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Community input sought ahead of possible Denver Public Schools closures
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
No veterans living on Denver streets? That’s Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal.
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...
Purina facility smells so bad that it’s getting sued, investigated by the state
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...
Front Range Passenger Rail District votes to push back ballot initiative to 2026
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...
Eminent domain, used often to seize land from private owners, has Palizzi Farm in Brighton fearing for its survival
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...
Denver councilman demands investigation into alleged political interference in police, fire hirings
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...
Lone Tree residents scrap Douglas County probation office location
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
Can you spell pronouncer? Denver native is the nation’s top word nerd
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Can you spell pronouncer? Denver native is the nation’s top word nerd

By Carol McKinley | The Denver Gazette Jaques Bailly is a spell-ebrity. The former Denver Catholic school prodigy has been the face of the Scripps National Spelling Bee as a most patient pronouncer for 20 years — so beloved, young competitors recognize him with a "Howdy Dr. Bailly!" when they first step up to the microphone.  During Wednesday's fifth round, Bailly repeated the word “lenticillate” three times for Nyarah Garver, a nervous 7th-grader  from Wyndham, New York. She wrongly sounded out “L-E-N-T-I-C-E-L-L-E-T,” and exited the National Scripps Spelling Bee stage with a limp high-five for the next competitor. “It was that final ‘e,’” said pronouncer Bailly, who is in many ways the face of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and appears to feel every kid’s disapp...
In Greeley, following heavy rain residents cautioned toward flooding safety
Approved, Local, Out There Colorado

In Greeley, following heavy rain residents cautioned toward flooding safety

By Spencer McKee | Out There Colorado In case you missed it, parts of northern Colorado got hit with heavy rain and hail on Tuesday into Wednesday morning, with some parts of the region experiencing flooding that's still having an impact. The City of Greeley was one spot where the weather hit particularly hard, with the city starting to notify the public about safety issues related to flooding around midnight. According to CBS News, hail reached two inches in diameter – about the size of an egg – in some parts of the local area, with some places getting hit with up to 2 inches of rapidly falling rain. READ THE FULL STORY AT OUT THERE COLORADO
YMCA camp’s policy to sort campers by gender identity stirs controversy
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local

YMCA camp’s policy to sort campers by gender identity stirs controversy

By Debbie Kelley | Colorado Politics With school ending, summer camps are getting ready for weeks of raucous outdoor activities, campfire singalongs, new friendships and everyone having a blast. Along with the traditional fun and games, a developing trend is playing out at the YMCA's longstanding Camp Shady Brook near Deckers in Douglas County. The sold-out resident summer camp is one of the few in the region that places campers and staff members in cabin groups according to their gender identity. That means children, teens and employees at Camp Shady Brook can sleep in male- and female-divided cabins based on their gender identity and preference, according to the Colorado Springs-based YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region, which owns and operates Camp Shady Brook. READ THE FULL ST...

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