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El Paso, Teller counties to get $66 million in grants to address opioid epidemic
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Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

El Paso, Teller counties to get $66 million in grants to address opioid epidemic

By Mary Shinn | Colorado Springs Gazette El Paso and Teller counties are expected to receive $66 million through 2038 to address the opioid epidemic, a scourge that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives nationally.  A regional council awarded the first round of that funding, about $3.8 million, in April. The council left about $1.1 million in reserve to fund additional youth prevention programs, said Amanda Grant, an El Paso County finance employee who works with the council. She said the region is currently expected to receive $66 million, although the number will fluctuate depending on settlement outcomes.  The board is composed of 15 officials from El Paso and Teller counties, including county commissioners, city and town council members and law enforcement repre...
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Jefferson County is considering a new trailhead west of Arvada, to the chagrin of nearby residents
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Local, Westword

Jefferson County is considering a new trailhead west of Arvada, to the chagrin of nearby residents

By Bennito L. Kelty | Westword After four decades of buying enormous tracts of land west of Arvada, Jefferson County is considering new hiking trails in an unblemished area less than thirty miles from downtown Denver. Property owners in the private community located right next to the proposed trailhead aren't keen on the idea, however. "I'm not afraid to say not in my backyard. They're talking about endangering myself and my family," says Steve Bisque, the president of the Blue Mountain Land & Homeowners Association and a member of the family that developed the neighborhood. At some point during the next four years, the county could install a trailhead and a parking lot at 9775 Blue Mountain Road, Arvada, which is just a stone's throw from the entrance to Blue Mountain Estates...
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Colorado firefighters save cat after car fire damages 4 vehicles, 2 townhouse units
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CBS Colorado, Local

Colorado firefighters save cat after car fire damages 4 vehicles, 2 townhouse units

By Austen Erblat | CBS Colorado Firefighters found and rescued a cat that went missing during a blaze that damaged several cars and townhouse units in a Denver suburb. The fire was first reported around 5:20 a.m. Saturday in the 1100 block of South Reed Street in Lakewood. West Metro Fire Rescue said it took crews less than five minutes to arrive at the scene and about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Douglas County nullifies SB 131, allowing those with concealed carry permit to do so in government buildings
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kdvr.com, Local

Douglas County nullifies SB 131, allowing those with concealed carry permit to do so in government buildings

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 KDVR.com The Douglas County board of commissioners voted Tuesday to opt out of a new state law prohibiting individuals from carrying firearms in sensitive places, such as government buildings, schools and polling locations. The law will go into effect on July 1 and has a provision allowing local governments to enact legislation permitting people to carry firearms in the areas described in the bill. “Douglas County’s opting out of the requirements of the onerous SB24-131 allows visitors to county facilities and properties the ability to protect themselves as they choose,” said Commissioner Lora Thomas, a Republican, in a county release. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31
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Residents warned of black bear visiting historic downtown Golden
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Local, Out There Colorado

Residents warned of black bear visiting historic downtown Golden

By Spencer McKee | Out There Colorado The Golden Police Department is warning residents about a bear that's been frequenting the historic downtown area of the city in recent days. At the time of a May 14 announcement, the bear had been spotted in the area over the past two days, with an image included of the bear sitting in a tree. The bear appears to be between one and two years old and hasn't shown any signs of aggression toward people or pets. READ THE FULL STORY AT OUT THERE COLORADO
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Monument has spent more than $100,000 in taxpayer funds in ‘political’ legal battle
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KRDO.COM, Local

Monument has spent more than $100,000 in taxpayer funds in ‘political’ legal battle

By Quinn Ritzdorf | KRDO.com A legal battle between the Monument mayor and a private attorney has cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars and it's still not over. More than 17 months after Monument Mayor Mitch LaKind filed a state complaint against private attorney Grant Van Der Jagt, the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel said the complaint is still pending. “I think the town needs to know how our money is being spent,” LaKind said. “Being that we have spent over $100,000 in legal fees on top of the $25,000 that was paid via the (legal) engagement, the town people have a right to know what this attorney and his law firm and those that supported his engagement cost.” READ THE FULL STORY AT KRDO.COM
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Investigation: South Adams County FD’s trips may be ‘violation of public trust’, says ethics expert
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CBS Colorado, Local

Investigation: South Adams County FD’s trips may be ‘violation of public trust’, says ethics expert

By Brian Maass | CBS News Colorado Top fire chiefs and administrators with the South Adams County Fire Department, along with some of their board members, have regularly taken their spouses along to winter conferences in Florida and fall conferences in Colorado's high country, billing taxpayers for their spouses' meals and other expenses, and extending their stays before and after conferences.  One Colorado ethics expert characterized this as "sounding more like a vacation than a business trip" and suggested, "they've been misusing funds." The questionable expenditures emerged from a CBS News Colorado investigation of the fire department's conference expenses over the last three years, prompting the department to announce updates to its travel and conference policies.  REA...
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Protest of USPS plan to move mail from Grand Junction to Denver may have been successful
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Local, The Craig Press

Protest of USPS plan to move mail from Grand Junction to Denver may have been successful

By Elliott Wenzler  | The Craig Press The U.S. Postal Service will pause a plan to reroute mail from the Western Slope to Denver after dozens of Senators from both parties protested the changes.  “While USPS claims these changes overall will improve service while reducing costs, there is evidence to the contrary in locations where USPS has implemented changes so far,” according to a May 8 letter from 24 senators, including Sen. Michael Bennet. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in response to the senators’ concerns, he will pause implementation of that plan until at least January 2025. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CRAIG PRESS
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Denver Elementary students face racist slurs during City Council meeting
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Local, Westword

Denver Elementary students face racist slurs during City Council meeting

By Hannah Metzger | Westword Two young Black girls went before Denver City Council to ask for help for their school. Instead, they became the victims of a racist tirade. Fourth- and fifth-grade students from Monarch Montessori spoke during the council's weekly public comment session on Monday, May 13, requesting assistance in getting a yurt for their school. But less than a minute into their testimony, a voice from the online Zoom shouted at the girls to "go back to fucking Africa," followed by a series of insults and racial slurs. Council staff unsuccessfully tried to mute the anonymous speaker, but the racist rant continued for around thirty seconds, with the female-sounding voice repeatedly calling the children the N-word before the Zoom was eventually ...
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Auraria Campus officials decline to provide security details as protest encampment grows
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denvergazette.com, Local

Auraria Campus officials decline to provide security details as protest encampment grows

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette The pro-Palestinian protests on the Auraria Campus have cost it nearly $300,000, campus officials reported Tuesday. “The protest has cost the campus an estimated $290K in damages, canceled community events, and other relevant costs to address the encampment,” Devra Ashby, a spokesperson for the Auraria Higher Education Center, said in an email to The Denver Gazette. “That cost will only increase over time.” Damages — Ashby said — have involved destroying the sod in the quad, graffiti tagging and vandalism, as well as the cost of cleaning up the quad, including a hazmat team handling a spill from an illegal toilet. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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