Rocky Mountain Voice

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Progressive Mismanagement? Boulder Faces Fiscal Reckoning
Local, kdvr.com

Progressive Mismanagement? Boulder Faces Fiscal Reckoning

By: Heather Willard | KDVR.com DENVER (KDVR) — The city of Boulder is facing a potential budget shortfall of between $8 to $10 million, and is taking steps to “underspend” through the rest of 2025. The city said that the most salient of the steps is a hiring freeze for nearly all vacant positions listed in the city’s government through Dec. 31. Some exceptions will be made for “critical roles,” such as those needed for public safety and water quality, but all exceptions will require the city manager’s authorization to proceed. Any job offers the city has already made will be honored, but all postings for non-essential positions ended Friday. “We do not take this step lightly, but we, like many other local governments, are facing challenging conditions,” said Nuria Rivera-Vander...
Knutzen: Northeastern Clay Busters rack up top medals in Skeet, Sporting Clays and Trap
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Knutzen: Northeastern Clay Busters rack up top medals in Skeet, Sporting Clays and Trap

By Bruce Knutzen | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice This guest piece highlights the success of the Northeastern Clay Busters at the 2025 SCTP tournament. Coach Bruce Knutzen shares results and reflections from a team growing in strength and community support. Over the weekend of June 6th, 7th, and 8th, members of the Northeastern Clay Busters SCTP team attended a three-day state tournament. The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) is open to youth from elementary grades through college to participate in the safe, educational, and enjoyable SCTP clay target sports of American Trap, American Skeet, and Sporting Clays. All school-age boys and girls in grades 12 and under, with the physical, mental, and emotional maturity to participate in a team sport, are eligible for the ...
Property Rights Violated? GJ Business Says City Crossed the Line
Local, The Business Times

Property Rights Violated? GJ Business Says City Crossed the Line

By Brandon Leuallen | The Business Times This article is a follow-up to “CDOT Sells Used Car Dealer a Lemon,” published June 4 in The Business Times. In that story, we reported about CDOT acquiring the GJ Auto Sales property through the threat of eminent domain for a planned mobility hub. This expanded report traces the project’s timeline, revealing a process — jointly coordinated by CDOT, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County’s Regional Transportation Planning Office — that began before the property owners ever found out and ended only after the property owners accepted a final offer just before condemnation proceedings could begin. For 22 years, Mike and Amber Martinez had operated GJ Auto Sales from a downtown Grand Junction corner, building up their small family business ...
Rocks and Bottles Thrown: Denver Protest Turns Violent, Police Respond
Local, kdvr.com

Rocks and Bottles Thrown: Denver Protest Turns Violent, Police Respond

By: Jared Dean | KVDR.com DENVER (KDVR) — Rick Kyle, a chief of operations with the Denver Police Department, says the No Kings protest on Saturday was peaceful. However, later that evening, a group unaffiliated with that protest became aggressive with officers, and that is when things took a turn. “People were throwing objects at officers. My understanding is rocks, bottles, that type of thing,“ Kyle said. Kyle says that is when police upped their response, doing what they’re trained to do in these types of situations.  “The officers then deployed smoke as a diversionary tactic and then used the pepper ball into the ground as an aerial denial to try and encourage people to move,” Kyle said. In all, 35 people were arrested Saturday evening: charges range from throwing projec...
‘No Kings’ Rally Turns Violent: 35 Arrested After Attacking Police
denvergazette.com, Local

‘No Kings’ Rally Turns Violent: 35 Arrested After Attacking Police

The Denver Gazette In a series of confrontations, "No Kings" protesters threw rocks and other objects at officers and tried to enter a major thoroughfare in Denver on Saturday night, prompting the police to deploy pepper balls and smoke to disperse the crowd, authorities said. All told authorities arrested 35 people and one juvenile for resisting arrest, obstructing streets, throwing projectiles, and failing to obey orders, the Denver Police Department announced on Sunday morning. The confrontations took place at night — hours after thousands of people converged in downtown Denver to protest actions by the Trump administration, notably his campaign to deport foreign nationals illegally staying in the U.S.The first confrontation occurred around 6:30 p.m., when another march — the s...
Downtown Denver businesses hit with hefty signage fines: “Just trying to keep this place going”
DENVER7, Local

Downtown Denver businesses hit with hefty signage fines: “Just trying to keep this place going”

By Maggy Wolanske | Denver7 Denver7 heard the concerns from restaurant owners in downtown Denver after the city took action to enforce signage rules. DENVER — Vacant buildings and for lease signs fill Blake Street by the newly renovated 16th Street. Now, some businesses in the area are left without signage after they say the city recently cited the block to enforce the zoning code. A flag that once greeted customers outside Jovanina's Broken Italian is now taken down. It had been up for the past five years, with the owner, Jake Linzinmeir, explaining it helped with the busy construction in the area and brought awareness to the restaurant. "Flag was up. No problem. No comment. All of a sudden, we got cited, all of our neighbors got cited for the signage to various...
Ganahl: Local voices, local values, local control–Home Rule for Douglas County
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Ganahl: Local voices, local values, local control–Home Rule for Douglas County

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice By now, you’ve probably received your ballot—and with it, an opportunity that could redefine how we govern ourselves. This vote will decide who sits on the commission responsible for drafting our Home Rule Charter. That document will set the tone for the future of Douglas County, and I believe it’s time we step up and take control of that future ourselves. If we choose Home Rule, we gain the power to tailor our government to meet our needs—not someone else’s idea of what those needs should be.  Let’s call it like it is—too often, the laws coming out of Denver are written without Douglas County in mind. We’re not just growing—we’re growing with purpose. And let’s be real, Douglas County has its own way of doing things. Home Ru...
Rep. Brooks makes case for Douglas County Home Rule as ‘the path forward for liberty’
Free State Colorado, Local

Rep. Brooks makes case for Douglas County Home Rule as ‘the path forward for liberty’

By Brandon Wark | Free State Colorado Voters in Douglas County will decide on June 24th, 2025 whether to create a Home Rule Charter Commission, and who to place on the Commission. If approved, this Commission will craft a new Home Rule Charter that voters will decide on during this November’s Election. If approved, this Home Rule Charter will make Douglas County the third Colorado County to become Home Rule. The Colorado Constitution allows Counties and Municipalities to adopt Home Rule status, which allows for more local control and greater flexibility to solve local issues. As you most likely know, the Colorado State Legislature has gone off the rails these past few years, passing legislation to restrict our rights, including our gun rights and parental rights. The Stat...
The Mile High price tag: Denver now among worst in U.S. for inflation
Approved, Local, Westword

The Mile High price tag: Denver now among worst in U.S. for inflation

By Catie Cheshire | Westword One study found prices in Denver have spiked significantly in the last two months, outpacing Los Angeles, New York and even Honolulu. Denver has a highly ranked park system and was recently named one of the coolest cities in the country, but living around the Mile High City isn't cheap. According to a new study by WalletHub, the Denver metro has the fifth-worst inflation problem in the United States, with costs rising on a monthly and yearly basis. WalletHub analyzed inflation impacts in 23 major metropolitan areas for the study, lumping together Denver, Aurora and Lakewood. In metro Denver, the change in Consumer Price Index compared to two months ago is 1 percent and the change over the last year is 2.2 percent, WalletHub research s...
D-11 school board votes to adopt policy requiring sports participation based on biological sex
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

D-11 school board votes to adopt policy requiring sports participation based on biological sex

By Grace Brajkovich | Denver Gazette During a special meeting on Wednesday, Colorado Springs' District 11 became the second El Paso County school district to approve a new policy requiring students to participate in school sports based on their biological sex. The D-11 Board of Education voted 6-1 to approve policy JBA-Preserving Fairness and Safety in Sports, which will classify sports teams as either “male, men or boys,” “female, women or girls” or “coed, mixed or open.” This will ensure that students aren’t allowed to participate in sports, be present in locker rooms, or lodge in hotels with the opposite biological sex.    Board Director Julie Ott cast the only dissenting vote.  "This policy is illegal. It goes against Colorado law. This poli...