Local Government

Denver crisis grows while solutions stall: Family homelessness up 150% since 2022

DENVER7, Approved, Local / / , , ,

DENVER — For nearly two years, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration has been working to find solutions to the city’s homelessness crisis.

According to the 2024 Point-in-Time Count, the number of families living on the street dropped last year. However, data from the Department of Housing Stability (HOST) shows the overall number of families experiencing homelessness has increased by 150% since 2022.

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Cargill and BBD show what private-sector solutions to housing really look like

Local, Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice / / , , , , , , ,

As Colorado’s housing crisis continues to stretch families, employers, and communities thin, a powerful story of unity is rising from the plains of Northeastern Colorado. In Fort Morgan, a strategic partnership between global food giant Cargill and Brush-based contractor Building By Design (BBD) is addressing the problem with practical solutions that turn vision into reality, giving us all confidence in the project’s success. 

Together, they are not just building homes, they are building a brighter future, a beacon of hope for our community.

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Bent County declares Second Amendment Sanctuary, defies SB25-003

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An eastern Colorado county has passed a resolution declaring itself a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” in opposition to a bill passed by the legislature this year that requires individuals to participate in safety training to be eligible to purchase certain types of firearms.

On May 15, the Bent County Board of Commissioners and Bent County Sheriff unanimously passed a resolution declaring that no county resources will be used to enforce provisions of Senate Bill 003 that have not been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Denver City Council braces for layoffs, deep cuts—but Mayor Johnston delays details

Denverite, Approved, Local / / , , , , , ,

The Denver City Council met atop Lookout Mountain at Golden’s Boettcher Mansion last week to plan for the 2026 budget. The elected leaders knew they would likely need to make cuts — but nobody knew just how bad the city’s fiscal situation might be.

“I’ve been hearing rumors of layoffs and furloughs,” Councilmember Stacie Gilmore said as the all-day meeting began on Friday.

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Denver Council Members say Johnston bond proposal is being rushed to voters

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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s new $800 million bond package is expected to make its way to voters this fall, but some City Council members working to whittle down the wish list of projects said the process is rushed and the bond issue could wait until next year.

“I am not okay with the process at all,” District 5 Councilmember Amanda Sawyer told members of the city’s Vibrant Denver Bond working group on Wednesday. “I want to apologize to the staff in Department of Finance, because you guys have been set up for failure and you have been asked for extraordinary work in a very limited amount of time…So I want to make it very clear: you are doing an amazing job.”

Sawyer added: “The problems that we are talking about here are not your fault. They are the mayor’s office’s fault.”

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The Business Times: Public trust demands Grand Junction councilman Jason Nguyen resign now

The Business Times, Approved, Local / / , , , , ,

This is the only statement which we can make related to a post from Jason in a private group on Facebook. There is no “context” to be parsed or question to be asked by what he meant with his post. What he thinks about a good percentage of the population of Grand Junction and how he views many businesses cannot be taken in error.

The statement made by Jason Nguyen shows he despises and desires the economic ruination of many of the constituents he claims to represent. And if the members of the Grand Junction City Council, especially Jason’s two like-minded cohorts Anna Stout and Scott Beilfuss, don’t denounce his statement above and beyond the meaningless phrase “in the strongest possible terms” and call for his immediate resignation, then they should resign along with Jason.

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Not political theater: Montrose federal intervention request grounded in Constitutional oath

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, National, State, Top Stories / / , , , , , , ,

What does it mean to defend the Constitution? Two commissioners say this is what it looks like. On April 16, the Montrose County Board of County Commissioners voted 2–1 to send a formal Request for Federal Intervention to former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Treta: Denver’s broken permitting system is driving up housing costs—and it’s time to fix it

Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories / / , , , , ,

I’ve been designing and building homes in Denver for 28 years. I pulled my first permit in 1997—for a small room addition on a house. It took one day. One.

That kind of efficiency used to be the norm. Permitting was straightforward, business-friendly, and a basic example of how local government should work. But over the past two decades, I’ve watched the city’s permit approval process become increasingly bloated, inefficient, and damaging—not just to builders like me, but to every Denverite who rents or buys a home.

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Newly elected Grand Junction Councilman: Voters didn’t ask for bike lanes—they asked for essential services

The Daily Sentinel, Approved, Local / / , , ,

Newly elected Grand Junction City Council member Robert Ballard wants to address changes on Fourth and Fifth streets and be a voice for outlying Grand Junction neighborhoods during his time on council.

“Day one is we’re definitely going to be addressing Fourth and Fifth street,” Ballard said during an interview last week. “At least I’m going to be, I don’t know about the rest of the council, but that’s definitely going to be my main focus.”

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