Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Aurora

Aurora Crackdown Pulls 1,200+ Illegal Vehicles Off the Road This Year
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Aurora Crackdown Pulls 1,200+ Illegal Vehicles Off the Road This Year

By: Alliyah Sims | KDVR FOX31 AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Aurora’s three-strike rule is pulling illegal vehicles off the streets at record levels. From expired tags to no insurance or license, officers say the surge in violations is leading to a surge in seizures, and the numbers are climbing. From Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, Aurora police say 1,257 vehicles have been impounded under the city’s three-strike rule. Officers say about 80% to 85% of those cars are returned to the owner after they provide proof of a valid license, registration and insurance. For drivers who don’t claim their vehicles within the 30- to 45-day window, their vehicles are added to Aurora’s public auction. They run about every six weeks. FOX31 saw people out looking for vehicles at Tuesday’s auction. READ THE FULL ...
Meet Senator Iman Jodeh: Zohran Mamdani’s Radical Colorado Counterpart
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Meet Senator Iman Jodeh: Zohran Mamdani’s Radical Colorado Counterpart

By Ahnaf Kalam | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice New York City has inflicted Zohran Mamdani on itself—the socialist assemblyman who parlayed his anti-Israel bile and Islamist sympathies into the mayoralty, all while whining about "racist attacks" from those who dare call out his jihadist flirtations. Colorado, not to be outdone in this parade of self-destruction, has Iman Jodeh: our own state senator, the so-called "trailblazer" whose Palestinian fixation and alliances with terror cheerleaders make her a mirror image of Mamdani's radicalism.  Both peddle the same poison—elevating Hamas's "narrative" over facts, hobnobbing with antisemites, and stoking divisions that rot the body politic. Now, with Mamdani's win and the progressive purge of Aurora's city council—race-baiti...
FBI Expands Probe Into Aurora Police Officer Accused of Exploiting Minors
DENVER7, Approved, Local

FBI Expands Probe Into Aurora Police Officer Accused of Exploiting Minors

By: Sydney Isenberg | Denver7 The FBI alleges that Sergeant Aaron Jacob "Jake" Bunch may have "sought out minor victims while serving in a position of trust" from 2005 to October 2025. DENVER — The FBI field office in Denver is looking for potential victims of an Aurora school resource officer (SRO) supervisor accused of sexual exploitation of a child. Aurora Police Sergeant Aaron Jacob "Jake" Bunch, 47, was arrested on Oct. 8 and charged with sexual exploitation of a child (sell/ publish), sexual exploitation of a child (possession), and sexual exploitation of a child (video) - extraordinary risk. Bunch served as an SRO supervisor in multiple schools in Aurora, according to the FBI. The agency alleges that Bunch may have "sought out minor victims while serving ...
UCHealth Under Fire After Inspectors Discover Contaminated Surgical Equipment
The Independent, Approved, Local

UCHealth Under Fire After Inspectors Discover Contaminated Surgical Equipment

By: Erin Keller | The Independent The hospital had to take drastic steps after the incident State inspectors have revealed that UCHealth’s University of Colorado Hospital’s week-long shutdown of nonemergency surgeries came after they found dozens of contaminated surgical instruments caked with dried blood and tissue around the facility. In July, inspectors uncovered a massive backlog of uncleaned tools, prompting the hospital to halt all nonemergency surgeries from July 16 to July 25 while safety violations were addressed. The inspection, triggered by a formal complaint, found 17 stainless steel carts in the hospital’s sterile processing department (SPD) bearing between 11 and 30 trays of dirty surgical instruments each. Additional carts we...
Aurora Pushes Back on Polis’ Power Play Over Local Housing
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, Local

Aurora Pushes Back on Polis’ Power Play Over Local Housing

By: Michael A. Hancock | Commentary, The Denver Gazette Aurora has experienced rapid growth in recent decades. With new neighborhoods, transit corridors and shifting demographics come tough land-use choices: where to build housing, protect open space, manage traffic, and preserve neighborhood character. We understand our communities better than distant state bureaucrats ever could. That’s what home rule is meant to guarantee. But today, Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado legislature are challenging that guarantee – not with persuasion, but with edicts and threats of financial punishment. Aurora can’t stand silent. Colorado’s Constitution enshrines home rule in Article XX, Section 6, which grants municipalities the right to govern “matters of local concern,” including planning, zoni...
Aurora Voters Face Packed Ballot with Proposal for New Downtown Authority
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Aurora Voters Face Packed Ballot with Proposal for New Downtown Authority

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado AURORA–Voters in the the City of Aurora will decide on multiple charter amendments and city council seats this November, along with a referred measure asking residents to create a new tax-financed Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Aurora, which borders Denver to the east, is Colorado’s third most populous city at a little over 414,000 residents, made up of portions of Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties.    The DDA is a government entity whose purpose is to revitalize the downtown-area including businesses, infrastructure, and events. A governing board appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council would include one council member and 4-10 residents within the district.   Aurora City Council approv...
No Signatures, No Recall: Aurora DA Stays in Office
kdvr.com, Approved, Local

No Signatures, No Recall: Aurora DA Stays in Office

By Heather Willard | KDVR Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — An effort to recall a Colorado district attorney whose office prosecuted an attempted kidnapping case at an elementary school that ended with the suspect walking free due to competency issues has failed. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office and 18th Judicial District Attorney Amy Padden both confirmed that as of Tuesday night’s deadline, no signatures on the petition to recall Padden from office had been turned in. The petition needed 75,875 registered Arapahoe County voters to trigger the recall election, Padden said. In July, Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky announced she was launching a campaign to try and remove Padden from office after registered sex offender Carmen Galligan walked free. Galligan was charged in con...
Teen arrested after violent attack leaves Aurora youth injured
Fox31, Approved, Local

Teen arrested after violent attack leaves Aurora youth injured

By Jacob Factor | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — A 15-year-old who attends Lester Arnold High School was arrested after he allegedly “viciously and randomly” attacked an Adams City High School student, Commerce City police said. Police in a press release Monday morning said the “violent attack” happened off school grounds on Thursday. The alleged attacker followed the victim to the 7400 block of Quebec Street, a few blocks from both schools, where the assault happened. “The victim courageously fought off the attacker but sustained serious injuries in the process,” police said. The suspect then left the scene on foot. Adams County School District 14 provided video surveillance of the suspect approaching the victim and fleeing the scene, and school staff immediately recognized the sus...
Former sheriff: Aurora officers faced dangerous chaos over weekend
Fox31, Approved, Local

Former sheriff: Aurora officers faced dangerous chaos over weekend

By: Gabrielle Franklin | FOX31 Denver AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Video of an officer-involved shooting was taken by someone nearby a traffic stop at the intersection of Interstate 225 and 6th Street in Aurora, Saturday night.   Rajon Belt, 37, is seen interacting with a police officer after getting out of a car that he allegedly crashed into two other vehicles during a DUI enforcement stop. “I noticed that it was a lot of chaos there because there was a wrecked car and there was some carnage in the road, and I also noticed that this suspect was continuously aggressive,” former Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said. Police said there was a gun on the scene, and that Belt appeared to be walking toward it before turning to the officer. Police said Belt did not have ...
Aurora lands in top 5 worst-driving cities in America report
kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Aurora lands in top 5 worst-driving cities in America report

By Brooke Williams | DENVER (KDVR) DENVER (KDVR) — A recent report ranked Aurora among the top five cities with the worst drivers in the United States, and Colorado as a whole ranked in the top three states with the worst road rage. The report by finance website ConsumerAffairs looked into traffic fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The administration estimates that 39,345 people were killed in crashes across the country last year, which is slightly down from 2023 and is the first time that the total fatalities have been below 40,000 since 2020. Some areas contributed to those deaths more than others, including Denver’s sister city, Aurora. The report ranked Aurora, Colorado, as the No. 4 state for the worst drivers in the nation....