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LA Spends $20M Responding to Protests–LAPD Overworked, Understaffed
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Local, Washington Examiner

LA Spends $20M Responding to Protests–LAPD Overworked, Understaffed

By Kenneth Schrupp | Washington Examiner (The Center Square) – Los Angeles’ $19.7 million response to the June protests and riots was almost entirely spent on police, highlighting the growing cost of police overtime amid an enduring officer shortage. According to a new report from government transparency group Open The Books, the city of Los Angeles spent $1.1 billion on overtime in 2024, or more than the city’s nearly billion-dollar budget deficit. Of that $1.1 billion in overtime, $265.5 million went to the Los Angeles Police Department, which has just 8,688 officers, or nearly a thousand officers short of its full authorized strength of 9,500. “A revenue pinch amid Covid lockdowns led to a spate of early retirements that have exacerbated the need for extra-hours pay,” wrote OTB...
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Denver workers brace for major layoffs amid $250M budget deficit
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DENVER7, Local

Denver workers brace for major layoffs amid $250M budget deficit

By Brandon Richard | Denver7 DENVER — Denver city leaders are preparing to make "substantial" layoffs in order to deal with a massive budget deficit. In May, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced the city was projecting a $50 million budget deficit this year and a $200 million budget deficit next year. Johnston said his administration must consider layoffs to help the city balance next year’s budget. “We will have to look at layoffs,” Johnston said. “We do not envision a scenario where it's possible to right-size this budget without that impact on personnel.” On Wednesday, city leaders were more definitive about layoffs. “They are absolutely happening and they're going to be substantial,” said Karla Pierce, a city employment attorney. The city has not officially ...
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$6 billion wish list, $800 million budget: Denver’s bond scramble is heating up
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Denverite, Local

$6 billion wish list, $800 million budget: Denver’s bond scramble is heating up

By Paolo Zialcita | Denverite Everyone wants a piece of the Vibrant Denver Bond pie. Denver has a rare opportunity to fund $800 million of capital projects in one fell swoop later this year — and everyone is clamoring for a piece of the pie.  If voters approve the measure this November the city will take out debt for a wide range of capital projects. But while $800 million may sound like a lot, it isn’t nearly enough to pay for everything city officials and residents want to build.  More than 220 projects appeared on an initial list the city is considering. Building all those projects would cost $6 billion, far more than what the city can afford. And whittling down the list hasn’t been easy.   The city’s cultural institutions — like the Boettcher Con...
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Arapahoe Sheriff Investigates Massive Theft of Nintendo Game Consoles
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Local, denvergazette.com

Arapahoe Sheriff Investigates Massive Theft of Nintendo Game Consoles

Arapahoe County Sheriff investigating 2,810 consoles stolen from Love’s Truck Stop days after Nintendo Switch 2 launch. By Michael Braithwaite | The Denver Gazette Just like Nintendo gaming villain Wario, these thieves were looking for their gold mine. More than $1.4 million worth of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles were stolen in a heist from a semi-truck parked at a Love's Truck Stop on June 8, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. During a pre-trip inspection of his cargo, the truck driver — parked at the stop in the 1100 block of South 1st Street in Bennett — found several pallets with 2,810 consoles of the newly released Nintendo Switch to have been stolen, according to a news release from the office. The thievery took place just three days after the console was ...
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Montrose Commissioner Pond: GORP Is a Land Grab. Period.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Montrose Commissioner Pond: GORP Is a Land Grab. Period.

By Sean Pond | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act GORP is being advertised as a community driven conservation success story. It’s not. It’s a federal land grab wrapped in pretty paper, designed to sell the illusion of balance while slowly destroying everything that makes Western Colorado worth living in. This bill doesn’t protect the land. It strangles it. They’ll tell you grazing is still allowed. Sure. But what good is a grazing permit if you can’t access your cows? If you can’t get there to fix fences, build a pond, haul salt, or rescue a sick calf? If you can’t use a pickup or a UTV or bring in the tools you need to survive?  When you strip away access, you strip away use.  It’s like giving you the right to own ...
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Democrat Rep’s Daughter Arrested in Grisly Assault Investigation
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Local, denvergazette.com

Democrat Rep’s Daughter Arrested in Grisly Assault Investigation

By Michael Braithwaite and Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette The daughter of a Colorado state representative was arrested in connection with a stabbing incident in Denver last Wednesday. Nefretarie Lockley, 29, was arrested on six felony charges, including second degree attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and felony menacing, after allegedly stabbing a woman in the back with a knife in the 3900 block of North Elati Street, according to a probable cause affidavit provided by the Denver District Attorney's Office. Lockley is the daughter of Rep. Naquetta Ricks, the legislator confirmed in a written statement on Tuesday afternoon.Lockley will have her first court hearing on the charges on Wednesday morning. According to the arrest affidavit from Denver Police, offi...
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Progressive Mismanagement? Boulder Faces Fiscal Reckoning
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Local, kdvr.com

Progressive Mismanagement? Boulder Faces Fiscal Reckoning

By: Heather Willard | KDVR.com DENVER (KDVR) — The city of Boulder is facing a potential budget shortfall of between $8 to $10 million, and is taking steps to “underspend” through the rest of 2025. The city said that the most salient of the steps is a hiring freeze for nearly all vacant positions listed in the city’s government through Dec. 31. Some exceptions will be made for “critical roles,” such as those needed for public safety and water quality, but all exceptions will require the city manager’s authorization to proceed. Any job offers the city has already made will be honored, but all postings for non-essential positions ended Friday. “We do not take this step lightly, but we, like many other local governments, are facing challenging conditions,” said Nuria Rivera-Vander...
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Knutzen: Northeastern Clay Busters rack up top medals in Skeet, Sporting Clays and Trap
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Knutzen: Northeastern Clay Busters rack up top medals in Skeet, Sporting Clays and Trap

By Bruce Knutzen | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice This guest piece highlights the success of the Northeastern Clay Busters at the 2025 SCTP tournament. Coach Bruce Knutzen shares results and reflections from a team growing in strength and community support. Over the weekend of June 6th, 7th, and 8th, members of the Northeastern Clay Busters SCTP team attended a three-day state tournament. The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) is open to youth from elementary grades through college to participate in the safe, educational, and enjoyable SCTP clay target sports of American Trap, American Skeet, and Sporting Clays. All school-age boys and girls in grades 12 and under, with the physical, mental, and emotional maturity to participate in a team sport, are eligible for the ...
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Property Rights Violated? GJ Business Says City Crossed the Line
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Local, The Business Times

Property Rights Violated? GJ Business Says City Crossed the Line

By Brandon Leuallen | The Business Times This article is a follow-up to “CDOT Sells Used Car Dealer a Lemon,” published June 4 in The Business Times. In that story, we reported about CDOT acquiring the GJ Auto Sales property through the threat of eminent domain for a planned mobility hub. This expanded report traces the project’s timeline, revealing a process — jointly coordinated by CDOT, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County’s Regional Transportation Planning Office — that began before the property owners ever found out and ended only after the property owners accepted a final offer just before condemnation proceedings could begin. For 22 years, Mike and Amber Martinez had operated GJ Auto Sales from a downtown Grand Junction corner, building up their small family business ...
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Rocks and Bottles Thrown: Denver Protest Turns Violent, Police Respond
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Local, kdvr.com

Rocks and Bottles Thrown: Denver Protest Turns Violent, Police Respond

By: Jared Dean | KVDR.com DENVER (KDVR) — Rick Kyle, a chief of operations with the Denver Police Department, says the No Kings protest on Saturday was peaceful. However, later that evening, a group unaffiliated with that protest became aggressive with officers, and that is when things took a turn. “People were throwing objects at officers. My understanding is rocks, bottles, that type of thing,“ Kyle said. Kyle says that is when police upped their response, doing what they’re trained to do in these types of situations.  “The officers then deployed smoke as a diversionary tactic and then used the pepper ball into the ground as an aerial denial to try and encourage people to move,” Kyle said. In all, 35 people were arrested Saturday evening: charges range from throwing projec...
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