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Tag: Mike Johnston

Denver Mayor Rolls Out $100 Million Strategy to Boost Business and Revive Downtown
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Denver Mayor Rolls Out $100 Million Strategy to Boost Business and Revive Downtown

By Chierstin Roth | CBS Colorado Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has unveiled a $100 million, four-part plan to address everything from workforce development to low interest loans, and incentives for companies to move to the city. Thursday's press conference was held outside the original Snooze, a popular breakfast and brunch restaurant serving pancakes and mimosas. Snooze, which launched at its Ballpark Neighborhood location 20 years ago, is now a nationwide success. Its co-founder says it's opportunities like these that got his business off the ground. "We've got 70 restaurants now, 10 states, we have over 3,000 Snoozers working for us," said co-founder Adam Schlegal. They grew despite the odds. "Running a restaurant in Denver is actually harder than most...
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Second Amendment Lawsuit Targets Denver Gun Ban and State Magazine Limits
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Second Amendment Lawsuit Targets Denver Gun Ban and State Magazine Limits

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette A lawsuit filed in federal court by three Denver residents and two gun rights groups aims to strike down the city’s “assault weapon” restrictions, along with bans on ammunition magazines holding 15 rounds or more. The complaint, filed on June 30 by Ray Elliott, Trevor Alley and Michael Vitco, along with the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Colorado State Shooting Association, an arm of the National Rifle Association, alleges Denver’s semiautomatic firearm ban is unconstitutional, as is its ban on 15-round or larger magazines. Naming the city government, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Director Armando Saldate III, Colorado State Patrol Chief Col. Matthew Packard and Denve...
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Federal Lawmakers Question Colorado Sanctuary Policies In New Investigation
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Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Federal Lawmakers Question Colorado Sanctuary Policies In New Investigation

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A congressional panel is reviewing Denver and Boulder’s policies, alleging that these cities, along with other “sanctuary” jurisdictions, are declining to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, the body announced Wednesday. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who chairs the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, issued letters to the district attorneys, sheriffs and police chiefs of Denver and Boulder, accusing the local officials of prioritizing “illegal and criminal aliens over American citizens,” undermining public safety and hindering “the efficient enforcement of federal law.” Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California, chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Environment, also signed the letters. Rep. Gabe Evans, the Republic...
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“Hell No”: Denver Mayor Refuses To Yield On Assault Weapons Restrictions
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

“Hell No”: Denver Mayor Refuses To Yield On Assault Weapons Restrictions

By Chierstin Roth | CBS Colorado Denver Mayor Mike Johnston didn't mince words in response to a letter sent last week from the Department of Justice threatening to sue unless the city stops enforcing its so-called ban on "assault weapons." "We're here today to let them know that our answer is 'Hell no,'" said Johnston. "There are too many Coloradans we've had to say goodbye to in too many places because of the impact of assault weapons," he added. Since 1989, city ordinance has made it a crime to carry, store, keep, manufacture, or sell these weapons. Included in the city's definition of an assault weapon is a semiautomatic pistol or rifle with the feeding device capacity of more than 15 rounds, but it's not an outright ban of these types of guns. ...
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Denver $178M Homeless Initiative Faces Scrutiny Over Missing Funds
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Denver $178M Homeless Initiative Faces Scrutiny Over Missing Funds

By Tyler Melito | Denver7 In a report released Thursday, the City of Denver's auditor's office said the initiative by the mayor had underreported expenses and was "insufficiently planned." DENVER - The Denver mayor’s office and the city auditor’s office are in sharp disagreement over the findings of the latest audit on All In Mile High, the city’s homelessness initiative. Mayor Mike Johnston launched All In Mile High in 2024 with the ambitious goal of ending unsheltered homelessness in Denver by the end of 2026. The report released Thursday by City Auditor Timothy O'Brien's office credits the program with reducing unsheltered homelessness by 45% since 2023 — but that same report sharply criticizes the initiative’s financial transparency, planning and equi...
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Denver Bans Masked Officers During Arrests DHS Signals It Won’t Comply
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Denver Bans Masked Officers During Arrests DHS Signals It Won’t Comply

By Chierstin Roth | CBS Colorado Denver city leaders unanimously passed a ban on all officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from wearing face coverings while detaining or arresting people. That law also requires officers to wear visible identification. It's the second sweeping ordinance against federal officers in Denver in just a few days. Last Thursday, Mayor Mike Johnston signed an executive order banning federal immigration agents from operating on city property without a judicial warrant.  It also directs Denver police, deputies and fire personnel to investigate reports of violence and criminal behavior. The Department of Homeland Security responded calling the executive order "legally illiterate," adding, "...
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Denver Mayor Orders Police To Intervene In ICE Operations If Force Deemed Excessive
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Mayor Orders Police To Intervene In ICE Operations If Force Deemed Excessive

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on Thursday outlined his city’s response to immigration enforcement operations, including intervening to stop federal officers when local police observe them using “excessive” force. Johnston also said the city will not allow federal authorities to “stand in our way” in situations where emergency responders must render first aid, presumably in cases where someone, such as a civilian, gets hurt in an immigration operation. The mayor’s move is the latest in a string of proposals from Democrats, who have begun to position the state and jurisdictions they dominate in a more confrontational stance. The attorney general, for example, wants residents to report alleged misconduct by federal agents via an online...
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Denver Leaders Face Tough Questions After Data Center Company CoreSite Skips Community Meeting
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Denver Leaders Face Tough Questions After Data Center Company CoreSite Skips Community Meeting

By: Maggie Bryan | Denver7 DENVER — During a town hall on Tuesday night, residents of Denver's Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods demanded answers from city leaders, state officials, and business representatives about the impacts of a new data center being built in the area. CoreSite, the company building the data center, did not attend the town hall and cited safety concerns as the reason it refrained from participating. A spokesperson for CoreSite told Denver7 its leadership team was concerned after seeing social media conversations about the community event, but did not elaborate further. The company is currently constructing a 170,000-square-foot data center at Race Street and E. 49th Avenue in Denver, which will be one of three buildings as part of CoreSi...
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Denver Mayor Johnston Claims Sanctuary Policies Boost Safety As Federal Lawsuits Advance
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Mayor Johnston Claims Sanctuary Policies Boost Safety As Federal Lawsuits Advance

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Denver has joined some 140 cities, counties and elected officials in filing two amicus briefs backing Minnesota and Rochester, New York — jurisdictions sued by the Trump administration’s over their “sanctuary” policies. In a statement, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston characterized the White House’s actions as “defunding” and “punishing” America’s “sanctuary cities.” The Trump administration, meanwhile, said sanctuary jurisdictions have stood in the way of enforcing immigration laws. Johnston’s office described Minnesota and Rochester as “cities that, like Denver, are fighting back against the White House’s baseless attempts to rewrite local and state law in violation of the U.S. Constitution.” An amicus brief – or friend...
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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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