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Map released showing where Colorado wolves roamed
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local, Western Slope

Map released showing where Colorado wolves roamed

By Luige Del Puerto | SOURCE: DENVER GAZETTE Colorado wildlife officials on Wednesday published a map showing where wolves have roamed in the past month, but it does not pinpoint where the animals are in real time. To protect the wolves, officials said they won't release specific GPS data. The administration of Gov. Jared Polis produced the map on the day legislators grilled wildlife officials over what policymakers described as communication failures and problems tied to the release of wolves in Grand and Summit counties last month.  During a hearing, lawmakers said the state mishandled communications, destroying trust with ranchers and landowners. They said those ranchers and land owners are now saying they will no longer work with the state's wildlife division on conser...
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Additional students buoy Denver schools’ budget
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Downtown Denver, Local

Additional students buoy Denver schools’ budget

By Nicole C. Brambila | SOURCE: DENVER GAZETTE An unexpected influx of students this academic year means Denver Public Schools might not have to dip into its reserves, the district’s chief financial officer said this week. The Board of Education is expected to review the district’s amended budget when directors meet on Thursday for their regular meeting. The budget for the state’s largest district this school year is about $1.5 billion. District officials had anticipated using $12 million from reserves to help offset budget shortfalls. The district has roughly $140 million in its fund balance, which is on target for its 10% of budget goal, said Chuck Carpenter, chief financial officer for Denver Public Schools. READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERGAZETTE.COM
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New councilwoman investigated for shady spending habits after entire staff quits
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Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, Downtown Denver, Local

New councilwoman investigated for shady spending habits after entire staff quits

SOURCE: COLORADO PEAK POLITICS Shady spending habits by newly elected Denver City Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez, including $14,000 for a Halloween parade float, are under investigation by an ethics panel. The complaint was filed by one of her staffers, all of whom quit after only five months. More than $4,200 of that parade float money went to her ex-husband. The ethics board is investigating the suspect spending that also includes alcohol purchases, a $300 flight upgrade for a trip to Chile, and a questionable per diem payment. Denverite broke the story: These records show Alvidrez requesting reimbursements for things potentially barred under spending rules or that raised concerns about spending transparency among her staff. The complaint document also alleges that Al...
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Another Antisemitic Protest in Downtown Denver Organized by Pro-Palestinian Groups
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Approved, Downtown Denver, Local, thelobby-co.com

Another Antisemitic Protest in Downtown Denver Organized by Pro-Palestinian Groups

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM Pro-Palestinian protesters once again disrupted downtown Denver as they marched along Speer Boulevard near the Auraria campus on Monday. The demonstration, organized by the Party of Socialism and Liberation, caused police to shut down streets in the area, further inconveniencing local residents, traffic, and businesses. The group of protesters, wielding signs that read "Free Palestine" and "End the aid, no more funds," displayed their support for the Palestinian cause while spreading a disturbing message of animosity towards Israel. These signs not only advocate for the dismantling of Israel but also call for the cessation of financial aid to a country that has been a long-standing ally of the United States. Party of Socialism and Liberation (Facebook) T...
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The Cost of Doing Business in Denver: Senseless Policies & Band-Aid Bailouts
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Approved, Downtown Denver, Local, thelobby-co.com

The Cost of Doing Business in Denver: Senseless Policies & Band-Aid Bailouts

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM In a recent report by Axios Denver, the city's laughable attempt to salvage struggling businesses from the impact of nearby homeless encampments has laid bare the failures of Denver's misguided policies on housing immigrants, lax drug regulations, and the acceptance of near-permanent encampments. The situation reveals a city administration more adept at applying band-aids than addressing root issues, leaving businesses to bear the brunt. The controversial grant program, facilitated by the Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO) Programs since 2022, is nothing short of a desperate move to cover up the city's glaring policy missteps. A total of 69 businesses, teetering on the edge due to encampments, are now recipients of what amounts to...
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Colorado lawmakers put pressure on wildlife officials to help ranchers protect livestock from wolves
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local, Western Slope

Colorado lawmakers put pressure on wildlife officials to help ranchers protect livestock from wolves

By Marianne Goodland | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS After losing more than a dozen livestock and four cattle dogs to wolf attacks, Jackson County rancher Don Gittleson is getting help from lawmakers, who asked wildlife officials to immediately reconsider their decision denying a request to remove the depredating animals from the area.  Gittleson said repeated pleas to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to deal with these wolves have been ignored, other telling him to employ "non-lethal" methods to scare the wolves off. These methods have not worked, Gittleson said. Now, state lawmakers are stepping into the fray. State Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, penned a letter to CPW Director Jeff Davis on Monday, chastising the agency for failing to ...
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Aurora to buy property for homeless navigation campus
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Denver Metro, Local

Aurora to buy property for homeless navigation campus

By Kyla Pearce | SOURCE: DENVER GAZETTE The Aurora City Council voted Monday to move forward with a purchase agreement for a 13-acre hotel site for its future regional navigation campus.  The campus is intended to be a "one stop shop" for homeless services, helping direct people to shelters and resources, similar to the Colorado Springs Rescue Mission. The property is at 15550 E. 40th Ave. in Aurora, which is currently a Crowne Plaza hotel and convention center.  After some debate at Monday's meeting, the council voted to move forward with purchasing the land despite "no" votes from Councilmembers Curtis Gardner, Alison Coombs and Ruben Medina.  READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERGAZETTE.COM
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Immigrants may cause spike in annual metro Denver homeless count
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Downtown Denver, Local

Immigrants may cause spike in annual metro Denver homeless count

By Kyla Pearce and Noah Festenstein | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS An annual count of Denver's homeless population will include immigrants who crossed America's southern border and ended up in the city's shelters, potentially increasing the number by a significant amount. The annual point-in-time count, which offers a snapshot of the country's homeless population on a single night, is taking place across Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties from sundown to sundown between Jan. 22 and Jan. 23. Last year's count put the number of homeless people at more than 9,000, but a different tracking system said the figure is closer to 30,000 throughout the year, leading many to believe that the annual point of time count is limited.  Kyla Moe, depu...
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Army veteran who was college football’s oldest player joins GOP primary in Colorado’s 5th CD
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, El Paso County, Local

Army veteran who was college football’s oldest player joins GOP primary in Colorado’s 5th CD

By Ernest Luning | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS The Army combat veteran who recently held the distinction of being the oldest Division I player in college football — while still in uniform — wants to represent Colorado's 5th Congressional District. Joshua Griffin, a Fountain Republican, joined the crowded primary last week for the El Paso County-based seat occupied by retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn. "I spent two decades fighting for our country," Griffin told Colorado Politics. "We need somebody to come in and represent the people — and only focus on the people." A political newcomer, the 37-year-old filed nearly a year ago to challenge state Rep. Mary Bradfield, a Colorado Springs Republican, in the GOP primary in House District 21, but said he decided to switch to a ...
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Council cites hate speech to censor hearing on rent-controlled housing
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Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, Local, Southern Colorado

Council cites hate speech to censor hearing on rent-controlled housing

SOURCE: COLORADO PEAK POLITICS Antisemites allegedly crashed a Durango City Council’s Zoom meeting for a proposed housing development by taking advantage of the public comment period to spew some nastiness and hate. City Council zapped all the comments from the recording, so it’s not clear what was said or whether it was in any way related to the Israel/Palestinian war, or the property rezoning for 300 rent-controlled manufactured homes. The Durango Herald reports council and audience members were “offended and sickened by the hate speech.” But we’ll never know if the comments were really hate speech, or in some way relevant to the zoning topic because even the Durango Herald declined to characterize the stricken comments beyond being hateful, antisemitic, and sexually...
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