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Castle Rock Republican sets the record straight on ad’s claims toward his military service
Approved, Castle Rock News-Press, Local

Castle Rock Republican sets the record straight on ad’s claims toward his military service

By McKenna Harford | Castle Rock News-Press A Republican candidate running to represent Castle Rock at the state capitol is clarifying his background after an independent political committee attempting to boost his candidacy sent voters an ad in the mail with wrong information.  Max Brooks, who is running for Colorado House District 45, said the advertisement from a group unaffiliated with his campaign wrongly calls him an Army veteran and a native of Castle Rock, where he serves on the town’s council.  Brooks said he went to a military boarding school, but never served in the military. Brooks added that he was born in Oklahoma, grew up in Lakewood and moved to Castle Rock in 2006. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CASTLE ROCK NEWS-PRESS
Recall effort of coroner by citizen-led group in Southeast Colorado falls short
Approved, Local, World Journal

Recall effort of coroner by citizen-led group in Southeast Colorado falls short

By World Journal Staff A recall election to oust Las Animas County Coroner Dominic “Junie” Verquer will not be held, at least in the immediate future, after the registered citizens committee leading the effort failed to secure enough verified signatures, according to numbers obtained by the World Journal this week. Citizens for Coroner Accountability’s (CCA) signature campaign fell 346 verified signatures short of forcing a recall election, according to a tally obtained from the Las Animas County Clerk & Recorder’s Office. The citizen issue committee needed to obtain 1,253 signatures to spark a recall election and submitted 1,345 signatures, according to the paperwork. The county clerk office accepted – or verified – 907 signatures, rejecting 435. READ THE FULL STORY AT ...
Denver nonprofit at risk of shutting down its free vet clinic if it can’t find new location
Approved, DENVER7, Local

Denver nonprofit at risk of shutting down its free vet clinic if it can’t find new location

By Amy Wadas | Denver 7 News The Denver nonprofit Peace, Love and Paws is at risk of shutting down its free vet clinic if it can’t find a new location. The group provides free veterinary services for the people experiencing homelessness and living below the poverty line. Sherry Fidler brought her 5-year-old dog Cota to the clinic located inside St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Denver on June 6 to get checked out for an injury. The clinic is held the first Thursday of every month.  “She was limping on her leg, and I brought her in,” Fidler said.  Fidler found out Cota, her energetic dog, tore her ACL and will need surgery. This marked Fidler’s third time coming to the Peace, Love and Paws free vet clinic. She said she can't afford a veterinarian right now. READ THE ...
A call to ban the sale of high-potency THC products in Boulder, amid rising teen mental health concerns
Approved, Boulder Reporting Lab, Local

A call to ban the sale of high-potency THC products in Boulder, amid rising teen mental health concerns

By Tim Drugan | Boulder Reporting Lab Avani Dilger, a licensed counselor specializing in addiction, has worked with young people in Boulder County for decades. She runs a private practice and Natural Highs, a nonprofit she founded to help teens choose alternatives to drugs and alcohol. Recently, she noticed a change in how local young people are affected by THC products as the potency of those products has risen.    Dilger has observed more Boulder teens developing dependencies on THC products, complete with withdrawal symptoms that manifest as mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. “We have never seen anything like this with people who use marijuana,” Dilger said. “I have worked for over 20 years with people who have used marijuana and who have g...
Fort Collins to start 2-year, $42M infrastructure project in Old Town to address 150-year-old issues
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Fort Collins to start 2-year, $42M infrastructure project in Old Town to address 150-year-old issues

By Dillon Thomas | CBS Colorado The City of Fort Collins is moving forward with one of its largest infrastructure projects ever as the city prepares to address more than a century of flooding concerns. The project will install a new drainage system through Old Town, largely along Oak Street, west of College Avenue. The project, which is expected to take two years to complete, was first reported by the Coloradoan. Larimer County and Fort Collins have a history of flooding, with some floods in recent decades resulting in fatalities. However, project manager Heather McDowell said the issues with flooding around Old Town have been an issue since the heart of the city was developed in the 1800s. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Loveland wants to create street outreach program with opioid settlement funds
Approved, DENVER7, Local

Loveland wants to create street outreach program with opioid settlement funds

By Veronica Acosta | Denver 7 News To date, Colorado is on track to receive more than $750 million in opioid settlement funds from different pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. The City of Loveland will receive $1.8 million after it opted into the settlement funds in 2021. The city hopes to create a street outreach program with part of the $340,000 it's already received. "It's really not enough money to be able to do something like build housing for people to go to recover, but it is enough money to start a street outreach program," said Alison Hade, the Community Partnership Office manager for the City of Loveland. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER 7 NEWS
Weld County issues disaster declaration for damages related to Northern Colorado flooding
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Weld County issues disaster declaration for damages related to Northern Colorado flooding

By Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado Two weeks after a severe storm moved across northeastern Colorado and brought hail and flooding, Weld County Commissioners have approved a disaster declaration. The intent is to request that state funds be used to help pay for recovery efforts. According to county officials, 279 homes and businesses and 77 government buildings and public infrastructure have been reported as damaged. The total damage is estimated at over $3 million. The storm brought a month's worth of precipitation to the eastern Greeley and the surrounding areas in a period of about two hours. Two inches of hail were measures in Greeley. Parts of Johnstown and Milliken were also affected. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Campaign complaint dismissed against El Paso County commissioner running for state office
Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

Campaign complaint dismissed against El Paso County commissioner running for state office

By Savannah Eller | Colorado Springs Gazette Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office has officially dismissed a complaint against current El Paso County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf for comments made about his state Senate run in a May 9 Board of County Commissioners meeting.  The state Elections Division motion to dismiss was granted on June 7. Integrity matters, the resident watchdog group behind the complaint, said in the filing that VanderWerf violated fair campaign practices when he mentioned what he planned to do if elected to Colorado Senate District 12 this November during a meeting on a housing development approval application.  The development, which would bring 20 single-family homes to dead-end Hay Creek Road, faced opposition from the public during the...
In Yuma, May hailstorm causes post office service transfer to Wray, other locations
Approved, Local, Yuma Pioneer

In Yuma, May hailstorm causes post office service transfer to Wray, other locations

By The Yuma Pioneer The status of the Yuma Post Office remains a fluid situation to say the least — with its closure now lasting at least 90 days, likely longer. The post office operated on a limited basis following the May 20 hail storm, due to significant water damage. It finally was announced earlier this week that the Yuma Post Office was moving all its operations to the Wray Post Office beginning Wednesday. Mail still is being delivered in Yuma, but the mail carriers have to go to Wray to sort their routes, then come back for delivery. Therefore, expect mail to be delivered later than usual during this time. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE YUMA PIONEER
Unaffiliated voters up, party registrations down in reliably red Phillips County
Approved, Holyoke Enterprise, Local

Unaffiliated voters up, party registrations down in reliably red Phillips County

By JR KRUEGER | Holyoke Enterprise Presidential election years can inspire a higher participation in the electoral process as the voting public weighs public policy considerations and determines if they favor or oppose party platforms and candidates.  On January 1 of this year, there were 2,777 active voters registered in Phillips County. Among them, unaffiliated voters exceeded one thousand for the first time at 1,008. In examining trends since the 2016 presidential election year, that’s up 64%.  An unaffiliated voter is sometimes referred to as an Independent, although Colorado does not use that term. Independents are not a political party and should not be confused with political parties that use Independent or Independence in their name.  READ THE FULL STORY AT TH...