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Downtown Denver Partnership gets a $1.5 million boost, city settles another police liability claim
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Downtown Denver Partnership gets a $1.5 million boost, city settles another police liability claim

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette The Denver City Council approved a resolution Monday night, clearing the way for an additional cash infusion to provide “activation activities related to the reopening of the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver.”  Council Resolution 25-0191 amends a contract with the Downtown Denver Partnership, adding $1.5 million – for a new total of $1.9 million – for events and permanent installations that draw crowds, as well as increased safety and operations, according to city documents. The resolution, a late filing by City Council President Amanda Sandoval, conjured mixed reactions among some council members. At-Large Councilmember Sarah Parady called the resolution out, citing concerns with “the budget environment that we’re in and that we’re g...
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Spate of shootings in Colorado Springs results in 6 injuries — but no deaths
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

Spate of shootings in Colorado Springs results in 6 injuries — but no deaths

By Natasha Lynn | Colorado Springs Gazette Eight shootings in the past seven days have been reported by Colorado Springs police. Six people were injured but no one died, according to information from police through Monday. No arrests were announced in any of the incidents. Here’s a recap of the shootings. Monday One man was hospitalized after a morning shooting in southwest Colorado Springs, police said. Police found the man shortly after 5:30 a.m. with a gunshot wound. A K-9 officer found a handgun police believe is associated with the shooting in the 900 block of Green Star Drive, near Eighth Street and Arcturus Drive. READ FULL ARTICLE AT THEGAZETTE.COM
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Protesters gather outside ICE in Aurora after immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra reportedly taken into custody
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Protesters gather outside ICE in Aurora after immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra reportedly taken into custody

By Jennifer McRae | CBS Colorado Protesters gathered outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Aurora early Tuesday morning on reports that immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra was taken into custody. Vizguerra was reportedly taken into custody by federal agents on Monday morning.  Vizguerra has been considered a voice for the immigrant community for more than two decades. Vizguerra came to the United States, without proper documentation to stay, from Mexico City in 1997. Demonstrators outside the ICE facility told CBS News Colorado that Vizguerra was taken into custody by federal agents outside her place of employment on Monday morning. Vizguerra's family has claimed that she was taken into ICE custody. CBS News Colorado is awaiting confirmation from ICE abou...
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Sengenberger: An ‘erosion of trust’ in Jeffco schools leadership
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, Commentary, Local

Sengenberger: An ‘erosion of trust’ in Jeffco schools leadership

By Jimmy Sengenberger | Colorado Springs Gazette When Jefferson County Schools fired Chief of Schools David Weiss in December after learning he was being investigated for child pornography, the district spiraled into crisis mode. The situation deteriorated after Weiss died by suicide over New Year’s, with families learning about the allegations through media reports. Recently obtained text messages now reveal a district in disarray — defensive, self-focused, and scrambling behind the scenes while keeping parents in the dark. Dozens of pages of text exchanges, uncovered by the parent group Jeffco Kids First through open records requests, expose frantic damage control after Weiss’s termination — skirting open meetings laws by often grouping two board members with district leaders. T...
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Editorial: Aurora’s blueprint for Colorado’s crime fight
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Approved, Commentary, gazette.com, Local

Editorial: Aurora’s blueprint for Colorado’s crime fight

By The Gazette editorial board For two years running — 2022 and 2023 — Colorado bore the dubious distinction of the nation’s highest auto-theft rate. Coloradans stood a better chance of having to walk home from a dinner date or ride-share to work than did motorists even in California or New York. At root of Colorado’s woes was our state’s notoriously soft-on-crime Legislature. In 2021, lawmakers had reduced a range of criminal penalties to misdemeanors, including for stealing vehicles valued under $2,000. It was practically an invitation to auto theft — and an insult to motorists of modest means. An auto thief was let off with a slap on the wrist for stealing what likely was the only transportation for someone too poor to afford a another vehicle. Under fire for yet again favorin...
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Mesa County Republican Women’s Lincoln Day Dinner to Feature Congresswoman Harriet Hageman
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Mesa County Republican Women’s Lincoln Day Dinner to Feature Congresswoman Harriet Hageman

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff GRAND JUNCTION, CO – The Mesa County Republican Women (MCRW) are set to host their highly anticipated Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Clifton Community Center. This year’s keynote speaker is none other than Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, Wyoming’s sole representative in the U.S. House and a staunch advocate for conservative values and policies. Congresswoman Hageman, known for her commitment to constitutional rights and government accountability, recently co-sponsored a bill aimed at permanently relocating the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) headquarters to Grand Junction—a move widely supported by Western conservatives who believe in local governance over federal overreach. Joining her at the ...
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Ganahl: Smears and fearmongering—The fight for John Adams Academy and school choice in Douglas County
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Approved, Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Ganahl: Smears and fearmongering—The fight for John Adams Academy and school choice in Douglas County

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In Douglas County, Colorado, a battle over education choice is brewing as efforts to open a new classical charter school, the John Adams Academy, face fierce opposition. Spearheading the initiative is Ellie Reynolds, a Sterling Ranch resident and mom, and Kim Gilmartin, a seasoned advocate for school choice, who has helped launch multiple classical charter schools across the state.   However, the journey to establish this school in Sterling Ranch, a rapidly growing community with no existing school, has been met with aggressive and, at times, deeply personal hostility. The John Adams Academy, modeled after three successful classical charter schools in California, aims to provide an American classical leadership education...
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Denver’s large building electrification rules updated
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver’s large building electrification rules updated

By Scott Weiser | Denver Gazette Deadline extensions are among changes to help ease the burden of switch from natural gas Denver’s regulations requiring electrification of all buildings larger than 25,000 square feet has drawn controversy since they were implemented in 2021, especially from businesses and building owners. But relief may be on the horizon as city officials are re-writing the rules after soliciting public input and pushing compliance deadlines farther into the future. While the Energize Denver Building Performance Policy sets energy-saving targets for buildings 25,000 square feet and larger, building owners and industry representatives say the policies are forcing a switch from natural gas to full electrification in violation of federal law. According to the c...
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GJ City Council considers impact-fee consequences
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Approved, Local, The Business Times

GJ City Council considers impact-fee consequences

By The Business Times The Grand Junction City Council convened March 5 to participate in a second reading of proposed impact-fee increases, a topic that has sparked significant debate among council members, city staff and community stakeholders. The meeting included public comments from a variety of  residents, city advisory board members and industry representatives. Community Development director Tamara Allen, provided an overview of the study and of some recently proposed concessions, including increasing the rollout timeline to three years and changing the calculations for transportation fees to represent the costs per mile prior to the new Transportation Engineering Design Standards completed in 2023. READ MORE AT THEBUSINESSTIMES.COM
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Colorado crime and Aurora’s experience with auto theft  
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Approved, Common Sense Institute, Local

Colorado crime and Aurora’s experience with auto theft  

By Common Sense Institute Colorado’s crime rate is not back to its pre-pandemic level. Both local and state authorities are currently attempting to find policy solutions.  Some localities have created policies and procedures that go beyond state guidelines in an effort to control crime. The City of Aurora implemented mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for auto theft in 2022, for example, the year that Colorado’s and Aurora’s auto theft rates were highest. This policy led to a decrease in the auto theft rate in the city beyond what was seen statewide. In 2023, state lawmakers tried to address auto theft with passage of SB23-097. This bill did not implement mandatory minimum sentences, but instead made it a felony to commit auto theft regardless of the value of the vehicle. T...
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