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Lakewood man who alleged police brutality cleared of all charges stemming from 2021 arrest
Ameer Allen waited over a year to hear the words that he knew to be true. A six-person jury found Allen not guilty on April 22 of four misdemeanor charges stemming from a fight that ensued between him and a tow truck driver, which led to Allen’s arrest, in February 2021. Since the incident, Allen, […]
Data indicates 40% increase in use of Denver metro emergency homeless shelters
Denver area homeless providers and residents have suspected that homelessness has been on the rise throughout the pandemic, but now there is some data to back up those claims. The Denver metro area saw a 40% increase in the number of people staying in emergency homeless shelters on a single night compared to last year, […]
Colorado’s child poverty rate was improving pre-pandemic, but that trend is likely to change
Colorado’s child poverty and unemployment rates had been steadily falling prior to the pandemic, and median family income was on the rise. But all of that progress came to a halt in March 2020 after the spread of COVID-19 triggered stay-at-home orders and mass layoffs, which propelled the percentage of U.S. children with an unemployed […]
Colorado’s new seat in Congress gets first well-known candidate: state Rep. Caraveo
Colorado state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Thornton Democrat, is the first well-known candidate to put their name in the hat for the state’s newest seat in Congress. Caraveo, a pediatrician, announced her formal bid for the 2022 election on Tuesday. The Latina lawmaker, who is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, has championed progressive legislation around […]
Trial pushed back for Lakewood man who alleges being victimized by police
A Jefferson County judge on Monday allowed the jury trial date to be pushed back for a Lakewood man who in February was involved in a physical altercation with a tow truck driver and ultimately arrested by police officers. Ameer Allen is charged with four misdemeanors, including assault, resisting arrest, obstructing a peace officer, and […]
A push to change Colorado’s prison culture and perceptions — one art piece at a time
As people shuffled in and out of a tiny art gallery at the University of Denver, Jerry Martinez stood off to the side, diligently working on an oil painting as the setting sun beat down on him. “I’ve been doing art since I can remember,” 42-year-old Martinez said. “I remember picking up a pencil and […]
Sen. John Hickenlooper tests positive for COVID-19
Three members of the U.S. Senate tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, including Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat. “After experiencing mild symptoms, I tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19,” Hickenlooper said in a written statement. The former governor of Colorado joined the U.S. Senate in November. “I’m feeling much better and will […]
This tribal elder helped remove 157-year-old proclamations used to incite Sand Creek Massacre
When tribal elder Rick Williams, a member of the Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne Tribes, started researching the history of his great-great grandfather, White Horse, in the summer of 2018, he stumbled upon a horrifying fact. He discovered that two proclamations signed 157 years ago that explicitly targeted Native Americans and incited the mass murder […]
COVID-19 vaccine required for all prison staff, says Colorado Department of Corrections
The Colorado Department of Corrections announced on Tuesday that it will require all staff members within their correctional facilities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Previously, vaccinations were voluntary. The announcement is part of a multiagency push to get state employees who interact with vulnerable populations and people in congregate settings vaccinated against the virus as […]
These five Colorado counties account for more than 73% of evictions filed this year
Thousands of evictions have been filed throughout Colorado since January, highlighting the gaps in both state and federal eviction protections put in place throughout the pandemic. Between January and August, 13,212 evictions were filed across the state, with more than 73% of eviction filings submitted in Arapahoe, Adams, El Paso, Jefferson and Denver counties, according […]
Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine recommended for immunocompromised Coloradans
Colorado’s health department is following in the footsteps of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by formally recommending that people with compromised immune systems get a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Providers across the state are encouraged to offer an additional dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to moderately or severely immunocompromised […]
Colorado redistricting panel votes to end ‘prison gerrymandering’ in new legislative maps
For the first time in the state’s history, Colorado will change how it counts incarcerated people when drawing up new legislative maps, a redistricting panel confirmed in a vote on Friday. Historically, prison inmates have been counted by the U.S. Census Bureau as residing in the county where they are incarcerated, which redistricting and criminal […]