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02_20_24_am_headlines Alexis Kenyon
Denver May Spend More Feed Thousands of Migrants
Denver City Council today will look at whether to spend another $475,000 on feeding migrants living in shelters. The proposal would amend the city’s contract with Colorado Hospitality Services to provide the shelters with food.
If it’s approved, the contract would total $925,000, according to the City Council website. There are currently 2,866 migrants living in city shelters,
Members of advocacy groups are asking why the city has not extended its severe weather shelter services. The most recent extension expired on Saturday, and people staying in cold weather shelters, including the Denver Coliseum, were told to leave. An organizer with the Housekeys Action Network Denver told Denver7 that the end of the extension is having a disproportionate effect on migrant families, who are unaccustomed to cold weather. The city had been keeping cold weather shelters open around the clock during recent severe weather.
Colorado Democrats won’t have to commit to Biden on this year’s primary ballot
For the first time, voters in Colorado’s Democratic primary will have the option of choosing a “noncommitted delegate” in the part of their ballot for presidential candidates.
The new ballot option is the result of voter-approved changes to presidential primary elections in 2016. That’s when the state Democratic Party’s executive committee discontinued the caucus system for choosing presidential nominees. Instead, the state decided to allow voters to cast a ballot in either party’s primary.
Executive Director Karin Asensio told Colorado Newsline that the panel agreed that adding a “noncommitted delegate” would increase voter participation and also be more democratic. She added that she thinks a lot of people appreciate having the choice of not committing. If enough voters choose a “noncommitted” delegate, it could mean that some of Colorado’s 72 nominating delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention this summer would not be pledging to support President Biden or any other candidate.
Some Colorado primary voters said concerns about President Biden’s age, or concerns about how he has handled the war in Gaza, have them considering the noncommitted option. The Colorado primary is on March 5th.
Avalanche Death Update
The skier who died in an avalanche near Crested Butte on February 11th was one of a group of four experienced skiers who knew the area and were well-prepared. That’s according to a report of the incident, made public by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The group had avalanche rescue communication equipment and were aware of the potential for an avalanche. But, the report said, it wasn’t enough to save the life of the skier, who was caught and buried in snow. The victim’s companions were able to locate him and dig him out, but the skier was severely injured and unresponsive.
The others administered first aid and radioed for help and were able to get him down the mountain, where a helicopter with medical personnel arrived. But it wasn’t enough.
The victim’s name has not been released.
Boulder RTD Reopens
The downtown Boulder RTD station is open again, after being closed for more than a year.
The station, at 1800 14th Street, reopened yesterday. RTD closed the station in January 2023, after they found methamphetamine residue in its restrooms. Residue also got into the station’s interior ductwork.
In a press release, RTD said that everything that couldn’t be cleaned has been removed and replaced, adding that reopening the station in a safe condition has been their top priority. In addition to the restrooms, the walls and ceiling in the station’s lobby have been repainted, and the main tile floor has been deep cleaned and sealed.
