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Denver Enters Court Fight Over Federal Immigration Enforcement
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Enters Court Fight Over Federal Immigration Enforcement

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The City of Denver has joined dozens of U.S. cities and counties in filing an amicus brief backing Minnesota’s legal action seeking to end “Operation Metro Surge” and the deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents to Minnesota. The brief supports Minnesota v. Noem, filed by the State of Minnesota in federal court on Jan. 12, which argues the increased presence of ICE and other federal agencies in the Twin Cities area is not based on an “urgent need for enhanced and aggressive immigration enforcement,” but rather “to cause chaos” and as punishment for state and local policy, a violation of the 10th Amendment. An amicus brief — or friend of the court brief — is a legal document that allows a party not name...
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Mayor Johnston Promises Resistance if ICE Comes to Denver
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Mayor Johnston Promises Resistance if ICE Comes to Denver

By: Colette Bordelon | Denver7 In the wake of a deadly weekend in Minneapolis, Mayor Mike Johnston said he is prepared to fight back against federal immigration enforcement in Denver. DENVER — On Monday, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston outlined his goals for the city in 2026, which included safety, affordability, and climate resilience. However, before Johnston dove into what he wants to see in Denver this year, he addressed rising community fears sparked by two deadly federal enforcement encounters in Minneapolis, vowing to protect residents if ICE were to target Colorado. "This last weekend — which I know has been a hard one for many residents of Denver — I think, not just watching the heartbreak for Minneapolis, but the uncertainty and the fear that we know...
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Copper Theft Blamed for Weeklong Phone Outages in Southeast Denver
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Copper Theft Blamed for Weeklong Phone Outages in Southeast Denver

By Jasmine Arenas | CBS Colorado Some residents and businesses in southeast Denver were without landline phone service for more than a week, leaving many frustrated by what they described as a lack of communication from service provider CenturyLink. CBS Colorado reached out to CenturyLink and a company representative said the outage was the result of being targeted by copper thieves. Phone service was restored Friday morning at Bonnie Brae Flowers, a longtime flower shop on Evans Avenue. Owner Bell Mendenhall said the business was without landline service for more than 10 days. "It's nice to have phones again when you do a lot of business over the phone," Mendenhall said. "People call when they want to send flowers." READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Fentanyl Fuels Deadly Year in Denver Despite Major Drug Seizures

By Michael Braithwaite | The Denver Gazette Bundles of fentanyl pills seized by the Rocky Mountain Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration during an October operation that resulted in over 1 million seized pills. (Courtesy, DEA RMFD)      Fatal fentanyl overdoses in Denver rose by nearly 25% in 2025 to the second-highest total in the past half decade, according to preliminary data from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. Within the city, 346 people died last year from fatal fentanyl doses, up from 277 the year before, which is second to only 2023 in the number of fatal fentanyl overdoses this decade, according to the data. The trend matched that of overall drug overdoses in the city, which rose from 4...
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Police Arrest Aurora Man in Massive Denver Construction Site Arson
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Police Arrest Aurora Man in Massive Denver Construction Site Arson

By Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado An arrest has been made in connection with the five-alarm fire at a Denver construction site earlier this month, according to the Denver Fire Department. It was the largest fire in Colorado's capital city in decades, covering an area roughly the size of four football fields.  Tony BercerraAurora Police Investigators allegedly found that 37-year-old Tony Bercerra was caught on surveillance images entering and leaving the scene off Leetsdale Drive and Forest Street before the Harker Heights complex caught fire on Jan. 2. He will face arson charges. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Colorado Homelessness Linked More to Drugs Than Housing Costs Report Finds
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Homelessness Linked More to Drugs Than Housing Costs Report Finds

By: Shannon Ogden | Denver7 New study from CSI shows governments must take "treatment first" approach instead of "housing first." DENVER — A new report from Common Sense Institute (CSI) finds that Colorado ranks among the highest states in the country for homelessness and that it's not housing affordability that's driving it, it's illicit drug use, crime rates, and policing levels. The report examines 2024 homelessness data across all 50 states and the nation’s largest metro areas. The CSI reports finds that Colorado ranks: 9th nationally in total homelessness rate 7th in chronic homelessness 10th in unsheltered homelessness 7th in homelessness involving severe mental illness 7th in homelessness involving chronic substance abuse Amo...
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DEA Chief Says Cartels View Colorado as Safe Haven for Drug Trafficking
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

DEA Chief Says Cartels View Colorado as Safe Haven for Drug Trafficking

By The Denver Gazette | Colorado politics Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws, notably its prohibition against cooperating with federal authorities, are having a “chilling effect” on law enforcement’s ability to go after drug cartels operating in the state, an official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said. That situation sits atop Colorado’s “pervasive drug culture stemming back to the marijuana initiation,” said David Olesky, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division. That “drug culture” is sustained by how Colorado and its political subdivisions treat criminality, he said, adding he is not making a “political” statement — just describing the challenges his agents face on the ground. Of particular worry...
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Denver Audit Finds Office of Social Equity and Innovation Still Falling Short on Financial Oversight
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Audit Finds Office of Social Equity and Innovation Still Falling Short on Financial Oversight

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Denver’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation has yet to implement half of the 14 recommendations made by auditors in 2024, leaving the city and the Colorado Youth Detention Continuum Program at risk of misusing small-dollar funds. A follow-up report released by City Auditor Tim O’Brien on Thursday noted that, while the office has made progress, gaps involving policies and procedures, inconsistent financial records and insufficient monitoring of grant-related expenses remain. Denver’s Chief Equity Officer Ben Sanders told The Denver Gazette that much of what is in the auditor’s report about the youth detention program is “fair.” “The auditor is auditing a program that transitioned, starting in the summer of 2024, from th...
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Feds Join Investigation Into Massive Denver Apartment Fire
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Feds Join Investigation Into Massive Denver Apartment Fire

By: Kaylee Harter | Denver7 "[W]e understand the immense challenges this fire has created for residents and businesses," the ATF special agent in charge said. DENVER – Federal agents have been deployed to help investigate the massive fire that broke out at an under-construction apartment complex Friday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced Tuesday. The fire near S. Leetsdale Drive and S. Forest Street smoldered for several days and stretched an entire city block, prompting evacuations and street closures, and injuring one firefighter, according to the ATF release. More than 150 firefighters worked to control the blaze, Denver7 reported, and roughly 18 million gallons of water were used to put out the fire, according to Den...
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Denver Mayor’s Sanctuary City Legal Costs Reach Full $2 Million Limit
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Mayor’s Sanctuary City Legal Costs Reach Full $2 Million Limit

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The bill for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s legal defense for that March 5 hearing before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on “sanctuary” cities has reached its $2 million contractual limit. Just as the year closed out on Dec. 30, a fifth payment, in the amount of $950,000 — almost half of the value of the entire contract — was made from the city’s general fund to Covington & Burling LLC, the D.C.-based law firm that represented Johnston and the city during the highly publicized congressional hearing. The payment now brings the total for Johnston’s defense to $2 million, the exact payment cap set forth by the contract city officials entered into shortly before the hearing in Washington, D.C.  ...
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