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denvergazette.com, El Paso County, Local

Mayor says government must care for migrants arriving in Colorado Springs

By Breeanna Jent | The Gazette Mayor Yemi Mobolade on Friday called on President Joe Biden and federal partners to help ensure a surge of undocumented immigrants crossing the country's southern border does not become a 'crisis' in Colorado Springs. "Immigration is a federal responsibility. It's not in the city's purview but because we have not taken care of the crisis at our southern border, it's meeting our city. I do call on the president of the United States and federal partners to help us to ensure that this crisis doesn't impact our city," Mobolade said from his downtown office during an afternoon broadcast on Facebook Live. Mobolade took to social media on Friday to reiterate Colorado Springs is not a designated sanctuary community and reassured viewers there is not currentl...
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Ordinance banning homeless encampment sweeps during frigid weather vetoed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston
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denvergazette.com, Downtown Denver, Local

Ordinance banning homeless encampment sweeps during frigid weather vetoed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston

By Noah Festenstein | The Gazette Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on Friday vetoed an ordinance approved by the City Council that would have banned homeless encampment sweeps during frigid temperatures, arguing it contravenes the city's camping ban.   Already, the councilmembers who sponsored the ordinance intend to bring it back before the council on Feb. 12, a move that signaled their attention to override the mayor's veto.  In Johnston's first veto since taking office in July, the mayor's office said the proposal "would make it more difficult for the city to help people experiencing homelessness get inside during cold, unsafe conditions." "Though well-intentioned, this legislation would restrict the city’s ability to do this life-saving work for approximately four ...
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Homeless Advocates Protest Denver Mayor’s Veto
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Approved, Denver Metro, Downtown Denver, Local, thelobby-co.com

Homeless Advocates Protest Denver Mayor’s Veto

By The Lobby Denver's homeless advocates gathered outside the City and County Building on Saturday morning to express their dissatisfaction with Mayor Mike Johnston's decision to veto a bill that would have prohibited homeless sweeps in freezing temperatures. Despite the frigid conditions, about a dozen members of Housekeys Action Network (HAND) showed up to voice their opposition to the mayor's announcement. The City Council Ordinance 23-1960, introduced in December, aimed to amend the municipal code to prevent various city agencies from clearing homeless encampments when temperatures dropped to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. However, on February 2, Mayor Johnston vetoed the "No Freezing Sweeps" ordinance, which had been passed by the Denver City Council with a narrow 7-6 vote. ...
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Colorado School District Uses Affordable Housing As Recruitment Tactic
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Approved, El Paso County, Local, thelobby-co.com

Colorado School District Uses Affordable Housing As Recruitment Tactic

By The Lobby Harrison School District 2 in Colorado Springs has announced plans to construct affordable homes for its employees, according to reports. The district intends to build 20 duplexes, each covering 352 square feet, on a one-acre parcel of land at Mountain Vista Community School. The estimated cost of the project is $6 million, and the homes will be available for rent at $825 per month. This initiative aims to address the affordable housing faced by many teachers in Colorado Springs. The average rent is $1,720 per month, while the average home price is $523,456, as reported by Forbes Advisor. With a starting salary of $47,545 for new teachers in the district, many find it challenging to secure suitable housing without resorting to multiple roommates. The constructi...
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The fear and reward of ‘Standing in the Gap’
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Approved, Commentary, Local

The fear and reward of ‘Standing in the Gap’

By Bradley Beck | Special Contributor The almost empty Town Hall meeting room was soon to be filled with an angry mob. I was, to say the least, anxious. I arrived early so I could sign up to speak first, and get it over with. Just prior to me addressing the Town Council, a representative from Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development (CRED) asked if I would present the 300-plus signed petitions of my neighbors who were opposed to an upcoming fracking moratorium proposal in my town.  This Town of Erie meeting 10 years ago was to consider banning new oil and gas development in our community. I could not sit on the sideline. Too much was at stake. The Town Trustees were under intense pressure from anti-energy development activists. It was an issue I was ready and willing to ...
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U.S. Department of Education investigates Denver Public Schools over use of race
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Denver Metro, Local, National

U.S. Department of Education investigates Denver Public Schools over use of race

By Nicole C. Brambila | Colorado Politics The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened two discrimination complaints filed against Denver Public Schools’ use of race in selecting committee members to evaluate the district’s "discipline matrix" and in deciding which students can take math extension courses. The complaints, filed by the Mountain States Legal Foundation in November and September, respectively, alleged that the district gives preferential treatment to persons of color and inferred that its use of the word "diverse" is a veiled reference to considering race and people's gender identity. Will Trachman, general counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation, said the district cannot discriminate against White students or individuals who identify wi...
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Denver police arrest 13-year-old accused of killing bus passenger for blocking aisle
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Approved, Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver police arrest 13-year-old accused of killing bus passenger for blocking aisle

By Daniel Boniface | Denver Gazette A 13-year-old boy was arrested after Denver police alleged he fatally shot a 60-year-old man after an argument on a bus on Saturday. The Denver Police Department said the verbal exchange appears to have started because the victim's leg was blocking the aisle on the bus. The verbal exchange escalated and the boy shot the victim, police said. Denver police officers responded to the bus, which was located at South Federal Boulevard and West Mississippi Avenue, around 6:41 p.m. When officers got there, they found the 60-year-old man who had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Denver tells migrants it’s closing time — don’t have to go home, but can’t stay here
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Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, Denver Metro, Local

Denver tells migrants it’s closing time — don’t have to go home, but can’t stay here

By Colorado Peak Politics Sanctuary City Denver is literally showing migrants the door with the offer of free* travel tickets to somewhere else now that the cold weather emergency has ended that allowed families to stay six weeks in area shelters. It’s closing time, they’ll be told after three weeks. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. Venezuelan migrants tell Westword they are getting ticket offers to leave shelters before check-out time. Yet many say they want to stay even though they can’t find work without proper work permits, or a place to live. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO PEAK POLITICS
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El Paso official to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: Keep asking for federal funds | Border Crossroads
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Downtown Denver, El Paso County, Local

El Paso official to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: Keep asking for federal funds | Border Crossroads

By Nicole C. Brambila | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS Editor's note: Welcome to Border Crossroads, a series of dispatches from America's southern border, where reporter Nico Brambila and multimedia producer Tom Hellauer are chronicling the crisis that is spilling over into Denver and other interior cities.     EL PASO, TEXAS — El Paso Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino offered some advice to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: Keep pushing for federal money to address the crisis brought on by surges of immigrants crossing the border. El Paso Deputy City Manager, Mario D'Agostino, discusses how his city obtained federal funds to address the immigration surges in recent yearsPlay Video “Don’t give up on the funding requests,” D’Agostino said. "Continuing to push for the fund...
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2 Colorado counties and RTD use taxpayer dollars on political consultants to generate more tax dollars
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Denver Metro, Local

2 Colorado counties and RTD use taxpayer dollars on political consultants to generate more tax dollars

By Shaun Boyd | SOURCE: CBS News As Coloradans brace for massive property tax spikes, some local governments are quietly laying the groundwork for ballot measures that would hike taxes even further, and a loophole in Colorado state law allows them to use your tax dollars to figure out how to get more of your tax dollars. Under state law, a government entity can't spend more than $50 to support a measure after it's on the ballot, but there's no limit on what they can spend before it makes the ballot. Natalie Menten, founder of Colorado Engaged, says the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners is among those using the loophole to run political campaigns on the public's dime. A political activist, government watchdog and chief nemesis of the commissioners, Menten says they're ...
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