Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Denver

“Hell No”: Denver Mayor Refuses To Yield On Assault Weapons Restrictions
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

“Hell No”: Denver Mayor Refuses To Yield On Assault Weapons Restrictions

By Chierstin Roth | CBS Colorado Denver Mayor Mike Johnston didn't mince words in response to a letter sent last week from the Department of Justice threatening to sue unless the city stops enforcing its so-called ban on "assault weapons." "We're here today to let them know that our answer is 'Hell no,'" said Johnston. "There are too many Coloradans we've had to say goodbye to in too many places because of the impact of assault weapons," he added. Since 1989, city ordinance has made it a crime to carry, store, keep, manufacture, or sell these weapons. Included in the city's definition of an assault weapon is a semiautomatic pistol or rifle with the feeding device capacity of more than 15 rounds, but it's not an outright ban of these types of guns. ...
DOJ Predicts Supreme Court Will Protect AR 15 Ownership Nationwide
Just The News, Approved, National

DOJ Predicts Supreme Court Will Protect AR 15 Ownership Nationwide

By John Solomon | Just the News "I think there is going to be a ruling eventually from the Supreme Court that AR-15s are legal for all law-abiding citizens to own and operate," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon tells Just the News. The Justice Department's top civil rights lawyer believes the Trump administration's lawsuit this week against the city of Denver's gun ban will one day soon lead to a Supreme Court decision legalizing the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle – revered by gun owners and reviled by liberals – in every jurisdiction in America. "We intend to make sure they do that," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in an interview set to be aired Wednesday night on the Just the News, No Noise television show. Dhillon spoke just h...
Trump DOJ Challenges Denver Over Longstanding Assault Weapons Ban
The Gazette, Approved, Local

Trump DOJ Challenges Denver Over Longstanding Assault Weapons Ban

By Deborah Grigsby | The Gazette Denver officials have rejected a U.S. Department of Justice demand that they repeal the city’s longstanding ban on assault weapons. “Our answer is hell no,” Mayor Mike Johnston told members of the press along with public safety leaders gathered at City Hall on Monday. “No, we will not roll back a common-sense policy that has kept weapons of war off of these city streets for 37 years. No, we will not put first responders at greater risk every time they respond to a dangerous incident. No, we will not go back to a time when folks are worried about walking into movie theaters, grocery stores, or public elementary schools.” “Our answer is hell no,” Johnston told members of the press. The demand, which arrived in the form of a ...
Court Reinforces Limits On State Cooperation With Federal Immigration Requests
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Court Reinforces Limits On State Cooperation With Federal Immigration Requests

By Taylor Dolven | The Colorado Sun It’s the latest legal loss for the governor in a case brought against him for attempting to share information with federal immigration officials. A Denver judge Tuesday again barred Gov. Jared Polis from ordering state employees to comply with a subpoena from federal immigration officials for Coloradans’ personal information. The ruling marks the latest loss for the governor in the lawsuit brought against him to stop the sharing of information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the past year. The case was first brought last June by Scott Moss, the former director of the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics at Colorado’s Department of Labor. Moss alleged Polis directed him to comply with an Apr...
Congress Challenges Colorado Court Rule Limiting Immigration Enforcement Access
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Congress Challenges Colorado Court Rule Limiting Immigration Enforcement Access

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is seeking information from Colorado’s court administrator regarding a new requirement that attorneys certify they will not use court data for immigration enforcement, arguing it unlawfully obstructs federal law and compels political speech tied to the state’s “sanctuary” policies. Colorado, a blue state that has passed “sanctuary” laws, has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, which has cracked down on illegal immigration. Colorado officials, meanwhile, have adopted a confrontational stance against both the administration and Trump’s policies, routinely criticizing the president and suing over an array of issues. Broadly speaking, “sanctuary” policies restrict or prohibit coop...
Colorado Economy Takes A Hit As Revised Data Shows 11,000 Jobs Lost Over The Last Year
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Economy Takes A Hit As Revised Data Shows 11,000 Jobs Lost Over The Last Year

By Shannon Ogden | Denver7 Colorado says the state's unemployment rate increased to 3.9 percent in January, while the labor force participation rate dropped to its lowest level since 2020. DENVER — Colorado lost 11,000 nonfarm payroll jobs last year, according to a grim revised jobs report from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Brian Lewandowski, executive director Business Research Division at the Leeds School of Business at CU Boulder, said it is unusual for Colorado to lose jobs outside of recessionary periods. Since 2000, Colorado has only recorded job losses in 2002 and 2003 during the tech burst, 2009 and 2010 during the financial crisis, and in 2020 because of COVID, Lewandowski said. The revised data shows the state lost jobs inst...
Denver Council Considers Data Center Moratorium And Multimillion Dollar Contracts
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Council Considers Data Center Moratorium And Multimillion Dollar Contracts

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The Denver City Council will introduce a bill on Monday that would place a one-year moratorium on the acceptance or processing of certain permit and site development plan applications in which a data center is the proposed primary use. Because data centers are not specifically regulated within Denver and have no specific permitting requirements, city officials want to press the “pause” button to give the city time to develop “thoughtful regulations” that address community safety and equity. If ordered published, a public hearing on the matter will be held May 18. Next, the council will also introduce legislation to establish an annual donation of bison to American Indian tribes and American Indian nonprofits. The City and ...
RTD Leadership Shift Ahead As CEO Johnson Announces Departure Timeline
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

RTD Leadership Shift Ahead As CEO Johnson Announces Departure Timeline

By Daniel Boniface | The Denver Gazette Debra Johnson, the CEO and general manager of the Regional Transportation District, announced Wednesday that she will step down from her role at the end of her contract, the transit agency told The Denver Gazette. Johnson sent an email to employees saying she had declined an offer from RTD’s board to extend her contract beyond its May 8, 2027, expiration, citing “personal and professional reasons” and noting her years of service, according to the email provided by RTD. “With this information in mind, please know that I will continue to steadfastly lead this organization with purpose and intentionality, as I have been doing since Nov. 9, 2020, until my contract sunsets next year,” Johnson wrote. RTD Board Chairman Patrick O...
Colorado Lawmakers Advance Felony Option For Deadly Negligent Driving
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Advance Felony Option For Deadly Negligent Driving

By Colette Bordelon | Denver7 Senate Bill 26-072 passed unanimously out of its first committee hearing, but only after a sweeping amendment removed a portion that would have made vehicular homicide or assault a crime of violence. DENVER — Over the years, Denver7 has listened to countless families who have lost loved ones on Colorado roads and believe the penalties for vehicular homicide and other related charges are too lenient. On Monday, state lawmakers voted unanimously to advance a bill that would give district attorneys the option to charge negligent drivers who kill someone with a Class 5 felony — a step above the misdemeanor charge of careless driving resulting in death, and a step below vehicular homicide. Supporters argued Senate Bill 26-072 ...
Federal Judge Rejects DOJ Challenge to Colorado Sanctuary Laws
DENVER7, Approved, State

Federal Judge Rejects DOJ Challenge to Colorado Sanctuary Laws

By: The Associated Press | Denver7 The lawsuit claimed the state and its most populous city passed “sanctuary laws” violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. DENVER (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit accusing Colorado and Denver of interfering with the enforcement of immigration laws. The lawsuit claimed the state and its most populous city passed “sanctuary laws” violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. At issue were four state laws and two Denver laws that limit the use of resources for immigration enforcement and protect the rights and personal information of immigrants. U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher said the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 1997 case that the fede...