Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Public safety

Grand Junction Pays Tribute to Three Firefighters Lost in Snyder Fire
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Grand Junction Pays Tribute to Three Firefighters Lost in Snyder Fire

By Robert Garrison | Denver7 GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The three firefighters killed in the Snyder Fire west of Grand Junction last month were remembered and honored during a memorial service Sunday. Federal firefighters Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, 27, and Sydney Watson, 27, were killed June 27 fighting the more than 30,000-acre wildfire on the Colorado-Utah state line. Authorities said they were trying to shield themselves from flames by deploying tent-like shelters when they were overcome. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
Colorado Crime Still Among Nation’s Worst Despite Drop in Auto Theft
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado Crime Still Among Nation’s Worst Despite Drop in Auto Theft

By: The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette The Polis administration’s announcement the other day touting a drop in Colorado’s nationally notorious rate of auto theft was welcome news — as long as it lasted. As The Gazette reported, the state Department of Public Safety released data late last month showing auto thefts were down this year by 36%, from January through May, compared with the same time frame last year. Then came the bad newS. Not one, but two people were shot to death in apparently separate incidents in Denver — both while trying to stop the theft of their cars — within days of the announcement. Yes, motor vehicle theft still poses a very serious threat in our state. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Accordin...
FEMA Approves Additional Fire Aid as Colorado Wildfires Burn Across State
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

FEMA Approves Additional Fire Aid as Colorado Wildfires Burn Across State

By Nicholas Fogleman | The Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis announced Sunday that FEMA approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant for the Willow fire as firefighting efforts continue across the state. The Willow fire has placed more than 1,500 people under mandatory evacuation orders and another 2,100 residents under pre-evacuation notices, according to the governor’s office. The fire, reported June 28, has burned almost 4,000 acres and is 1% contained. “This Federal Fire Management Assistance Grant will help our state take all necessary actions to protect Coloradans and communities,” Polis said in a statement. “Protecting lives, property, and businesses is our top priority.” READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Community Steps Up as Aspen Acres Fire Grows Across Southern Colorado
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Community Steps Up as Aspen Acres Fire Grows Across Southern Colorado

By Gabriela Vidal, Jack Lowenstein, Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado The has grown significantly and forced new evacuations. Southern Colorado authorities said the wildfire, which has destroyed more than 180 structures — including an unknown number of homes — has burned 55,405 acres since it began on Monday.  The fire is the largest in the region currently and is burning in Pueblo and Custer counties. It's the country's No. 1 firefighting priority, officials said in a news conference on Wednesday. There have been strong, sustained winds in the area, and no meaningful moisture in the forecast, which caused further growth throughout the day on Thursday. "It breaks my heart every day, just seeing it grow and grow, and there's nothing you can do about it either,"...
Are Colorado DOR employees letting personal gun control views shape official messaging?
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Are Colorado DOR employees letting personal gun control views shape official messaging?

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I hesitate to be too strong in my contention, and I hesitate to use the phrase “deep state,” but I am beginning to get an intuition that employees at the Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR) are letting their values on gun control mix in with their jobs. Even this scaled-down wording is a pretty big accusation, so let me defend why I’m starting to feel this way. The first and most obvious is their list of weapons you’ll need a government permission slip to buy under SB25-003 (something I’ve covered multiple times in the past, but if you’d like to see a recent discussion between Jon Caldara and Ray Elliott of the Colorado State Shooting Association on the topic, see “Related” below). The second part goes all th...
Three Wildland Firefighters Die In Burnover During Western Colorado Fire Fight
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Three Wildland Firefighters Die In Burnover During Western Colorado Fire Fight

By: Logan Smith, Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado Three wildland firefighters died Saturday during their response to a pair of Colorado wildfires, federal agencies announced early Sunday morning.  Two other firefighters were injured and flown out by helicopters to area hospitals. "Our immediate focus is on supporting their families, friends, and fellow crewmates during this incredibly difficult time," the U.S. Wildland Fire Service stated in a 12:30 a.m. social media post.  The five fighters were caught in a "burnover," according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Interior. A burnover occurs when firefighters are overtaken or trapped by a wildfire and take cover under protective shelters carried in their packs. Firefighters are trained to use...
Candidates Make Final Pitch In High Stakes Race For Colorado Attorney General
DENVER7, Approved, State

Candidates Make Final Pitch In High Stakes Race For Colorado Attorney General

By: Colette Bordelon | Denver7 There are four Democrats and two Republicans vying to be Colorado's next Attorney General. Denver7 spoke with all of them, who gave their final pitches to primary voters. DENVER — The race to become Colorado's next Attorney General is filled with six candidates who all want to become the "people's lawyer." Denver7 sat down with each of them to hear their final pitches to voters, with the primary election in Colorado on June 30. The current AG, Phil Weiser, is running in the gubernatorial Democratic primary. Four Democrats hope they will take his spot, and two Republicans believe it is time for the state to change the direction of that office. Unaffiliated voters can choose what primary they vote in, but cannot cast ballots...
Repeated Brush Fires Near Aurora RTD Station Spark Arson Investigation
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Repeated Brush Fires Near Aurora RTD Station Spark Arson Investigation

By Michael Abeyta | CBS Colorado Over the last two weeks, fires have popped up in an open space area in the eastern part of the Denver metro area very close to homes. Aurora Fire Rescue says they are being investigated as intentionally set fires. The fires are happening near RTD's Dayton Station just north of Interstate 225. Aurora Fire says they and the Denver Fire Department have responded to several vegetation fires in the area recently because the City of Aurora, City of Denver and City of Greenwood Village share jurisdictional boundaries around the RTD station. Aurora investigators believe the first fire happened around 5 p.m. on June 10. On that day there were two or three separate fires burning. The most recent incident was a fire on Friday June 19. There...
Eleven Indicted In Colorado Auto Theft Ring Linked To Mexican Cartels
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Eleven Indicted In Colorado Auto Theft Ring Linked To Mexican Cartels

By Matt Kyle | The Denver Gazette Eleven people who authorities said were part of a large metro Denver area car theft ring that shipped stolen cars to Mexico to be used by cartels have been indicted. The indictments — announced Monday by Attorney General Phil Weiser and Denver District Attorney John Walsh — were filed May 22. The alleged members worked together to steal vehicles from municipal airport parking lots, hotels and businesses across the Front Range, authorities said in a news release. The thefts are alleged to have taken place between July 2024 and January 2025. The thefts were mainly of full-sized pickup trucks, trailers and recreational vehicles. The thefts took place in Adams, Boulder, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties, as well as in De...
DEA Whistleblower Says Biden Era Operation Let Million Fentanyl Pills Hit Streets
Just The News, Approved, National

DEA Whistleblower Says Biden Era Operation Let Million Fentanyl Pills Hit Streets

By Katherine Pugh | Just the News The scandal, mirroring that of the 2009-2011 Operation Fast and Furious, was used to gain intel for cases against major drug traffickers in an effort to eventually save more lives. A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent has evidence that his agency and federal prosecutors let more than 1 million fentanyl pills flow onto the streets of New Mexico during the Biden era and then tried to silence him from testifying after he blew the whistle, the agent's lawyer tells Just the News. "DEA has a campaign that says one pill can kill, and so the DEA allowing this to happen was really significant. It was driven also by the US Attorney's Office in New Mexico," Attorney Tristan Leavitt, president of the Empower Oversight, whistleblower cent...