Industry ties
Aurora is being drilled and fracked by oil companies, so city council members agreed to establish an oil and gas committee to monitor activity. Councilwoman Renie Peterson says her idea was that the new committee would give “people affected by gas and oil in their neighborhoods… a seat at the table.” But it now looks like the nine-member committee will be made up of six people tied to the oil and gas industry and just three residents. Meanwhile, the nonprofit, Conservation Colorado, has reported that 187,000 active mineral leases are being worked near neighborhoods, parks and schools in Arapahoe County. Via The Aurora Sentinel.
New deal
Boulder teachers just signed a three-year contract that includes a cost of living raise and additional pay for experience. Boulderites will be footing a $6.1 million tab to pay the cost. Via The Daily Camera.
Catch 22
Obama’s championing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, many Democrats are opposing it, and Michael Bennet is stuck in the messy middle, reports The Denver Post.
Black out
A sure-to-be ugly sexual assault trial is unfolding in Boulder. Two Air Force cadets visited the CU campus last year, reports The Daily Camera. They had drinks and went out to parties. For one of the cadets, memories of the night faded fast. She woke up the next morning in pain and with images of being raped that she thought may have been the product of a very bad dream. Under police questioning, accused cadet Daniel Ryerson said he “didn’t believe it was possible” that he had sex with his colleague. But his DNA matches evidence collected in the case, according to police. Ryerson pled not guilty at a preliminary hearing on Friday. The trial is set for October.
Rug burn
Authentic Persian and Oriental Rugs in Glendale is saying the city is pulling out the rug from under them by trying to grab the store’s land through eminent domain. Now, the city is facing lawsuits and protest. Via Westword.
Hard landing
It’s a beautiful cliffside spot in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was also marked with an ominous X by Harold Henthorn on the map of the park he held when his wife fell to her death from the spot. Prosecutors say he pushed her, and Henthorn is now on trial in Denver for murder. His attorneys want to bar admission of evidence tied to an earlier accident at the couple’s cabin in which wife Toni Henthorn said she was struck by a falling beam. The lawyers also argue that details surrounding the death of Henthorn’s first wife should be barred from the trial as well, which is surely a good idea for the future of Harold Henthorn and less so for the health of any of his future wives. Via The Coloradan.
Got religion?
Whether you want to move to Denver and get religion or steer clear of people of faith, Michael Roberts of Westword has put together this handy guide to the most religious neighborhoods in the city.
