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‘How much are we spending on it?’: Denver auditor reviewing costs of city’s homeless shelters
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Local, Westword

‘How much are we spending on it?’: Denver auditor reviewing costs of city’s homeless shelters

Chris Perez | Westword An audit of Denver's shelter system and how much the city is actually spending on housing the homeless is in full swing, according to the Denver Auditor's Office, which hopes to have things wrapped up by late July or early August. "I don't know if they've ever been audited. I know they haven't been audited since I've been the auditor," says Tim O'Brien, who was elected to the independent post in 2015. "One of the biggest questions is, how much are we spending on it?" Last week, the City of Denver made headlines after it was revealed during a Denver City Council Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness committee meeting focusing on House1000 financials that officials had only spent $10.3 million of the $46 million they expected to spend on the homeles...
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Mesa County’s Scott Thompson named Surveyor of the Year
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Local, Mesa County, Rocky Mountain Voice

Mesa County’s Scott Thompson named Surveyor of the Year

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff Scott Thompson, elected in 2019 as Mesa County's surveyor and re-elected in 2023, has been named this year's "Surveyor of the Year" by the Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado. The honor is presented annually to a professional who has demonstrated excellence in land surveying and has made significant contributions to the profession and community, a Mesa County press release reads. The award was presented to Thompson at a special ceremony on March 27, at the Rocky Mountain Surveyors Summit in Westminster, Colo. "It is an honor to receive the Surveyor of the Year award from the Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado," Thompson said. "To be a land surveyor is to be a steward of accuracy and a chronicler of the Earth beneath our feet, ensuring the int...
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El Paso County to consider suing state of Colorado over ‘unconstitutional’ immigration laws
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Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

El Paso County to consider suing state of Colorado over ‘unconstitutional’ immigration laws

Breeanna Jent | Colorado Springs Gazette El Paso County could join a lawsuit against the state of Colorado, challenging laws that stop local governments from cooperating with the federal government in certain matters of immigration. The Board of El Paso County Commissioners at its regular meeting Tuesday will consider a resolution authorizing litigation against the state. If approved, the county would officially object to two state bills passed in 2019 and 2023 that prohibit local law enforcement, including the El Paso County sheriff, from arresting or detaining individuals based on a civil immigration detainer. The laws also prohibit probation officers from providing migrants' identifying information to federal authorities, and ended the ability for local law enforcement to enter...
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New Douglas County ordinance prohibits unscheduled immigrant bus drop-offs
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coloradopolitics.com, Local

New Douglas County ordinance prohibits unscheduled immigrant bus drop-offs

By Nicole C. Brambila | Colorado Politics Douglas County commissioners unanimously voted to approve an ordinance this week that takes aim at Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws by prohibiting commercial vehicles from making unscheduled stops in unincorporated Douglas County to drop off immigrants. The new ordinance simultaneously targets so-called “sanctuary” cities and efforts lawmakers around the country have made to offload immigrants elsewhere. This includes political stunts targeting Democrats — as seen with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s busing campaign — or an onward travel strategy employed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and others that transports immigrants onto their final destination. Commercial drivers who violate the new ordinance could face a fine of up to $1,000 per passenger, in ...
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Efforts to close Boulder Airport stunted by community support, federal requirements
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denvergazette.com, Local

Efforts to close Boulder Airport stunted by community support, federal requirements

By Alex Edwards | The Denver Gazette A small single-engine aircraft approaches Hep Ingram's house in northeast Boulder recently, clawing for altitude. Its engine screams in defiance of gravity. And ever so slowly, it drifts closer and closer to flying right over the top of Ingram's home. “This guy is way north of where he should be,” he said. As it approaches, Ingram’s voice is overpowered and he has to wait for the plane to pass over before finishing his thought. During a 45 minute period, roughly 20 aircraft flew over, several of which were north of where Ingram said they should have been. Ingram lives at the east end of the Boulder Municipal Airport (BDU). Recently, he’s noticed an increase in air traffic from the airport, pushing him to sign a petition that supports closing...
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A new plan for the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park: Sell it to the State of Colorado
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Local, The Colorado Sun

A new plan for the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park: Sell it to the State of Colorado

By Jason Blevins | The Colorado Sun The deal to sell the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park to an Arizona nonprofit has faded, so the state of Colorado is stepping in with a plan to buy the hotel.  The Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority, which helps nonprofit educational and arts groups fund capital projects, plans to take over ownership of the historic Stanley Hotel.  The authority will take the role as owner after the plan to sell the hotel to Arizona’s Community Finance Corp. fell through. Instead of selling to the Arizona group and taking ownership after as much as $450 million in bonds for renovating and upgrading the hotel are paid back, the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority, or CECFA, will create a subsidiary and be...
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Pueblo steel mill fire prompts pre-evac notices, triggers air quality concerns
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Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

Pueblo steel mill fire prompts pre-evac notices, triggers air quality concerns

By Mary Shinn | Colorado Springs Gazette A fire broke out Friday afternoon at the EVRAZ steel mill in Pueblo sending up a thick column of black smoke that was blowing north.  The fire triggered a shelter-in-place order and pre-evacuation order for homes near the expansive mill along Interstate 25 on the southern end of town. Pueblo County public health officials issued a public health alert Friday evening, recommending all Pueblo residents stay indoors and avoid outdoor activity through Sunday morning due to the amount of smoke in the air from the EVRAZ fire and the Vision Hills Fire.  The EVRAZ Fire broke out in a building primarily used for staging and storage and all employees evacuated safely, according to a statement from EVRAZ North America. READ THE FULL STORY ...
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Fremont County lowers age requirement for detention deputies to address shortages
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Canon City Daily Record, Local

Fremont County lowers age requirement for detention deputies to address shortages

By CARIE CANTERBURY | Canon City Daily Record Individuals wishing to gain employment as a detentions deputy at the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office no longer have to wait until they are 21 to apply. On Tuesday, the Fremont County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution amending the Fremont County Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual with a lower age requirement for detention deputies from 21 to 18. “Hopefully that will resolve some staffing shortages that we have ongoing,” Fremont County Human Resources Director Alicia Stone said during Tuesday’s BOCC meeting. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CANON CITY DAILY RECORD
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Krannawitter: We need a reminder of what is good and beautiful. Baseball is that reminder.
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Commentary, Local

Krannawitter: We need a reminder of what is good and beautiful. Baseball is that reminder.

By THOMAS L. KRANNAWITTER, PH.D. Few things are more American than baseball, and this is Opening Day. Many modern sports have historic roots either in royalty, aristocracy, and political privilege, or uncivilized savagery. Early golf, like fox hunting, required sprawling tracts of land that was typically owned by a crowned sovereign and managed by royal “landlords.” American football owes much to rugby, which in medieval Europe was a kind of rule-less, tribal, mob warfare between neighboring villages that featured bare-knuckled brawls and sometimes even murder. READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT DR. KRANNAWITTER'S SUBSTACK
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Denver has a ‘Newcomer Director’ and a continuing illegal immigration crisis
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Local, Westword

Denver has a ‘Newcomer Director’ and a continuing illegal immigration crisis

By Bennito L. Kelty | Westword In December 2022, the City of Denver declared an emergency after the arrival of thousands of migrants from the southern border. Since then, nearly 40,000 of them have come to the city. The response has cost Denver $61 million so far and could cost another $120 million in 2024, according to city estimates, but Mayor Mike Johnston believes his new director of Denver's Newcomer Program will steer the city toward a more sustainable path.  Now a month into her role, Sarah Plastino's duties include compassion to migrants while shifting the city's strategy from emergency response to a long-term plan. An immigration defense lawyer, Plastino told a small group of reporters during an interview on Wednesday, March 20, that this is "a refugee cris...
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