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New data shows Denver’s inflation rising above national average
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Approved, Local, The Center Square

New data shows Denver’s inflation rising above national average

By Derek Draplin | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Inflation in the Denver metro area has outpaced the national average in recent months, according to new data. In February and March, prices in the area were up 0.22%, compared to 0.17% nationally, recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. “This has inverted the annual trend of national price growth outpacing Colorado,” the Common Sense Institute, a free-enterprise think tank, said in an analysis of the data. Over the last 12 months, prices went up 1.9% in Denver while nationally prices increased 2.4%. In February and March, costs went up for education and communications (5.34%), medical care (0.94%) and  housing (0.53%). Costs went down for recreation (-1.3%), transportation (-.1%) and food (-.1%).  ...
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Perceptions of downtown Denver plummet despite $1.2B in investment
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Perceptions of downtown Denver plummet despite $1.2B in investment

By Bernadette Berdychowski | Denver Gazette City leaders have stressed downtown Denver has several things going in its favor — reopening of 16th Street Mall, new businesses moving in, stronger police presence and $570 million of investment money. Despite efforts to make a comeback, optimism fell among the public last year. Perceptions of downtown grew more unfavorable in 2024, according to a preview of a Gensler report shown at the State of Downtown Denver breakfast event by the Downtown Denver Partnership held on Thursday. Gensler surveyed 500 people in Denver — from local visitors to residents and office workers — between September and October to gauge how downtowns across the country are performing. The full report hasn’t been released and is scheduled to come o...
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$3.2M Denver 17th Street tower deal aims to create 750 downtown apartments
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

$3.2M Denver 17th Street tower deal aims to create 750 downtown apartments

By Maddie Rhodes | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — A block in downtown Denver is converting from offices into apartment spaces after a real estate company bought two towers on 17th Street. The Luzzatto Company, a national real estate firm, purchased 621 and 633 17th St. at the start of April for $3.2 million, hoping to revitalize downtown with the over 973,000 square feet of space in the heart of Denver. Right now, it’s a handful of offices and a grassy area just outside the 16th Street Mall, but company owner Asher Luzzatto said it’s going through a complete renovation that will cost between $150 and $200 million. Within three years, Luzzatto said the company is planning 700 to 750 multi-family affordable apartment units. The company plans to include public and private spaces with a day...
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Judge halts Gross Reservoir project—despite 60% completion and looming water risks
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Judge halts Gross Reservoir project—despite 60% completion and looming water risks

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Denver Water is permanently barred from expanding the reservoir if an emergency stay is not obtained from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals within 14 days. The utility provider has been working to increase the height of the Gross Reservoir dam by 131 feet for over a decade. The project broke ground in 2022 and Denver Water says the project is already 60% complete. On Friday, the department said that it plans to appeal the order and seek an immediate stay, saying the order “puts at risk our ability to efficiently provide a safe, secure and reliable water supply to 1.5 million people.” “It’s impossible to reconcile the judge’s order with what is clearly in the broader public interest,” Denver ...
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‘I can’t do business in Denver now’: Developers flee as climate mandates bite
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

‘I can’t do business in Denver now’: Developers flee as climate mandates bite

By Mark Samuelson | Denver Gazette While Colorado is earning praise from climate advocates for its new mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, developers and their economists are giving D and F grades to the state and its capital city, blaming the regulations for a noticeable decline in some projects. Representatives for developers and property owners are flagging new data showing a marked drop-off in investments and revenues from commercial projects in Colorado. That decline, they said, follows directly on the heels of Colorado's adoption of some of the nation’s boldest carbon-reducing strategies. The regulations include the Energize Denver ordinance, adopted unanimously by the Denver City Council in 2021. The ordinance seeks to reduce carbon emissions from larger commercial...
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New ballot measures in Denver would limit immigrant benefits and raise penalties for theft, public urination
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Approved, Denverite, Local

New ballot measures in Denver would limit immigrant benefits and raise penalties for theft, public urination

By Paolo Zialcita | Denverite Political organizers have submitted four potential ballot measures that would reshape how the city of Denver handles immigration and crime. The proposed initiatives are only in their beginning stages, so some ideas behind them aren’t fully formed.  The city hosted public review sessions last week for the measures, offering a first look at what could be on the ballot this November.  The measures were submitted by Suzanne Taheri, a lawyer who has frequently worked on conservative ballot measures. The conservative Advance Colorado organization also is involved. But the measure’s backers are bipartisan, including one local Democratic voter, according to Michael Fields of Advance Colorado. READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERITE
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Here’s how much more expensive Denver has become since 2020
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Approved, Local, Westword

Here’s how much more expensive Denver has become since 2020

By Catie Cheshire | Westword Residents across Denver’s neighborhoods are worried about the cost of living in the Mile High City, particularly related to the rising price of homes and rent. A recent study from travel-and-finance website Upgraded Points shows that they aren't imagining things: It's more expensive to live in Denver now than it was four years ago. According to the study, assorted items in Denver cost 21.5 percent more than they did in 2020, with housing costs driving a large part of the increase. Housing is 25.2 percent higher than it was in 2020, while groceries cost 17.9 percent more than they did four years ago. During the same time period, wages grew by just 16.9 percent — so Denver’s pocketbooks aren’t keeping up with what it costs to live ...
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Courtroom clash: Activist claims retaliation, ICE cites years of evasion
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Courtroom clash: Activist claims retaliation, ICE cites years of evasion

By Jasmine Arenas | CBS Colorado A lawyer representing Colorado immigrants' rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra claims Vizguerra's 1st Amendment Rights are being abridged by her detainment. They argue that her detention was retaliatory, linked to her criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and her activism. As a result, a court hearing scheduled for Friday was canceled, and U.S. District Judge Nina Wang instead set a status conference. The allegations came as the status conference unfolded. Vizguerra's counsel and the US Attorney have been preparing to argue over the legality of Vizguerra's detainment by ICE authorities since March 17. "This isn't about making America safer or making our borders more secure. This is about chaos," said Vizguerra's attorney, Laura Lichter. "...
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Burke: Colorado leaders cheer women’s soccer while leaving girls vulnerable
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Approved, Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Burke: Colorado leaders cheer women’s soccer while leaving girls vulnerable

By Megan Burke | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Have you heard that Denver is welcoming a women’s professional soccer team and is hoping to build a new women’s soccer stadium? Wow, Colorado must be very supportive of women’s sports, right?  Unfortunately, our leaders will try to sell you on this notion while they have done nothing in this state to protect women’s sports.  In recent years, the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports has become a highly debated issue across the United States, and Denver is no exception. While the city champions itself as progressive and inclusive, it does nothing to protect the integrity and fairness of women’s sports.  In the name of inclusion, we are excluding women and girls from their very own category. Colo...
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Fabbricatore: Sanctuary policies are costing Colorado millions—here’s how
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Fabbricatore: Sanctuary policies are costing Colorado millions—here’s how

By John Fabbricatore | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The City and County of Denver has been an unofficial "sanctuary" for illegal immigrants for decades, but its status as an official sanctuary city—protecting criminal aliens from arrest and deportation—dates back to 2013. That much is well known and understood by everyone in Colorado with an interest in the "sanctuary issue."  But what is not well understood across Colorado today is that now, the entire state of Colorado – all 64 counties – is a "sanctuary state" because of legislation enacted by Democrat majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.  The big difference in public safety is that in 2025, across Colorado’s 64 counties, hundreds of criminal aliens convicted under state law are being rel...
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