Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Local

Woodland Park sales tax repeal proposal could be losing steam
No Comments
Approved, Local, Pikes Peak Courier

Woodland Park sales tax repeal proposal could be losing steam

By Doug Fitzgerald | Pikes Peak Courier The idea of ending the sales tax that benefits the Woodland Park School District has, for now, lost traction among members of the city council. But the desire for detailed accountability for how the money is spent has never been stronger. The Woodland Park City Council held a work session on May 29 concerning the 1.09% sales tax that is earmarked for the city’s schools. Mayor Kellie Case reminded the council that the city has authority only over the sales tax. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE PIKES PEAK COURIER
Read More
In future, one of state’s largest off-leash dog parks could require out-of-town visitors to pay
No Comments
Approved, Local, Westminster Window

In future, one of state’s largest off-leash dog parks could require out-of-town visitors to pay

By Monte Whaley | Westminster Window One of the state’s largest off-leash dog parks will likely stay intact but Westminster should do more to make the 470-acre parcel self-sustaining, including charging out-of-town visitors a fee to use the area, a majority of city councilors said Monday night. Councilors said at the work session that they wanted to keep the off-leash area as-is. This is despite a city staff recommendation to cut the parcel roughly in half or more to increase open space in the city. Councilors said they were responding to the desires of a majority of residents who covet the off-leash area as a prime getaway for dogs and their owners. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WESTMINSTER WINDOW
Read More
What’s behind Wheat Ridge’s 26% crime drop since 2021? Start with police staffing, mayor says.
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Local

What’s behind Wheat Ridge’s 26% crime drop since 2021? Start with police staffing, mayor says.

By Mayor Bud Starker | Wheat Ridge Neighborhood Gazette Wheat Ridge has seen a significant drop in crime rates, returning to levels last observed before the pandemic. The Wheat Ridge Police Department reports a 26% overall decrease in crime since 2021, marking a substantial improvement from the spike experienced during the pandemic. A major factor in this reduction is the department’s success in recruiting high-quality candidates, even as law enforcement agencies nationwide struggle with recruitment and retention. After staffing levels dipped in 2021, WRPD is on track to add a dozen officers this year. Seven rookies graduated from the academy last December and completed over three months of field training before beginning independent patrols. Additionally, five more recruits are curr...
Read More
Community input sought ahead of possible Denver Public Schools closures
No Comments
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Community input sought ahead of possible Denver Public Schools closures

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado Despite a surge in the enrollment of migrant students this year, Denver Public Schools continues to experience a drop in the size of its student population. The school board is asking for community input as it plans how to consolidate and close schools. The school board says it's necessary to close schools to keep the district financially viable and to re-allocate limited resources. As proposed "guardrails", the board wants the Superintendent to consider schools of any size and not to use standardized test scores or school performance ratings as a condition for consolidation. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Read More
No veterans living on Denver streets? That’s Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal.
No Comments
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

No veterans living on Denver streets? That’s Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal.

By Austen Erblat | CBS Colorado Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said he wants to make Denver the largest city in the country to have no veterans living on the streets. Johnston says that by tracking people experiencing homelessness in the Mile High City and partnering with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Denver Department of Housing Stability, the city identified and plans to provide housing for the 52 homeless veterans. "We think this puts us in a position to, before the end of this year, house all 52 of those veterans who we know are still experiencing unsheltered homelessness," he said at a news conference on Monday. "We will be the largest American city to make sure that no veteran who has served this country sleeps outside in the streets of Denver." RE...
Read More
Purina facility smells so bad that it’s getting sued, investigated by the state
No Comments
Approved, Local, Westword

Purina facility smells so bad that it’s getting sued, investigated by the state

By Catie Cheshire | Westword The stinky Purina factory in northeast Denver next to Interstate 70 is well known around the city. Now a class-action lawsuit has been lodged in the U.S. District Court of Colorado alleging that noxious fumes from the pet food plant are so bad that people who live nearby should be compensated for their loss of property value and quality of life. The lawsuit is aiming for class certification with Robert Fields and Lorena Ortiz, two Denver residents who live within a mile of the facility at 4555 York Street, as the representatives who filed it on May 28. The complaint names Nestle Purina Petcare as the defendant, claiming that poor maintenance on Purina’s behalf has led to the horrifying smells. “A properly designed, operated, and maintained pe...
Read More
Front Range Passenger Rail District votes to push back ballot initiative to 2026
No Comments
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

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...
Read More
Eminent domain, used often to seize land from private owners, has Palizzi Farm in Brighton fearing for its survival
No Comments
Approved, Local, The Colorado Sun

Eminent domain, used often to seize land from private owners, has Palizzi Farm in Brighton fearing for its survival

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun “I’m not young, I’m not stupid and it’s not going to happen.”  That’s what Debbie Palizzi told developer Jack Hoagland when he knocked on her door in 2022 and offered her $75,000 to run a stormwater pipeline from a subdivision he wanted to build through land her family has been farming for over 90 years.  Now that land could fall into Hoagland’s hands. He has asked an Adams County judge to decide whether Parkland Metropolitan District, of which he is president, can exercise eminent domain on Palizzi’s property to the west of the proposed Bromley Farms neighborhood.   If that happens, Palizzi said it will destroy her ability to continue farming 65 acres that sit between Sixth Avenue and Bromley Lane in Brighton. A pipelin...
Read More
Denver councilman demands investigation into alleged political interference in police, fire hirings
No Comments
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local

Denver councilman demands investigation into alleged political interference in police, fire hirings

By Alexander Edwards | Colorado Politics Denver City Councilman Kevin Flynn has called for an investigation into the allegations that Mayor Mike Johnston pressured the Civil Service Commission to ignore “red flags” in applicants to Denver’s police and fire departments The Commission's five-member board said it made the decision to release Executive Director Niecy Murray on May 16 and had arranged a meeting to inform her of that decision. Murray, however, held a press conference Tuesday morning in which she made her allegations public.  Flynn said some of her claims are "lacking specificity," and cites that as his primary motivator in calling for an investigation. Murray should "name names, tell us when, what was done and who recommended lowering acceptable test scor...
Read More
Lone Tree residents scrap Douglas County probation office location
No Comments
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Lone Tree residents scrap Douglas County probation office location

By Rachel Saurer | Fox 31 Denver/KDVR People in Lone Tree came together on Thursday night to block a proposal to move the location of the new Douglas County Probation Office. It all started in 2018 when county commissioners discussed leaving the 18th Judicial District. “The 18th Judicial District was Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln,” said Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas. “We got a law passed in 2020 that will create this brand new district in 2025.” This new district would be the 23rd Judicial District, which would cater more specifically to the needs of people from Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 DENVER KDVR
Read More