Rocky Mountain Voice

The Denver Gazette

Families Mourn After Douglas County Crash Leaves Five Dead
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Families Mourn After Douglas County Crash Leaves Five Dead

By Noah Festenstein and Nick Smith | The Denver Gazette A week meant for family gathering around a table has turned into a time of grieving and standing vigil at local hospitals for relatives of victims in a car crash that killed two adults and three children in Douglas County on Monday. The Douglas County Coroner on Wednesday identified the victims in the crash as: Alvin Corado, 35, Toretto Corado, 8, MaKenlee Corado, 11, and Jase Green, 12, all of Colorado Springs. The stolen car suspect, a 31-year-old man from Denver, was not identified by the coroner “at the family’s request.” A week meant for family gathering around a table has turned into a time of grieving and standing vigil at local hospitals for relatives of victims in a car crash that killed two adults and three child...
AI Review Flags Hundreds of Reporting Gaps for Griswold and Weiser Campaigns
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

AI Review Flags Hundreds of Reporting Gaps for Griswold and Weiser Campaigns

By: Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Using artificial intelligence as analytical tool, a resident of Longmont has filed complaints against two prominent Colorado Democrats, alleging multiple campaign finance violations. The complaints are among a growing number of campaign finance allegations against individuals running for some of Colorado’s top jobs. What’s unique with the complaints is the use of AI as a data or analytical tool. On Nov. 20, Jeffrey Ethan Au Green of Longmont filed a complaint against Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is running for the Democratic nomination for governor against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet. Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who is running to succeed Weiser, was the subject of a Nov. 2 complaint, also filed by Au Green. Four Democrats ar...
Audit Raises Questions Over DPS Debt Practices As Taxpayers Foot the Bill
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Audit Raises Questions Over DPS Debt Practices As Taxpayers Foot the Bill

By Nico Brambila | The Denver Gazette Denver Public Schools is operating with a negative net position — owing more in long-term obligations than it holds in assets — a rare and troubling financial posture for a major Colorado school district, according to an audit. Presented on Thursday, the audit for fiscal year 2024–25, which ended June 30, showed the district is carrying $4.07 billion in long-term liabilities. (For context, the district budget last fiscal year was about $1.5 billion.) Total assets remained lower, even after the district added nearly $1 billion in unspent 2024 bond proceeds to its books — cash voters approved a year ago that had not yet been put to use. As those bond dollars are spent, the cash asset will disappear, while the long-term debt remains,...
Colorado Ballot Plan to Toughen Fentanyl Penalties Moves Forward
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Ballot Plan to Toughen Fentanyl Penalties Moves Forward

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette A proposed measure that would increase penalties for fentanyl manufacturing, distribution, and possession has collected enough signatures to qualify for the 2026 ballot, following several failed attempts by the state legislature to pass similar legislation. Backed by Advance Colorado, the ballot initiative would make the sale of any amount of fentanyl a Class 1 felony, punishable by up to 32 years in prison. It would also mandate court-ordered substance use treatment for individuals convicted of possession of up to one gram of fentanyl. On Thursday, family members who lost loved ones to fentanyl overdoses joined legislators and law enforcement officers at Denver’s Ralph Carr Courthouse to announce that the initiative had gathered...
Petroleum Building Secures $14M To Help Revitalize Denver’s Downtown Core
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Petroleum Building Secures $14M To Help Revitalize Denver’s Downtown Core

By: Bernadette Berdychowski | The Denver Gazette Another office-to-apartment conversion project secured a loan from the Denver Downtown Development Authority on Wednesday. The DDDA Board of Directors approved $14 million in funding for a project to convert 12 floors of the historic Petroleum Building into 178 new apartments. The five-sided office tower is located across the street from the Civic Center Station and next to the former Denver Post office building at 101 W. Colfax Ave. The development is projected to begin construction in mid-2026. The building at 110 16th St. will feature a range of apartments from studios to three bedrooms. It’s also set to include a yoga and fitness center, spaces for gardening, a penthouse, dog park and lounge. Upper Downtown has especially ...
Denver Seeks $11 Million Boost To Cover Police Overtime And Staffing Strains
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Seeks $11 Million Boost To Cover Police Overtime And Staffing Strains

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The Denver Police Department is short $11 million and is asking the city to pick up the tab for unplanned and unfunded overtime tied to numerous protests and officer-involved shootings this year. Part of the request would also cover shortfalls in DPD separation payouts. The money, if approved by the City Council, would come from a supplemental general fund appropriation from the city’s contingency fund. Members of the council’s Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to advance the request, and others to claw back $13.9 million from the current general fund contingency, authorizing it as a supplemental appropriation for various general fund agencies and special revenue funds. “This is something...
Colorado’s Uranium Prospects Return as America Seeks Reliable Fuel Sources
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado’s Uranium Prospects Return as America Seeks Reliable Fuel Sources

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette Uranium mining in Colorado has a bright future. George Glasier believes that. From his cattle ranch near Nucla, Colo., where sagebrush valleys give way to rugged canyons, Glasier leads a company working to restart old uranium mines and build a new ore processing plant. This push comes at a pivotal time for an industry that’s endured decades of booms and busts. Uranium, the key material for nuclear power, was recently reclassified as a “critical mineral” by the U.S. Geological Survey under an executive order from President Donald Trump, who said he wants to “unleash” American energy. Formerly classified as a fuel source, uranium miners and refiners have not been eligible for the same kinds of taxpayer support offered to other mineral suppl...
Colorado, Western States Face Federal Deadline to Avert Colorado River Showdown
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado, Western States Face Federal Deadline to Avert Colorado River Showdown

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette This Tuesday is the deadline set by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the seven states of the Colorado River to develop a framework for an agreement governing the river’s operations. But that agreement seems just as far away now as it did when Scott Cameron, who was named acting head of the Bureau of Reclamation in October, announced the deadline in June. Cameron told the Arizona Reconsultation Committee during its June meeting that Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum is prepared to act if the seven states failed to come up with the agreement framework by this week’s deadline. “Our goal is to parachute a seven-state deal” into an environmental impact statement the agency is developing and as the preferred alternative in Mar...
Denver Council Rejects Mayor’s Budget, But Johnston’s Spending Plan is Alive and Well
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Council Rejects Mayor’s Budget, But Johnston’s Spending Plan is Alive and Well

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The Denver City Council rejected Mayor Mike Johnston’s $1.66 billion spending plan, but the proposal, as amended, will still govern operations, as the charter requires the city to have a budget in place by Nov. 12. In a split 6-6 vote on Monday, councilmembers expressed disappointment with various aspects of the budget process, citing its complicated nature and “lack of collaboration and transparency.” One councilmember was absent. Councilmembers Chris Hinds, Kevin Flynn, Diana Romero-Campbell, Jamie Torres, Amanda Sandoval and Darrell Watson voted in favor of the budget, while Councilmembers Flor Alvidrez, Shontel Lewis, Stacie Gilmore, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Paul Kashmann, and Amanda Sawyer balked at the spending plan. At-large C...
Six Colorado counties hike lodging taxes while two hold the line
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Six Colorado counties hike lodging taxes while two hold the line

By Rachael Wright | The Denver Gazette Six mountain communities across Colorado voted on Tuesday to raise their lodging taxes after the state legislature passed a bill allowing counties to triple such taxes and spend the money on a wider range of projects, including public infrastructure, childcare and housing for workers.  Lodging tax increases passed in Eagle, Gilpin, Hinsdale, Ouray, Routt and Park but failed in Chaffee and Custer counties. Rural mountain communities have struggled for years under the pressures of increased tourism. Supporters said the new state law would allow those communities to pass along some of their increased costs to visitors. Before the new law’s adoption, the tax revenue could be used only for tourism marketing and some worker housing. Some of...

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