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Highlands Ranch road renamed to honor Kendrick Castillo, the hero in the STEM school shooting
Approved, DENVER7, Local

Highlands Ranch road renamed to honor Kendrick Castillo, the hero in the STEM school shooting

By Richard Butler | Denver 7 News A major roadway in Highlands Ranch was renamed to honor Kendrick Castillo, the hero student who charged at the gunman during the 2019 STEM School shooting, giving his classmates time to hide and run. Castillo's family and Highlands Ranch officials unveiled Kendrick Castillo Way, formerly Lucent Boulevard, on Tuesday. The Kendrick Castillo Memorial Oversight Committee requested the name change, and it was approved by the Board of Douglas County Commissioners. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER 7 NEWS
Union workers file lawsuit against King Soopers, Safeway for alleged actions during 2022 strike
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Union workers file lawsuit against King Soopers, Safeway for alleged actions during 2022 strike

By Samantha Jarpe | Fox 31 News A class action lawsuit was recently filed by local union workers against the Kroger Company and Albertsons, the owners of King Soopers and Safeway respectively. The lawsuit is in response to certain unlawful “no-poach agreements” the grocery stores allegedly entered into during a 2022 strike against King Soopers and City Market by the union United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 in Denver. A spokesperson for the Kroger Company released a statement about the lawsuit and denied that there were any no-poach agreements between the two companies. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Summit County residents pay a tax for work U.S. Forest Service says it won’t do this year
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Summit County residents pay a tax for work U.S. Forest Service says it won’t do this year

By Spencer Wilson | CBS Colorado The U.S. Forest Service says it will not be hiring seasonal workers that do campsite enforcement in Colorado this upcoming year. In past years, those workers have kept the campgrounds clean and the trails safe. The decision by the Forest Service has upset some people in Summit County who pay extra in their taxes for some of those positions. The tax was created because the county is not allowed to hire people to do that enforcement themselves. The work needs to be done by a USFS employee. The Forest Service doesn't have the money to create those positions this upcoming year and wants to use the money that they'll save for other priorities, according to county leaders. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
She worked for Denver for 20 years. Now she’s suing Mayor Mike Johnston’s office and his chief equity officer
Approved, Denverite, Local

She worked for Denver for 20 years. Now she’s suing Mayor Mike Johnston’s office and his chief equity officer

By Kyle Harris | Denverite A City of Denver employee is suing the Mayor’s Office and the Mayor’s Chief Equity Officer. Jessica Calderon’s allegations include sex and national-origin discrimination, retaliation and violations of her constitutional rights to free expression and assembly.  She filed the complaint in August and her attorneys amended it this week. It addresses several years of grievances that span the administrations of former mayor Michael Hancock and Mayor Mike Johnston. The Denver City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the complaint, and neither the Mayor’s Office nor Chief Equity Officer Ben Sanders have responded to Denverite’s requests for comment on the allegations.  READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVERITE
Traveling for Thanksgiving? Here’s a look at the airports with the most delays
Approved, KOAA News, Local

Traveling for Thanksgiving? Here’s a look at the airports with the most delays

By Lauren Brand | KOAA-TV NBC 5 The week of Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times of the year to travel. Many get stuck dealing with delayed flights and cancellations. With this incoming winter storm, flights will likely be impacted. Flights are usually delayed due to snow, strong winds, fog, and thunderstorms. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 26% of delayed flights from September of 2023 to August of 2024 were due to weather. They also explain that there were 371,553 flights were delayed due to weather. That's equivalent to 28 million minutes in delays. READ THE FULL STORY AT KOAA-TV NBC 5
Boulder County’s affordable housing tax spending plan frustrates some supporters who helped pass it
Approved, Boulder Reporting Lab, Local

Boulder County’s affordable housing tax spending plan frustrates some supporters who helped pass it

By John Herrick | Boulder Reporting Lab Earlier this month, Boulder County unveiled its spending plan for the Affordable and Attainable Housing Tax, a voter-approved measure projected to generate $16.7 million in 2025. The tax marks a significant boost in funding to address the region’s urgent need for affordable housing. The county’s plan allocates $9.7 million to new affordable housing development, $5.2 million to supportive services aimed at helping residents remain housed, and $500,000 to a grant program for nonprofits and small cities and towns. This new revenue comes at a critical time for Boulder County, where eviction filings are rising, housing costs remain high, and safety net services are increasingly strained. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE BOULDER REPORTING LAB
El Paso commissioners give 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen $50k pay raise
Approved, gazette.com, Local

El Paso commissioners give 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen $50k pay raise

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette Last week the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners approved a requested $50,000 raise for newly reelected Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen.  Allen is the only county elected official whose salary is set by commissioners and not state statute. The raise came recommended by the county budget office, which presented commissioners with a high and low end of cost-of-living increases based on a consumer price index and market data. Allen's salary will factor into the District Attorney's Office's 2025 budget and cannot be changed for the rest of his four-year term.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Judge declares Elizabeth midnight curfew law unconstitutional following family’s $12k fight of $30 ticket
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Judge declares Elizabeth midnight curfew law unconstitutional following family’s $12k fight of $30 ticket

By Brian Maass | CBS Colorado A district court judge in Elbert County has declared the town of Elizabeth's curfew law unconstitutional after a Colorado family says they spent $12,000 fighting their son's $30 curfew ticket. "To me, this was worth the fight," said Mike Saunders, whose son Joe was one of four teenagers stopped by Elizabeth police in July of 2021. The teens said they had been bowling in Parker and were driving home when an Elizabeth police officer pulled their car over for having a broken headlight. It was shortly after midnight, which is when the town's curfew ordinance kicks in on Saturday nights. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Rand Paul suggests Denver mayor opposing deportations is ‘a form of insurrection’
Local, National, Washington Examiner

Rand Paul suggests Denver mayor opposing deportations is ‘a form of insurrection’

By Asher Notheis | Washington Examiner Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) warned that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston could face legal repercussions over his opposition to President-elect Donald Trump‘s proposed mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Johnston is one of several mayors who have stated they will not assist the incoming Trump administration with its deportation plan, stating that Denver would “continue to be a welcoming, open, big-hearted city.” Paul, who has expressed criticism of Trump’s plan to use the Army to carry out his deportation plan, warned the mayor that his resistance could be taken to the Supreme Court, where he could potentially be removed from office. “I don’t know whether or not there would be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal l...
Kalam: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s insurrection rhetoric
Approved, Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Kalam: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s insurrection rhetoric

By Ahnaf Kalam | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the wake of the recent electoral landslide — a decisive repudiation of unchecked illegal immigration and the catastrophic security failures at America’s borders — one might have expected local leaders to reconsider their stances on sanctuary city policies. Yet, in Denver, Mayor Mike Johnston has chosen defiance over reason, doubling down on policies that disregard the will of his constituents and the authority of the federal government. His response to President-elect Trump’s nomination of Tom Homan as "border czar" is nothing short of insurrectionary. Mayor Johnston took to social media to unveil a bold, but deeply troubling plan to block any federal efforts to deport illegal immigrants in Denver. He went so far as to cla...