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Mesa County commissioners updated on pretrial and corrections services programs
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Mesa County commissioners updated on pretrial and corrections services programs

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Matt Lewis, a former Mesa County sheriff and current Justice Services Director for the county, updated Mesa County commissioners on the status of their Pretrial Services (PTS) program and the County Community Corrections Services program on Tuesday, Nov. 19. PTS is a program for people who have been arrested to receive pretrial services in the jail, in addition to services while they are incarcerated. A pretrial assessment is completed for anyone who is booked in the Mesa County jail. This assessment is provided to the court, district attorney's office and public defender’s office to be used as a tool to inform the court as they are considering bond decisions. Setting the appropriate bond assists with maximizing releases from c...
Police investigating explicit traffic signs in Boulder area
kdvr.com, Local

Police investigating explicit traffic signs in Boulder area

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 News Boulder police are investigating after four signs with explicit messages were found affixed to speed limit signs around the city on Tuesday. The signs were found at: Table Mesa Drive and South Broadway 28th Street and Jay Road 28th Street and Palo Parkway 28th Street and Diagonal Highway READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Pikes Peak Library District CEO responds to community concerns over Rockrimmon closure
gazette.com, Local

Pikes Peak Library District CEO responds to community concerns over Rockrimmon closure

By Debbie Kelley | The Gazette As Dec. 1 approaches and the Rockrimmon Library gasps its last breath, the Pikes Peak Library District’s Chief Librarian and CEO Teona Shainidze-Krebs said she feels the community’s pain over the decision to shutter the beloved space. “We know people have passion and love for their libraries, and so do we, the staff and the board of trustees,” she said Tuesday. “I understand the concerns — this is something very hard.” Working off a new master facilities plan that recommended closing some of the 15 branches, the board voted 5-2 at its Oct. 16 meeting not to renew the lease of the storefront library at 832 Village Center Drive, which opened in 1989 in northwestern Colorado Springs. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Aurora lawmakers vote to go forward with repealing employee tax on businesses
denvergazette.com, Local

Aurora lawmakers vote to go forward with repealing employee tax on businesses

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Aurora lawmakers on Monday night decided to keep a promise made to businesses that they would repeal the occupational privilege tax, which taxes businesses for each employee. The decision came after a series of meetings during which councilmembers went back and forth on the issue and ended up in arguments with each other over whether they should keep the promise, made last year, or go back on it and keep the tax to fund new fire stations.  The occupational privilege tax collects $4 monthly from companies for each employee. Employers and employees split the dues, paying $2 respectively. The tax began in 1986 to support street maintenance, police and fire services. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
‘Something needs to be done’: Smash-and-grab burglaries on the rise
CBS Colorado, Local

‘Something needs to be done’: Smash-and-grab burglaries on the rise

By Karen Morfitt | CBS Colorado Law enforcement agencies are seeing a spike in smash-and-grab burglaries across the northern part of the Denver metro area and up into Northern Colorado. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office is looking for what they are calling the Panda Bandit. Investigators say three young suspects, one dressed in a panda costume, burglarized a gas station in Superior and took vape products. In Greeley, a clothing store is asking for help after thieves drove through their front window. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Did Middle Park sell $1 billion of water for 10 bucks?
Local, The Colorado Sun

Did Middle Park sell $1 billion of water for 10 bucks?

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun Since Dwight Eisenhower was president, tiny Middle Park Water Conservancy District has hoarded a precious gem: 20,000 acre-feet of water rights on Troublesome Creek, near Kremmling, and the authority to build a dam for it.  In October, Middle Park gave its treasure to a private rancher. For $10.   The Middle Park district, which primarily serves ranchers and hay growers in Grand and Summit counties, has only a few hundred thousand dollars of revenue each year, and no ability to raise potentially tens of millions of dollars for environmental permitting and hundreds of millions for construction, the district’s attorney said.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Western Colorado school board votes to close one elementary school, two more could shutter
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Western Colorado school board votes to close one elementary school, two more could shutter

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice It was an emotional night at the Mesa County Valley District 51 school board meeting on Nov. 19, as more than 50 public commenters packed a seven-hour session that stretched past midnight. Parents, students, teachers and community members voiced their concerns about the proposed closure of Scenic, Nisley and Clifton Elementary Schools. "No one wants to be in a situation where they are having to close schools," Superintendent Dr. Brian Hill said. "It will never feel good, but it is the situation we find ourselves in."  Hill detailed the data-driven approach used to identify schools for closure. He highlighted the Elementary Declining Enrollment Committee’s criteria, which included building adequacy, enrollment and transportatio...
Colorado Buffaloes superfan Miss Peggy celebrates her 100th birthday with Deion Sanders
CBS Colorado, Local

Colorado Buffaloes superfan Miss Peggy celebrates her 100th birthday with Deion Sanders

By Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado Colorado Buffaloes head football Coach Deion Sanders brought a special guest with him to his weekly news conference in Boulder -- Peggy Coppom, who is known better by her nickname "Miss Peggy." Coppom is a CU athletics superfan who is turning 100 on Tuesday.  Sanders has become tight with Coppom and has even dedicated this season to getting the new centenarian to a bowl game. "Which bowl do you want to go to?" Sanders inquired. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Law enforcement on the hunt for ‘panda bandits’ in Boulder County
Local, Out There Colorado

Law enforcement on the hunt for ‘panda bandits’ in Boulder County

By Spencer McKee | Out There Colorado The Boulder County Sheriff's Office is working to solve a string of 'smash and grab' burglaries that are said to have taken place at a gas station in Superior involving the theft of tobacco and vaping products. Suspects in the case have been dubbed the 'Panda Bandits,' thanks to one person donning a panda costume while committing alleged crimes. According to authorities, suspects are alleged to have used rocks to smash a door or window for entry at the gas station located at 1603 Coalton Road, with two burglarizations occurring in the early morning hours of November 2 and a third occurring on November 10. READ THE FULL STORY AT OUT THERE COLORADO
Morgan County dairywoman Mary Kraft energizes dairy organization
Local, thefencepost.com

Morgan County dairywoman Mary Kraft energizes dairy organization

By Amy G. Hadachek   | The Fence Post Fourth-generation dairy farmer Mary Kraft who built Quail Ridge Dairy from the ground up near Fort Morgan was just re-elected Dairy Management Inc. board vice chair, an organization overseeing their nationwide marketing plan. Kraft resides in rural northeast Colorado with her husband Chris, son Stratton and daughter Jordan. “While each state and region can make unique adaptations to the program, DMI’s template helps dairy farmers’ funds reach as far as possible by each area not re-creating the wheel,” Mary Kraft said. She was first elected DMI vice chair in November 2023. She is also board chair for DairyMAX conducting marketing and educating through the checkoff program funded by dairy farmers from Montana to Texas. DairyMAX works with programs ...