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GOP Lawmaker Barb Kirkmeyer Enters Colorado Governor’s Race
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State, Approved, kdvr.com

GOP Lawmaker Barb Kirkmeyer Enters Colorado Governor’s Race

By Gabrielle Franklin | KDVR FOX 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado state Sen. Barbara “Barb” Kirkmeyer is officially launching her gubernatorial bid, hoping to get a seat that Republicans have not secured in almost 20 years. The 2026 race for Colorado’s governor is starting to take shape. Republican Barb Kirkmeyer is joining the list of serious contenders, like Democrats Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. “It’s time that we have a governor who knows how to govern and lead this state and understand that our best days are ahead of us. I think I am that person. All you have to do is go back and look at my accomplishments and my record as a county commissioner, as a state senator. I’ve been able to reduce property taxes. I led my county to zero debt. And as a stat...
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Federal Order On All-Gender Bathrooms Meets Pushback From DPS
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Federal Order On All-Gender Bathrooms Meets Pushback From DPS

By Heather Willard | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — In late August, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights told Denver Public Schools that it violated Title IX protections when it created an all-gender bathroom. Now, the district is asking for a 90-day negotiation period to resolve the allegations. The results of the OCR’s investigation were received by the district on Aug. 28. On Aug. 21, the district announced it had converted a second bathroom to become all-gender. The day after receiving the results, Denver Public School officials issued a statement, pushing back against the Office of Civil Rights’ determination. “At Denver Public Schools, we take pride in leading for Equity at every level of the organization. To our LGBTQ+ students, families, and supporter...
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Student Demand Surges But Trade Schools Struggle to Recruit Experienced Teachers
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Student Demand Surges But Trade Schools Struggle to Recruit Experienced Teachers

By Alliyah Sims | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — As more students turn to skilled trades, a growing instructor shortage threatens to slow down programs designed to train Colorado’s future workforce. Inside Emily Griffith Technical College, the classrooms don’t look like lecture halls; they resemble job sites. You can find students suited up in safety gear learning the skills that help keep Colorado running. “The demand is very, very high. Most of our trades programmings actually have a wait list,” said Gideon Geisel, dean of the college. Behind the scenes of those full classrooms comes a hidden problem. They are getting harder to staff, leaving some instructor positions unfilled for months. “Since I’ve been here, really all of the programs, you know, at one time or another h...
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State Report Highlights Progress and Ongoing Challenges in Colorado Schools
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

State Report Highlights Progress and Ongoing Challenges in Colorado Schools

By KDVR Staff | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — A total of 55% of Colorado school districts received an accredited or higher rating for the 2025-2026 school year in the preliminary school and district accountability frameworks released Wednesday by the Colorado Department of Education. The frameworks are used to accredit school districts and assign school ratings by measures such as graduation rates, academic achievement and growth, according to the CDE, which said this year’s preliminary frameworks were based on data from 2024-2025. “The steady progress in the school and district frameworks is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our students, staff, and communities over the past few years,” said Colorado Education Commissioner Susan Córdova, in a statement. The 55% acc...
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Victims Urge Accountability as Weld County Ex-Coach Awaits Sentencing in Child Sex Abuse Case
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Victims Urge Accountability as Weld County Ex-Coach Awaits Sentencing in Child Sex Abuse Case

By Hanna Powers | KDVR Fox 31 WELD COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A former basketball coach in Weld County has been convicted of sexually abusing multiple players and is now awaiting sentencing. George “JR” Sagner was found guilty on multiple felony counts, including sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. Prosecutors said Sagner used his role as a coach to groom and abuse players for years. He is scheduled to be sentenced in January and faces a minimum of 12 years and up to more than 100 years in prison. The case began with a Safe2Tell tip in 2022, but court records show allegations stretching back to 2012. During a trial that wrapped up last week, jurors heard weeks of testimony about a pattern of abuse that took place during practices, in cars and at Sagner’s home. ...
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Coloradans Priced Out of Housing as Costs Outpace Earnings
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Coloradans Priced Out of Housing as Costs Outpace Earnings

By Spencer Kristensen | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — A report from the Common Sense Institute, a conservative-leaning research organization, revealed that the majority of Colorado residents are being priced out of the opportunity of owning a home. The report called “Colorado’s Housing Affordability Mismatch” was created by CSI’s Chief Economist Steven Byers and states that it analyzes the growing disparity between what Coloradans can afford and what’s actually available in the housing market. The report listed several findings, including: 60% of households in Colorado cannot afford the average home in the state, which is an increase from the 2010 figure of 47% 40% of households can only afford homes under $300,000, which accounts for only 15% of the houses statewide Color...
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Chief: Aurora suspect dropped weapon but advanced aggressively before fatal police shooting
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Chief: Aurora suspect dropped weapon but advanced aggressively before fatal police shooting

By Vicente Arenas | Fox 31 AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) –  New photos of a deadly officer-involved shooting over the Labor Day weekend were released by the Aurora Police Department on Tuesday. The photos were taken by an officer’s body camera during the shooting that left a 37-year-old man dead around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said an officer who was running radar as part of a DUI enforcement program attempted to stop the driver. The suspect, according to the chief, did not immediately stop but instead kept going and crashed into two cars. The chief said the photos show the suspect exiting the vehicle.  “The individual in the yellow shirt, our suspect, has a gun down to his side, on his right side, with his right arm lowe...
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Denver Highlighted as One of 10 U.S. Cities With Highest Crime Rates
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Denver Highlighted as One of 10 U.S. Cities With Highest Crime Rates

By Ashleigh Fields | KDVR Fox 31 (The Hill) — President Donald Trump has threatened to send National Guard troops into more American cities after deploying soldiers in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles this year. He’s highlighted Baltimore and Chicago as cities in particular need of help fighting crime, though this week he appeared to back off his threat to unilaterally deploy the National Guard into cities uninvited. Baltimore has the third-highest rate of violent crime, while Chicago ranks 29th among cities with at least 500,000 residents, according to the latest FBI data. Trump’s focus on cities in blue states — those led by Democratic governors — with Black mayors has drawn criticism from Democrats, who have pointed out that some cities in red states have higher crime ...
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Pueblo Coroner Resigns After Decomposed Bodies Found at Mortuary
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Pueblo Coroner Resigns After Decomposed Bodies Found at Mortuary

By Ashley Eberhardt | KDVR Fox 31 PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KXRM) — Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter has resigned just over a week after the discovery of at least 24 bodies stored improperly at the mortuary he co-owned, Davis Mortuary. In a letter released by the Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners, Cotter’s legal counsel explained that Cotter was “hospitalized for a cardiac event” following the discovery during the Department of Regulatory Agencies’ inspection on Aug. 20. Numerous state and local officials have called for Cotter to resign, including Colorado Governor Jared Polis. After a week had passed without Cotter’s resignation, a process to recall him from office in a recall election was estimated to cost just under half a million dollars. Cotter’s resignation is ef...
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Denver’s first citywide furlough day: Here’s what’s open and closed
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Denver’s first citywide furlough day: Here’s what’s open and closed

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — The city of Denver’s budget hole will impact residents on Friday during the first of two citywide furlough days. The city will close its libraries, recreation centers, courts and the majority of its offices on both Friday and Monday. Monday’s closures are due to the Labor Day holiday, while Friday’s are due to the citywide furlough day spurred by the city’s budget, which faced a $200 million gap. The furlough days come after the city and county laid off 169 employees and cut another 665 unfilled positions, while also implementing tiered furlough day schedules based on pay grade. A second citywide furlough day is scheduled for Nov. 28 — Black Friday. These Denver offices will be open Aug. 29, Sept. 1 The Denver Animal ...
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