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Five sentenced for delivering fentanyl that killed Colorado inmate
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Five sentenced for delivering fentanyl that killed Colorado inmate

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado Prison sentences were handed out Wednesday to the last of five people involved in the fatal fentanyl overdose of a Colorado inmate. The pills that killed her were smuggled into the jail inside another woman's body.  Alizon Lopez was found unresponsive in her cell at 2:30 p.m. on May 21, 2022, by her cellmate, shortly after she had finished her work shift in the jail's laundry. Jail deputies and nursing staff immediately began CPR and called for an ambulance. But Lopez never recovered.  Months later, the Mesa County Coroner's Office concluded Lopez died of fentanyl intoxication. It called her death an accident.  READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Kevin Van Winkle to make early arrival as Douglas County commissioner
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Kevin Van Winkle to make early arrival as Douglas County commissioner

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette Following the recent turn of events in Douglas County, Kevin Van Winkle, a state senator, joined his soon-to-be colleagues on Thursday night to host the annual state of the county report. It was Van Winkle's first public appearance with commissioners Abe Laydon and George Teal since former Commissioner Lora Thomas unexpectedly resigned from her seat.  “I'm looking forward to a new era of peace and prosperity for Douglas County,” Van Winkle told a dinner crowd of business leaders and Douglas County residents. Van Winkle is expected to resign his legislative seat on Dec. 16.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Colorado deputy ‘rescues’ Captain America during Douglas County traffic stop
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Colorado deputy ‘rescues’ Captain America during Douglas County traffic stop

By Michael Abeyta | CBS Colorado One Colorado deputy became a hero's hero when he rescued Captain America on the side of the road last week. Deputy Zach Zepeski with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office was driving on C-470 when he noticed Captain America was having motorcycle trouble on the side of the road. He decided to stop. "I couldn't have Captain America stranded," said Zepeski. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Grand Junction’s 7th Street plan may have city on course for head-on collision with constituents
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Grand Junction’s 7th Street plan may have city on course for head-on collision with constituents

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice As Grand Junction unveils its proposal to make major changes to 7th Street -- citing safety for pedestrians and bicyclists -- more than 200 people attended a meeting of City Council in person or virtually last week with about two-thirds of them vehemently opposed to the direction City Council seems determined to pursue. According to Jim Spehar, a former county commissioner and City Council member, two-thirds of those people were there to protest any more costly changes to Grand Junction roads. Spehar, in an op-ed to the local legacy newspaper, wrote that more than half of the people in attendance were still outraged over the “experimental pilot project” changes made to 4th and 5th Streets earlier in the year.  He advise...
Fort Collins-Loveland Water District announces 30% spike in rates for Northern Coloradans
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Fort Collins-Loveland Water District announces 30% spike in rates for Northern Coloradans

By Dillon Thomas | CBS Colorado The Fort Collins-Loveland Water District is moving forward with a rate hike in the new year. The water district, which serves more than 65,000 people every day, will start charging an additional 30% a month for existing residential users while adding a higher price tag for new taps in new developments. Though the water district has been advertising its plans for some time now, some residents have taken to social media to express their frustrations about what they believe to be a sudden and sharp spike in prices. "After two years of rate studies, planning, and evaluation we have come to a point where the infrastructure maintenance costs that we are experiencing have to be covered somehow," said Chris Pletcher, general manager of the water district. "...
Denver man among 39 to receive pardon from President Biden, 1,500 receive commutations
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Denver man among 39 to receive pardon from President Biden, 1,500 receive commutations

By Morgan Whitley | Fox 31 News President Joe Biden is commuting 1,500 sentences and pardoning 39 Americans, including a Colorado man, in what is now the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. A White House lawyer said the people who were pardoned by Biden were convicted of nonviolent crimes, such as drug offenses, and turned their lives around. A president has the power to both pardon, in which a person is relieved of guilt and punishment, or commute a sentence, which reduces or eliminates the punishment but doesn’t exonerate the wrongdoing. It’s customary for a president to grant mercy at the end of his term, using the power of the office to wipe away records or end prison terms. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Colorado town of Superior under home rule after special election
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Colorado town of Superior under home rule after special election

By Sarah Horbacewicz | CBS Colorado In a special election Tuesday, the Colorado town of Superior voted to adopt a charter and move the town under home rule.  There was a low turnout for the town of more than 13,000 people. The votes came in at 1,670 for the charter and 721 against. The measure was originally planned to be on the November ballot, but a clerical error pushed it to a special election in December. Now some residents still have questions about the vote and what it means. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Arapahoe County approves more regulations on oil and gas operations
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Arapahoe County approves more regulations on oil and gas operations

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Arapahoe County, which has some of the strictest oil and gas regulations in the state, on Tuesday approved additional regulations, notably setting aside money for plugging wells or when they are abandoned. The new amendments to the county's oil and gas regulations came after a slew of regulations adopted last year that included requiring one-mile setbacks from existing and planned reservoirs, additional soil and water testing, wildland urban interface protections and fire code compliance on access roads. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Downtown Denver set for $570M tax-funded investment in housing, jobs, culture, parks, mobility
Approved, Denverite, Local

Downtown Denver set for $570M tax-funded investment in housing, jobs, culture, parks, mobility

By Kyle Harris | Denverite The Downtown Development Authority is set to revamp the central city with hundreds of millions of dollars in spending. The authority previously funded the revitalization of Union Station and the surrounding area. Earlier this year, voters approved changes that will allow the organization to take on $570 million of debt and spread the spending across a broader swath of downtown Denver. On Monday, the Denver City Council approved more detailed plans for how the money will be spent over the next 13 years. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVERITE
Police backtrack on claim that University of Colorado students overdosed on drugs laced with fentanyl
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Police backtrack on claim that University of Colorado students overdosed on drugs laced with fentanyl

By Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado Police in Boulder are now backtracking on their claim that over the weekend a group of University of Colorado students overdosed on cocaine that was possibly tainted with fentanyl. Instead, police now say the five men had consumed an extreme amount of alcohol and then some had taken drugs which led them to become violently sick. It happened on Saturday night at Kappa Sigma fraternity. Police say Narcan was used at the fraternity house before the students were transported to the hospital. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO