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District 11 ends decades-old contract with teacher union in effort to deliver for students, families
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District 11 ends decades-old contract with teacher union in effort to deliver for students, families

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice The District 11 School Board has decided against renewing its master agreement with the local teacher union — the Colorado Springs Education Association (CSEA). The CSEA is a branch of the Colorado Education Association (CEA), an affiliate of the largest teacher union – the National Education Association (NEA).  District 11 President Dr. Parth Melpakam described it as a move to empower nimble governance and improve student outcomes: “Without the master agreement, it just gives us a lot more flexibility to address some of our persistent challenges and change the narrative of a district that was becoming irrelevant in the landscape of Colorado Springs.”  “The agreement was a layer of complexity that limited our ability t...
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Aurora’s mayor questions why Tren de Aragua impacts have been felt less in Denver
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Aurora’s mayor questions why Tren de Aragua impacts have been felt less in Denver

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 News At the same time that the ACLU of Colorado is investigating the Aurora Police Department’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Aurora’s mayor is asking Denver’s mayor for clarity on how and why the migrant population spread to Aurora. Specifically, Mayor Mike Coffman wants to know why the ongoing Tren de Aragua gang activity has been largely tied to Aurora when busloads of migrants were sent to Denver from Texas last year. Denver reported over 42,000 migrants, mainly from Central and South America, were sheltered by the city between Jan. 2023 and July 2024. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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In four days, wintry weather has canceled 250 flights, delayed 2,820 more at DIA
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In four days, wintry weather has canceled 250 flights, delayed 2,820 more at DIA

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A four-day snow event in Denver and areas east of the Continental Divide has done more than dump some badly-needed moisture on half the state. It has greatly affected air travel. As of Tuesday mid-morning, there have been 2,820 flights delayed and 250 flights canceled since the beginning of the snow event on Saturday, according to Flight Aware. There has been some amount of snow accumulation each day. The heaviest cancelation day was Sunday, with 106; the heaviest day for delays was Saturday, with 1,119. Flight Aware breaks delays and cancelations related to an airport into outbound (departure) and inbound (arrival). There have been 113 outbound cancelations and 1,634 delayed outbound flights since Saturday. The most affected carier was...
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Grocery chains and union workers temporarily extend contract negotiations
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Grocery chains and union workers temporarily extend contract negotiations

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado Contracts for union employees at King Soopers and City Market have been extended almost two weeks in a stopgap measure while negotiations continue. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 President Kim Cordova and the bargaining committee met with representatives from the grocery chains on Jan 3, one day before their contracts were set to expire. The bargaining committee said they accepted an offer to continue negotiation on Jan. 15-16 and a short extension of contracts. Those contracts are now set to expire on Jan. 16. The union said it continues to have concerns about chronic understaffing in the stores and the ability to protect seniority in the scheduling and vacation processes. They also expressed the desire to share in the company's ...
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Colfax grocery store owner fed up with frequent shoplifters in the area
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Colfax grocery store owner fed up with frequent shoplifters in the area

By Nate Belt | Fox 31 News A grocery store owner on Colfax is fed up with recurring thefts from his shop, including a repeat offender he’s looking to identify through images from his security camera. Pete Marczyk opened the first Marczyk Fine Foods in 2002, now with two locations here in Denver. At his location on East Colfax, Marczyk said shoplifting is on the rise and his store isn’t the only one on the block that’s been hit. “It’s kind of like mice in a house,” said Marczyk. “If you see one, you know you have more.” READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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‘Praying Grandma,’ convicted of misdemeanors in J9 breach, plans to deny Trump pardon, if offered
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‘Praying Grandma,’ convicted of misdemeanors in J9 breach, plans to deny Trump pardon, if offered

By Debbie Kelley | Denver Gazette, via The Gazette Colorado Springs-area resident Rebecca Lavrenz, who was found guilty last year on four federal misdemeanor charges related to the United States Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021, while demonstrators protested the 2020 presidential election results, says she will deny a pardon should President-elect Donald J. Trump offer such a deal to her after he takes office on Jan. 20. The reason? Lavrenz, who became known on social media as the “J6 Praying Grandma,” has appealed her case and, should the Washington, D.C. appellate court agree that she is not liable for the $103,000 fine levied because she was acting under rights allowed by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, Lavrenz says the decision would be precedent-setting. But a pardon w...
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How millions in tax money has failed to deliver a change to Denver’s mental and behavioral health needs
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How millions in tax money has failed to deliver a change to Denver’s mental and behavioral health needs

By Ben Markus | CPR News The campaign’s premise was simple: For nothing more than a modest sales tax increase, Denver could create a $45 million-a-year stream of grants to nonprofit mental health and drug treatment programs. “This initiative will give us the capacity to get everybody who needs help into a place where they can get the help that they need,” said Dr. Carl Clark, the president and CEO of WellPower, a large Denver community mental health provider.  “It's the type of thing that is a gamechanger.” Voters enthusiastically bought into the concept. And after six years and more than $170 million in tax dollars granted, a year-long review by CPR News found that the game has indeed changed, but perhaps not in the ways supporters and voters envisioned. READ THE FULL ...
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Former, acting U.S. attorneys for Colorado will lead Denver District Attorney’s Office
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Former, acting U.S. attorneys for Colorado will lead Denver District Attorney’s Office

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 News The Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado has announced plans for a new job just months after he assumed leadership of the federal office. Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Matthew Kirsch is resigning from the federal office effective Jan. 25. Kirsch has been tapped by former U.S. Attorney John Walsh, who was elected to be Denver’s next District Attorney, to be the First Assistant District Attorney in Denver. Kirsch took over as Colorado’s chief federal law enforcement officer in June after then-U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan submitted his resignation in May. According to his biography on the U.S. Department of Justice website, Kirsch became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1999 and had held the title of Acting U.S. A...
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Douglas Co. authorities investigate dog poisoning in Castle Pines neighborhood
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Douglas Co. authorities investigate dog poisoning in Castle Pines neighborhood

By Noah Festenstein | The Gazette, via the Denver Gazette The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and animal law enforcement officers are investigating a recent incident where a dog ingested rodent poison while walking through a Castle Pines neighborhood, according to a news release Sunday. Authorities called the incident accidental, saying the poison, was legally dispensed in the Tapestry Hills neighborhood. It is unclear what the dog’s condition is Sunday after ingesting a poison pellet. Douglas County Animal Law Enforcement Sgt. Bryanna Munns says animal law enforcement officers are working to determine whether there is still cause for concern within the neighborhood. Investigators are “working to determine the exact number of tablets that would have come in the package that the in...
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Denver schools Supt. Marrero sets goals to lift test scores, focus on staff retention
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Denver schools Supt. Marrero sets goals to lift test scores, focus on staff retention

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero has far fewer performance goals this school year. But the goals he does have are more ambitious, he said last month. For example, Marrero wants the share of Denver students in grades 3-8 who meet or exceed expectations on the state literacy test to increase from 40% to 42%. His goal last year was for that percentage to increase by just 1 percentage point. Marrero’s targets, which the school board unanimously approved at a meeting last month, might be more ambitious. But the district still isn’t on track to meet the academic goals he laid out in Denver Public Schools’ strategic plan in 2022. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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