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Sheriff requests $600k budget increase for ‘grossly underpaid’ El Paso County deputies
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Sheriff requests $600k budget increase for ‘grossly underpaid’ El Paso County deputies

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal packed a meeting with deputies on Tuesday to ask the Board of County Commissioners for funds to bridge the gap for what he called "a massive, unacceptable pay disparity" between his and other regional law enforcement agencies. Roybal asked commissioners for a $600,000 increase in funds for 2025 in the county's preliminary balanced budget, to be matched with funds from the Sheriff's Office public-safety sales-tax revenue pool.  An El Paso County deputy is paid less overall than other Front Range sheriff's deputies, according to statistics Roybal showed from the National Fraternal Order of Police. Roybal claimed El Paso County, with a starting salary of $72,696 and a maximum salary of $92,664, was "dead last" amo...
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Lawsuit dismissed to remove road tax extension from Colorado Springs ballot
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Lawsuit dismissed to remove road tax extension from Colorado Springs ballot

By Breeanna Jent | The Gazette An El Paso County District Court judge this month dismissed a lawsuit that sought to remove the so-called 2C road tax question from Colorado Springs' November ballot. Douglas Bruce, the author of Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights amendment, filed a three-page civil lawsuit against the city of Colorado Springs in late September, alleging the city violated TABOR requirements a dozen times in its approved ballot language for  ballot issue 2C that asks to extend a dedicated sales tax for local road maintenance. On Nov. 5, voters will ultimately decide whether to extend the current 0.57% temporary sales and use tax for the next 10 years, from 2026 through the end of 2035. The 2C tax equates to 5.7 cents on every $10 purchase. The current tax is schedul...
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Denver City Council to consider $9.5 million in spending for healthy food for kids, rental assistance
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Denver City Council to consider $9.5 million in spending for healthy food for kids, rental assistance

By Alexander Edwards | The Gazette The Denver City Council has a busy schedule for Monday’s meeting and will consider millions in spending on healthy food access for children and rental assistance. The agenda for Monday’s meeting includes just over 40 resolutions for the council to approve, question or amend and 15 bills being introduced or that are on final consideration. There's also several required public hearings — including two for the Ball Arena Redevelopment project, an ambitious undertaking that will dramatically change what is currently several massive parking lots in the heart of Denver. In total, the city will consider spending more than $5 million across eight contracts and one bill — with two contracts totaling over $1 million — to provide money for the Healthy Food...
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Arvada residents pushing back on homeless option for shuttered school purchased for $6.3M
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Arvada residents pushing back on homeless option for shuttered school purchased for $6.3M

By Deborah Grigsby | The Gazette The City of Arvada spent $6.3 million to purchase a former charter school after it closed earlier this year due to declining enrollment. Now residents are pushing back against one of the potential options for the former Early College Arvada campus — a navigation center for homeless people. Arvada, like other cities along Colorado's Front Range, is dealing with a homeless population, though nowhere as big as the problem in Denver, where the crisis keeps growing despite officials spending millions of dollars in the last several years. READ THE FUL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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1 dead, 23 rescued at Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek after equipment malfunction
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1 dead, 23 rescued at Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek after equipment malfunction

By Shawn Fleetwood | The Gazette One person died, four were injured and 23 rescued after an equipment malfunction during a tour Thursday of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, according to the Teller County Sheriff's Office.  By 7:15 p.m., the 12 who had remained trapped for close to seven hours at the bottom of the tourist mine on the east side of town wrapped up their 1,000-foot ascent to the surface after workers fixed a broken elevator. Eleven others were rescued shortly after the issue happened at 500 feet.  The Sheriff’s Office received a report shortly after noon that an elevator transporting visitors at the mine had malfunctioned and stopped at the midway point, said Jason Mikesell, the Teller County sheriff. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE...
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Aurora police, local law enforcement agencies prepare for Trump visit
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Aurora police, local law enforcement agencies prepare for Trump visit

By Kyla Pearce | The Gazette Aurora police have begun preparing for former President Donald Trump's visit to the city Friday, though security details are scant. Trump is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m. on Friday at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center near Denver International Airport. He will be visiting Colorado amid heightened concerns over security following two attempts on his life.  Aurora Police Department spokesperson Matthew Longshore said the department cannot give details about their preparations for the Friday rally. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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In Colorado Springs, new organizers reviving Veterans Day parade after cancellation last week
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In Colorado Springs, new organizers reviving Veterans Day parade after cancellation last week

By Mary Shinn | The Gazette Colorado Springs will have a Veterans Day parade after all. Civic and businesses leaders announced Tuesday that new organizers have come forward to ensure a parade will take place next month after last week’s news of the cancellation of the original parade triggered an outpouring of support for the event. The new parade, to be called the “In Their Honor Veterans Day Parade,” will be held at 11 a.m. Nov. 9 along Tejon Street downtown. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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School board leaders in Southern Colorado campaign against local marijuana measures
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School board leaders in Southern Colorado campaign against local marijuana measures

By Eric Young | The Gazette Elected officials from across the Colorado Springs region are lending their voices to a campaign opposing recreational marijuana sales in the city.  On Sunday, an unknown number of El Paso County voters received a mass text message from Colorado Springs School District 11 Board President Parth Melpakam calling for their vote on a pair of recreational marijuana measures.  The message was accompanied by a video featuring Melpakam, Academy District 20 Board President Aaron Salt and School District 49 Board President Lori Thompson. In both messages, the board leaders urged recipients to vote "yes" on ballot question 2D and "no" on ballot question 300. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Kalam: Denver’s double standard on immigration policy
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Kalam: Denver’s double standard on immigration policy

By Ahnaf Kalam | Commentary, The Gazette Denver, with its progressive credentials, decided not long ago that it would be a sanctuary city — proudly throwing open its gates to the world’s downtrodden. The rhetoric was lofty: a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and justice for those who had the misfortune of being born on the wrong side of international borders. It was a stance seemingly forged in moral superiority, one that the city could proudly broadcast to other, less “enlightened” parts of the nation. However, in reality, the story has been quite different. Since the Biden administration took office, more than 20 million people have crossed the southern border — many illegally. Denver, like so many other sanctuary cities, quickly found itself woefully unprepared for the influx. ...
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Hillman: Poor roadway conditions make for undriveable Colorado
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Hillman: Poor roadway conditions make for undriveable Colorado

By Mark Hillman | The Gazette Colorado highways are among the worst in the nation. That’s hardly news to anyone who travels across our state. Only two states report a larger share of interstate highways in poorer condition than Colorado. Less-traveled highways in our state are even worse. In 2021, the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed a $5.4 billion package of new “fees” — including a yearly increase in fuel taxes and that irritating 29-cent charge Coloradans pay on every Amazon order — supposedly to boost the transportation budget. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the const...
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