The Coloradoan in Fort Collins reports on a proposed ordinance some worry would criminalize homelessness. “With the busy summer tourist season in mind, Fort Collins officials are looking for ways to deal with people whose behaviors cause problems for downtown businesses and visitors,” the paper reports. “Ideas presented to City Council members Tuesday included reserving bed space in the Larimer County Jail for repeat violators of city codes, installing more surveillance cameras to deter criminal activity and establishing rules for where people may hang out downtown and for how long.”
“Boulder government and law enforcement officials are bracing for a threatened crackdown from the White House, following President Donald Trump’s executive action declaring intent to block federal funding to sanctuary cities,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “Wednesday’s executive action gives Secretary of Homeland Security John E. Kelly authority to withhold federal grants from cities he deems to be sanctuaries. Though there is no official definition of “sanctuary city,” Boulder has acted for years as self-identifying sanctuaries do, by refusing to comply with federal authorities by questioning, detaining or turning over people on the basis of immigration status.”
“This year should be a promising one for the economy in northern Colorado even though a few sectors in the region face uncertainty under the new Donald Trump administration,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “That’s the message experts in banking, health care, real estate and agriculture shared with the few hundred people gathered in the University of Northern Colorado’s University Center on Wednesday afternoon for the Northern Colorado Economic Forecast. BizWest Media sponsors the annual event.”
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports on errors police made in a local home raid based on a faulty tip about drugs and guns.
A Longmont construction company is helping a local woman fix her home for free, reports The Times-Call. “A lot of this is kind of like the reason we started this business in the first place, besides Jason having 30 years of experience, is really to ingrain ourselves in Longmont,” Tyrell Coover, owner of a construction business, told the paper. “… We really want to live here, work here, be here and help people in our own community.”
The Pueblo Chieftain reports Colorado Public Utilities Commissioner Frances Koncilja “not only refused to take herself off the Black Hills Energy rate case Wednesday, but went after new Commissioner Wendy Moser’s history as a former lawyer for the utility, saying the PUC needs to create a public record of all of Moser’s testimony and filings on behalf of the utility. Black Hills wants Koncilja removed from any rehearing of its $8.5 million revenue case, claiming her sharp criticisms of the utility show she is prejudiced against it. Moser, a Black Hills lawyer from 2011 to 2014, was appointed to the commission earlier this month by Gov. John Hickenlooper, along with new Chairman Jeff Ackermann.”
“Is there Uber in Steamboat?” That is one of the most most popular searches on the website of The Steamboat Pilot & Today. “The answer is, ‘Yes,'” the paper reports. “Uber has been in Steamboat for about two years, but there are times when no available drivers will pop up on your phone app. And getting an Uber driver to meet you outside baggage claim at Yampa Valley Regional Airport, 22 miles west of Steamboat in Hayden, isn’t straightforward.”
Durango is planning for housing through 2040, The Durango Herald reports. “Durango’s population is expected to grow from 18,500 to 31,500 by 2040, and so housing is a key piece of city’s comprehensive plan update. The plan is expected to encourage dense housing within city limits and anticipates the annexation of land on the edges of town to absorb growth, city consultant Michael Lauer said. The city does not encourage or discourage growth, rather it tries to plan well for projected growth,” he told the paper.
The Cañon City Daily Record reports on internationally-known artist Christo saying the reason he is canceling his Over The River project is to protest Donald Trump. “Christo, 81, issued a release Wednesday announcing the cancellation of the project about the same time [a] New York Times’ article was released,” the paper reports. “I came from a Communist country,” Christo said in the NYT story. “I use my own money and my own work and my own plans because I like to be totally free. And here now, the federal government is our landlord. They own the land. I can’t do a project that benefits this landlord.”
Denver and Aurora are at risk if President Donald Trump takes action against sanctuary cities, The Denver Post reports. They could both could “lose millions of dollars in federal funding under an executive order signed Wednesday by President Donald Trump that would punish municipalities that do not cooperate with immigration authorities. The decree, one of several immigration measures approved by Trump, would give power to the U.S. Attorney General and the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to withhold federal grants from so-called sanctuary cities ‘except as deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes,’ according to the order.”
The Gazette reports how Colorado Springs “will usher in a new era of professional road cycling when the Colorado Classic comes to town this summer. Mayor John Suthers and two former Olympic cyclists from the area took part in a presentation Wednesday at USA Cycling announcing that the city will serve as host for the opening day of the stage race set for Aug. 10-13. Stage 2 will be in Breckenridge with the final two stages set for Denver. The Springs also will serve as the start for a two-day pro women’s race that concludes Aug. 11 in Denver.”
