Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: Public safety

Mayor’s $3.6 Billion Plan Pledges Fiscal Stability for Denver
No Comments
Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Mayor’s $3.6 Billion Plan Pledges Fiscal Stability for Denver

By Gabrielle Franklin | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is releasing his 2026 budget proposal. The mayor said the $1.66 billion plan should get the city back on good financial footing. The mayor said the way he has the numbers mapped out should mean no more cuts to personnel. He did have to make some cuts to programs and technology used by city workers. “Remember, we announced first the personnel savings. Today, we will announce $77 million in savings and services, supplies, contracts. I’ll walk you through and a couple of million dollars in revenue additions,” Johnston said during his press conference unveiling the plan Monday. Johnston said the 2026 budget proposal is the biggest economic adjustment in the city since 2011, outside of the COVID era when ...
Read More
Armed Queers group trains radical Marxists to shoot near site of Charlie Kirk’s murder
No Comments
Just The News, Approved, National

Armed Queers group trains radical Marxists to shoot near site of Charlie Kirk’s murder

By Jerry Dunleavy, Gelet Fragela and Steven Richards | Just the News The group trains gay, queer, and transgender people to arm themselves and fight against capitalism and the American system. There is at this time no evidence linking the group to Tyler Robinson, Kirk's accused assassin. Amid the snow-capped mountains and Mormon churches of Utah, not far from where FBI agents continue to scour for more evidence in Charlie Kirk’s assassination, a self-described armed revolutionary group openly aligned with Cuba has risen up on the streets of one of America’s most conservative states. Armed Queers SLC says its mission is to train gay, queer and transgender people to arm themselves and to fight against capitalism. Although their purported Facebook page does not directly appear to enc...
Read More
Tourists may soon pay double or triple in lodging taxes in 7 Colorado counties
No Comments
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Tourists may soon pay double or triple in lodging taxes in 7 Colorado counties

By Jason Blevins | The Colorado Sun Chaffee, Custer, Eagle, Gilpin, Routt, Ouray and Park counties hope voters will approve increased lodging taxes — allowed under new legislation — to pay for budget shortfalls As revenue flowing into local governments ebbs, more communities are looking to visitors to pay bills.  At least seven counties will ask voters this November to double or triple the local lodging tax outside cities and towns to pay for roads, police, housing and early child care. These are the first counties to deploy a law passed this year — Senate Bill 1247 — that allows voters to raise county lodging taxes to 6%, up from 2%, to pay for infrastructure, conservation, emergency services and sustainable tourism policies.  Commissioners in Chaffee,...
Read More
Colorado Springs to shut community center as $31 million gap widens
No Comments
The Gazette, Approved, Local

Colorado Springs to shut community center as $31 million gap widens

By Brennen Kauffman | The Gazette Colorado Springs will be closing Meadows Park Community Center in the next month and cutting 38 employees immediately in order to reduce the city's budget heading into 2026. Mayor Yemi Mobolade announced the series of cuts Friday afternoon to address what is projected to be a $31 million shortfall in the city's upcoming budget. "These measures will ensure we are delivering for residents while also committing ourselves to fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget. This city has been doing government efficiency for years, it's not new to us," Mobolade said. Meadows Park Community Center is one of four community centers run by the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department. Parks Director Britt Haley said in a statement the center was ...
Read More
Elon Musk Slams “Soft-on-Crime” Policies in Clash With Governor Polis
No Comments
The Western Journal, Approved, State

Elon Musk Slams “Soft-on-Crime” Policies in Clash With Governor Polis

By: Michael Austin | The Western Journal Elon Musk confronted Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis over a violent criminal released back on the streets, prompting a response from the official that failed to acknowledge how he signed a law allowing such circumstances to arise. The exchange came after Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams revealed to residents that under Colorado law, he was forced to release Debisa Ephraim, who was deemed incompetent to stand trial, into the public on Monday. Ephraim was arrested on second-degree murder and assault charges after he allegedly attacked residents in an unprovoked manner, per a report from CBS News. Reams remarked in a video that Ephraim has had several encounters with police. “It is a very violent crime, and how rapidly this person ha...
Read More
Trump to Memphis: National Guard coming to restore safety
No Comments
Fox News, Approved, National

Trump to Memphis: National Guard coming to restore safety

By Rachel Wolf | Fox News Trump chooses Memphis, Tennessee, for next National Guard deployment President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would be deploying the National Guard to Memphis, Tenn., next as he continues his anti-crime initiative.  The president made the announcement during an appearance on "Fox & Friends," adding that the deployment would not be limited to the National Guard and could include the Army if needed. "Memphis is deeply troubled," Trump said. "We're gonna fix that just like we did Washington." Trump admitted that he would have "preferred going to Chicago." The Trump administration has recently clashed with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over possible National Guard deployment to the Win...
Read More
Evergreen High School shooting victim identified as community mourns
No Comments
Fox31, Approved, Local

Evergreen High School shooting victim identified as community mourns

By: Brooke Williams, Phil Rankin | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — One of the two victims hospitalized after the shooting at Evergreen High School has been identified. The family of 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone released a photo and statement through the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon. “The family appreciates the community’s concern and support, but as we remain focused on our loved one’s recovery, we respectfully request privacy as we continue to heal and navigate the road ahead,” the statement said. As of Friday morning, a spokesperson for St. Anthony Hospital said the victim at that hospital was still in critical condition. The other victim, who was transferred to Children’s Hospital Colorado, is in serious condition, a step better than critical, a hospital...
Read More
New Colorado program shifts defendants from jail to treatment on competency grounds
No Comments
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

New Colorado program shifts defendants from jail to treatment on competency grounds

By Michael Braithwaite | The Denver Gazette In an attempt to reduce wait times for inpatient defendant competency restoration, Colorado courts are launching a new program to divert eligible people into a separate community care process. The near-$1.5 million program, which uses money from the general fund and was spurred by the passage of House Bill 24-1355 last June, will create a process in each judicial district to identify certain individuals who are not competent enough to proceed in a trial process and refer them to a wraparound program that will connect them with external care, according to a news release from the Colorado Judicial Branch and the bill itself. “This work is the result of years of collaboration, deep listening, and versatility,” said Gene Klivansky,...
Read More
GOP reps demand removal of judge who freed violent offender before train murder
No Comments
Daily Wire, Approved, National

GOP reps demand removal of judge who freed violent offender before train murder

By Virginia Kruta | Daily Wire “Ms. Zarutska’s murder was not only a profound personal tragedy but also a direct result of a failure of judicial responsibility.” Ten North Carolina Republican Reps., led by Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC), called on Tuesday for the removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who released 14-time offender Decarlos Johnson Jr. before he murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. Moore shared a letter, signed by nine of his colleagues, in which he called on Chief Judge Roy Wiggins to begin “formal removal proceedings” against Stokes, saying that her decision to release Johnson — based solely on his written promise to return for his next court date — had been, at best, “reckless.” “Despite his history of violent and unstable behavior, Magistrate Stokes release...
Read More
Evergreen Community Mourns After Deadly High School Shooting
No Comments
Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Evergreen Community Mourns After Deadly High School Shooting

By Shaul Turner | KDVR Fox 31 EVERGREEN, Colo. (KDVR) — Residents in the small community of Evergreen remain in shock after a deadly shooting at Evergreen High School on Wednesday. Many gathered at familiar places along the town’s main street to show each other support. “Some people might say there’s not a safe place to live in America,” Kevin Shepard told FOX31. Shepard, a former Western Slope school teacher, tells FOX31 that students deserve a chance to learn in a safe environment. “You feel like living in a small mountain town outside of Denver, the city here that, like you kind of can avoid violence and things like that, but it’s really we have such a crisis of mental health among our young people,” Shepard said. Many are shocked by the realization that a school shoot...
Read More