“Cody Wisniewski made good on his threat Tuesday night to sue Boulder and its council, mounting a legal challenge to the city’s ban on assault weapons fewer than 24 hours after it was voted into law,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “The staff attorney for Denver-based Mountain States Legal Foundation filed suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Denver on behalf of Boulder resident and media personality Jon Caldara, the Boulder Rifle Club and the Bison Tactical gun shop. The federal lawsuit claims the ordinance — which bans the sale and possession of assault weapons, bump stocks and high-capacity magazines — violates the plaintiffs’ Constitutional rights.”
“Greeley Independence Stampede Inc. has for years violated state liquor laws, according to authorities, potentially putting at risk the organization’s ability to serve alcohol at this year’s event,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “The nonprofit organization puts on a more than week-long rodeo and entertainment event by the same name that has been running for nearly 100 years. Since at least 2006, the Stampede has apparently violated six state laws, regulations or municipal codes, according to the January 2018 summary a Greeley Police Department investigation that began in late 2017.”
“Numbers don’t tell the whole story,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “That’s the philosophy Grand Junction City Transportation Engineer Paul Jagim embraces as he considers how to reduce traffic problems within city boundaries.”
“Former Erie Town Administrator Arthur “A.J.” Krieger, who last week was abruptly fired by the town’s new leadership, has been named interim town manager of Firestone,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. “The Carbon Valley town named Krieger as finalist for the position on May 3, several days before his ousting in Erie. He was selected over the sole other candidate, Michael Segrest, according to Firestone’s website. “The Board of Trustees last night voted unanimously to appoint A.J. Krieger as Firestone’s interim town manager,” Firestone Communication Coordinator Becky Schol said in a statement. “Krieger has more than 25 years of municipal government experience, with expertise in leadership, human resource and staff development, budget and financial management, and economic and community development.” Krieger, who lives in Broomfield, will begin serving in his new role immediately. He will earn $160,000 a year, according to his employment agreement with the town — a roughly $10,000 pay cut from what he was making at the time of his departure from Erie.”
“Matthew Shelters loves snowboarding, living in the mountains and his family,” reports The Steamboat Pilot. ‘”We are really close, very close,’ Matthew’s father John Shelters said of his relationship with his son. “We are constantly talking to each other. Sometimes, a whole week would go by and I wouldn’t hear from him, but then I would get a text or a phone call. We were always very close — I just don’t know what to think.” Matthews Shelters, a 38-year-old Steamboat Springs resident, has been missing since the early morning hours of April 24. Surveillance video shows him leaving Back Door Grill on Oak Street in downtown Steamboat at 12:20 a.m., but other than that, very little is known about his whereabouts.”
“The Larimer County district attorney on Thursday said a Fort Collins police officer was justified in striking and using a Taser to subdue a resisting shoplifting suspect in March,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. “District Attorney Cliff Riedel’s letter identified for the first time the Fort Collins Police Services officer involved in the incident as Todd Hopkins. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident that occurred March 29 at the Target at 105 W. Troutman Parkway at the request of interim Fort Collins Police Chief Terry Jones. The chief asked for the review after internal concerns were raised about Hopkins’ use of force.”
“A group of Pueblo City Schools (D60) high school student leaders who vocally and visibly supported teachers and paraprofessionals during the recent five-day strike is taking activism to the next level,” reports The Pueblo Chieftain. “After conferring with a local attorney and Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder Gilbert “Bo” Ortiz on the specifics of the process, the Student Coalition for Our Teachers collective has taken the initial step toward the potential recall of D60 Board President Barb Clementi, Vice President Frank Latino and board member Bobby Gonzales.”
“Minutes after voting to close two schools to save $2.4 million toward balancing the budget, the Thompson school board decided to ask voters for a bond issue and mill levy to help the district catch up with delayed maintenance, curriculum and salaries,” reports The Loveland Reporter-Herald. “The board unanimously agreed Wednesday to put a bond and mill levy on the ballot, and though the numbers may still be refined, board members leaned toward a $149 million bond and a $14 million mill levy. Combined those new taxes would cost the average homeowner less than $1 per day, according to board member Pam Howard, and are lower than the $299 million ballot issues that failed in 2016.”
“Three key Monument staff members don’t know if they still have jobs after half of the town’s Board of Trustees were no-shows at a Wednesday night meeting and missed the deadline to reappoint them,” reports The Gazette in Colorado Springs. “Treasurer Pamela Smith came to Town Hall on Thursday because she also serves as the interim town manager. Town Clerk Laura Hogan and Town Attorney Alicia Corley did not come to work, after trustees failed to reappoint them within the 30-day period allowed under state law after new trustees were sworn in April 16.”
“Almost two weeks ago the city of Durango eliminated bus routes to the west side of town, leaving some residents with few options and others with a new alternative,” reports The Durango Herald. “City officials say the outcry has been minimal so far – possibly because residents have known the cuts were coming for a long time. Transportation has long been an expense on city coffers. The city has taken many incremental steps to avoid transit cuts, including doubling parking ticket fines, from $12 to $25, on Jan. 15, 2017. But since then, the state of Colorado has changed how it distributes grants, forcing the city to cut $800,000 from the 2018 budget.”
“Denver has, in the literal sense, long past gone to the dogs. But as thousands of residents flock to newer urban neighborhoods in the mutt-loving city, the dogs joining them face an increasingly fraught challenge,” reports The Denver Post. “When nature calls, where can they go? Even when a large park is a short walk away, the answer for some full-bladdered dogs and their apartment- and condo-dwelling owners is the patch of green nearest to their building’s front door. Two neighborhoods that have sprouted high-rises on former rail yards between Union Station and the South Platte River are facing particularly acute threats to their street-side trees, grass and other vegetation.”