A new coverage limit is coming for weight-loss drug for Colorado state employees

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    MorningMagazine_2025-01-23 Jack Dawson

Longmont HOA votes for prairie dog removal amid controversy

A Colorado homeowners association has voted to relocate a prairie dog colony living in a community open space.

The Harvest Junction Village HOA in Longmont decided that relocation efforts will only continue until March 1st. After that, any remaining prairie dogs will be exterminated.

The decision, made during a recent meeting, sparked controversy among residents. According to CBS News Colorado, many called for the deadline to be pushed past March 1.

Some advocated for relocating the prairie dogs, while others expressed fear of property damage and the colony’s impact on vegetation.

Some residents organized a petition against the extermination piece of the plan, and got over 70 signatures. Still, despite alternative suggestions from locals, the HOA Board plans to move forward with their removal.

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Denver expands goal to move homeless residents into permanent housing

Denver city officials have set a new goal to place 2,000 unhoused people into permanent housing this year, doubling their original target for 2025. 

The decision follows internal discussions within the city’s government in the past month, and is a part of “All in Mile High,” a homeless initiative launched by Mayor Mike Johnston in July 2023.

In its first year, the program helped 1,000 people transition from the streets into temporary housing. By the end of 2024, more than 2,000 individuals had moved into temporary shelters.

For 2025, the city plans to bring another 2,000 people into temporary housing and another 2,000 into permanent homes. Despite some skepticism from city council members, officials say they are committed to creating a better system. That’s all according to The Denver Post.

The city will also end its $10 million Radisson hotel lease, which has served as a temporary shelter, to fund permanent housing initiatives.

The 2024 “All In Mile High” initiative cost the city over $150 million. Officials predict this year’s expenses will be roughly one-third of that, since there are fewer start-up costs.

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Colorado Supreme Court Rules Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s elephants are not “legal persons”

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s elephants are not “legal persons.”

While this sounds a bit strange, this language is the Nonhuman Rights Project’s way of trying to secure the right to challenge animals’ confinement and custody. This was their ninth attempt to deem animals legal persons in court.

This time around, they tried to sue the zoo on the grounds of habeas corpus, implying the zoo’s five elephants are unlawfully imprisoned and should be released to a sanctuary. 

The animal rights group argued that the elephants are emotionally complex and suffer immensely in captivity.

The court dismissed the case, saying that elephants are not considered “persons” under state and federal law, and therefore habeas corpus cannot apply.

The justices also clarified that the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s animals are properly cared for in alignment with a number of laws.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo praised the court’s decision and accused the Nonhuman Rights Project of using “sensational cases” to solicit donations from the public.

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Colorado plans to limit weight-loss drug coverage for state employers

State officials plan to start limiting insurance coverage of prescription weight-loss drugs for its employees.

This means roughly 40,000 state employees won’t have covered access to GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic if they’re taking them to combat obesity or stave off diabetes.

However, if employees are taking the drugs for treatment of diagnosed Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obstructive sleep apnea, their state insurance plans will still cover the cost.

These medications can cost over $1,000 a month out-of-pocket.

The Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration says the decision was made to help balance the state budget, in a tough fiscal year. The cost-cutting measure by the state would free up $17 million.

The change would take effect July 1. The state will make a final decision on the policy change through the legislature’s budgeting process.

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RTD repairs to cause shutdowns next week

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) will close portions of the E and H lines in southeast Denver from Tuesday through Thursday next week for maintenance. However, according to The Denver Post, bus shuttles will carry passengers between the Southmoor and Broadway/I-25 stations.

Crews will grind down “rail-burn” bumps on the tracks to eliminate slow zones along the Southeast Corridor, which have caused delays. These zones have been operating at only 10 miles an hour and were introduced last summer after safety inspections, causing delays of 15-45 minutes for riders.

Affected stations during maintenance include I-25/Broadway, Louisiana/Pearl, University of Denver, Colorado, Yale, and Southmoor. 

RTD has also provided an online trip planner for alternate routes that you can find at rtd-denver.com.

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