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Questions Surface Over Colorado Trust Approach To Equity And Grant Funding
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Questions Surface Over Colorado Trust Approach To Equity And Grant Funding

By Debbie Kelley | The Denver Gazette A redirection in grantmaking that began two years ago for The Colorado Trust, a 40-year-old Denver-headquartered funder, has led some employees to now voice concerns, which has reportedly put their jobs in jeopardy. The vice president of communications for the private health equity foundation says the course has been set for years, with this being the third year of a strategic plan to primarily focus on three “social determinants of health:” food, housing, and mental and behavioral health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines social determinants of health as nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes, such as environmental, educational, economic and employment-related conditions arising out of where a pers...
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Congress Investigates Colorado Medicaid After Reports Of Fraud And Improper Payments
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Congress Investigates Colorado Medicaid After Reports Of Fraud And Improper Payments

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette A congressional committee is probing reports of waste, fraud and abuse in Colorado’s Medicaid program, citing recent stories outlining over-billing in transportation spending and alleged improper payments in autism services. The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce has sent a letter to Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance, seeking, among other things, audits and processes in place to comply with federal laws The March 3 letter, signed by committee Chair Rep. Brett Guthrie, a Republican from Kentucky, and two subcommittee chairs, pointed to problems that they said surfaced in Minnesota, such as over-billing, falsified records, identity theft and phantom claims in Medicaid social s...
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Colorado’s Political and Regulatory Climate Faces Questions as Major Firms Relocate
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Political and Regulatory Climate Faces Questions as Major Firms Relocate

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, The Denver Gazette At this point, if you hear beeping downtown, it’s not a construction crew. It’s a company backing out. And look, I get it. Businesses relocate for all sorts of reasons: taxes, regulations, labor costs, office space, crime, commute times, the haunting feeling your chief executive is one City Council meeting away from being declared a single-use plastic. But Colorado’s political class has been turning “headquarters” into an endangered species. Take TIAA, the financial services giant whose name has for decades been glowing atop a downtown Denver skyscraper like a Bat-Signal for retirement funds. They’re relocating to Frisco, Texas. Texas? Of course, Texas. If Colorado is the place where we hold hearings on the carbon ...
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Denver Opens Door To Energy Code Changes That Could Reach Single Family Homes
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Opens Door To Energy Code Changes That Could Reach Single Family Homes

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette Denver launched a public process on Feb. 26 to update its energy code for new and renovated small buildings, including single-family homes and duplexes, that would extend efficiency and electrification-readiness standards that began with energy compliance goals for large commercial and multifamily buildings in 2023. Denver’s 2021 Energize Denver ordinance required energy benchmarking and reductions for structures with 25,000 square feet or more. As early as 2022, builders predicted the rules would raise housing costs and eventually reach single-family homes and duplexes. In 2023, Laura Schwartz, spokesperson for Denver Community Planning and Development, told The Denver Gazette that “residential single-family homeowners ...
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Denver Mayor Orders Police To Intervene In ICE Operations If Force Deemed Excessive
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Mayor Orders Police To Intervene In ICE Operations If Force Deemed Excessive

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on Thursday outlined his city’s response to immigration enforcement operations, including intervening to stop federal officers when local police observe them using “excessive” force. Johnston also said the city will not allow federal authorities to “stand in our way” in situations where emergency responders must render first aid, presumably in cases where someone, such as a civilian, gets hurt in an immigration operation. The mayor’s move is the latest in a string of proposals from Democrats, who have begun to position the state and jurisdictions they dominate in a more confrontational stance. The attorney general, for example, wants residents to report alleged misconduct by federal agents via an online...
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$7.2 Million in Federal Climate Dollars to Fund Colorado Building Efficiency Projects
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

$7.2 Million in Federal Climate Dollars to Fund Colorado Building Efficiency Projects

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette The Colorado Energy Office awarded $7.2 million Wednesday to help owners of large buildings across the state pursue high-impact projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions through improved energy efficiency and electrification. The grants, drawn from federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funds authorized under the 2022 Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and awarded to Colorado by the Environmental Protection Agency, support 15 projects through the Large Building Decarbonization Showcase Grant Program, CEO officials said. The awards go to building owners already meeting requirements under Building Performance Colorado standards and include five major implementation retrofits and 10 high-level planning efforts. The g...
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Parents Accuse DPS of Sidestepping TABOR Limits and Violating Colorado Organized Crime Control Act
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Parents Accuse DPS of Sidestepping TABOR Limits and Violating Colorado Organized Crime Control Act

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette The parent advocacy group that previously accused Denver Public Schools of financial misconduct in court documents has escalated its claims, alleging the district engaged in racketeering through its bond and lease-financing structures. Mamás de DPS filed a complaint in Denver District Court on Tuesday, accusing district officials of violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act. The lawsuit also names the Denver School Facilities Leasing Corp. and Wells Fargo Bank as defendants. The lawsuit alleged that district officials violated the statute by creating a “shell corporation” and “unlawfully mortgaging” DPS buildings “for the purpose of permitting a bank trustee (here, Wells Fargo) to use public monies to generate investm...
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Human Trafficking Concerns Resurface as Epstein Files Cite Colorado Links
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Human Trafficking Concerns Resurface as Epstein Files Cite Colorado Links

By Rachael Wright | The Denver Gazette With the U.S. Department of Justice’s release of 3 million more files pertaining to convicted sex felon Jeffrey Epstein, multiple written mentions of alleged connections to Colorado towns and business owners have come to light. A word search of the documents for “Colorado” generates 1,485 hits, with inquiries for cities including Denver and Aspen generating several thousands more.  Chad McWhinney, a Colorado real estate developer and chairman and co-founder of Realberry, a Denver-based real estate organization, was referenced in an email exchange to Epstein on Nov. 1, 2014. Also included in the files was a pho...
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Colorado Lawmakers Clash Over Bill To Decriminalize Prostitution
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Clash Over Bill To Decriminalize Prostitution

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette Battle lines have begun to form at the Colorado state Capitol, where legislators are preparing to tackle a proposal to decriminalize prostitution statewide. Proponents said the proposal — which would eliminate the offense of soliciting for prostitution and the prohibition against patronizing a prostitute, as well as preclude local ordinances from banning “commercial sexual activity” — would result in safer and healthier outcomes for sex workers. Opponents said it would exacerbate human trafficking in Colorado, with one critic warning the legislation could lead to the state becoming a “mecca” for sex trafficking. Battle lines have begun to form at the Colorado state Capitol, where legislators are preparing to tackle a pro...
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Colorado Democrats Strike Identity Clause From Family Court Bill After Backlash
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Strike Identity Clause From Family Court Bill After Backlash

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette The sponsors of a proposal that would require suppression of records in name-change petitions for minors removed a provision that would have mandated the courts to factor in the issue of “identity” when allocating parenting time. In its original form, Senate Bill 018, included a requirement that family courts consider whether parents recognize their child’s identity “as it relates to a protected class” when determining parenting time decision-making responsibility. The protected classes in Colorado include gender identity and gender expression. A similar provision was amended out of last year’s House Bill 1312, which was ultimately signed into law. In that bill, the courts would have been required to consider “...
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