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State official testifies against Polis in data-sharing dispute with ICE
DENVER7, Approved, State

State official testifies against Polis in data-sharing dispute with ICE

By Danielle Kreutter | Denver7 DENVER — A whistleblower who accused Governor Jared Polis of ordering state employees to hand over personal information to federal immigration officials testified in court on Tuesday. Scott Moss is a licensed attorney and the director of the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics in the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Earlier this month, he filed a lawsuit in Denver County Court, alleging that he was ordered by the governor to turn over information about people providing homes to unaccompanied minors to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in compliance with a subpoena. Moss believed giving ICE the information would violate state laws that ban state and local government agencies from sharing personal information with f...
DMV Digs Deeper: Colorado Drivers Slammed With New Fees
State, Approved, DENVER7

DMV Digs Deeper: Colorado Drivers Slammed With New Fees

By Robert Garrison | Denver7 DENVER — You should expect to pay more on your next trip to the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, as the agency said inflation is forcing costs to go up. The agency announced on Monday that it will be raising several fees, including those for driver's licenses, ID cards, license plates, record searches, and some vehicle license plates and registrations, starting on Monday and Tuesday of next week. The DMV stated that the fee increases are necessary due to inflation. The following charts break down the planned fee increases: Frequently used DMV Services and Fee Adjustments Effective June 30, 2025: License Plate Fee Adjustments effective July 1, 2025 READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
Trump Cuts Through Forest Bureaucracy With Common-Sense Logging Reform
National, Approved, DENVER7

Trump Cuts Through Forest Bureaucracy With Common-Sense Logging Reform

By: Morgan Lee and Becky Bohrer | Denver7 SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Trump administration plans to rescind a nearly quarter-century-old rule that blocked logging on national forest lands, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Monday. The roadless rule adopted in the last days of Bill Clinton's presidency in 2001 long has chafed Republican lawmakers, especially in the West where national forests sprawl across vast, mountainous terrain and the logging industry has waned. The rule impeded road construction and “responsible timber production” that would have helped reduce the risk of major wildfires, Rollins said at the annual meeting of the Western Governors Association. “This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation’s forests," Rollins said. ...
Denver workers brace for major layoffs amid $250M budget deficit
DENVER7, Local

Denver workers brace for major layoffs amid $250M budget deficit

By Brandon Richard | Denver7 DENVER — Denver city leaders are preparing to make "substantial" layoffs in order to deal with a massive budget deficit. In May, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced the city was projecting a $50 million budget deficit this year and a $200 million budget deficit next year. Johnston said his administration must consider layoffs to help the city balance next year’s budget. “We will have to look at layoffs,” Johnston said. “We do not envision a scenario where it's possible to right-size this budget without that impact on personnel.” On Wednesday, city leaders were more definitive about layoffs. “They are absolutely happening and they're going to be substantial,” said Karla Pierce, a city employment attorney. The city has not officially ...
Downtown Denver businesses hit with hefty signage fines: “Just trying to keep this place going”
DENVER7, Local

Downtown Denver businesses hit with hefty signage fines: “Just trying to keep this place going”

By Maggy Wolanske | Denver7 Denver7 heard the concerns from restaurant owners in downtown Denver after the city took action to enforce signage rules. DENVER — Vacant buildings and for lease signs fill Blake Street by the newly renovated 16th Street. Now, some businesses in the area are left without signage after they say the city recently cited the block to enforce the zoning code. A flag that once greeted customers outside Jovanina's Broken Italian is now taken down. It had been up for the past five years, with the owner, Jake Linzinmeir, explaining it helped with the busy construction in the area and brought awareness to the restaurant. "Flag was up. No problem. No comment. All of a sudden, we got cited, all of our neighbors got cited for the signage to various...
Graffiti, assaults and street blockades: Denver ‘ICE Out’ protest leads to 17 arrests
Approved, DENVER7, Local

Graffiti, assaults and street blockades: Denver ‘ICE Out’ protest leads to 17 arrests

By Allie Jennerjahn | Denver7 DENVER — 17 people were arrested during protests in Denver Tuesday. "I want to be present and stand up to what I think is really wrong," Bonnie Lloyd from Broomfield said. Crowds gathered to protest against federal immigration enforcement and ICE raids, joining protests across the country — namely Los Angeles — to call for an end to detentions and deportations. "I'm doing my part as an American citizen and someone who loves our country to do what I can," Ellen Keckler from Conifer said. Denver police released the number of arrests and what they were for: Graffiti (3) Interference with Police Authority (1) Unlawful Throwing of Projectiles, Failure to Obey a Lawful Order (1) Obstruction of Streets, Failure to Obey a Lawful Order (7) ...
Sixth wolf death of 2025 confirmed—CPW says ‘wolf population will continue to grow’
Approved, DENVER7, State

Sixth wolf death of 2025 confirmed—CPW says ‘wolf population will continue to grow’

By Stephanie Butzer | Denver7 Another gray wolf that was brought to Colorado as part of the state's reintroduction program has died, Colorado and federal officials said on Monday afternoon. In a press release on Monday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said they received a mortality alert for a male wolf in northwest Colorado on May 31. The wolf had been brought to Colorado from Canada as part of the January 2025 reintroduction, CPW confirmed to Denver7. It is the fifth wolf from the original 15 released that month that has died. As with any wolf death in Colorado, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating because gray wolves are a federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS will determine its cause of death. That investigation is ongoing. ...
‘Big Beautiful Bill’: Boebert and Evans tout as win for families and national security
Approved, DENVER7, National, State

‘Big Beautiful Bill’: Boebert and Evans tout as win for families and national security

By Brandon Richard | Denver7 Protesters from progressive groups disrupt Republican lawmakers' press conference with chants DENVER — U.S. Representatives Gabe Evans and Lauren Boebert defended their support for President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax cut and spending bill on Thursday, as protesters attempted to drown them out during a press conference at the Colorado State Capitol. As the Colorado Republicans touted the bill’s economic and public safety benefits, they were met with constant chants and signs from protesters who accused them of cutting vital programs like Medicaid. “It’s really unfortunate, as a mother of four boys and a grandmother, that I see more order in my home with children than I do with radical leftists,” Boebert said, responding to the disruptions. Despi...
CPW exterminates ‘Wolf 2405’ after four attacks in eight days killing livestock in Pitkin County
Approved, DENVER7, Local, State

CPW exterminates ‘Wolf 2405’ after four attacks in eight days killing livestock in Pitkin County

By Landon Haaf | Denver7 The series of depredations occurred between May 17 and May 25. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials have killed a gray wolf that was believed to be involved in a series of attacks that killed two livestock calves and injured three more calves and one cow in Pitkin County. The series of attacks meets the agency’s criteria for “chronic depredation” that it finalized in January: three or more depredation events caused by the same wolf or wolves within a 30-day period, with “clear and convincing evidence” of at least one of the attacks. The wolf apparently involved was gray wolf 2405, a member of the Copper Creek Pack – still the only confirmed wolf pack in Colorado since their reintroduction in 2023. The Copper Creek pack was relocated from Grand County l...
Tech industry outcry stalls Colorado’s AI law as Congress weighs ban on state regulations
Approved, DENVER7, National, State

Tech industry outcry stalls Colorado’s AI law as Congress weighs ban on state regulations

By Brandon Richard | Denver7 DENVER — U.S. Congress is considering banning states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next 10 years, adding uncertainty to the future of Colorado’s AI law. In 2024, Colorado became the first state to pass a comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence. “A.I. in general is just changing so rapidly all the time,” said State Rep. Brianna Titone, one of the prime sponsors of Senate Bill 24-205. Titone said SB24-205 aims to protect consumers from AI systems they may unknowingly come across. “You’re trying to get a job, get a loan, legal decisions, getting into college,” said Titone. “If there’s an AI system making those decisions on behalf of that entity, how is that affecting you? Do you even know that this AI system is be...