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Urdiales to seek HD63 seat in Northeastern Colorado
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Approved, Eastern Plains, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Urdiales to seek HD63 seat in Northeastern Colorado

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice Brian Urdiales, a Realtor and former member of City Council in Fort Morgan, has announced he will seek the Republican nomination for Colorado House District 63, setting up an opposed primary. The seat is presently held by Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, the minority whip in the Colorado House of Representatives. Holtorf, who is not seeking re-election, was among the first to enter the race for the U.S. House of Representatives District 4 seat when U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, announced he would not seek re-election. “We see the policy in Denver and at the state capitol, and we know in Morgan County and other areas of Eastern Colorado that one size government does not fit all,” Urdiales said. He opposed top-down government policies whi...
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Camping ban in Pueblo aims to clean community, put homeless in shelters
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Southern Colorado

Camping ban in Pueblo aims to clean community, put homeless in shelters

'I see it as compassionate that I care enough about my human neighbors that I’m not going to allow them to lay out in the wilderness like a bunch of wild animals' – President Mark Aliff A parade of three doctors, activists, non-profit personnel, pastors and previously homeless residents approached Pueblo’s City Council for the better part of two hours Monday seeking their opposition to a ban on unauthorized camping on public property. “It’s rare we get an ordinance with residents lining out the door to speak,” said City Councilwoman Sarah Martinez, who opposed the ban. At issue is a homeless population creating concerns which some say has grown out of control – from drug refuse and human waste, to fires and fear of drownings, to one member hearing gunshots during the night. Cit...
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Mesa County jail population at lowest level since 2016
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Approved, Grand Junction Sentinel, Local, Western Slope

Mesa County jail population at lowest level since 2016

By SAM KLOMHAUS | Grand Junction Sentinel Daniel Harmon knew he had to get help when he woke up in the Mesa County Detention Center’s booking area not knowing how he got there. ”I passed out one time, and I ended up getting arrested. It was the blacking out until I came in the jail, not knowing exactly how long I had been laying in booking, and then I woke up and I was like ‘wow, this is something I need to change,’ “ Harmon said. Harmon, a 39-year-old inmate, participates in a substance abuse program under the jail’s behavioral and mental health services program. ”My main problem was drugs and alcohol,” Harmon said. “I used quite often and I never really truly asked for help, and when I did, one of the first things that was offered was the JBBS (Jail Based Behavioral Health Se...
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Fort Carson to conduct combat aviation training exercise through March
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Local, Approved, El Paso County, gazette.com

Fort Carson to conduct combat aviation training exercise through March

By Abbey Soukup | Colorado Springs Gazette Beginning Tuesday, the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade will be conducting an aerial gunnery exercise surrounding southern Fort Carson through the beginning of March, according to a Tuesday morning announcement.  Fort Carson officials said the training includes firing weapons from AH-64 Apache helicopters and is conducted to prepare Army aviation units for any potential missions around the world.  Officials said residents in areas surrounding the base should expect periods of increased noise, including in the evening hours and throughout the night.  "Fort Carson is dedicated to being good neighbors and will continue to inform the public about training events that may affect surrounding communities. We strive to balance our tr...
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Denver City Council fails to override mayor’s veto of bill preventing homeless sweeps in freezing weather
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Approved, DENVER7, Downtown Denver, Local

Denver City Council fails to override mayor’s veto of bill preventing homeless sweeps in freezing weather

By Sydney Isenberg , Landon Haaf | Denver7 With a 7-6 vote, the Denver City Council on Monday failed to override Mayor Mike Johnston's veto of an ordinance that would have banned homeless encampment sweeps when temperatures dip below freezing. City Council Ordinance 23-1960, introduced in December, aimed to revise the municipal code to prevent multiple city agencies from removing homeless encampments when temperatures 32 degrees and colder are in the forecast. It passed by a 7-6 margin on Jan. 29.. Nine votes were needed to protect the bill from mayoral veto. The mayor and several citizen groups had voiced their opposition to the ordinance. Johnston officially vetoed the ordinance on Feb. 2. In a letter to the council announcing...
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Aurora considers modular construction for affordable housing
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Approved, Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Aurora considers modular construction for affordable housing

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette As Colorado struggles with its lack of affordable housing, the Aurora City Council will consider on Monday a resolution that would allow the use of buildings with "modular construction" to provide affordable housing units. The goal of Aurora’s modular construction resolution is to “increase attainable housing,” according to city staff. With modular construction, buildings are built offsite and then moved, like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, onto a property. The method is seen as more effective, faster and more environmentally friendly than regular construction, officials said. Off-site construction “makes modular housing a promising and innovative solution for increasing the supply of housing with construction timelines that are more tha...
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Aurora committee sends forward shoplifting bill, lowering threshhold to $100
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Approved, Denver Metro, Local, The Sentinel

Aurora committee sends forward shoplifting bill, lowering threshhold to $100

By Max Levy | The Sentinel Shoplifters who steal merchandise worth $100 or more from Aurora stores would be automatically jailed under a proposal moved forward Thursday by the Aurora City Council’s public safety policy committee. Currently, retail thieves who steal $300 or more in goods trigger the automatic three-day jail sentence included in the mandatory minimum sentencing law that the council passed in 2022. The proposal sponsored by Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky would lower that threshold to $100. It would also impose special penalties for repeat offenders — a 90-day minimum jail sentence for anyone convicted of one prior retail theft offense and a 180-day minimum sentence for people who have been convicted at least twice. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE AURORA SENTINEL...
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Officers, staff walk out at prison in JeffCo in pursuit of higher wages
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Approved, Denver Metro, kdvr.com, Local

Officers, staff walk out at prison in JeffCo in pursuit of higher wages

By Heather Willard | KDVR-TV DENVER (KDVR) — Around a dozen correctional officers at a federal prison in Colorado walked out Thursday over claims of low staffing and pay and held a picket to foster support. According to staff at the Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood, correctional officers say they are short-staffed and forced to work overtime hours. They also said non-officers will sometimes be put on duty as officers, which is dangerous for all involved. AFGE Local 709, which oversees the Council of Prison Locals #33, released 12 points to share the workers’ perspectives. The main sticking point is the prison is currently short nearly 50 positions, and over half of those open positions are for correctional officers, according to the union. Members of the union said t...
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Denver cuts services in response to the migrant crisis that’s costing the city $180 million
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Approved, Denver Metro, Local, The Colorado Sun

Denver cuts services in response to the migrant crisis that’s costing the city $180 million

By Jennifer Brown | Colorado Sun Denver will cut hours at recreation centers, end in-person vehicle registration renewals and eliminate spring flower beds to save $5 million this year, a response to the migrant crisis that is expected to cost the city $180 million.  Mayor Mike Johnston on Friday blasted Congress for failing this week to pass a $118.3 billion bill aimed at stopping the flow of illegal entry at the southern border and making it easier for migrants who enter legally to get work permits.  About 40,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have arrived in Denver over the past year, and more than 3,500 are living in city-funded hotel rooms. Thousands took bus rides to other American cities after arriving in Denver, and an unknown number are trying to stay in the ci...
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Every household required to own a gun in small southwestern Colorado town
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Approved, Local, The Washington Post, Western Slope

Every household required to own a gun in small southwestern Colorado town

By Lauren Loftus | Washington Post NUCLA, Colo. — Driving north on U.S. 141 in southwestern Colorado, the road descends from red rock plateau into a wind-blown expanse of bedraggled shrubs and hardy desert trees called Paradox Valley. Passing only the occasional deer, the two-lane highway eventually ends at the intersection of the Dolores River. Just beyond its muddy bank lies the tiny town of Nucla. The area’s once booming uranium mine has long been shuttered, while the halls of Nucla High School echo with the sounds of only a few dozen students. Main Street is dotted with boarded-up buildings and deserted after sunset. With a poverty rate of nearly 20 percent, it’s clear Nucla is in need of jobs, an economic boon that remains out of reach. But there is at least one thi...
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