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House bill to allow Colorado’s public universities to compensate student-athletes passes committee
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

House bill to allow Colorado’s public universities to compensate student-athletes passes committee

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The bill updating Colorado's laws on public collegiate sports "name, image and likeness" (NIL) passed the House Education Committee Thursday, but not without significant opposition. House Bill 1041 would allow a public institution of higher education or athletic association to compensate a student-athlete for using their name, image, or likeness in branding or marketing for the institution. HB 1041 passed on a 9-4 vote and now heads to the full House. But the bill's second section, carving out a new exception to the state's open records law, has drawn the most scrutiny. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Denver police investigate string of shootings into vehicles along I-225 and I-25
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Denver police investigate string of shootings into vehicles along I-225 and I-25

By Gabby Easterwood | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News Denver police are investigating a string of shootings along Interstate 225 and Interstate 25 early Wednesday morning. Denver police said on Feb. 5, between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., they received approximately five reports of felony menacing with shots fired by a driver of a vehicle along I-225 in Aurora and I-25 in Denver. Detectives believe they have located and secured the suspect vehicle connected to these incidents. One of the victim’s vehicles was Terrell Padilla’s Honda. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV FOX 31 NEWS
King Soopers claims Colorado union used illegal negotiating tactics, leading to strike, in new lawsuit
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

King Soopers claims Colorado union used illegal negotiating tactics, leading to strike, in new lawsuit

By Jack Lowenstein | CBS Colorado King Soopers/City Market filed a federal lawsuit in Colorado against United Food and Commercial Workers Local Union No. 7 (UFCW Local 7) on Friday. This comes amid the beginning of the two-week worker strike across the state.  According to the lawsuit, this action is being taken due to damages King Soopers says it's suffering, "as a result of [the] Defendant's continuing pattern of threatening, coercive, and restraining actions, taken for unlawful purposes in violation of the National Labor Relations Act and actionable in federal court under Section 303(a) of the Labor Management Relations Act." In response to the new lawsuit the workers union released a statement that said in part, "UFCW Local 7 learned that earlier this afternoon King Soopers fi...
Denver school board considering pausing any future school closures
Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Denver school board considering pausing any future school closures

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado The Denver school board is considering pausing any future school closures until closures that are underway are executed and plans for vacant buildings are finalized. The proposal comes three months after the board voted in November to close or partially close 10 schools with low enrollment at the end of this school year. More than a year and a half earlier, the board voted to close three small schools in the spring of 2023. The proposal doesn’t include a timeframe for a moratorium on school closures, though several board members floated the idea of two or three years during a meeting Thursday. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
Colorado honors Korean War veterans with resolution on Military Appreciation Day
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado honors Korean War veterans with resolution on Military Appreciation Day

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Military, Veterans, and POW/MIA Appreciation Day is an annual event at the state Capitol in early February. It is a day for lawmakers in both chambers to recognize the sacrifices of Colorado's servicemen and women in combat. Traditionally, that's included joint resolutions on Military Appreciation Day, plus nine more recognizing Gold Star families, the USS Pueblo, the Tenth Mountain Division, the anniversary of World War II, appreciation for veterans of the Vietnam War and Persian Gulf conflict, and resolutions saluting the service of Latino/a, Native American, and African American veterans. What has never been recognized in that annual remembrance: service by those who fought in the Korean War. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Forest Service defends Montana logging project in grizzly territory before Ninth Circuit
Approved, Courthouse News Service, National

Forest Service defends Montana logging project in grizzly territory before Ninth Circuit

By Monique Merrill | Courthouse News The approval and subsequent court-ordered obstruction of the U.S. Forest Service’s “Black Ram Project” in Montana’s Kootenai National Forest is up for a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to sort out as the court heard from multiple sides on Thursday. The Center for Biological Diversity, Yaak Valley Forest Council and WildEarth Guardians sued the federal government days after it approved the Black Ram Project in the Three Rivers Ranger District of the Kootenai National Forest in northwest Montana in June 2022.  The project would “clearcut forest, destroy and fragment habitat, displace wildlife, alter hydrology and adversely affect the area’s tiny grizzly population,” the groups argue, rather than promote resilient vegetation,...
Denver firefighters face pressure campaign, scare tactics ahead of no-confidence vote
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Denver firefighters face pressure campaign, scare tactics ahead of no-confidence vote

By Brian Maass | CBS Colorado In the run up to a no-confidence vote this month on Denver Fire Chief Desmond Fulton, rank-and-file firefighters are facing a pressure campaign seeking to get them to vote against the no-confidence vote on Fulton. CBS News Colorado has obtained multiple anonymous letters that have been sent to Denver fire stations over the last two weeks, warning firefighters that a vote of no confidence might have severe financial repercussions. Assistant Chief Patrick Hynes, who called for the no-confidence vote, said, "The divide is between the command staff and the rest of the membership. Virtually everyone I talk to is prepared to vote no-confidence in the chief." READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Devotional: You, too, are equipped with a superpower – gratitude
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Devotional: You, too, are equipped with a superpower – gratitude

By DRAKE HUNTER | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Today, superheroes are a huge part of our culture — found in movies, video games, comic books and costumes. Many people are eager to discover heroes to admire, captivated by their astonishing powers and inspiring courage. What sets superheroes apart is their unique abilities. For example, Iron Man utilizes his genius-level intellect and cutting-edge technology, while Black Panther draws enhanced senses and strength from the mystical Heart-Shaped Herb. Wonder Woman wields her Lasso of Truth and a magical sword, the Flash captivates with super speed, and Captain America embodies justice with his iconic shield. Collectively, they represent the superpower of courage, driven by deep appreciation and gratitude. Like the legendary charac...
Familiar voice Alan Roach announcing his 17th Super Bowl this Sunday
Approved, Local, Westword

Familiar voice Alan Roach announcing his 17th Super Bowl this Sunday

By Catie Cheshire | Westword The Broncos aren’t playing in the Super Bowl this Sunday, but Denver will be well represented as longtime Colorado sports voice Alan Roach will handle public address announcing duties for the big game, as he has for most of the last nineteen years. Roach has served as the PA announcer for all of Denver’s major professional sports teams except the Denver Nuggets over the years, though he currently only works for the Avalanche and Colorado Rapids. His distinctive booming voice is recognizable to even non-sporty Coloradans as the voice of the Denver International Airport train announcements, too. Attending bucket-list sporting events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics, for which he has served as a PA announcer in hockey, makes Roach feel ...
United’s filing with Denver could signal possible HQ move out of Chicago
Approved, Fox21, Local

United’s filing with Denver could signal possible HQ move out of Chicago

By Ben Bradley | Fox 21 News United Airlines has sent another signal about a potential move of its corporate headquarters from Chicago to Denver.  In a new filing with the City of Denver, United said it may eventually build more than 1 million square feet of office space to accommodate more than 6,000 employees on land it purchased in 2023 near the Denver airport. United employs nearly 5,000 corporate employees in Chicago.  The first priority for development of the Denver land is for a new flight simulator training center.  The airline says future growth and pilot training will create demand for 60 additional flight simulator bays than United currently operates closer to the downtown Denver. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21 NEWS