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Hard work pays off: District 51 sees strong gains in statewide test scores
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KKCO-TV Grand Junction, Approved, Local

Hard work pays off: District 51 sees strong gains in statewide test scores

By Gabriela Chay | KKCO 11 News GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) -The Colorado Department of Education released district-level CMAS and PSAT/SAT scores for the 2024-25 school year. District 51 saw strong academic gains in its test scores. According to D51, elementary students (Grades 3-5) are above state averages in five of six literacy and math CMAS categories. Middle schools (Grades 6-8) haven’t yet matched state levels in literacy and math, but D51 said they’re continuing to invest resources and support to help build momentum in the future. At the high school level, students met or exceeded the rest of the state in all literacy categories and three out of six math categories on the PSAT and SAT. “I’m super proud of our staff. We’ve had some challenges over the last few years, but t...
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Wolf Suspected in Livestock Losses Evades CPW Efforts
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Wolf Suspected in Livestock Losses Evades CPW Efforts

By Heather Willard | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife said that after days of searching, teams failed to kill an uncollared wolf that has been determined to be at fault in six livestock deaths in Rio Blanco County. Wildfires in the area delayed CPW’s ability to lethally remove the wolf, CPW announced on Aug. 5, which allowed another depredation event on Aug. 16, in which three lambs were found dead. Depredations, in this case, refer to a wolf stealing or killing a rancher’s product or livestock. Teams from CPW and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Wildlife Services were deployed on Aug. 16 to kill the depredating gray wolf, CPW said. “The decision to pursue lethal actions is never an easy one, but the events in...
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City of Denver Moves to Block Trump Lawsuit on Immigration Cooperation
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Local, Approved, The Denver Gazette

City of Denver Moves to Block Trump Lawsuit on Immigration Cooperation

By Julia Fennell | The Denver Gazette Denver is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration over the city's "sanctuary" policies. The motion, filed on Monday in a U.S. district court, insisted that the laws of both Colorado and Denver do not impede federal immigration enforcement and that “the federal government has no right or ability to compel local municipalities to help it achieve its political objectives.” “We’re not sure if they don’t understand the laws or just don’t want to follow them, but Denver has never violated federal statute,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement. “We’re not changing our laws, we’re not changing our values, and we’re not backing down from this meritless lawsuit. The federal government will not be successful in ...
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After months of Littleton outages, Xcel says it found the problem
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Fox31, Approved, Local

After months of Littleton outages, Xcel says it found the problem

By Nicole Fierro | Fox 31 LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — Power outage problems have been plaguing thousands in Littleton this summer, but the cause is finally known. Last week, FOX31 shared the stories of neighbors and business owners who reached out to the Problem Solvers for help after dealing with seven power outages since June.  Now, Xcel Energy is sharing what exactly went wrong and how the company is working to prevent the issue in the future. “When we had three (outages) in August, we knew that something was wrong,” Xcel Regional Vice President Gilbert Salazar said. “All the vegetation management had been done. We replaced an underground cable completely. The line had been patrolled numerous times. That’s when we identified all the work that we’ve done isn’t gett...
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Close call at Colorado rail crossing as car struck by train after evacuation
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Close call at Colorado rail crossing as car struck by train after evacuation

By Brooke Williams | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — People were able to get out of a car before it was hit by an oncoming train on Sunday night. South Adams County Fire Department said in a post on X that it responded to the crash at the intersection of Highway 2 and 88th Avenue around 10:50 p.m. When Battalion Chief 21 arrived, crews found a vehicle with moderate damage and a train that was stopped at the railroad crossing. The fire department said the occupants inside the vehicle were able to get out before the collision with the train, and no one was injured. The agency did not release information about how the vehicle may have ended up in the train’s path. READ THE COMPLETE STORY AT FOX 31
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DU scales back DEI programs to avoid losing federal funding
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

DU scales back DEI programs to avoid losing federal funding

By Evan Kruegel | Denver Gazette Chancellor Jeremy Haefner said he's concerned DU's access to federal funding could be at risk if it doesn't comply The University of Denver is scaling back its diversity, equity and inclusion work as it moves to comply with new directives from the Trump administration. In an interview with 9NEWS, Chancellor Jeremy Haefner said DU will no longer provide DEI training for staff and will end scholarships and programs once offered exclusively to students of specific racial groups. Haefner said the university previously had “gifts and scholarships that were directed towards protected classes that the Department of Justice memo has really now clearly articulated as unlawful.” Other colleges have already seen federal funding frozen or pulled after th...
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Littleton proves citizen power still matters in Polis’ Colorado
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, Local

Littleton proves citizen power still matters in Polis’ Colorado

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Littleton voters get a say because they wouldn't have it any other way. The City of Littleton tried to stuff a Polis-inspired density mandate down the throats of their residents late last year. Residents did exactly what they should have: they went to the city council meeting in numbers and told them their thoughts on the measure. The city council wisely decided to postpone the measure pending a group of residents putting gathering signatures and putting it up on the November ballot. There is more detail in the Complete article linked at bottom, but the part I want to focus on here is the Littleton voters and what their actions mean for you (and not just with regard to density). Pay attention to what your lo...
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Kitchen fire leaves Fort Collins homeless shelter in ruins
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Kitchen fire leaves Fort Collins homeless shelter in ruins

By: Heather Willard | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Over 80 people were displaced after a fire on Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Fort Collins Rescue Mission. The fire started in the kitchen, according to the rescue mission’s CEO, Dennis Van Kampen, who provided an update on the rescue on Sunday. He said that the fire extensively damaged the building’s offices and kitchen, saying that the building is not usable.Northglenn police searching for 2 suspects after person shot near Tamale Kitchen “Our staff did an amazing job of making sure that everyone got out safely, and we are thanking God that no one was hurt, but the building needs help,” Van Kampen said. The Poudre Fire Authority reported the blaze at about 7:16 p.m. on Saturday, and said that heavy fire damage occurred in the bu...
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Denver’s $950 million bond: Taxpayers deserve full accountability before another blank check
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Westword, Approved, Commentary, Local

Denver’s $950 million bond: Taxpayers deserve full accountability before another blank check

By Erik Clarke | Commentary, Westword "Denver residents want to support good projects that improve our daily life and solve real problems. Taxpayers also want to know that their money is being managed responsibly." In 2017, Denver voters approved the $937 million Elevate Denver Bond Program to improve civic infrastructure across the city. Eight years later, while some projects have made meaningful progress, many remain delayed, over budget or not yet started. Now, the city is preparing to ask voters to approve another nearly billion dollars through the proposed Vibrant Denver package. Before we’re asked to vote this November, we deserve more than summaries and categories. We deserve transparency. We deserve details. As of today, there is no public cost breakdown ...
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After detective’s passing, family asks community to stand strong together
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Fox31, Approved, Local

After detective’s passing, family asks community to stand strong together

By Courtney Fromm | Fox 31 NORTHGLENN, Colo. (KDVR) — The family of Northglenn Police Detective Paul Gesi met for a press conference Monday to discuss their dad’s passing just a few weeks ago. “Truth above everything, and we hold that close to us, and that’s why we are very open about how this happened,” Jonathan Gesi, Paul’s son, said during the press conference. Gesi died by suicide just a few weeks ago after a long struggle with PTSD from his career. His kids said Monday, their dad never brought work home, but they said there were some signs he was struggling. “A little towards the end, he would talk a little more about the darkness he’s been dealing with in his 41 years in being an officer,” Emily Gesi, his second-oldest daughter, said. READ THE COMPLETE S...
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