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Evacuations lifted, roadways reopened after JeffCo fire
All evacuations have been lifted after a 6-acre wildfire in Jefferson County shut down the U.S. 285 in both directions yesterday.
At least five homes were evacuated.
The Bureau of Land Management became aware of the Twin Forks fire just before 2 p.m. yesterday. The fire burned mostly grass, shrubs, and trees along the south side of U.S. 285 and North Turkey Creek Road.
Boulder sues the FAA over the Boulder Municipal Airport
Boulder has filed a federal lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration over the possible closure of the Boulder Municipal Airport.
In a court filing last Friday, city attorneys wrote that the FAA is violating the U.S. Constitution, by asserting that Boulder keeps its airport operating indefinitely.
The city has previously accepted FAA grant funding for airport maintenance. But, the city noted that each grant agreement the city accepts obligates the city to keep the airport open for up to 20 more years from now. As a result, the city has stopped accepting grants so it can lawfully close the airport after 2040, which is when the current contract expires.
The FAA claims the grants accepted by the city require it to keep the airport open, unless the FAA says otherwise.
The filing cites the city’s shortage of affordable housing, and growing concerns around noise and environmental pollution from the airport, as reasons for their potential choice to close and redevelop the airport.
Denver Janitor strike narrowly averted, contracts agreed upon
Nearly 2,500 janitors threatening to strike starting today will no longer do so, now that a tentative agreement has been reached with their employers.
Members of SEIU Local 105 unanimously voted “yes” last week to authorize a strike, if their demands for liveable wages and hours weren’t met in their new contract.
That contract goes into effect today, and includes historic wage increases, protections against excessive workloads, and guaranteed paid sick leave. Once the contract is ratified, janitors in Denver will be some of the highest paid in the country. That’s according to The Denver Post.
Latest Dolores River protection proposals underwhelm, disappoint environmentalists
Two state counties have proposed a joint plan to protect the land around the Dolores River – and it would cover way less ground than environmentalists have been pushing for.
Mesa and Montrose counties’ proposed conservation area would be less than a 10th of the size of the national monument. The proposal would maintain existing water, grazing, and mineral rights, and would continue to be open to the public.
The Denver Post reports that the plan is the latest development in a decades-long effort to protect the area from development and potential overuse. There’s current legislation working its way through the Senate that would designate a national conservation area along the river in Montezuma, San Miguel, and Dolores Counties.
The national conversation was kickstarted by a coalition of recreation and conservation nonprofits, advocating for a 400,000-acre national monument along the Dolores River. The river currently doesn’t have any federal protections.
