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A dozen county Republican parties join move to oust Colorado GOP Chairman Dave Williams
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A dozen county Republican parties join move to oust Colorado GOP Chairman Dave Williams

By Ernest Luning | The Denver Gazette A move to fire Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams following the state GOP's attacks on Pride Month gained steam Monday as a dozen county Republican parties added their names to a list of petitioners calling on state party officials to force Williams from office. An organizer of the push told Colorado Politics she plans to deliver a letter to Williams on Tuesday demanding that the party call a special meeting of the state GOP's governing body to consider whether to remove him. Williams, a candidate in this month's primary for the El Paso County-based seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, told Colorado Politics he relishes the chance to defend the state party's recent messages targeting the LGBTQ community, including a mass...
Dwindling number of D-Day veterans mark anniversary with plea to recall WWII lessons
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Dwindling number of D-Day veterans mark anniversary with plea to recall WWII lessons

By JOHN LEICESTER, SYLVIE CORBET and DANICA KIRKA | The Denver Gazette As young soldiers, they waded ashore in Normandy through gunfire to battle the Nazis. On Thursday, a dwindling number of World War II veterans in a parade of wheelchairs joined a new generation of leaders to honor the dead, the living and the fight for democracy in moving commemorations on and around those same beaches where they landed exactly 80 years ago on D-Day. The war in Ukraine shadowed the ceremonies, a grim modern-day example of lives and cities that are again suffering through war in Europe. The break of dawn eight decades after Allied troops landed on five code-named beaches — Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword — started the day of remembrance by Allied nations now stand...
Front Range Passenger Rail District votes to push back ballot initiative to 2026
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Front Range Passenger Rail District votes to push back ballot initiative to 2026

By Savannah Eller | Denver Gazette The district in charge of planning a passenger rail line from Pueblo to Fort Collins said on Friday that it would wait until 2026 to seek voter approval for a sales tax raise.  Nancy Burke, director of communications and outreach for the Front Range Passenger Rail District, said district board members had been considering between this year and 2026 to introduce funding ballot measures in the 13 counties where the rail line would pass.  She said the sales tax amount is still under consideration, with different models requiring more and less funding.  In a statement, the district said it would continue the planning phase of the project for the next two years, including the completion of a Service Development Plan by the Colorado Depart...
Colorado’s top speller reaches Top 5 before bowing out of national spelling bee
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Colorado’s top speller reaches Top 5 before bowing out of national spelling bee

By Marco Cummings | The Denver Gazette Colorado’s best speller, who left viewers spellbound, reached the Top 5 before getting eliminated on Thursday night from the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Aditi Muthukumar, an eighth grader from Westminster, was Colorado’s last contender in the contest, bowing out after 13 rounds of spelling in the final round of the competition. Muthukumar misspelled “Lillooet,” a word of unknown origin and which is the name of a municipality in British Columbia, Canada. The final eight contestants, including Muthukumar, competed for a trophy and over $50,000 in cash and prizes. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Can you spell pronouncer? Denver native is the nation’s top word nerd
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Can you spell pronouncer? Denver native is the nation’s top word nerd

By Carol McKinley | The Denver Gazette Jaques Bailly is a spell-ebrity. The former Denver Catholic school prodigy has been the face of the Scripps National Spelling Bee as a most patient pronouncer for 20 years — so beloved, young competitors recognize him with a "Howdy Dr. Bailly!" when they first step up to the microphone.  During Wednesday's fifth round, Bailly repeated the word “lenticillate” three times for Nyarah Garver, a nervous 7th-grader  from Wyndham, New York. She wrongly sounded out “L-E-N-T-I-C-E-L-L-E-T,” and exited the National Scripps Spelling Bee stage with a limp high-five for the next competitor. “It was that final ‘e,’” said pronouncer Bailly, who is in many ways the face of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and appears to feel every kid’s disapp...
Lone Tree residents protest plans to locate new 23rd Judicial District office near Heritage Hills
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Lone Tree residents protest plans to locate new 23rd Judicial District office near Heritage Hills

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette Several Lone Tree residents are pushing back against one of the proposed locations for an office that will host the brand new 23rd Judicial District, which will encompass Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.   The new office will also offer pre-trial and probation services. The pushback from residents is directed at locating the office at One Lincoln Station, a building inside a business park just east of the Heritage Hills neighborhood. The location offers access to the E line of the Regional Transportation District rail system and Interstate 25. The residents, particularly those in the Heritage Hills neighborhood, accused the Douglas County Commission of lacking transparency and argued that the new office would increase cri...
Remembering those ‘that gave all’: Colorado Freedom Memorial in Aurora honors fallen servicemen
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Remembering those ‘that gave all’: Colorado Freedom Memorial in Aurora honors fallen servicemen

By Sage Kelley | The Denver Gazette A 1,000-pound bronze bell, forged in honor of Colorado's fallen, tolled several times during the Colorado Freedom Memorial on Saturday morning. The Colorado Freedom Memorial Foundation, along with the City of Aurora, held its 11th annual Colorado Remembers ceremony on Saturday, celebrating Memorial Day and those who gave everything for the country.  Cannon fire from the Colorado Army National Guard followed the ringing bell, bringing about silence throughout the park as over 100 attendees honored the nation's fallen servicemen and servicewomen. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Two Arapahoe County cities contribute millions into Douglas County road project
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Two Arapahoe County cities contribute millions into Douglas County road project

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette Two Arapahoe County cities are pouring millions of dollars into assisting Douglas County’s estimated $34.3 million County Line Road reconstruction project. The project, which is currently accepting bids from construction companies, plans for improvements along County Line Road from Broadway to University Boulevard. The road separates both Littleton and Centennial in Arapahoe County from Douglas County to the south. In 2018, both cities agreed with Douglas County to work together to receive enough local and federal funding to reconstruct County Line Road. The agreement is to fully widen, add safety and operational improvements to the roughly 1.5 miles of road. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
One Eastern Plains school district closes following severe Monday night storms with large hail, tornado warnings
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One Eastern Plains school district closes following severe Monday night storms with large hail, tornado warnings

By Alexander Kirk | Denver Gazette (via 9News) Yuma School District will be closed Tuesday after severe weather impacted the area Monday night, Denver Gazette media partner 9News reported on Tuesday. The northeast Colorado school district said all Yuma schools, as well as its district offices, would be closed Tuesday. "Due to the severe weather that came through town tonight, All Yuma Schools including the district offices will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. All activities will be cancelled," the district announced. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Ballot initiatives seek to ban biological boys in girls’ sports, require schools to notify parents over ‘gender incongruence’
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Ballot initiatives seek to ban biological boys in girls’ sports, require schools to notify parents over ‘gender incongruence’

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette A parent who sued the Wellington School District over an LGBTQ middle-high school club is seeking to put a measure in front of voters in November that would require schools to notify parents when their child expresses "gender incongruence." Another ballot initiative would prohibit biological males from participating in girls' sports at the K-12 level. The group collecting petition signatures for the two measures is called "Protect Kids Colorado," which is led by former state Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, and Erin Lee, a Fort Collins parent who earlier said her 12-year-old daughter was invited by an art teacher to an after-school art club that was really about gender and sexuality. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE