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Danielle Jurinsky, GOP candidates dominate early fundraising in Aurora Council race
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Danielle Jurinsky, GOP candidates dominate early fundraising in Aurora Council race

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Republican incumbents are leading the fundraising race for the Aurora City Council election, which now has a pool of 17 candidates for five seats. City Council seats up for election are Wards I, II and II and two at-large. A majority of the candidates are running for Ward I and the two at-large seats.  Incumbent Danielle Jurinsky, who is running to keep her at-large seat, has raised over four times the amount of the next highest fundraising candidate.  Jurinsky's campaign has a total of almost $185,000 in contributions, according to Aurora's campaign finance system. Jurinsky's campaign has had a total of 486 contributions, 107 of which were the full possible amount of $1,150.  In 2023, the Aurora City Clerk's Office adjusted the...
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After bullets fly, Denver LoDo residents demand crackdown on downtown crime hub
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

After bullets fly, Denver LoDo residents demand crackdown on downtown crime hub

By Alliyah Sims | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Residents living near 19th and Market Street in the lower downtown area say they have had enough with the crime happening in their community. They say in the past six weeks alone, there have been back-to-back shootings and they fear leaving their own homes. The fear stems from a public parking lot located right across the street, where they say illegal activity happens. Just last week, police investigated a shooting in the area that injured four people. No word on any arrests, but the video shows a person being lifted off a sidewalk as people took cover. In the last six months, according to Denver Police crime data, there have been at least five aggravated assaults, with at least two shootings ending with windows being shot thro...
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Colorado Springs City Council passes third resolution rejecting sanctuary city label
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Colorado Springs City Council passes third resolution rejecting sanctuary city label

By Brennen Kauffman | Denver Gazette Colorado Springs is still not a "sanctuary city." The City Council drove the point home on Tuesday morning by passing a resolution affirming the stance. The resolution introduced by Councilmember Roland Rainey was along similar lines as resolutions the council passed in both February and September 2024 saying the city was not a sanctuary city. The council statements do not change any city laws or ordinances. Four new council members have joined the dais since the last version of the proclamations, including Rainey and Gold, but the outcome of the vote was along similar lines. The resolution passed 7-2 with opposition from Nancy Henjum and Kimberly Gold, who said the city should use funding to support law enforcement instead of words. ...
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Denver approves executive pay hikes while facing budget shortfall and reserve drop
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Denver approves executive pay hikes while facing budget shortfall and reserve drop

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A set of salary increases for top Denver officials is drawing criticism, as the city faces continued financial strain and modest pay growth for most employees. The raises are included in the 2025 budget—totaling $1.76 billion—which the Denver City Council approved on November 12, 2024.  On May 6, the City Council’s Finance & Governance Committee approved nearly $500,000 in pay increases for 12 charter-appointed department heads. These changes are expected to add over $216,000 to general fund expenditures this year, with individual increases ranging from 4% up to an eye-catching 43%. The new salaries are scheduled to take effect on July 1. The move has sparked frustration among some observers, who point to small...
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Teen in U.S. illegally gets probation after killing Colorado woman at 90 mph
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Teen in U.S. illegally gets probation after killing Colorado woman at 90 mph

By Shaun Boyd | CBS News The Arapahoe District Attorney's Office is defending its decision to give probation and community service to a teenager who was driving illegally and, in the country illegally, when he killed a woman.    The accident happened last July in Aurora. The victim, Kaitlyn Weaver, was headed home from work when a Jeep, barreling through a residential neighborhood, slammed into her car. The speed limit in the area was 45 mph. Investigators say the driver was doing more than 90 mph. "She didn't even see him coming," her dad, John Weaver, said. "That's how fast he was going. She was effectively killed instantly." He says he and his wife Michelle removed their daughter from life support 2 days later, "How do you fathom that loss?"   Weaver says h...
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Denver ICE ride-along: Colorado jail limits force agents into streets as officer assaults surge 400%
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Approved, KXRM-TV, Local

Denver ICE ride-along: Colorado jail limits force agents into streets as officer assaults surge 400%

By Sarah Ferguson | KXRM (COLORADO SPRINGS) — Recently, NewsNation affiliate KXRM went on a ride-along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Denver, as its officers conducted targeted enforcement actions on at-large fugitives from ICE in Colorado Springs. From attending the early morning briefing, to witnessing ICE officers making arrests of “public safety threats,” to touring the Florence Sub-Office for processing, KXRM was able to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into an arrest made by ICE officers and the steps taken thereafter.  Morning briefing: Day of ride-along Just before 5 a.m. on the day of KXRM’s ride-along with ICE Denver, our team met with officers at an undisclosed location where the morning briefing ensued. During the briefing, ICE officers...
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Denver rent down $65, but rising costs leave renters struggling
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Approved, Denverite, Local

Denver rent down $65, but rising costs leave renters struggling

By Kyle Harris | Denverite When Cassie Welch Rubin moved to Denver in 2022, she paid $1,400 a month for a bug-infested, rundown studio apartment in University Hills, a neighborhood she hated. To get to her job, she took a two-hour bus ride each way.   This year, Rubin left her University Hills studio for a one-bedroom in Capitol Hill. She’s still paying $1,400 – but for a larger place in a central Denver neighborhood. “I’m really happy with the location,” she said.  Trees line the blocks. She’s close to museums, the botanic gardens and the zoo. She wakes up long before dawn for her 3 a.m. shift as a produce manager at King Soopers. But now she’s a short walk — not a two hour-long bus ride — away from her job. Like many other renters in Denver, Rubin has found ...
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The Business Times: Public trust demands Grand Junction councilman Jason Nguyen resign now
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Approved, Local, The Business Times

The Business Times: Public trust demands Grand Junction councilman Jason Nguyen resign now

By The Business Times Staff This is the only statement which we can make related to a post from Jason in a private group on Facebook. There is no “context” to be parsed or question to be asked by what he meant with his post. What he thinks about a good percentage of the population of Grand Junction and how he views many businesses cannot be taken in error. The statement made by Jason Nguyen shows he despises and desires the economic ruination of many of the constituents he claims to represent. And if the members of the Grand Junction City Council, especially Jason’s two like-minded cohorts Anna Stout and Scott Beilfuss, don’t denounce his statement above and beyond the meaningless phrase “in the strongest possible terms” and call for his immediate resignation, then they should resign...
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LPEA special election: Mail ballots due by May 20 as member frustrations grow
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

LPEA special election: Mail ballots due by May 20 as member frustrations grow

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice It’s crunch time for mail-in ballots in the La Plata Electric Association (LPEA)  board election – and with contested seats and rising costs in the mix, turnout matters. Ballots have to be in LPEA’s hands by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 20 – postmarks don’t count. With slow mail times a known issue, LPEA voters who haven’t yet mailed their ballot should drop it off in person or vote online through SmartHub. Online voting closes at noon on May 20. Paper ballots are due by 4 p.m. Results will be shared at the annual meeting on May 21, from 11:30 to 12:30 at LPEA’s Durango office. Drop boxes are located at: 45 Stewart Street, Durango 603 S. 8th Street, Pagosa Springs With four contested seats on the ballot this year, the stakes ar...
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Pikes Peak Library District board seat draws high interest ahead of May 19 decision
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Pikes Peak Library District board seat draws high interest ahead of May 19 decision

By Brennan Kaufmann | Denver Gazette Nearly five months after the term expired for the Pikes Peak Library District's former Board of Trustees director, city and county officials will meet to discuss who to appoint to the open seat. The library liaisons for the Colorado Springs City Council and the El Paso County Commissioners are in charge of narrowing down the list of applicants and recommending who to appoint to the entire body. Lynette Crow-Iverson and Nancy Henjum oversee the process on the city side, while Carrie Geitner and Holly Williams serve on the county side. The four officials of the Joint Appointment Committee will meet May 19 at Colorado Springs City Hall to review the final list of applicants for the library and recommend the next board member. The appointment ...
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