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Greeley Plant Workers Head Back To Work Amid Ongoing Labor Dispute
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Greeley Plant Workers Head Back To Work Amid Ongoing Labor Dispute

By: The Associated Press | Denver7 Workers at the Greeley JBS meatpacking plant, one of the nation's largest, have agreed to return to work and halt a three-week strike after plant owner JBS USA agreed to resume negotiations, labor union representatives announced Saturday. The strike by thousands of workers at the Swift Beef Co. plant began on March 16 in coordination with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 union in a bid for higher wages and better health care. The strike came as U.S. cattle numbers hit a 75-year-old low this year, a decline driven in part by drought and low prices offered to ranchers. Meanwhile, beef prices have soared to record levels, adding to economic anxiety in the U.S. The union said in a statement that workers will return to...
Proposed Law Could Expose Colorado Prosecutors to Civil Lawsuits
DENVER7, Approved, State

Proposed Law Could Expose Colorado Prosecutors to Civil Lawsuits

By Colette Bordelon | Denver7 A bill that could be introduced in the Colorado legislature is already drawing strong opinions on what prosecutorial immunity should look like. DENVER — In Colorado, prosecutors can face criminal ramifications if their actions while working on a case warrant such a charge — but they cannot be sued in civil court for damages caused to a defendant. The concept is called prosecutorial immunity, something the district attorney for the First Judicial District, Alexis King, explained to Denver7 The Colorado Attorney Regulation Counsel addresses ethics concerns as an independent body that can review attorney conduct and licensure. "Not only do I believe the checks and balances are there, I believe that prosecutors as a p...
Federal Judge Rejects DOJ Challenge to Colorado Sanctuary Laws
DENVER7, Approved, State

Federal Judge Rejects DOJ Challenge to Colorado Sanctuary Laws

By: The Associated Press | Denver7 The lawsuit claimed the state and its most populous city passed “sanctuary laws” violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. DENVER (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit accusing Colorado and Denver of interfering with the enforcement of immigration laws. The lawsuit claimed the state and its most populous city passed “sanctuary laws” violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. At issue were four state laws and two Denver laws that limit the use of resources for immigration enforcement and protect the rights and personal information of immigrants. U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher said the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 1997 case that the fede...
Colorado Drought Pushes Water Districts Toward Higher Rates
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Drought Pushes Water Districts Toward Higher Rates

By Dan Grossman | Denver7 Denver Water and Aurora will determine drought restrictions and corresponding rate hikes next month. DENVER — Colorado’s drought has intensified dramatically this year, and Front Range water districts warning that rate hikes may soon follow. More than 90% of Colorado is under some level of drought, which is up from 62% at this point last year, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. Perhaps most alarming is that 95% of Eagle County is in a drought, up from 0% at this time last year. Drought MonitorThis map shows Summit County — in bold above — which is currently experiencing a drought of D3 or higher across the entire area. D3 is extreme drought. About 15% of the county is under D4, or exceptional drought. The drought...
Polis Moves Colorado Into WHO Network After US Withdrawal
DENVER7, Approved, State

Polis Moves Colorado Into WHO Network After US Withdrawal

By Óscar Contreras | Denver7 The move is the latest in a series of actions Colorado has undertaken amid shakeup in federal health policy. DENVER — Colorado has been accepted into a network of more than 360 institutions as the state seeks to stay ahead of emerging public health threats following the withdrawal of the U.S. from the World Health Organization earlier this year. “We are thrilled to join the World Health Organization’s GOARN network, especially during a time when federal public health guidance is becoming less consistent,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Wednesday. “Disease does not stop at borders, and this partnership helps ensure Colorado is better prepared to protect people and respond quickly to emerging threats.” The WHO’s Global Out...
Cherry Creek Schools Face Scrutiny After 14 Contracts Signed Improperly
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Cherry Creek Schools Face Scrutiny After 14 Contracts Signed Improperly

By Natalie Chuck | Denver7 Revelation comes just months after the former superintendent resigned and his wife, the head of human resources, was place on administrative leave amid an ongoing investigation. GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Denver7 Investigates has learned that 14 employment contracts, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, were signed improperly in the Cherry Creek School District. The revelation comes after one parent and district alum filed an open records request to see an interim superintendent's contract. "I wanted to see what the terms of his contract were," parent Molly Lamar told Denver7 Investigates. The contract for Toby Arritola, who was previously the district's executive director of strategic initiatives, was signed Feb. 2...
Denver $178M Homeless Initiative Faces Scrutiny Over Missing Funds
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...
Homan Says ICE Will Step In As TSA Staffing Crisis Grows
DENVER7, Approved, National

Homan Says ICE Will Step In As TSA Staffing Crisis Grows

By Gage Jackson | Denver7 Since the partial government shutdown began more than a month ago, about 10% of TSA’s 50,000 security agents have called off work, leading to long lines at airports. U.S. border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that he has been tasked with deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to U.S. airports as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to struggle with staffing shortages due to the ongoing partial government shutdown. Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Homan said the federal immigration agents won't replace TSA agents but can help with security and ease their workload. He added that the primary focus will be on "airports where the longest waits are." "We’re simply there to help TSA do t...
Colorado Budget Gap Swells To $1.5 Billion As Lawmakers Brace For Cuts
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Budget Gap Swells To $1.5 Billion As Lawmakers Brace For Cuts

By Nick Coltrain | Denver7 New forecasts set the stage for the final push on the state budget. DENVER — The fiscal picture for Colorado’s state government has somehow gotten even murkier — and potentially much worse. Lawmakers walked into Thursday’s key economic forecasts pessimistic about what the reports would tell them about the state budget. They walked out of it with one forecast warning they now needed to close a $1.5 billion deficit in the next week or so, an increase over the $1 billion prediction from just a few days earlier. That does not account for some cuts the committee has proposed but not yet finalized. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
Legal Battle Erupts Over NCAR Shutdown And Federal Authority
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Legal Battle Erupts Over NCAR Shutdown And Federal Authority

By Óscar Contreras | Denver7 Consortium alleges NCAR dismantling is "collateral damage" for Colorado’s refusal to bow down to the Trump administration and its demands to end mail-in voting and release Tina Peters from prison. DENVER — A consortium of more than 100 colleges and universities filed a lawsuit Monday against their federal partners, alleging the dismantling of Boulder’s National Center for Atmospheric Research by the Trump administration is illegal and part of a “campaign of retaliation” against the state of Colorado. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court of Colorado by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research against the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies and its leaders, alleges the dismantling of NCAR is motivated by t...