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12_17_24_Headlines Jackie Sedley
Denver City Council approves flavored nicotine ban
Denver City Council has approved a ban on the sale of flavored nicotine products.
Council voted in favor of the measure 11-1 yesterday.
Roughly 550 stores will be impacted by the change. According to 9News, some business owners fear the ban could decrease sales by 30% and force them to close shop.
A ban similar to this had been vetoed by former Mayor Michael Hancock in 2021; however, current Mayor Mike Johnston supports the measure.
Backers of the ban argue that flavored nicotine products often attract younger people and can cause lifelong addictions.
Other cities considering a flavored tobacco ban include Aspen, Boulder, Carbondale, Edgewater, Glenwood Springs, Golden, and Snowmass Village.
The bill was first passed in a meeting earlier this month by Denver’s Safety, Housing, Education, and Homelessness Committee. The ban should be implemented within 90 days, but the mayor says more time might be needed to enact such a large ban.
Minimum wage to increase in new year
Starting January 1, workers across Colorado will see pay increases as the state’s minimum wage goes up.
The rate will increase from $14.42 to $14.81.
The raise is thanks to a recently implemented statewide minimum wage that’s set to increase every year.
Overall, this will provide an average increase of about $811 more per year for full-time workers – about $30,804 total. This is the first time that most minimum wage workers in Colorado will receive over $30,000.
Workers who make tips at their places of employment will get a $0.39 per hour increase, raising their hourly wages to $11.79 an hour.
However, if you work in Denver, Edgewater, or Boulder, you will end up making more than the statewide minimum – between $0.75-$4.00 more, depending on which city you live in. Workers in these areas have the highest minimum wage in the state of Colorado.
Boulder to do prescribed burns on Marshall Mesa
The Boulder County office of Fire Management (OFM) will likely be conducting prescribed burns on Marshall Mesa this morning.
The prescribed burns are a part of Boulder County’s efforts to figure out the most effective means of fuel management and mitigation.
Many of the residents in the area are Marshall Fire survivors. According to CBS News, the County decided to give a heads up about the burns so that locals wouldn’t think they were going through another disaster.
OFM will decide whether or not to go through with today’s burns based on the weather. The research requires that the weather be similar to the day of the Marshall fire, such as the temperature, wind, and humidity conditions.
Lakewood considering new gas station restrictions
Lakewood’s gas stations are at the forefront of City Council conversations.
City leaders are proposing an ordinance that would restrict the city’s 52 gas stations that serve 156,000 residents across Lakewood.
The measure would also restrict the number of car washes, which officials consider a leading cause of excessive water usage and pollution according to a city memo.
The proposal passed an initial vote on December 9 and will reach the Council on January 13. At that point, they’ll decide whether to approve, amend, or table the measure.
The proposal comes after Louisville limited their gas stations to six for their population of 20,000 people. Denver is considering similar efforts, though instead of a cap, they’re thinking of mandating a quarter-mile separation between new gas stations, existing petrol stations, and rail stations.
The Denver planning board will vote on that measure on Wednesday.
Lakewood‘s restrictions would go even further than Denver’s; theirs would require new gas stations to be built half a mile apart from old gas stations.
