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Tag: Local Government

Police Union Slams Chicago for Refusing to Help ICE, Calls It ‘Violation of Duty’
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Fox News, Approved, National

Police Union Slams Chicago for Refusing to Help ICE, Calls It ‘Violation of Duty’

By Greg Wehner | Fox News National Fraternal Order of Police condemns reports officers were told not to assist surrounded agents The nation’s largest police union condemned reports that Chicago officers were told not to help ICE agents surrounded by protesters, calling it "shocking" and a violation of law enforcement’s duty to protect fellow officers in danger. Presidents of the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and Illinois State FOP expressed shock at reports that Chicago's chief of patrol directed officers not to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as they were surrounded by protesters on Saturday. "Details are still emerging, but it appears that officers from the Chicago Police Department were ordered not to assist a group of I...
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Ethics board clears DIA execs’ $100K Madrid trip—but blasts ‘appalling’ public spending
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Ethics board clears DIA execs’ $100K Madrid trip—but blasts ‘appalling’ public spending

By Brian Maass | CBS Colorado Denver's Board of Ethics on Friday cleared Denver International Airport and its Chief Executive Officer, Phil Washington, of an ethics violation related to a trip to a conference in Madrid earlier this year. That trip was the subject of a CBS Colorado Investigation, but the board said it was "appalled by both the amount of funds that were expended for this conference and by Mr. Washington's seemingly cavalier attitude in responding to this complaint." Washington and eight of his top executives flew in April to the three-day airport conference in Madrid, with all of the executives flying either first class or business class for every leg of the trip, both to and from Madrid. CBS Colorado found that one of the tickets was over $19,000, and another cost nea...
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TABOR Didn’t Build the Potholes
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Substack, Top Stories

TABOR Didn’t Build the Potholes

By Michael Hancock | Commentary, Undercurrent Substack Bureaucracy and pet projects did — and it’s time to realign our priorities. Colorado’s roads crumble, our classrooms overflow, and every budget cycle we hear the same refrain: “It’s TABOR’s fault.” Critics of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights insist that this constitutional guardrail has starved government of the resources it needs to educate children, maintain infrastructure, and keep the state running. But what if the potholes and crowded classrooms aren’t a symptom of too little revenue, but of misplaced priorities? The truth is, Colorado’s budget has grown steadily for years. Billions more flow into the state’s coffers than a decade ago. Yet the very areas citizens rely on most—roads, schools, public safety—continue to lag. TA...
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Residents report safer passage as Lakewood tunnel is cleaned and police increase patrols
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Residents report safer passage as Lakewood tunnel is cleaned and police increase patrols

by: Hanna Powers | Fox31 LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — A pedestrian tunnel along Wadsworth Boulevard that neighbors recently called unsafe looks markedly different less than 24 hours after FOX31’s initial report aired Monday night. By Tuesday afternoon, construction crews had painted over graffiti, cleared trash and moved along people who had been loitering, and Lakewood police officers were on site patrolling and confiscating contraband, according to observations by FOX31 at the scene. Residents say the change is obvious. “I just feel more calm here now than … two days ago,” one commuter told FOX31 on Wednesday. “Two days [ago] I rode the bus later around 5 or 6, and I did see some of that. But at this time, I am not seeing that.” Earlier this week, neighbors described the ...
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“They don’t care”: Unleashed podcast spotlights Durango parents’ loss of trust
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

“They don’t care”: Unleashed podcast spotlights Durango parents’ loss of trust

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Hunter Opilla didn’t expect to speak at a school board meeting when his family moved to Durango two years ago. But after learning about the district’s gender bathroom policy—and the board’s decision to reverse a superintendent directive—he says he felt he had no choice. “Just blank stares,” Opilla recalled on a recent episode of Heidi Ganahl’s Unleashed podcast. “The board never responded to my emails.” Ganahl’s latest podcast brings together a concerned father and a charter school founder to unpack what they call a pattern of political overreach and parental exclusion in Durango Schools. The conversation echoes issues previously covered by Rocky Mountain Voice in its Dirty Dozen series and recent reporting on board transparency and trust. Th...
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Pueblo Voters to Decide Whether to End Strong Mayor System
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Pueblo Voters to Decide Whether to End Strong Mayor System

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado PUEBLO–The City of Pueblo’s November election ballot includes a major charter amendment asking voters to dismantle the city’s “strong mayor” form of government, reverting to the council/manager system the southern Colorado municipality of roughly 111,000 residents once had. Pueblo, along with Denver, Leadville and Colorado Springs are currently the only cities that operate under a council-mayor form of government, where an elected mayor with veto authority acts as the chief executive, preparing the budget, hiring and directing staff, and proposing ordinances. The city council acts as the mayor’s legislative counterpart, adopting the budget, and approving and acting on ordinances. Ballot Question 2C asks voters to change to a council-manager cit...
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Durango 9-R’s Monday update comes as parents dispute the “misinformation” label
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Durango 9-R’s Monday update comes as parents dispute the “misinformation” label

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Durango School District 9-R holds its State of the District tonight at the Impact Career Innovation Center. The district’s event page bills it as a community update with test-score dashboards and a Q&A. The Durango Herald said leaders plan to confront “misinformation.” Parent Jason Mietchen hears it differently: “We’ve had to counteract the misinformation for years. The school puts out a ton of it.” Why attention spiked this month The Herald also referenced Heidi Ganahl’s twelve-part ‘Durango’s 9-R Dirty Dozen,’ a wide-ranging critique of district policy, practice and the outcomes families are talking about. Topics span CMAS proficiency, gender-support steps, the ACA name-change policy, flag resolutions and the government-speech argument,...
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Lakewood rezones neighborhoods, single-family homes lose protection
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Lakewood rezones neighborhoods, single-family homes lose protection

By Sage Kelley | Denver Gazette The controversial section of Lakewood’s new proposed planning document that aims to add more affordable housing to the city was approved Monday evening. The Lakewood City Council approved an amended version of Article 3 of the city’s 2026 zoning code proposal — a 400-page planning document covering residential, commercial and mixed-use site design standards, parking and historic preservation. The ordinance passed 9-2, with councilmembers David Rein and Paula Nystrom being the two “no” votes. The article drew ire throughout the community, and it ultimately erased the use of the term single-family zoning, allowing for multi-family homes — like duplexes and condos — to be built in residential areas citywide. The change is aimed at boosting affordabl...
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FAA cites Rocky Mountain Metro as most incident-prone airport in U.S.
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

FAA cites Rocky Mountain Metro as most incident-prone airport in U.S.

By Ryan Fish | Denver7 An aviation expert told Denver7 that most of the incidents are not life-threatening. Superior's mayor, however, is sounding the alarm. BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Below the flight path of Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA) is the town of Superior. “We're hearing the noise,” Mayor Mark Lacis told Denver7 Wednesday. “Our residents have been complaining for years.” In 2024, the Town of Superior and Boulder County filed a lawsuit against Jefferson County, which owns and operates the airport, over the noise issue. A Boulder County court dismissed that lawsuit earlier this year, though the town said it is considering options, including an appeal. But Lacis has more concerns, and this week, he reached out to Denver7 about them. A June memo&n...
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