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Colorado Cities Wrestle With Costs and Benefits of Data Center Expansion
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Axios Denver, Approved, State

Colorado Cities Wrestle With Costs and Benefits of Data Center Expansion

By Alayna Alvarez | Axios Denver Colorado communities are taking dramatically different approaches to the boom in data center development, with a patchwork of moratoriums, incentives and new restrictions. Why it matters: The local experimentation is filling a vacuum left by state lawmakers, who failed last legislative session to agree on how Colorado should regulate the resource-hungry facilities. State of play: The fragmentation sets up another potential fight at the Colorado State Capitol next year over how to capture the upside of data center development without saddling communities with their enormous electricity, water and infrastructure demands. Driving the news: Denver — which already has 50 data centers — has&...
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Douglas County Cuts Red Tape to Speed Business Growth
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CBS Colorado, Approved

Douglas County Cuts Red Tape to Speed Business Growth

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado Douglas County leaders have launched an initiative to reduce red tape and incentivize business development in the county. "It's all we ever wanted to do," Becky Stroh told CBS Colorado. "Finally, we got to the point in our lives where we're like, 'All right, we're ready to open up our own place.'" In 2012, Stroh and her husband opened their dream restaurant in Castle Rock, the Hideaway Bar & Grill. "Permits just take a while," Stroh said. "So getting approvals take a long time." Stroh says the permitting process for the initial opening, and subsequent remodels, was lengthy. "The LED sign outside, that I remember that permit took six weeks," Stroh said. "It would just be nice to know when are we going to get the pe...
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Kids run the booths at two Front Range markets this month
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Kids run the booths at two Front Range markets this month

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Pricing a product. Pitching a stranger. Making change and counting the take at the end of the night. It is the kind of thing that rattles plenty of adults, and this month Colorado kids will line up to do it on purpose. Two Front Range markets give them the chance. The first runs Friday, Aug. 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Piney Creek Hollow Park on South Tower Road in Centennial. A second follows Saturday, Aug. 22, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock, set up next to the Castle Rock Farmers Market. Both are open to young vendors ages 5 to 17. They are run by Kids Markets, the program formerly known as the Children's Entrepreneur Market. The pitch is simple. Kids build a real business and ...
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Colorado law already protects Douglas County teachers. Why a union contract?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local

Colorado law already protects Douglas County teachers. Why a union contract?

By Martha Carver | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice You may be aware that the Douglas County Federation (DCF), the teachers’ union, is asking the Douglas County School District to engage in Collective Bargaining.  Before making a major shift in school governance, district leaders should recognize the protections already in place and require clear support from a majority of teachers.  But the most important question is what does this proposal actually mean for teachers? Collective bargaining agreements (CBA) are contracts between the union and administrators that cover teacher pay, benefits, seniority rules, transfer rights, evaluations, and grievance procedures.  Currently, teachers have the option to join the union, and this will not change if the S...
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Douglas County Weighs Data Center Incentive as Front Range Restrictions Grow
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Douglas County Weighs Data Center Incentive as Front Range Restrictions Grow

By Nicholas Fogleman | The Denver Gazette At a time when Denver and Front Range governments are restricting or banning data center development, Douglas County commissioners are poised to approve a $19.3 million tax rebate agreement Tuesday for a new data center under construction in Parker. The contrasting approaches are occurring as the debate over data centers has taken center stage in Colorado and elsewhere in the country. Critics seek moratoriums or even a complete ban, citing worries about water and energy consumption, while proponents argue they bring in jobs and new revenue, not to mention their national security implications — America, they say, should not cede the battle for AI infrastructure dominance to global competitors. The proposed agreement would...
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Colorado Fire Departments Sound Alarm Over Staffing and Funding Shortfalls
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Fire Departments Sound Alarm Over Staffing and Funding Shortfalls

By Veronica Acosta | Denver7 LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A new statewide assessment found two-thirds of Colorado fire departments can't fund their full operations, and nearly 80% can't afford the equipment and staffing they say they need — a gap agencies like West Metro Fire Rescue say is now pushing them toward asking voters for more money. Colorado's fire departments are being asked to do more than ever, and a new state report shows most of them don't have the money to keep up. The 2026 Colorado Fire Service Needs Assessment, released this month by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), surveyed 122 of the state's roughly 340 fire departments and found that two in three — 66.4% — say their current funding isn't enough to run all of their department's oper...
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New Douglas County Charter School Opens With Focus on America’s Founding Principles
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

New Douglas County Charter School Opens With Focus on America’s Founding Principles

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado The ribbon has officially been cut on a new Colorado school as Douglas County continues to grow. John Adams Academy is the first school to open in the fast-growing community of Sterling Ranch. The school describes itself as liberty-based and offers a classical education. "This has been a long time in the making," said John Adams Academy Douglas County Co-Founder Kim Gilmartin. "We knew that there was a need for a school like this, so we put our heads together and brought it to fruition." CBS Gilmartin and her co-founder, Sterling Ranch mother Ellie Reynolds, say the school hopes to educate students through rigorous academics and a focus on the Founding Fathers' vision of America. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Douglas County Replaces Flock Cameras With $22.8 Million Axon Public Safety System
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Douglas County Replaces Flock Cameras With $22.8 Million Axon Public Safety System

By: Nicholas Fogleman | The Denver Gazette The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is abandoning the controversial Flock Safety camera system, joining a growing number of Colorado law enforcement agencies that have raised concerns about data privacy and ownership. The Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a nearly $22.8 million contract with public safety technology company Axon that will replace the county’s network of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras and add a countywide drone response system. The package includes 100 Axon Outpost license plate reader cameras, replacing the county’s existing 50 Flock cameras, as well as a network of “first responder drones” stationed throughout the county. Officials said the technology will improve emergency res...
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Colorado charter school prepares to deploy first active-shooter response drones
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Colorado charter school prepares to deploy first active-shooter response drones

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado A school in Douglas County will be the first in Colorado to install a drone active shooter suppression system. John Adams Academy is a public charter school currently being built in Sterling Ranch. The school is preparing to open to students this August. It will be the first school to open in the growing community, and the first school in Colorado to use drones to protect students from active threats. Tuesday, county leaders were expected to approve $200,000 in security funding for the school. They didn't end up voting on the funding, but the drones will still be taking to the halls of John Adams Academy. "We were looking for technology that could enhance the response time for our first responders and give real-time critical information i...
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