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Colorado Justices Question Whether Cities Can Withhold Key Facts To Beat Lawsuits
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Justices Question Whether Cities Can Withhold Key Facts To Beat Lawsuits

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Members of the Colorado Supreme Court seemed to be on different pages when they considered on Tuesday whether a woman injured by a sidewalk defect in Manitou Springs was forever barred from suing the actual entity responsible because she did not learn until it was too late that Colorado Springs was the proper defendant. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal of Jaimi J. Mostellar after a judge on the state’s second-highest court suggested lawmakers revise the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act to prevent public entities from torpedoing lawsuits by withholding the identity of the actual party responsible for an injury. The immunity law, with limited exceptions, shields public entities from lawsuits over injuries they cause. Its...
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A Town on Edge: Inside the Erie Mail Threats That Resulted in No Charges
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

A Town on Edge: Inside the Erie Mail Threats That Resulted in No Charges

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice In early October, residents across Erie and in Virginia, began opening their mailboxes to find sympathy cards inside plain envelopes. The message referenced the assassination of Charlie Kirk, accompanied by an empty packet of Gushers candy taped to the card, glitter and a loose powdery substance that spilled when handled. Twenty residents in total received the cards. Many were former candidates, business owners, volunteers, and known conservatives within the community. One envelope opened in Virginia triggered a full hazmat activation. Loudoun County Fire & Rescue’s official report shows responders in Tychem suits isolating the scene, testing the substance, and alerting federal authorities. Their lab equip...
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The quiet takeover: What early oaths and a Friday ultimatum meant for Douglas County Schools
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

The quiet takeover: What early oaths and a Friday ultimatum meant for Douglas County Schools

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Douglas County’s newly elected school board majority took office days early and outside public view after a week of private oaths, a Friday deadline, and a dispute over whether a policy on the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS) should be added to the December 2 meeting agenda. Emails, texts, and public comments released since then show conflicting explanations from the incoming directors and intensifying concerns about transparency. A Sudden Shift in Board Composition Outgoing Board President Christy Williams said she first learned something was wrong on November 26. “I was notified by the superintendent that Tony Ryan had gone to get sworn in the day prior to that, and I said, ‘so what does that mean for Beck...
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Incoming Progressive Douglas County School Board Sparks Backlash With Early Swearing In
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Incoming Progressive Douglas County School Board Sparks Backlash With Early Swearing In

By Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette The new members of the Douglas County school board have already assumed their seats — in “secret,” according to the outgoing president. The move by incoming directors effectively kicked out the four outgoing members early, said the outgoing board president, who accused the new members of being less than transparent. Douglas County voters in November elected a group of progressive-leaning directors, flipping the once conservative Douglas County School District Board of Education.  Elected directors already started their positions before Tuesday’s special meeting, when the board is supposed to be formally sworn in, according to Christy Williams, the outgoing board president. “This action, conducted without transparency, appears to ...
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What unfolded during the uncertified transition
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

What unfolded during the uncertified transition

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Actions taken before the board was sworn in Florissant’s May 2, 2023 election put five new people on the fire district board, and the change was obvious right away. The newcomers had run together as a coordinated slate. Within weeks, their actions toward Fire Chief Erik Holt sparked a sequence of events that ended with his firing, a criminal investigation left on the floor—and a lawsuit now sitting before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. This is what happened after the election—most of which voters never saw.  For details on the election-day conduct that triggered Holt’s report to prosecutors, see our companion investigation. A board acting before it was seated The election hadn’t been certified yet because a civil challe...
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Clear on camera, dismissed on paper
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Clear on camera, dismissed on paper

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Inside the election case DA investigators said showed “clear violations”—and why the same office that prosecuted election fraud refused to touch it A fire chief knows what a five-alarm emergency looks like. When something is burning, he responds. He doesn’t wait for someone else to handle it. That was the mindset Erik Holt carried in 2023 when the security cameras inside his fire station began showing behavior that made him stop, rewind the footage, and stare. He believed he had uncovered an emergency worth reporting. He did not know that the alarm he pulled would be the only one the system refused to answer. The fire chief who didn’t look away Before Teller County voters ever heard his name, Holt was a fireman and a father. A caree...
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Sparks Fly as Colorado Springs Postpones Vote on Vehicle Camping Restrictions
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Local

Sparks Fly as Colorado Springs Postpones Vote on Vehicle Camping Restrictions

By: Debbie Kelly | Colorado Politics After about three hours of presentation, discussion and public comment, Colorado Springs City Council voted 5-4 Monday to postpone a proposal that would add a vehicle camping ban to city ordinances pertaining to illegal urban camping and consolidate them for standardization and consistency. The issue will be taken up in six months, at the May 12 council meeting. Opponents to the vehicle-camping ban in particular made a strong showing and included people who are or have been homeless, representatives from organizations that provide services to the homeless population, as well as high-profile community leaders such as Rabbi Iah Pillsbury, who leads Temple Beit Torah, and Dr. Jaeson Fournier, president and CEO of Peak Vista Community Health Center...
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Do Better Denver breaks cover, says her mission is “calling out the failures of our elected officials”
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Commentary, Local

Do Better Denver breaks cover, says her mission is “calling out the failures of our elected officials”

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has no shortage of critics, but perhaps his harshest is the mysterious person behind "Do Better Denver." The social media account -- on X and Instagram -- launched right after Johnston took office two years ago and has amassed a following of more than 150,000. The manager of the account is anonymous and has never granted an in-person interview until now. She spoke exclusively with CBS Colorado Your Political Reporter Shaun Boyd, but insisted she remain anonymous. Her critics say she hides her identity to avoid accountability for what she posts online. She says she's concerned for her safety, especially with the recent rise in political violence. She shared some of the threats she's received. She is a polarizing and powerfu...
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Denver Council Rejects Mayor’s Budget, But Johnston’s Spending Plan is Alive and Well
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Council Rejects Mayor’s Budget, But Johnston’s Spending Plan is Alive and Well

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The Denver City Council rejected Mayor Mike Johnston’s $1.66 billion spending plan, but the proposal, as amended, will still govern operations, as the charter requires the city to have a budget in place by Nov. 12. In a split 6-6 vote on Monday, councilmembers expressed disappointment with various aspects of the budget process, citing its complicated nature and “lack of collaboration and transparency.” One councilmember was absent. Councilmembers Chris Hinds, Kevin Flynn, Diana Romero-Campbell, Jamie Torres, Amanda Sandoval and Darrell Watson voted in favor of the budget, while Councilmembers Flor Alvidrez, Shontel Lewis, Stacie Gilmore, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Paul Kashmann, and Amanda Sawyer balked at the spending plan. At-large C...
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