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False claims, real consequences: Judge rejects activist’s First Amendment defense
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False claims, real consequences: Judge rejects activist’s First Amendment defense

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice El Paso County judge rejects motion to dismiss defamation suit against Bernadette Guthrie, ruling that calling a school board member a “child predator” is not protected by the First Amendment. For more than a year, Derrick Wilburn – father, community leader and now an elected school board member – was publicly branded a “child predator” by a vocal district parent. The accusations, repeated at school board meetings, online and even in state legislative testimony, painted him as a man who preyed on children.  Wilburn filed a defamation lawsuit in December 2024, seeking accountability. And on April 29, a Colorado judge drew a legal line.  El Paso County District Court Judge Gregory Werner denied defendant Bernadette Guthrie’s motion...
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‘It’s not safe’: Lakewood residents push back on Denver’s growing homeless spillover
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‘It’s not safe’: Lakewood residents push back on Denver’s growing homeless spillover

By Sage Kelley | Denver Gazette Rising homelessness in Lakewood sparks concern over lack of resources and public safety risks. Timothy Harris stood a block away from West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood, his items methodically packed in a cart, a tent propped up beside him.  Harris, who is homeless but originally from Mesa County, has lived in Lakewood after being in Denver for years. To him, Lakewood offers more safety and accessible open space. "Downtown Denver is kind of scary. It's a little intimidating," Harris said. "There are shootings and crime. But, back home, people freeze or get attacked by animals. There's a difference in death, but it weighs out the same." Chanel Lewis, a homeless woman who has been in the Denver metro area since 2002 and now lives in Lakewood, a...
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Burning Man event in Las Animas County cancelled over ‘non-consensual fentanyl drugging’ concerns
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Burning Man event in Las Animas County cancelled over ‘non-consensual fentanyl drugging’ concerns

By Aaron Vitatoe | KKTV LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - A suspected attempted drugging involving fentanyl forced the cancellation of a Burning Man event in southern Colorado. Apogaea is a Burning Man-sanctioned event held every June in Colorado, according to their website. Over the weekend, they were set to hold their event in Las Animas County near Trinidad. As the weekend kicked off, though the Apogaea Board of Directors instructed everyone to leave the event, and asked anyone on the way to turn around, for safety reasons. On Sunday, they confirmed the reason for the cancellation was suspected non-consensual drugging involving fentanyl. They said, luckily, no one was dosed or physically harmed at the event, and no one needed medical attention. According to a post on Fa...
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U.S. Supreme Court sides with rail developers in Eagle County fight over NEPA
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U.S. Supreme Court sides with rail developers in Eagle County fight over NEPA

By J.B. Ruhl | Westword On May 29, the Supreme Court – minus Justice Neil Gorsuch, who recused himself – decided the case of Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado. Getting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant revisions – until now. In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has changed a big part of the game. Whether the effects are good or bad depends on the viewer’s perspective. Either way, there is a new interpretation in place for the law that is the centerpiece of the debate about permitting: the&nbs...
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President Trump clears the skies: Colorado Boom’s supersonic jet project gets federal boost
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President Trump clears the skies: Colorado Boom’s supersonic jet project gets federal boost

By Mark Samuelson | Denver Gazette President Trump signed an executive order Friday that could clear the skies for Boom Supersonic’s Overture, the sleek craft being designed and tested at Centennial Airport that could become the world’s first faster-than-sound jetliner since the Concorde’s final flight in 2003. The White House described the order as one that ended “decades of stifling regulations” that had grounded U.S. efforts to reestablish supersonic airline flights. These, the order said, would be replaced by new noise standards that might allow supersonics to be certified for overland flights, following a regimen of research and tests. The Anglo-French Concorde entered commercial service in 1976, but its operations were practically entirely transoceanic routes like London ...
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State transportation project shutters 22-year-old Grand Junction auto sales business via eminent domain
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Approved, Local, The Business Times

State transportation project shutters 22-year-old Grand Junction auto sales business via eminent domain

By Brandon Leuallen | The Business Times For 22 years, GJ Auto Sales was a fixture in the Grand Junction community, a family-run business operated by Amber Colunga Martinez and Mike Martinez. But now, the lot at 320 S. First St. will be transformed into a state-led mobility hub, part of Colorado’s climate-focused transportation plan. Selling the property to the state of Colorado, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County due to impending eminent domain has left the couple without enough to financially open up again in a viable location. The Martinezes said they first learned of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s plans not through official communication, but by reading a story in The Daily Sentinel. “We found out about it through the Sentinel posting an article about i...
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Mayor Mobolade’s town hall tour met with mixed reviews across Colorado Springs
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Mayor Mobolade’s town hall tour met with mixed reviews across Colorado Springs

By Brennen Kauffman | Denver Gazette Friday marks two years since Yemi Mobolade was sworn in as Colorado Springs' 42nd mayor. His achievements so far have drawn mixed reactions from the city's residents who attended the Report Out Community Tour events this week. Mobolade launched the tour on May 23, holding a meeting in each of the six Colorado Springs City Council districts to hear how residents felt about the progress made on the goals. The largest turnout was Tuesday night, when several dozen people sat in the auditorium of The Classical Academy for the District 2 meeting. The crowd was unhappy to find out that Mobolade would not be appearing. City staff and council members said he had attended Monday's town hall while sick but had begun feeling worse. Mobolade was absent from...
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“Not one mention of sexual abuse”: Parents slam Jeffco union as Title IX storm builds
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“Not one mention of sexual abuse”: Parents slam Jeffco union as Title IX storm builds

By Heidi Ganahl, Rocky Mountain Voice Jeffco Public Schools is at the center of a storm as teachers and parents clash with Superintendent Tracy Dorland over leadership, transparency, and the district’s handling of cultural and safety concerns.  Tensions hit a breaking point on May 29, when the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA)—representing roughly a quarter of Jeffco’s 5,000 teachers—declared a vote of no confidence in Superintendent Tracy Dorland. The move came just days before news broke of a federal Title IX investigation into the district. Union leaders accused her of top-down leadership, fostering instability, and eroding trust. They highlighted high turnover in central office staff, the rejection of a board-approved policy on ICE protocols, and the rollback ...
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Illegal immigrant faces 118-count indictment for firebombing pro-Israel demonstrators
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Approved, Local, The Colorado Sun

Illegal immigrant faces 118-count indictment for firebombing pro-Israel demonstrators

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun Mohamed Soliman, 45, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. He appeared in court at the Boulder County jail on Thursday afternoon. BOULDER — The man accused of tossing Molotov cocktails into a group of peaceful demonstrators in Boulder was charged Thursday in state court with 118 counts, including attempted murder. Mohamed Soliman, 45, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. He appeared in court at the Boulder County jail on Thursday afternoon where he was advised of the charges against him. Soliman is being held in lieu of a $10 million bond.  The 118 charges included 28 counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of first-degree assault, court documents show. Soliman’s next appearance in Boulder ...
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D-Day remembered: Fort Carson’s Sgt. Simmons honors family legacy of valor on 81st anniversary
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D-Day remembered: Fort Carson’s Sgt. Simmons honors family legacy of valor on 81st anniversary

By Mary Shinn | Denver Gazette A Fort Carson soldier honored his family’s history this week in France ahead of commemorating the 81st anniversary of D-Day on Friday. On Monday, Sgt. John Simmons visited the grave of his great-great-uncle Cpl. Raymond Parry in St. Mihiel American Cemetery, marking the first time in 95 years a member of the family visited the grave of the World War I soldier who never went home to Wyoming. Later in the week, he expected to receive his promotion to staff sergeant on Utah Beach, a battle site his great-grandfather Glenn Thomas Workman passed through as part of the 6th Armored Division, after it was secured 81 years ago. Simmons comes from a long line of service members on both sides of his family, including three members who served in World War I a...
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