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Aurora police preparing to roll out auto theft tracking program
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Aurora police preparing to roll out auto theft tracking program

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Aurora Police Department is preparing to roll out a new tracking program that would enable officials to locate stolen cars. The goal is to spread the program, called Metro Track, across the region to make it more powerful, APD Division Chief Mark Hildebrand said at a Thursday Public Safety, Courts and Civil Service Committee meeting. Metro Track, done in collaboration with the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Agency (CATPA), is based on a similar program in Cook County, Illinois, and another similar program in Denver, called DenverTrack, Hildebrand said. Those interested in participating in the program can enroll with the police department, giving officers consent to track the car in the event that it gets stolen. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER ...
Douglas County approves $312K senior transportation services grant, but at less than requested
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Douglas County approves $312K senior transportation services grant, but at less than requested

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette Douglas County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $312,728 grant for providing transport services to seniors and people with disabilities. However, the grant is more than $250,000 less than what the county’s Community Development Department requested for six months ago — thus severely limiting the number of one-way trips provided for people who need the service. Back in January, Douglas County requested $453,000 from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, which is a "planning organization where local governments collaborate to establish guidelines, set policy and allocate funding in the areas of transportation, personal mobility, growth and development, and aging and disability resources," according to its website. Douglas County req...
Crime ‘hot spots’ in Denver may be result of illegal immigration surge, councilmembers say
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Crime ‘hot spots’ in Denver may be result of illegal immigration surge, councilmembers say

By Alexander Edwards  | Denver Gazette A pair of Denver councilmembers on Wednesday implied that the surge in illegal immigration over the past 18 months is linked to an increase in crime in some neighborhoods they represent. Councilmembers Amanda Sawyer and Stacie Gilmore shared anecdotal stories of crimes occurring in “hot spots” in their respective districts during a committee hearing.  Both law enforcement and city officials, including the Johnston administration, use the phrase "hot spot" to denote an area with a spiking crime rate. The city, for example, earlier designated five areas as "hot spots" — places that, by design, will be getting law enforcement's focus in the administration's campaign to curb gun-related crimes. The specific areas are not necessarily the most...
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, says Biden cannot win, its Trump ‘maybe in landslide’
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Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, says Biden cannot win, its Trump ‘maybe in landslide’

By Reuters (via Denver Gazette) Democratic Sen, Michael Bennet from Colorado told CNN on Tuesday night he thinks Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden cannot win against former Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2024 elections. “Donald Trump is on track I think to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide and take with it the Senate and the House,” Bennet said in an interview on CNN. Bennet, however, did not call on Biden to step aside as presidential candidate. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Protesters take over Aurora council meeting after ‘apology’ resolution removed from agenda
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Protesters take over Aurora council meeting after ‘apology’ resolution removed from agenda

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Aurora councilmembers on Monday removed from the agenda a resolution that would have expressed the City Council's "apology and condolences" to the family of a man killed by the police trying to arrest him for attempted homicide.  The decision prompted a "sit-in" on the Council floor and forced the Council meeting to move to another room, as protesters filled the floor below the dais and shouted Kilyn Lewis's name. The protesters took turns at the podium to speak over the sound of the Council meeting being livestreamed from the next room. "I yield my time for item number 11.a.11," protesters said, referring to the agenda item sponsored by Councilmember Alison Coombs. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Too close to call: Automatic recount likely in House District 58 GOP primary
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Too close to call: Automatic recount likely in House District 58 GOP primary

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette With just a handful of votes now separating Colorado House District 58 Republican Primary candidates Larry Don Suckla and J. Mark Roeber, the Colorado Secretary of State will most likely order an automatic recount of the 12,971 votes. “As it stands, the vote differential is three votes or 0.046%,” Colorado Secretary of State Communications Director Jack Todd confirmed by email.  This puts the two conservative GOP candidates within the 0.5% margin that would trigger an automatic recount.  “We are within that threshold,” Todd said. “The deadline for Secretary (Jena) Griswold to order a mandatory recount is July 19.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Judge dismisses lawsuit by multiple school districts over Colorado’s universal pre-K rollout
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Judge dismisses lawsuit by multiple school districts over Colorado’s universal pre-K rollout

By Eric Young | Denver Gazette A Denver District Court judge dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging damages stemming from last year's universal preschool rollout in Colorado.  District Judge Jon. J. Olafson ruled that the six public school districts and two advocacy groups who filed the lawsuit lacked the legal grounds for their case to continue.  The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit last August against Gov. Jared Polis, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and the Colorado Department of Education, alleging that the state disproportionately harmed low-income families and students with disabilities through its application process. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Central City residents sound off on planned strip club
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Central City residents sound off on planned strip club

By Carol McKinley | Denver Gazette Central City residents crowded into City Hall Tuesday night to express opinions on whether a planned strip club should be allowed on Main Street.  A couple of television cameras, an uncommon sight at local council meetings, recorded the public comment portion as county residents, both for and against adult entertainment, took to the podium. "We don't want for this town to go downhill," said Echo Moreau, who added that if the adult entertainment company pulls up stakes, Central City is doomed to be a "forever ma and pa town."  The idea of a strip club doesn't bother Deborah Ray as long as it's "not in the historic district.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Republican Gabe Evans wins primary in Colorado’s battleground 8th Congressional District
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Republican Gabe Evans wins primary in Colorado’s battleground 8th Congressional District

By Ernest Luning| Denver Gazette Evans, a first-term state lawmaker from Fort Lupton, held a commanding lead over former state Rep. Janak Joshi, who moved into the 8th Congressional District from Colorado Springs earlier this year. The Associated Press called the race for Evans at 7:23 p.m., shortly after initial results posted. Evans was leading with 29,101 votes, or 78% of those tallied, in results posted by 8 p.m. to the Colorado secretary of state's website. Joshi trailed with 8,235 votes, or 22%.  Targeted by both national parties, the battleground seat — stretching north of the Denver metro area from Adams County suburbs to Greeley — is Colorado's newest congressional district, created ahead of the 2022 election. Caraveo, a pediatrician and former stat...
Lauren Boebert wins Colorado CD4 GOP primary to replace Ken Buck
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Lauren Boebert wins Colorado CD4 GOP primary to replace Ken Buck

By Ernest Luning | The Denver Gazette U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert is on track to return to Congress from her newly adopted district Tuesday night by winning the crowded GOP primary in Colorado's 4th Congressional District. At the same time, Republican Greg Lopez won election to serve out the remainder of former five-term U.S. Rep. Ken Buck's term, following Buck's resignation from the U.S. House earlier this year. Lopez, a former Parker mayor and two-time gubernatorial candidate, led Democratic nominee Trisha Calvarese by double digits. The Associated Press declared Boebert had won the primary at 7:22 p.m., not long after polls closed. Lopez was declared the winner 10 minutes later. Boebert led the vote tally at 8 p.m. with 42,776 votes, or 43% of the total, with fo...