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Evergreen High School shooting victim identified as community mourns
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Evergreen High School shooting victim identified as community mourns

By: Brooke Williams, Phil Rankin | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — One of the two victims hospitalized after the shooting at Evergreen High School has been identified. The family of 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone released a photo and statement through the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon. “The family appreciates the community’s concern and support, but as we remain focused on our loved one’s recovery, we respectfully request privacy as we continue to heal and navigate the road ahead,” the statement said. As of Friday morning, a spokesperson for St. Anthony Hospital said the victim at that hospital was still in critical condition. The other victim, who was transferred to Children’s Hospital Colorado, is in serious condition, a step better than critical, a hospital...
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Extra $9 million in settlement funds aims to fight opioid crisis locally
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gazette.com, Approved, Local

Extra $9 million in settlement funds aims to fight opioid crisis locally

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette With the processing of new settlements, El Paso and Teller counties are expected to receive about $75 million to combat opioid addiction and deaths over the next 18 years — an increase to estimates when the counties created a joint council to disburse funds.  Last year, the Region 16 Opioid Abatement Council figures had the overall total closer to $66 million awarded by 2038. The funding boost is meant to sustain community programs addressing different facets of the opioid epidemic.  "The vast majority has either not been allocated or not been received," said Erik Stone, Teller County commissioner and council vice chair.  The estimate reflects updates in the nationwide legal process to hold major drug manufacturers financ...
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Thousands Gather at Red Rocks for Nation’s Largest 9/11 Stair Climb
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Thousands Gather at Red Rocks for Nation’s Largest 9/11 Stair Climb

By Courtney Fromm | KDVR Fox 31 MORRISON, Colo. (KDVR) — Thousands gathered Thursday morning for the 17th annual 9/11 memorial stair climb at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison. Thursday marked 24 years since such a tragic day in the nation’s history and those who come out to the stair climb go up the stairs at the amphitheater to pay tribute to the firefighters and everyone killed back in 2001. The whole event starts in the upper south parking lot with a few words from organizers and a moment of silence right at 8:46 a.m., which marks the moment the first plane hit the first tower. “The 2025 Colorado 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb is a way to honor and remember the 343 FDNY firefighters and almost 3,000 Americans who died on 9/11,” Ronda Scholting, with West Metro Fire said in a pr...
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Colorado Springs District 49 Advances Facility Policy Focused on Biological Sex
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The Gazette, Approved, Local

Colorado Springs District 49 Advances Facility Policy Focused on Biological Sex

By Eric Young | The Gazette School District 49’s board of education discussed a new district policy that would maintain segregation of district facilities based on biological sex during their regular meeting Thursday night. The proposed policy JBAA would establish clear guidelines to separate toilet, locker room and shower facilities between students of opposite sexes, regardless of gender identity. All previous policies or guidance allowing access based on gender identity would be rescinded. Its language goes on to state that it would prevent “a hostile environment by avoiding disproportionate burdens on students of one sex and complies with judicial precedents upholding biological-sex-based separation.” Single-use facilities would also be available at each school bu...
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Denver explores plans for new Broncos stadium as city grows
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Denver explores plans for new Broncos stadium as city grows

By: Shaul Turner | FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — While the Broncos stadium proposal announced Tuesday will likely boost Denver’s chances of hosting a Super Bowl and other events, economic experts say the greater benefit will be a boost to Denver’s economy. Empower Field at Mile High stadium opened in 2001 at a cost of more than $400 million. The new multi-billion-dollar stadium will be located about a mile south of that location. Construction is expected to be completed by 2031. “It’s an area that was waiting to be redeveloped,” Dr. Andrew Goetz of the University of Denver told FOX31. The 58-acre abandoned railyard is slated to host a state-of-the-art football stadium with a retractable roof. The project is privately funded by the Walton-Penner ownership group. The city will create ...
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Xcel Energy to Sell Former Power Plant Water to Colorado Farmers
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Local, Approved, The Colorado Sun

Xcel Energy to Sell Former Power Plant Water to Colorado Farmers

By Jerd Smith | The Colorado Sun The deal, which could be worth more than $44 million, includes Colorado Springs Utilities and is expected to close early next year Xcel Energy will offer water it owns but no longer needs to farmers in the water-strapped Lower Arkansas River Valley, in an innovative deal advocates hope will help the struggling region regain control of vital water supplies and protect its agricultural economy. Under the preliminary terms of the proposal, valued at more than $44 million, Xcel will sell 12,500 acre-feet of water to a newly formed irrigation company, 70% of which will be owned by farmers and 30% of which will be owned by Colorado Springs Utilities. An acre-foot of water equals 326,000 gallons, enough to serve two to four urban households for one yea...
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Student Shares Harrowing Story From Evergreen High Shooting
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Student Shares Harrowing Story From Evergreen High Shooting

By Heather Willard | KDVR FOX 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Hundreds of students were impacted Wednesday when one of their classmates brought a gun to campus and shot two students and himself at Evergreen High School. Freshman Sam Fisher was in the school’s band room when the lockdown began, just days into his first year of high school. “So we all kind of hid in a corner,” Fisher told FOX31’s Courtney Fromm. “We heard like the first gunshot, we were one of the first rooms that they went to. So it was the first gunshot that went, and everybody kind of freaked out a bit, and then there was a second, and I sort of blanked out at that point, but I think I felt some kind of debris hit my forehead.” The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the hospital hours after the shooting, acc...
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Evergreen Community Mourns After Deadly High School Shooting
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Evergreen Community Mourns After Deadly High School Shooting

By Shaul Turner | KDVR Fox 31 EVERGREEN, Colo. (KDVR) — Residents in the small community of Evergreen remain in shock after a deadly shooting at Evergreen High School on Wednesday. Many gathered at familiar places along the town’s main street to show each other support. “Some people might say there’s not a safe place to live in America,” Kevin Shepard told FOX31. Shepard, a former Western Slope school teacher, tells FOX31 that students deserve a chance to learn in a safe environment. “You feel like living in a small mountain town outside of Denver, the city here that, like you kind of can avoid violence and things like that, but it’s really we have such a crisis of mental health among our young people,” Shepard said. Many are shocked by the realization that a school shoot...
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Shooting at Evergreen High School leaves 3 critically wounded
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Shooting at Evergreen High School leaves 3 critically wounded

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado At least two students were wounded Wednesday in a shooting at a high school in the Denver metro area. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the shooting took place just after noon at Evergreen High School. The school is located at 29300 Buffalo Park Rd. in Evergreen, which is 28 miles southwest of Denver. JeffCo emergency communications said there are reports of "an active assailant in the area of Evergreen High School." The sheriff's office said at least two students have been shot. St. Anthony's Hospital said there are three patients there in critical condition. It's still an active scene, and authorities asked those with students at the school not to go directly to the school at this time. A teacher told CBS Colorado that th...
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City of Denver Promises Cleanup of Abandoned Home Tied to Crime
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

City of Denver Promises Cleanup of Abandoned Home Tied to Crime

By Hanna Powers | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Less than 24 hours after FOX31 highlighted an alleged drug house in Denver’s Swansea neighborhood, city inspectors posted a 24-hour emergency abatement notice on the property. Neighbors had long complained about the vacant home on Fillmore Street, saying it had been used for drugs, stolen cars, and squatting. They told FOX31 the house was a magnet for crime, trash, and even rats. James Hicks, manager of Denver’s Neglected and Derelict Building Program, confirmed inspectors were already tracking the property and said it’s on the city’s radar. “Even though it may look like nothing is happening, we’re very busy, we’re very aware,” Hicks said. “Especially these properties that are very visible. I saw your story this morning and I immedi...
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