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05_13_24_am_headlines John Kelin
CEMEX Appeal
The CEMEX cement company says that a decision by Boulder County to close its cement plant in Lyons is wrong, and should be reversed.
The company said late last week that forcing it to close the plant will have statewide implications, because it will make it more expensive to build new homes in Colorado.
Boulder County last month ordered the CEMEX plant in Lyons to shut down, because increased traffic into and out of the facility made it out of compliance with the county’s land-use regulations.
CEMEX says it has filed a response to the county’s termination notice, but has not shared it publicly, according to the Colorado Sun.
The Lyons plant is on an 866-acre property that is zoned for agriculture, according to BizWest. But because the plant has been there since the 1960s, before the code was enacted, CEMEX had been allowed to continue its operations.
CEMEX, which is based in Mexico, says the decision that the plant is now in violation of the code is factually and legally incorrect.
Read more (BizWest)
Read more (Colorado Sun)
East High School Threat
East High School in Denver has stepped-up security today, following a threat posted to social media over the weekend.
The school district said that after learning of the unspecified threat, they notified their Department of Safety, which works with Denver Police, according to 9News. Both agencies began to investigate.
The district also said that any students with concerns should report them to a trusted adult, the Denver Police, or the Safe2Tell platform.
Rock Thrower Plea
One of three teenagers accused of taking part in a rock-throwing spree that killed an Arvada woman last year, has pleaded guilty to three felony charges.
19-year-old Zachary Kwak pleaded guilty to first degree assault, second degree assault, and criminal attempt to commit second degree assault last Friday.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 3rd.
Prosecutors say Kwak and two others killed 20-year-old Alexa Bartell as she drove along Indiana Street near Rocky Flats. She was struck by a thrown rock that smashed through her car’s windshield.
Prosecutors also say the three accused threw rocks at least six other vehicles the night Bartell was killed.
The Denver Post says that as part of Kwak’s plea, the defense has agreed he will serve a minimum of twenty years in prison.
Trials for the other two defendants are scheduled for this summer. One of them has a disposition hearing set for later this week.
Ticket Prices Bill
A new House bill awaiting the governor’s signature could provide Colorado concert-goers with more transparency when they’re buying event tickets.
House Bill 24-1378 would require online ticket sellers to list the price of a ticket with most additional charges, as opposed to not giving consumers the full price until checkout.
Those additional charges –at the end of a ticket purchase— can be up to 31% of the price of an event’s ticket from sellers such as Ticketmaster, according to The US Government and Accountability Office.
The bill is also aimed at combating bot software that quickly purchases the bulk majority of tickets after they drop from original sellers.
If Governor Polis signs the bill into law, it would also guarantee refunds for canceled shows hosted at Colorado venues who reside under The National Independent Venue Association.
CU Denver Commencement Disrupted
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted CU-Denver commencement ceremonies on Saturday, during a speech by Chancellor Michelle Marks.
Days before, protestors warned they would disrupt the ceremony.
Students on the Auraria campus in Denver have been demonstrating against the Israel-Hamas war for more than two weeks.
After the disruption, Chancellor Marks told the demonstrators that there is a time and a place for protests, according to Denver 7. She added that the commencement ceremony wasn’t it, because they were gathered to celebrate a graduating class.
CU-Denver shares the Auraria campus with Metropolitan State University and Community College of Denver. Denver 7 said neither of their commencement ceremonies were disrupted.
In Boulder, more than nine thousand students received their diplomas last week, in a ceremony at Folsom Field. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak delivered the commencement address, telling graduates that they might forget a lot of class work in the years ahead, but they would always remember their time at the University of Colorado.
Read more (CU-Boulder)
