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Families Declare Colorado Court Competency Laws Broken
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

Families Declare Colorado Court Competency Laws Broken

By Jared Dean | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Joel Lang was in court, accused of hitting, dragging and eventually killing Kirsty Kerst at a Monument McDonald’s drive-through in 2024. Lang, who turned himself in after police sent out a bulletin with his vehicle in the image, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. His charges were dropped after he was found incompetent to stand trial earlier this month. “This really has changed our entire lives. There is no going back to normal for us. This is our normal. We’re standing up to fight against injustice, and that’s not a small thing,” Kerst’s daughter Britany Visage said. The Kerst family is now part of an advocacy group asking for a change in Colorado’s competency laws. “I don’t want this to keep happening to other peo...
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Coloradans Overwhelmingly Support Shoshone Water Rights Purchase
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Local, Approved, The Colorado Sun

Coloradans Overwhelmingly Support Shoshone Water Rights Purchase

By Shannon Mullane | The Colorado Sun The water rights are tied to the Shoshone Power Plant, which is tucked into Glenwood Canyon a few miles east of Glenwood Springs. Western Slope communities and water agencies want to be able to use powerful Colorado River water rights tied to the Shoshone Power Plant to help the environment. Over 170 members of the public weighed in on the process — and all but one said they liked the idea. The Colorado Water Conservation Board, a state water agency, gathered the public comments in preparation for a hearing about whether to incorporate the water rights into the state’s Instream Flow Program. The program aims to keep water in rivers to help aquatic and riparian ecosystems. The proposed change is part of a larger plan on the Western...
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Big Beautiful Bill Sparks Heated Debate Among Colorado Lawmakers
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State, Approved, KUNC

Big Beautiful Bill Sparks Heated Debate Among Colorado Lawmakers

By Lucas Brady Woods | KUNC All eight of the state’s U.S. House members shared a stage Tuesday at the Colorado Chamber of Commerce’s congressional luncheon in Denver, where they touted bipartisanship but remained divided over issues like health care and energy. The panel discussion spanned tariffs, the budget deficit, workforce challenges, the environment and energy policy, with much of it centered on the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” a sweeping federal spending measure passed earlier this year and signed into law by President Donald Trump, and how it will impact Colorado. Republican members praised the measure while Democrats criticized various parts of it, underscoring the partisan divides despite repeated calls for bipartisanship.The most significant partisan disagreements at ...
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ICE Could Open 1,250-Bed Detention Center in Rural Colorado in 2025
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

ICE Could Open 1,250-Bed Detention Center in Rural Colorado in 2025

By Shaul Turner | KDVR Fox 31 HUDSON, Colo. (KDVR) — A new immigration detention center will open in Colorado as President Donald Trump strengthens his immigration enforcement plan. The new facility will open in Hudson, about 30 miles northeast of Denver, at a state prison that is currently closed. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tells FOX31 it has run out of room in the Aurora detention center after making more arrests so far this fiscal year than in all of 2024. The 1,250-bed facility in Hudson was privately owned and closed in 2014. It was operated by the GEO Group, which also runs ICE’s Aurora detention facility. Hudson has approximately 1,600 residents. FOX31 spoke with some who fully support the use of the closed prison as an ICE facility. “If they can use it ...
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Resilience Tested Again in Meeker Wildfire: 87-Year-Old Man Faces 2nd Fire Tragedy
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Resilience Tested Again in Meeker Wildfire: 87-Year-Old Man Faces 2nd Fire Tragedy

By Alliyah Sims | KDVR Fox 31 MEEKER, Colo. (KDVR) — It’s an incredible story of resilience coming out of the fire zone near Meeker, where 87-year-old Bob Kydd has now survived two major fire disasters. Last week, on Aug. 3, the Elk Fire destroyed his home, decades after he escaped the explosion at a famous lodge near Meeker back in 1991. Bob chose to keep his privacy and did not want to speak on camera for an interview, but we spoke with neighbors who know him well. They say Bob is a quiet and independent man. The community’s response to his recent loss has been an outpouring of support. A fundraiser raising more than $14,000 in less than a day. The loss is overwhelming for Bob. His home, a place of memories and solitude, now reduced to rubble and ashes. “Bob’s...
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Denver Is Losing Everything That Gave It Character
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Westword, Approved, Commentary, Local

Denver Is Losing Everything That Gave It Character

By Westwood Readers | Commentary, Westword After almost thirty years, the Hornet has taken off from the corner of First and Broadway. For decades, the Hornet has amused patrons and passersby alike with the messages on the sign outside the restaurant at 76 Broadway. But the sign that went up last week was not so amusing: "Thanks Denver! Come & Say Bye." The Hornet flew off after last call on August 9; the building it had called home for almost thirty years was sold this spring, and the restaurant itself had been put up for sale. But instead, the owners opted to close, putting this message on social media: "While many things have changed and become more complicated over the years at 1st & Broadway, we would prefer to celebrate all of the amazing times that you shared wi...
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Bauer: Power House Panel of Western Slope Legislators in Delta
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Bauer: Power House Panel of Western Slope Legislators in Delta

By Shirley Bauer | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Hard math: 4 of 70 Republican bills became law. On July 23, five of our state’s most prominent legislators representing the Western Slope met for a legislative update at Daveto’s to a sold-out crowd. The legislative update was sponsored by Delta County GOP, and the MC was Chairwoman Leslie Parker. The legislators present represented Delta County along with other counties on the Western Slope: • Senator Janice Rich from Senate District 7, Senate Minority Whip and winner of the “Legislator of the Year” award in 2023, represents the Cedaredge area in Delta County and all of Mesa County (she resides in Grand Junction). • Senator Marc Catlin, who resides in Montrose, is from Senate District 5. He represents most of Delta Coun...
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Wheat Ridge turns to AI so officers spend less time on paperwork
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Wheat Ridge turns to AI so officers spend less time on paperwork

By Nicole Fierro | KDVR FOX 31 WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (KDVR) — Artificial intelligence is being used more and more in everyday life. Now, the Wheat Ridge Police Department is joining several metro area police departments in using AI technology to cut down time spent on writing out reports. Draft One is a new software tool for Wheat Ridge officers. It takes their body camera footage and data to transcribe what is heard and seen in a matter of seconds. Officers can then review and add to or change the paragraphs in a report. “It is just a great stepping stone for each of our individual officers to build off of,” Wheat Ridge Police Public Information Officer Alex Rose said. “In effect, we’re swapping out writing time, writing everything from scratch and from memory, to editing time ...
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Denver housing sales tracking at slower pace as inventory hits highest since 2011
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Denverite, Approved, Local

Denver housing sales tracking at slower pace as inventory hits highest since 2011

By Andrew Kenney | Denverite There were 14,000 single-family homes, condos and townhomes for sale around the Denver metro at the end of July.  That meant homebuyers had more options than at any time since 2011 — though it was only a slight increase in inventory from the month before, according to the latest report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors. Housing inventory is piling up because homes are selling more slowly. Just a few years ago, most homes were selling in under a week. But the typical single-family home now takes 20 days to sell, and some sit around much longer.  The DMAR report covers 11 counties around Denver, including Boulder, Jefferson, Douglas, Adams and Arapahoe. The slower pace of sales also gives buyers more time and leverage to ask...
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Texas House frozen for a second week over GOP map push
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kdvr.com, Approved, National

Texas House frozen for a second week over GOP map push

by Maddie Biertempfel | KDVR FOX 31 WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The redistricting fight continues in Texas, as State House Democrats remain out-of-state for a second week in a row.  “A quorum is not present,” Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said Monday before the body adjourned.  More than 50 Democrats have fled Texas, and there aren’t enough lawmakers left to vote.  “We intend to kill the first called special session,” State Rep. Mihaela Plesa (D-Texas.) said.  A group of those Democrats joined Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin in Chicago Monday.  “It isn’t just a Texas issue. This is an American issue. An issue as to whether or not there’s due process and fairness in our politics,” Sen. Durbin said.  READ THE COMPLETE STORY AT KDVR FOX 31...
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