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Rio Blanco County hires deputy trained to investigate livestock depredation
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Rio Blanco County hires deputy trained to investigate livestock depredation

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Responding to concerns of livestock growers and community members, and to assist in investigating livestock depredations that occur in Rio Blanco County, commissioners have authorized the sheriff’s office to hire their first Animal and Livestock Conflict Investigator. Some have voiced concerns that, to receive compensation for livestock killed by wolves, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) must confirm the kill was caused by a wolf. When a rancher finds a dead animal, they are instructed to call CPW to investigate. Sometimes CPW could not come out to the ranch or grazing allotment for a day or two. In the meantime, other wild animals and birds were coming to the carcass and changing the “scene of the crime,” making it mor...
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More than 50 seniors need help after explosion in Denver
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Approved, Denverite, Local

More than 50 seniors need help after explosion in Denver

By Haylee May | Denverite Ten people were injured and at least 50 more were displaced by an explosion at Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus. Dozens of residents were displaced from their homes after a construction crew dug into a power line at the Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus Wednesday, apparently triggering an explosion and fire.  No one has died as a result of their injuries from the explosion, the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner told Denverite on Thursday. Denver Fire Department Capt. Luis Cedillo said 10 people were transported with injuries to various hospitals, but did not have an update on anyone’s identity or condition as of Thursday afternoon. Fire officials previously said eight people were transported, but that number grew on Wednes...
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Woman pleads guilty in Colorado Springs hate crime hoax
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American Faith, Approved, Local

Woman pleads guilty in Colorado Springs hate crime hoax

ByTamira Musgrave | American Faith A Colorado woman has pleaded guilty to a federal charge related to a 2023 hate crime hoax involving a burning cross and a defaced campaign sign. Deanna West, 38, admitted to maliciously conveying false information with a threat, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. The incident, which took place on April 23, 2023, targeted a mayoral campaign sign for then-candidate Yemi Mobolade in Colorado Springs. West conspired with two others, Derrick Bernard Jr. and Ashley Blackcloud, both of whom have been indicted and are awaiting trial. Prosecutors say the three orchestrated the hoax by burning a cross near Mobolade’s campaign sign and later spreading false information about the event. Mobolade, originally f...
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Denver Arrest Warrant Raises Stakes for Controversial Aurora Property Manager
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Approved, Local, Westword

Denver Arrest Warrant Raises Stakes for Controversial Aurora Property Manager

By Bennito L. Kelty | Westword Called "out-of-state slumlords" by Aurora's mayor, the owners of CBZ Management are now wanted in Denver months after entering the public spotlight. The owners of CBZ Management, a controversial property management firm, have a warrant out for their arrests for failing to appear in Denver court on March 10, to resolve fines for property code violations. An arrest warrant issued by a Denver County judge raises the stakes for the Brooklyn-based property owners, who triggered a media storm in Aurora after they blamed the abysmal conditions at their apartment complexes on a violent Venezuelan gang takeover. The warrant was issued for Zev and Shmaryahu Baumgarten after the two failed to appear for a deposition hearing as the owners of CBZ Man...
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Taxed and voiceless: How a debt trap turned Meadows Metro District residents into an ATM for bondholders
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Taxed and voiceless: How a debt trap turned Meadows Metro District residents into an ATM for bondholders

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Imagine paying a $200 tax each month for a community infrastructure project that was completed decades ago. To add insult to injury, consider being told that you’ll continue doing so for 100 years.  That’s the reality for approximately 20,000 property owners who reside in Meadows Metro District (MMD), Castle Rock's largest neighborhood in Douglas County. The MMD ‘limited tax’ general obligation bonds were issued in 1989 to finance infrastructure, including roads and sewer systems. The project’s initial price tag was $57 million. But residents have paid approximately $400 million, with a remaining debt of $600 million due to a negative amortization structure.  How did a ‘limited tax’ bond turn into a debt that...
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Mesa County Commissioner advocates for fair share of transportation dollars
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Mesa County Commissioner advocates for fair share of transportation dollars

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice With an ever shrinking budget, and an ever increasing demand for state money for road repairs and construction due to increasing population and use on the Western Slope, Mesa County Commissioner, Bobbie Daniels went to the state legislature to put a spotlight on the needs of western Colorado. Her testimony highlighted the growing disparity between urban and rural infrastructure funding and the critical need for investment in the roads that keep Colorado moving. Rural communities, which already face resource limitations, are disproportionately affected. Large-scale infrastructure projects in these areas rely heavily on state and federal funding. Yet, much of the transportation budget is allocated to specialized urban pro...
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New team tackles ‘crime and cleanliness’ near Coors Field with $1M budget ‘funded by a fee on property owners and private money’
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Approved, Denverite, Local

New team tackles ‘crime and cleanliness’ near Coors Field with $1M budget ‘funded by a fee on property owners and private money’

By Kyle Harris, Denverite A team of 18 unarmed ambassadors is starting all-day patrols of the neighborhood around Coors Field today. It’s part of an effort by a new community group to deter crime, offer services and clean up an area where baseball stadium crowds and thousands of residents mingle among many of the city's homeless facilities. The ambassadors will patrol dozens of blocks near the stadium from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. The project is funded by the Ballpark District, a community organization that recently activated a seven-figure budget for services like this. “The focus is … crime prevention and trying to stay on top of the issues down here,” said Jamie Giellis, who works with Ballpark and other communities around the country as they organize and f...
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Does Denver’s ‘affordable’ housing goal align with today’s market needs? Experts weigh in
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Does Denver’s ‘affordable’ housing goal align with today’s market needs? Experts weigh in

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette As Denver pushes for more "affordable" housing, experts wonder if the city's approach is sustainable and question whether it aligns with today's market needs. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's goal for 2025 to "preserve" or help in the development of more than 3,000 such units. Denver worked with developers last year to build 1,695 new units, preserve 649 existing ones and create 678 others through rental subsidies “to ensure affordability,” according to Department of Housing Stability (HOST) spokesperson Julia Marvin. “The challenge this year,” Marvin said, “lies in being creative with the funding we have. It’s important that we get creative in our solutions, both for funding and for execution.” READ FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE...
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Strip clubs Diamond Cabaret and Rick’s Cabaret sue Denver Labor over wage theft investigation
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Strip clubs Diamond Cabaret and Rick’s Cabaret sue Denver Labor over wage theft investigation

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado Two Denver strip clubs accused of widespread wage theft are suing Denver Labor after they were ordered to pay back millions to their employees. Diamond Cabaret Denver and Rick's Cabaret Denver have filed a lawsuit to stop Denver Labor from enforcing its order demanding the businesses pay back more than 200 employees of the strip clubs. They also requested a gag order against Denver Labor due to what they say is the "dissemination of falsehoods against the clubs." READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Judge to decide whether Twitter missed rent in spat with Boulder landlord
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Approved, Courthouse News Service, Local

Judge to decide whether Twitter missed rent in spat with Boulder landlord

By Amanda Pampuro  | Courthouse News Following five days of trial over a lease dispute between Twitter and a Colorado landlord, a Boulder judge requested the parties provide additional briefing before she determines who breached the agreement with the other. “If the rent was due on Dec. 1st, then Lot 2 prevails. If the rent was not due, X Corp. prevails,” summarized attorney Damien Zumbrennen on behalf of X, formerly known as Twitter. READ THE FULL STORY AT COURTHOUSE NEWS
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