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The Denver Gazette

Appeals Court Finds Denver Judge Improperly Terminated Father’s Custody Rights
State, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Appeals Court Finds Denver Judge Improperly Terminated Father’s Custody Rights

By Michael Karlik | The Denver Gazette Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday determined the evidence did not support a Denver judge’s ruling terminating the legal relationship between a father and his child. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel identified numerous instances where the facts contradicted the trial judge’s findings that the father lacked stable housing and was unable to be “a full-time parent.” “The uncontested evidence showed that father could provide appropriate care for the child during all of the parenting time allotted to him. The juvenile court, though, appeared to expect father to prove his ability to care for the child full-time, rather than requiring the (government) to prove that, notwithstanding his success at family time, father was unable or unwill...
New Colorado program shifts defendants from jail to treatment on competency grounds
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

New Colorado program shifts defendants from jail to treatment on competency grounds

By Michael Braithwaite | The Denver Gazette In an attempt to reduce wait times for inpatient defendant competency restoration, Colorado courts are launching a new program to divert eligible people into a separate community care process. The near-$1.5 million program, which uses money from the general fund and was spurred by the passage of House Bill 24-1355 last June, will create a process in each judicial district to identify certain individuals who are not competent enough to proceed in a trial process and refer them to a wraparound program that will connect them with external care, according to a news release from the Colorado Judicial Branch and the bill itself. “This work is the result of years of collaboration, deep listening, and versatility,” said Gene Klivansky,...
CPW takes lethal action after wolf linked to livestock kills in rural Colorado
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

CPW takes lethal action after wolf linked to livestock kills in rural Colorado

By Piper Russell | The Denver Gazette Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced on Friday that it shot a wolf that had been chronically depredating livestock in Rio Blanco County. However, the carcass has not been found. CPW also said that after conducting DNA analysis on samples gathered from the uncollared gray wolf in Rio Blanco County it was confirmed that the uncollared wolf was the fifth Copper Creek yearling that was not captured with the rest of the pack in fall 2024. The wolf is suspected to have killed six animals from livestock producers in Rio Blanco County. The depredations started on July 20 when the Division and Wildlife Services was notified of a dead lamb on a livestock producers’ allotment northeast of Meeker Colorado. That attack was followed by others reported o...
Douglas County water future tied to $2.75M in federal budget
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Douglas County water future tied to $2.75M in federal budget

By: Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette Select Douglas County water districts are poised to receive up to $2.75 million combined for projects dealing with sustainable drinking water or new pipelines. That’s on top of $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding already allocated for a wastewater project in northwest Douglas County. Back in May, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, had requested $9 million in federal funding for the Louviers Water & Sanitation District’s drinking water distribution replacement and Castle Rock Water’s Plum Creek to Reuter-Hess Reservoir pipeline projects. On July 22, the federal House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that included $1.75 million specifically for Castle Rock’s project. The panel also a...
Denver Councilwoman Raises Concerns Over Taxpayer Funding For Soccer Stadium
Local, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Denver Councilwoman Raises Concerns Over Taxpayer Funding For Soccer Stadium

By Daniel Boniface | The Denver Gazette A proposed Denver stadium for professional women’s soccer could be in jeopardy of receiving public funding following the city’s budget troubles and layoffs. City Councilmember Flor Alvidrez, who represents District 7 where the Denver Summit FC stadium would be built, walked back her support for the project in an interview Monday on the popular podcast, City Cast Denver, saying she was undecided on whether she’ll vote to approve a $70 million subsidy. Paul Karolyi, the show’s senior producer, pointed out that Alvidrez was wearing a t-shirt promoting Denver’s National Women’s Soccer League team when the city council voted 11-1 to move forward with the framework for a public-private partnership around the proposed stadium. “It seemed like yo...
Cory Gardner Chosen to Lead Powerful Internet and TV Association
National, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Cory Gardner Chosen to Lead Powerful Internet and TV Association

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Former Colorado U.S. Senator Cory Gardner of Yuma has been selected as the next president and CEO of the Internet & Television Association, formerly known as the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. In a statement released on Tuesday, NCTA announced that Gardner will begin his new position on Sept. 22. Last December, Gardner was named chair of the Senate Leadership Fund, which seeks to protect the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. Under his leadership, the fund and a partner organization raised $85 million in the first six months of 2025. Gardner has a long history in Colorado state politics. He served in the Colorado House, representing the northeastern plains, from 2005 to 2011. That also included a stint as ...
City of Denver Moves to Block Trump Lawsuit on Immigration Cooperation
Local, Approved, The Denver Gazette

City of Denver Moves to Block Trump Lawsuit on Immigration Cooperation

By Julia Fennell | The Denver Gazette Denver is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration over the city's "sanctuary" policies. The motion, filed on Monday in a U.S. district court, insisted that the laws of both Colorado and Denver do not impede federal immigration enforcement and that “the federal government has no right or ability to compel local municipalities to help it achieve its political objectives.” “We’re not sure if they don’t understand the laws or just don’t want to follow them, but Denver has never violated federal statute,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement. “We’re not changing our laws, we’re not changing our values, and we’re not backing down from this meritless lawsuit. The federal government will not be successful in ...
Colorado Senate Committee Advances Costly AI Regulation Bill Amid Concerns
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Senate Committee Advances Costly AI Regulation Bill Amid Concerns

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette The Senate Appropriations Committee on Sunday handed Senate Bill 4, the artificial intelligence bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, a 4-3 win and moved it on to the full Senate. Whether the measure has the votes to get out of the Senate is another matter entirely. Much of the discussion was around the bill's cost. As introduced, it was estimated at $4.4 million, largely expenses for the governor's Office of Information Technology, which handles IT issues for most state departments, and the judicial department. Rodriguez had pushed for an amendment when the bill was in the Senate Business Affairs and Labor Committee, to shift some of the bill's disclosure requirements for public entities to open records requests. H...
Colorado Lawmakers Clash Over Wolves, Health Subsidies and State Budget
State, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Colorado Lawmakers Clash Over Wolves, Health Subsidies and State Budget

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Day three of the legislature's special session ended with the Senate working late into the night to begin debate on the House tax bills sent over earlier in the day, after the House wrapped up voting on those measures, along with bills on health insurance and the Healthy School Meals for all ballot measures. The House's work Saturday night included debate on Senate Bill 5, which would prohibit Colorado Parks and Wildlife from using general fund dollars to acquire more wolves in the current fiscal year. The bill also diverts $264,000 to the Health Insurance Accountability Enterprise to pay for subsidies for health insurance premiums purchased through the state exchange. Those premiums are expected to soar for the individual market by as much a...
Colorado Legislature Opens Special Session With Taxes and Spending Bills
State, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Colorado Legislature Opens Special Session With Taxes and Spending Bills

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado legislators began to advance proposals dealing with an $800 million budget shortfall on Thursday, just hours after the legislature officially re-convened to deal with the revenue shortfall.  They started with a hearing on Senate Bill 1, which adds a requirement to the existing state law that outlines the governor's authority to make spending reductions in case of a significant drop in revenue. Under SB 1, Gov. Jared Polis would be required to develop a plan and present it to the Joint Budget Committee before it goes into effect. Lawmakers and the Polis administration have indicated that budget cuts should be put into place by Sept. 1 in order to spread out any reductions over 10 months, instead of waiting until next Februa...

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