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CU regents request internal investigation for conflict of interest
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CU regents request internal investigation for conflict of interest

By Eric Young | Denver Gazette Members of the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents have requested an internal investigation into one of its fellow members over possible conflicts of interests in efforts to cut funding for a CU program. The investigation, requested by regents Ken Montera and Callie Rennison, comes after fellow regent Wanda James’ objections to a campaign created by the state legislature and funded through the Colorado School of Public Health and CU Anschutz Medical Campus to educate the public on the health risks of highly concentrated marijuana. “We know the people of Colorado expect the Board to provide excellent oversight and leadership to the University of Colorado,” Montera and Rennison said in a joint statement. “We expect that as well and are confident ...
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Douglas County explores establishing its own home rule charter
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Douglas County explores establishing its own home rule charter

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette Douglas County commissioners voted on Tuesday to explore establishing a home rule charter, arguing the move would allow the county to carve a path that is different than where the state is headed.     Establishing home rule, officials said, gives commissioners and the county more local control. "Douglas County seeks more local control, freedom from state laws via Home Rule Charter," the county said in a news release. If the county ultimately adopts its own home rule charter, it would become the first sole Colorado county to do so in more than 45 years. Only Pitkin and Weld counties are currently under home rule charters out of Colorado's 64 counties. "For too long, we have watched as reckless state policies have made Colora...
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Denver school district asks judge to dismiss lawsuit challenging school closures
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Denver school district asks judge to dismiss lawsuit challenging school closures

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Denver Public Schools has asked a district court judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the parent group Mamas de DPS, which is seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the closures of seven schools at the end of the academic year. The district's attorneys have argued the parent group lacks standing. Mamas de DPS filed the lawsuit in Denver District Court in December. If the group prevails on its temporary restraining order, it would bar the district from shuttering any campuses while the lawsuit makes its way through the legal system. The district argument rests on whether, as taxpayers, the parents were directly and clearly harmed - thus having a standing to bring the case. READ FULL ARTICLE AT DENVERGAZETTE.COM
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Downtown Denver Partnership gets a $1.5 million boost, city settles another police liability claim
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Downtown Denver Partnership gets a $1.5 million boost, city settles another police liability claim

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette The Denver City Council approved a resolution Monday night, clearing the way for an additional cash infusion to provide “activation activities related to the reopening of the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver.”  Council Resolution 25-0191 amends a contract with the Downtown Denver Partnership, adding $1.5 million – for a new total of $1.9 million – for events and permanent installations that draw crowds, as well as increased safety and operations, according to city documents. The resolution, a late filing by City Council President Amanda Sandoval, conjured mixed reactions among some council members. At-Large Councilmember Sarah Parady called the resolution out, citing concerns with “the budget environment that we’re in and that we’re g...
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Train conductor who revived ski train wants to fix I-70 traffic with ‘rail bridge’
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Train conductor who revived ski train wants to fix I-70 traffic with ‘rail bridge’

By David O. Williams | Denver Gazette A longtime Amtrak train conductor credited with crafting a business plan that helped revive the mothballed Winter Park Express ski train in 2017 now has a plan to get at least 60% of the commercial truck traffic off of Interstate 70 and free it up for skiers, snowboarders and other mountain travelers. Brad Swartzwelter, 60, retired as conductor of the ski train last spring after 30 years with Amtrak, the federal rail agency that runs the popular, seasonal and recently expanded ski train service between Denver’s Union Station and the city of Denver’s Winter Park Resort. “I-70 congestion has cost us dearly in the snow sports industry, and it is my absolute mission in life … to get people safely, conveniently and economically up to our economic e...
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Denver’s large building electrification rules updated
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Denver’s large building electrification rules updated

By Scott Weiser | Denver Gazette Deadline extensions are among changes to help ease the burden of switch from natural gas Denver’s regulations requiring electrification of all buildings larger than 25,000 square feet has drawn controversy since they were implemented in 2021, especially from businesses and building owners. But relief may be on the horizon as city officials are re-writing the rules after soliciting public input and pushing compliance deadlines farther into the future. While the Energize Denver Building Performance Policy sets energy-saving targets for buildings 25,000 square feet and larger, building owners and industry representatives say the policies are forcing a switch from natural gas to full electrification in violation of federal law. According to the c...
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Bill to stop growing number of grocers from selling booze passes key House committee
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Bill to stop growing number of grocers from selling booze passes key House committee

By David Migoya | Denver Gazette The unanimous vote virtually assures a smooth path for legislation that would put hard brakes on the quickly expanding sale of spirits outside of local liquor stores. Colorado’s independent liquor stores won a resounding victory Thursday as a state House committee unanimously approved a bill that would freeze any increase to the number of grocery stores selling hard booze. The House Business Affairs and Labor Committee passed Senate Bill 25-33 by a 13-0 bipartisan vote, virtually assuring a smooth path for legislation that would put hard brakes on the quickly expanding sale of spirits outside of local liquor stores. After already passing the Senate largely un-amended, the bill faces a hearing before the House committee on appropriation...
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Does Denver’s ‘affordable’ housing goal align with today’s market needs? Experts weigh in
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Does Denver’s ‘affordable’ housing goal align with today’s market needs? Experts weigh in

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette As Denver pushes for more "affordable" housing, experts wonder if the city's approach is sustainable and question whether it aligns with today's market needs. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's goal for 2025 to "preserve" or help in the development of more than 3,000 such units. Denver worked with developers last year to build 1,695 new units, preserve 649 existing ones and create 678 others through rental subsidies “to ensure affordability,” according to Department of Housing Stability (HOST) spokesperson Julia Marvin. “The challenge this year,” Marvin said, “lies in being creative with the funding we have. It’s important that we get creative in our solutions, both for funding and for execution.” READ FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE...
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Long-term parking for United, fire trucks on Denver’s Council agenda
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Long-term parking for United, fire trucks on Denver’s Council agenda

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Like the rest of Denver, United Airlines loves a good long-term parking spot. On Monday, the Denver City Council will consider a resolution for a 30-year ground lease for aircraft parking at Denver International Airport. This lease gets United 909,439 square feet of ground space at DIA to construct, operate and maintain, at its sole cost, an aircraft parking area for up to five wide-body or 20 narrow-body aircraft. According to city documents, rental payments will be charged at the current 2025 ground rent of $1.03 per square foot for an annual rate of $936,722.69. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Future of lunar missions built in Colorado are uncertain, for now
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Future of lunar missions built in Colorado are uncertain, for now

By Bernadette Berdychowski | Denver Gazette In a mission control center in Arvada, Lunar Outpost CEO Justin Cyrus was in “game mode” gearing up for Thursday’s big lunar landing day. “I don’t really celebrate until the job’s done,” he said during a ceremony Wednesday to debut the new mission control facility. The Golden-based company founded in 2017 built a rover onboard Intuitive Machine’s Athena lander to explore the moon’s south pole and execute a symbolic first commercial sale of lunar regolith — the material making up the moon’s surface. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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