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Aurora shuts down apartment complex, owners blame Venezuelan gang for building’s condition
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Aurora shuts down apartment complex, owners blame Venezuelan gang for building’s condition

By Nico Brambilla and Carol McKinley | Denver Gazette An Aurora landlord is blaming the city’s decision to shut down an apartment complex on a Venezuelan gang — a claim that city officials dismissed, calling it an "alternative narrative" to numerous code violations and the poor condition of the building. The landlord said it could not resume normal operations at the site because of an immediate threat of danger from the gang that staffers and residents face. City officials insisted that Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang known as TDA, was not responsible for issues that for months have plagued Aspen Grove Apartments at 1568 Nome St. and compelled Aurora to evict dozens of families. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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In Larimer County, 75 laid off from mental health center amid rise in uninsured and Medicaid reform 
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Approved, Local, The Colorado Sun

In Larimer County, 75 laid off from mental health center amid rise in uninsured and Medicaid reform 

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun Larimer County’s community mental health center has abruptly laid off 75 employees, causing a gap in care for some of the most vulnerable patients and increasing concerns about how far the fallout will spread after a seismic shift in Medicaid funding.  Connor Grogan had 35 clients at SummitStone Health Partners in Fort Collins when he was told at a mandatory meeting last week that he was among those losing their jobs because of a budget crisis. He had to turn in his phone and laptop on the spot, with no opportunity to say goodbye to his patients.  “It was unethical the way that it was handled,” said Grogan, who had counseled children, families and adults at the center for more than two years. “At the very least, I feel like it is not ...
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In Denver, one member of City Council wants parks & rec workers to transition away from gas equipment
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

In Denver, one member of City Council wants parks & rec workers to transition away from gas equipment

By Alexander Edwards | Denver Gazette Denver Councilmember Sarah Parady requested a second delay on voting for a trio of contracts worth $25.5 million that would pay for upgrades and replacements to Denver Parks and Recreation landscaping, gardening and golf course maintenance equipment. The first-term councilmember previously called the three contracts out last week asking the council to consider alternatives to gas powered landscaping tools. She repeated this request Monday and shared information about how gas powered equipment impacts health and air quality more so than something like a car. Denver, and indeed the metro area as a whole, have experienced many days of air quality alerts. Though driven primarily by fires burning in California, Oregon and locally, Denver regularly ...
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Video gone viral is of a beaver, not a bear, in downtown Denver
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Approved, Local, Westword

Video gone viral is of a beaver, not a bear, in downtown Denver

By Hannah Metzger | Westword Don't believe everything you see on social media. A viral video claiming that a bear was spotted in downtown Denver has accumulated millions of views and thousands of comments discussing wildlife danger in the city. But the animal in the video was actually a beaver, says Miles Ifie, the man who recorded and posted the clip online. "I knew it was a beaver when I posted," Ifie admits. "I did not think it was a bear." READ THE FULL STORY AT WESTWORD
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Judge awards families of loved ones left rotting in funeral home $950M, but getting paid may be another matter
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Approved, KXRM-TV, Local

Judge awards families of loved ones left rotting in funeral home $950M, but getting paid may be another matter

By Jesse Bedayn Associated Press, via Fox 21 News The Colorado funeral home owners who allegedly stored 190 decaying bodies and sent grieving families fake ashes were ordered by a judge to pay $950 million to the victims’ relatives in a civil case, the attorney announced Monday. The judgment is unlikely to be paid out since the owners have been in financial trouble for years, making it largely symbolic. The owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, Jon and Carie Hallford, did not acknowledge the civil case or show up to hearings, said the attorney representing the families, Andrew Swan. The Hallfords, who own Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, about an hour south of Denver, face criminal charges in separate cases. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21 NEWS
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Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang linked to brutal jewel heist in Denver
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang linked to brutal jewel heist in Denver

By Julian Resendiz | Fox 31 News Federal officials in El Paso have relinquished custody of an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member they say is linked to a violent June 24 jewelry store robbery in Denver. Homeland Security Investigations special agents in Las Cruces, New Mexico, last week turned over the suspect to Denver County Sheriff’s Department staff for transfer to Colorado. HSI said the man is a Venezuelan national, a member of the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization and a “suspect in the June 24 Denver jewelry heist.” The brutal robbery caught on video shows several young men posing as clients suddenly turn on the all-female staff and clients. The robbers are seen pulling out guns, pushing open an office door and pistol whipping two women who fall onto on the f...
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Council gives unanimous support to Denver’s plan to spend $3M on youth job program
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Council gives unanimous support to Denver’s plan to spend $3M on youth job program

By Alexander Edwards | Denver Gazette The Denver City Council on Monday agreed to spend $4 million in an attempt to curb youth violence and support the struggling city center. A $1.5 million contract with Denver Public Schools was doubled, and $1 million will be spent to hire a planning firm to update an area plan for downtown. The city has approved spending almost $5 million this year to keep Denver’s kids occupied during the summer months, and away from crime. The city will now spend $3 million on the Denver Youth Employment Program on top of Mayor Mike Johnston’s own YouthWorks effort which, broadly speaking, has the same goals. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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As sentencing approaches on four misdemeanors, ‘J6 Praying Grandma’ prepared for prison
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

As sentencing approaches on four misdemeanors, ‘J6 Praying Grandma’ prepared for prison

By Debbie Kelley | Colorado Springs Gazette Rebecca Lavrenz doesn’t want to go to prison, but for the past four months the 72-year-old great-grandmother, retired registered nurse and small-business owner in El Paso County has been steeling herself for that possibility. “I don’t think it’s right. I’m not happy about it. But I’d rather be in prison obeying God than be out doing what I want to do,” she said last week at her home in Falcon, east of Colorado Springs. After nearly 26 hours of deliberation over four days — considered lengthy and unusual for Jan. 6 defendants — a jury found Lavrenz guilty on April 4 of four misdemeanors she was charged with for entering the U.S. Capitol at the “Steal the Vote” rally on Jan. 6, 2021. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE...
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La Junta names Patrick Comiskey as lone city manager finalist, will meet with City Council Aug. 8
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Approved, Local, Southeast Colorado (SECO) News

La Junta names Patrick Comiskey as lone city manager finalist, will meet with City Council Aug. 8

By Southeast Colorado (SECO) News Following an extensive search and interviews by the City Manager Selection Committee, the City of La Junta has named a finalist for the City Manager position. Patrick C. Comiskey is a seasoned municipal leader with extensive experience in city management and public administration. Over his distinguished career, he has managed diverse city operations and led transformative projects in multiple communities. As City Manager of Mount Dora, FL from 2021 to 2024, Patrick oversaw a city with a population of approximately 18,000 and an annual budget of $130 million.  READ THE FULL STORY AT SOUTHEAST COLORADO (SECO) NEWS
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U.S. marshals track down, arrest man in Florida wanted as suspect in unsolved Yuma County murder
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Approved, Local, U.S. Marshals Service

U.S. marshals track down, arrest man in Florida wanted as suspect in unsolved Yuma County murder

By U.S. Marshals Service A multi-agency manhunt for the fugitive homicide suspect wanted in connection to the disappearance and death of Britani Meek in Yuma, Colo., concluded Monday afternoon in Lake Placid, Fla.  Clifton Boggess, 62, is wanted by the Yuma (CO) Police Department in connection to the disappearance and death of Britani Meek. Meek was initially reported missing on October 25, 2023. During the course of the investigation, both Meek’s vehicle and her remains were discovered on a property located in rural Yuma County. On July 24, a warrant was issued charging Boggess with first-degree murder, felony tampering with a deceased body, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree motor vehicle theft, and third-degree assault. On July 25, the Yuma Police Department formally reque...
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