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ICE Asks for Tips in Ongoing Search for Second Suspect Accused of Ramming Vehicle
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

ICE Asks for Tips in Ongoing Search for Second Suspect Accused of Ramming Vehicle

By Heather Willard | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is still searching for a second man connected with an attempted ramming that spurred a large operation last week. However, the agency isn’t sharing many details. The federal agency first reported on Thursday, July 31, that two suspects tried to use their vehicle to ram an officer in Black Forest near Colorado Springs, prompting a second ICE agent to fire three shots into the vehicle. The two suspects fled and abandoned the vehicle. ICE said on Aug. 1 that it arrested Francisco Zapata-Pacheco, the vehicle’s passenger, at about 2 p.m. on July 31, and said he was cooperating with law enforcement. However, the suspect driver, Jose Mendez-Chavez, remains at large, according to ICE. On Wednes...
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Governor Mobilizes National Guard to Fight Massive Elk and Lee Fires Near Meeker
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Governor Mobilizes National Guard to Fight Massive Elk and Lee Fires Near Meeker

By Heather Willard | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — On Wednesday night, Gov. Jared Polis authorized the mobilization of the Colorado National Guard to aid with fire response near Meeker. The authorization allows the state authority to use the National Guard assets in fire suppression efforts if necessary. The Governor’s Office noted that the wind has continued to drive the Rio Blanco County fires, pushing the Lee Fire to jump Highway 13 on Wednesday and leading to the area around Meeker being evacuated and the town of Meeker being placed on pre-evacuation status. The Lee Fire, as of Wednesday evening, was estimated to have burned 45,000 acres, according to the Colorado Governor’s Office. Over the weekend, Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency for the Elk Fire in Rio Blan...
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Wildfires Force New Evacuations Across Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Wildfires Force New Evacuations Across Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties

By  Spencer Kristensen | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — As crews continue to battle wildfires across the state, more evacuations and pre-evacuations have been ordered due to several fires growing in size. Multiple agencies in different jurisdictions around Colorado ordered a new round of evacuations and pre-evacuations on Wednesday afternoon. Rio Blanco County: Lee and Elk Fires There are two large wildfires in Rio Blanco County that have burned more than 30,000 acres. Evacuations have already been sent for certain areas in the county, and the Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office continued with more evacuations and pre-evacuations on Wednesday. Zone 40 Zone 40 is located southwest of Meeker and just east of Lion Canyon. The area contains a stretch of Highway 13. Immediate e...
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Monument skips bids to fast-track emergency water well repair
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The Gazette, Approved, Local

Monument skips bids to fast-track emergency water well repair

BY SAVANNAH ELLER | THE DENVER GAZETTE Monument has bypassed its usual bidding process to complete emergency repairs on a well important to the town's water availability.  "We're living on borrowed time, potentially," said Jonathan Rigaud, Monument water manager.  Well 7 has been out of commission since July 9, when it unexpectedly shut down. After an investigation, the town discovered that wiring issues were to blame.  Wells are the main source of water for a portion of Monument residents west of Interstate 25, where the town's water enterprise is the main provider. The town has 13 wells, three of which went online in November. The other side of Monument is supplied by other water districts.  The well needs to be repaired to maintain the town's water ...
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Trust under the siren: Colorado man arrested for using fake police vehicle
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Trust under the siren: Colorado man arrested for using fake police vehicle

BY PARKER GORDON, HANNA POWERS | KDVR - FOX 31 "DENVER (KDVR) — A man has been arrested after allegedly using “police-like lights” while maneuvering through traffic on Interstate 25. On Tuesday, the Lone Tree Police Department announced that Terry Ray Pendleton, 58, was arrested on a charge of impersonating a police officer The police department said that Pendleton’s vehicle, a black 2021 Ford Explorer, was allegedly equipped with “red and blue lights” and had an “audible siren and public address system.” The incident occurred on I-25, where the department said Pendleton allegedly used the “police-like lights” while driving through traffic “It is important to note that Pendleton has never been employed in law enforcement,” said the Lone Tree department. Lone Tree Police Chief Kirk...
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DNA deception? Colorado crime lab analyst under fire delays arraignment
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Fox31, Approved, State

DNA deception? Colorado crime lab analyst under fire delays arraignment

BY VICENTE ARENAS | KDVR FOX 31 GOLDEN, Colo. (KDVR) — The defense attorney representing Yvonne Missy Woods asked a district judge on Monday for a continuance of her arraignment. Attorney Tom Ward told the judge his team needed more time to look more new evidence that they must now look at in the case. “Just this morning, we received a disclosure of another 5,000 pages of stamped materials. Given the length of time that the allegations cover, and the breadth of the materials that we have to deal with. We are asking to set this for October 27,” Ward said. The judge granted the continuance. Woods, a former CBI forensic analyst, is accused of more than 100 felony counts for her work at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. READ THE COMPLETE STORY AT KDVR - FOX 31
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Colorado faces $1B hole: Governor Polis calls special session called and imposes state hiring freeze
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denvergazette.com, Approved, State

Colorado faces $1B hole: Governor Polis calls special session called and imposes state hiring freeze

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis will convene the legislature on Aug. 21 to enact cuts to the state budget amid a $1 billion deficit, even as he is instituting a hiring freeze. The governor said the hiring freeze in state agencies will start on Aug. 27.   The governor confirmed that, in addition to spending reductions, the special session will deal with AI regulation. Lawmakers approved new AI regulations last year. They are expected to go into effect Feb. 1, 2026. The AI law established rules around the use of artificial intelligence, primarily in employment, health care, education, and government practices, where, backers said, the risk of bias or discrimination exists. Businesses have argued that the new law is problematic, potentially penaliz...
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Gabel: Denver’s anti-meat campaign is built on misinformation and contempt for agriculture
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Gabel: Denver’s anti-meat campaign is built on misinformation and contempt for agriculture

By Rachel Gabel | Commentary, Colorado Politics Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s $3 million campaign to urge Denver residents and visitors to eat less meat to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) is tone deaf at best. There is no need for widening the divide between people and where their food comes from, especially here and now. Attempting to influence people’s food choices to fit an agenda funded by cause celebs is elitist, especially in a time when families are struggling to put nutritious food on the table. This is certainly further compounded by the shaky foundation of misinformation the campaign appears to be based upon when the priorities of the funding office shouldn’t have arbitrarily added livestock to the conversation. Colorado protein producers have embraced efficiencies and new ...
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KELLY: Former Trump Critics Face Reckoning as Lawfare Backfires
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Commentary, Approved, Declassified with Julie Kelly, National

KELLY: Former Trump Critics Face Reckoning as Lawfare Backfires

By Julie Kelly | Commentary, Declassified with Julie Kelly Perpetrators of the destructive decade-long lawfare against Trump, his family, his advisors, and his supporters thought he would end up in jail, not back in the Oval Office. Now they're sweating. MAGAland is cautiously optimistic that someone—anyone—finally will face consequences for unleashing the most destructive, deceptive, and costly abuse of government power against a single political figure and his movement in American history. This week, the Department of Justice ramped up investigations into the origins and extension of the Russiagate hoax amid new disclosures that give greater clarity as to exactly what went down in 2016 when top Obama officials, including the sitting president himself, conceived plans to sabotag...
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Three Judges Taught at CU While Ruling on University Cases
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State, Approved, Colorado Politics

Three Judges Taught at CU While Ruling on University Cases

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics A national report identified other judges who did not recuse from cases where one of the parties was the university where they taught on the side. Three of Colorado's sitting federal judges taught part-time at the University of Colorado's law school while they handled civil cases involving the university or associated entities. On July 30, the advocacy group Fix the Court released a report naming 24 federal judges throughout the country who did not recuse themselves from cases in which one of the parties was the university where they also taught as adjunct professors. The report identified U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter as someone who did not recuse from multiple cases involving CU. However, Colorado Politics' independent docket re...
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