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Colorado seniors face uphill battle to access state resources
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Colorado seniors face uphill battle to access state resources

by Colin Riley | Denver 7 News DENVER — As the demographics of Colorado shift, the state faces a pressing challenge: an increasing number of older adults who are finding it difficult to access essential resources. The 2020 U.S. Census revealed that nationwide, approximately one in six individuals is now 65 or older, a dramatic rise from one in 20 in 2010. By 2030, almost 20% of Colorado's population is projected to be 60 or older, intensifying the demand for state assistance. Denver7 sat down with residents, advocates, and nonprofits to listen to the obstacles many older adults face in securing state resources. The stories that emerged depict a pattern of frustration and a feeling of being invisible to lawmakers. One participant, Jane Black, an 86-year-old Thornton resident, s...
Aurora ICE visit leaves Colorado Democrats with more questions than answers
Fox31, Approved, Local

Aurora ICE visit leaves Colorado Democrats with more questions than answers

By Gabrielle Franklin | KDVR.com DENVER (KDVR) — A handful of Democrats in Colorado’s congressional delegation went inside the GEO ICE facility in Aurora on Monday. The visit comes as they try to gain clarity and access from the Trump administration about what is going on there. They spoke with members of the press after the visit to share what they say they saw. Democratic U.S. House members from Colorado visited the ICE facility, saying they left the building with more questions than answers. “When I walked through the facility, it felt like a prison,” Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen said at a press conference following the visit. The Colorado Democratic congressional members said the GEO ICE facility in Aurora has changed since the last time they went inside it. “Afte...
Denver Mayor Accused Of Raiding Election Funds To Fill Budget Gap
Local, Approved, denvergazette.com

Denver Mayor Accused Of Raiding Election Funds To Fill Budget Gap

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López earlier asked the "Vibrant Denver Bond" committee for $43 million for new storage space to secure the city’s election equipment and historical documents, some dating as far back as the 1800s. What he got from Mayor Mike Johnston was an order to slash $4 million from the department's budget. During a July 28 Denver City Council meeting, District 7 Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez had sought an amendment to include the elections facility proposal in the $950 million bond package, which will go to voters this November. The amendment failed. Lòpez told The Denver Gazette that, in his 18-year career as a Denver elected official, “this is the first time, and the only time, the mayor has actually tried to raid i...
DHS: Venezuelan gang member charged in Aurora killing entered U.S. illegally in 2023
Border Hawk, Approved, Local

DHS: Venezuelan gang member charged in Aurora killing entered U.S. illegally in 2023

By BorderHawkNews | BorderHawkNews An illegal alien with ties to Tren de Aragua who was released into the U.S. by the Biden regime has been charged with shooting his own wife and killing his sister-in-law in Colorado this week, according to authorities. The horrifying incident unfolded at around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning in Aurora, a Denver suburb flooded with Venezuelan gangbangers in recent years. Investigators believe Michel Jordan Castellano Fonseca, 30, became embroiled in a violent domestic dispute at an apartment before threatening to return with a firearm. Castellano Fonseca later forced his way back into the residence and shot two women believed to be his 30-year-old wife and her 26-year-old sister-in-law, the Aurora Police Department says. Five childr...
Coloradans Overwhelmingly Support Shoshone Water Rights Purchase
Local, Approved, The Colorado Sun

Coloradans Overwhelmingly Support Shoshone Water Rights Purchase

By Shannon Mullane | The Colorado Sun The water rights are tied to the Shoshone Power Plant, which is tucked into Glenwood Canyon a few miles east of Glenwood Springs. Western Slope communities and water agencies want to be able to use powerful Colorado River water rights tied to the Shoshone Power Plant to help the environment. Over 170 members of the public weighed in on the process — and all but one said they liked the idea. The Colorado Water Conservation Board, a state water agency, gathered the public comments in preparation for a hearing about whether to incorporate the water rights into the state’s Instream Flow Program. The program aims to keep water in rivers to help aquatic and riparian ecosystems. The proposed change is part of a larger plan on the Western...
ICE Could Open 1,250-Bed Detention Center in Rural Colorado in 2025
kdvr.com, Approved, Local

ICE Could Open 1,250-Bed Detention Center in Rural Colorado in 2025

By Shaul Turner | KDVR Fox 31 HUDSON, Colo. (KDVR) — A new immigration detention center will open in Colorado as President Donald Trump strengthens his immigration enforcement plan. The new facility will open in Hudson, about 30 miles northeast of Denver, at a state prison that is currently closed. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tells FOX31 it has run out of room in the Aurora detention center after making more arrests so far this fiscal year than in all of 2024. The 1,250-bed facility in Hudson was privately owned and closed in 2014. It was operated by the GEO Group, which also runs ICE’s Aurora detention facility. Hudson has approximately 1,600 residents. FOX31 spoke with some who fully support the use of the closed prison as an ICE facility. “If they can use it ...
Resilience Tested Again in Meeker Wildfire: 87-Year-Old Man Faces 2nd Fire Tragedy
Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Resilience Tested Again in Meeker Wildfire: 87-Year-Old Man Faces 2nd Fire Tragedy

By Alliyah Sims | KDVR Fox 31 MEEKER, Colo. (KDVR) — It’s an incredible story of resilience coming out of the fire zone near Meeker, where 87-year-old Bob Kydd has now survived two major fire disasters. Last week, on Aug. 3, the Elk Fire destroyed his home, decades after he escaped the explosion at a famous lodge near Meeker back in 1991. Bob chose to keep his privacy and did not want to speak on camera for an interview, but we spoke with neighbors who know him well. They say Bob is a quiet and independent man. The community’s response to his recent loss has been an outpouring of support. A fundraiser raising more than $14,000 in less than a day. The loss is overwhelming for Bob. His home, a place of memories and solitude, now reduced to rubble and ashes. “Bob’s...
Denver Is Losing Everything That Gave It Character
Westword, Approved, Commentary, Local

Denver Is Losing Everything That Gave It Character

By Westwood Readers | Commentary, Westword After almost thirty years, the Hornet has taken off from the corner of First and Broadway. For decades, the Hornet has amused patrons and passersby alike with the messages on the sign outside the restaurant at 76 Broadway. But the sign that went up last week was not so amusing: "Thanks Denver! Come & Say Bye." The Hornet flew off after last call on August 9; the building it had called home for almost thirty years was sold this spring, and the restaurant itself had been put up for sale. But instead, the owners opted to close, putting this message on social media: "While many things have changed and become more complicated over the years at 1st & Broadway, we would prefer to celebrate all of the amazing times that you shared wi...
Bauer: Power House Panel of Western Slope Legislators in Delta
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Bauer: Power House Panel of Western Slope Legislators in Delta

By Shirley Bauer | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Hard math: 4 of 70 Republican bills became law. On July 23, five of our state’s most prominent legislators representing the Western Slope met for a legislative update at Daveto’s to a sold-out crowd. The legislative update was sponsored by Delta County GOP, and the MC was Chairwoman Leslie Parker. The legislators present represented Delta County along with other counties on the Western Slope: • Senator Janice Rich from Senate District 7, Senate Minority Whip and winner of the “Legislator of the Year” award in 2023, represents the Cedaredge area in Delta County and all of Mesa County (she resides in Grand Junction). • Senator Marc Catlin, who resides in Montrose, is from Senate District 5. He represents most of Delta Coun...
Wheat Ridge turns to AI so officers spend less time on paperwork
Fox31, Approved, Local

Wheat Ridge turns to AI so officers spend less time on paperwork

By Nicole Fierro | KDVR FOX 31 WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (KDVR) — Artificial intelligence is being used more and more in everyday life. Now, the Wheat Ridge Police Department is joining several metro area police departments in using AI technology to cut down time spent on writing out reports. Draft One is a new software tool for Wheat Ridge officers. It takes their body camera footage and data to transcribe what is heard and seen in a matter of seconds. Officers can then review and add to or change the paragraphs in a report. “It is just a great stepping stone for each of our individual officers to build off of,” Wheat Ridge Police Public Information Officer Alex Rose said. “In effect, we’re swapping out writing time, writing everything from scratch and from memory, to editing time ...