Rocky Mountain Voice

CBS Colorado

Colorado drivers must put down cellphones starting January 1
Approved, CBS Colorado, State

Colorado drivers must put down cellphones starting January 1

By Tori Mason | CBS Colorado Colorado is taking a step toward reducing distracted driving with a new law that prohibits the use of hand-held mobile devices behind the wheel. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, drivers will be required to use hands-free accessories, such as Bluetooth devices, speakerphones, or dashboard mounts. The Colorado Department of Transportation says 77% of Colorado drivers admitted to using their phones while driving. Texting and driving is already illegal. Skyler McKinley, Regional Director of Public Affairs for AAA, says technology and smartphone addiction have made distracted driving more prevalent than ever. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
New child car seat installation law begins Jan. 1 in Colorado
Approved, CBS Colorado, State

New child car seat installation law begins Jan. 1 in Colorado

By Brian Sherrod | CBS Colorado Starting on Jan. 1, 2025, Colorado parents and guardians will see changes in how you should install your child's car seat in your vehicle. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, motor vehicle crashes still remain the leading cause of death for children in the United States. In 2023, 78% of car seats inspected by child passenger safety technicians in Colorado were not being used correctly or were not installed properly. This is according to the Child Passenger Safety Board's National Digital Car Seat Check Form (NDCF) database. This figure is an increase from 2022 when the misuse rate was just under 70%. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Colorado law could complicate Trump’s mass deportation plan, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman says
Approved, CBS Colorado, State

Colorado law could complicate Trump’s mass deportation plan, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman says

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Less than two months after President-elect Donald Trump announced "Operation Aurora" -- a.k.a. operation mass deportation -- Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman says he shouldn't expect much help in Colorado. "At this point, there's really nothing we can do -- there's nothing to prepare for -- because we really have no authority," Coffman said. It's against state law for local law enforcement in Colorado to cooperate with federal immigration agents. While Douglas County and El Paso County have challenged the law in court, unless it's overturned, Coffman says Trump will be on his own in the Centennial State. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Residents at Aurora apartments see improvements but face buyout offers they say are too low to relocate
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Residents at Aurora apartments see improvements but face buyout offers they say are too low to relocate

By Michael Abeyta | CBS Colorado Earlier this year, the city of Aurora drew national attention because of gang activity at apartments owned by CBZ Management. Additional issues later came to light, including unsafe living conditions at several apartment complexes owned by CBZ. One of those was the Whispering Pines Apartments, which the city nearly shut down due to unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Now, things appear to be improving for residents. Aurelio, a resident who declined to provide his last name, lives at Whispering Pines. The complex is one of several formerly owned by CBZ that has been under receivership since the fall. He says he and his roommates like living there because it's affordable. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Woman guilty of trafficking drugs from Colorado to Wyoming reservation
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Woman guilty of trafficking drugs from Colorado to Wyoming reservation

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado A Wyoming man and a Colorado woman who were tracked down a year ago outside the Wind River Indian Reservation were both recently sentenced for their roles in supplying and selling drugs to Native American tribes there.  Dusty Harris, 42, of Casper, Wyo., and Thelma Faber, 45, of Greeley, were pulled over in a car near Shoshoni, Wyo., in November 2023. This, after state criminal investigators and detectives from Fremont County (Wyo.) Sheriff's Office determined Harris previously sold controlled substances to enrolled members of the Eastern Shoshone and/or Northern Arapaho tribes living on or around the reservation. They also learned Harris was making another delivery from Colorado.  READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Colorado child protection system under fire after 2-month-old Ezra Johnson’s death
Approved, CBS Colorado, State

Colorado child protection system under fire after 2-month-old Ezra Johnson’s death

By Alan Gionet | CBS Colorado Questions have arisen about the actions of child protective workers following the death of a 2-month-old baby in Colorado in July.  The child's mother, 31-year-old Lisa Johnson, and her boyfriend, 33-year-old Alexander Avila, of Lakewood, have both been charged with first-degree murder. Avila also faces a felony charge of tampering with evidence. Additionally, 19-year-old Gage Martinez, arrested Monday, is accused of evidence tampering in the case. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Boulder to share its tie to Sand Creek Massacre, the deadliest day in state history
Approved, CBS Colorado, State

Boulder to share its tie to Sand Creek Massacre, the deadliest day in state history

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado It was the deadliest day in Colorado history: November 29, 1864 - the Sand Creek Massacre. More than 230 people -- mostly women, children and elders from the Arapaho and Cheyenne nations were killed near Eads in the Eastern Plains. The City of Boulder is working with the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes to recognize Boulder's connection to the tragedy. The city-owned open space northeast of Boulder, near 63rd Street and Andrus Road, is where Fort Chambers likely stood.  The structure built of sod in the summer of 1864 was used to train a volunteer militia. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Summit County residents pay a tax for work U.S. Forest Service says it won’t do this year
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Summit County residents pay a tax for work U.S. Forest Service says it won’t do this year

By Spencer Wilson | CBS Colorado The U.S. Forest Service says it will not be hiring seasonal workers that do campsite enforcement in Colorado this upcoming year. In past years, those workers have kept the campgrounds clean and the trails safe. The decision by the Forest Service has upset some people in Summit County who pay extra in their taxes for some of those positions. The tax was created because the county is not allowed to hire people to do that enforcement themselves. The work needs to be done by a USFS employee. The Forest Service doesn't have the money to create those positions this upcoming year and wants to use the money that they'll save for other priorities, according to county leaders. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Judge declares Elizabeth midnight curfew law unconstitutional following family’s $12k fight of $30 ticket
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Judge declares Elizabeth midnight curfew law unconstitutional following family’s $12k fight of $30 ticket

By Brian Maass | CBS Colorado A district court judge in Elbert County has declared the town of Elizabeth's curfew law unconstitutional after a Colorado family says they spent $12,000 fighting their son's $30 curfew ticket. "To me, this was worth the fight," said Mike Saunders, whose son Joe was one of four teenagers stopped by Elizabeth police in July of 2021. The teens said they had been bowling in Parker and were driving home when an Elizabeth police officer pulled their car over for having a broken headlight. It was shortly after midnight, which is when the town's curfew ordinance kicks in on Saturday nights. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Colorado man receives 24-year sentence for crash that killed mother, son
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Colorado man receives 24-year sentence for crash that killed mother, son

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado Local News Colorado man receives 24-year sentence for crash that killed mother, son By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado A Broomfield man with five prior DUI arrests received a prison sentence Friday for his sixth offense, a crash last December which killed a mother and her teenage son.  A judge ordered Jose Menjivar, 38, to two dozen years in the Colorado Department of Corrections. Menjivar now heads to courtrooms in Denver and Boulder where he violated terms of his probation in two previous DUI cases.  On December 12, 2023, Menjivar's Toyota Tundra crossed double-yellow centerlines and sped past other southbound cars approaching the intersection of Main Street and Miramonte Boulevard in Broomfield. Menjivar was driving between 80 and...