "There isn't a time that I go out on the street where I don't see at least three or four cars with no plates," said Robbie De Jong, who runs an online community group for stolen vehicles. "If I have to do it, so does everybody else." This month, Aurora City Council Member Stephanie Hancock will introduce a proposal to crack down on vehicles with expired registrations and with missing plates. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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