Headlines

Headlines – April 25, 2023

Listen:

Headlines – April 25, 2023 Alyssa Palazzo

SCOTUS Climate Ruling Affects Boulder

City officials in Boulder are hailing a U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow lawsuits brought by municipalities in five states, including Colorado, to move forward in state courts.

The high court yesterday rejected a request by ExxonMobil and Suncor that it review an appeals court ruling that the case belonged at the state court level. A ruling in the oil company’s favor would have forced the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and San Miguel County, among others, into federal court.

Instead, the municipalities can proceed in state courts with their efforts to hold the corporations accountable for the effects of climate change.

Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett said the Supreme Court ruling affirmed what the city already knew – that their case deserves its day in local court. He added that it’s local communities that experience the impact and cost of climate change.

The president of the Center for Climate Integrity told NBC News that big oil companies wanted to avoid state courts, because plaintiffs have a better chance of winning.

Colorado Abortion Law Challenge

A ruling on whether to block Colorado’s new law that bans so-called medication abortion reversals could come by the end of this week.

A federal judge yesterday heard arguments from state officials and from the CEO of a faith-based clinic challenging the new law.

Colorado officials have already pledged not to enforce the state’s new ban on medication abortion reversal, until after regulatory boards issue rules about it.

That’s expected to happen sometime this fall.

But the CEO of Bella Health and Wellness Clinic, in Englewood, said she wants more than just a promise from the state. The clinic’s attorneys are asking the judge to block the law entirely, until legal challenges are played out.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has already said that medication abortion reversal treatments are not based in science.

Governor Jared Polis signed the bill banning them earlier this month. Bella Heath applied for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction soon after.

The judge’s ruling on the matter is expected by this Saturday.

Attempted Armed Robbery On CU Boulder Campus

CU Boulder campus police are looking for two suspects involved in an attempted armed robbery early this morning, at the University of Colorado’s William Village dorms. CU Police sent the initial alert warning of gunfire through the campus alert system at around 4:00 AM. Just before sunrise, they announced that the two suspects had fled the scene in a white jeep Cherokee.

King Soopers Competency Hearing Scheduled

A competency hearing is scheduled for late next month for the man accused in the mass murder at a Boulder King Soopers store two years ago.

A judge ruled in late 2021 that the suspect was not competent to stand trial, based on evaluations at a mental health hospital in Pueblo. Prosecutors challenged that ruling, calling the diagnosis flawed.

Psychological experts for the defense, however, stand by their evaluation.

The suspect faces more than 100 criminal charges stemming from the March 2021 mass shooting that killed ten people.

The competency hearing could clear the way for the suspect to stand trial. The hearing is scheduled to last for three days, and begins on May 23rd.

Jefferson County Rock Throwing Homicide Update

Two more people are reporting that their vehicles were damaged by someone throwing rocks at them in Jefferson County last week.

That brings the total number of reports of rocks thrown at cars last week to seven. 9News reports that one of those incidents resulted in the death of a twenty-year-old Arvada woman. Alexa Bartell was killed as she drove home from work.

All seven incidents happened between 10:15 last Wednesday night and shortly after midnight Thursday morning.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is saying that the rocks were 3 to 5 pounds, possibly landscaping rocks.

Neither driver in the two new reports was hurt, although the windshields of each vehicle were damaged. Both happened as they drove on southbound Colorado 93.

The sheriff’s office is asking residents near the Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge to check any home surveillance footage on April 19 between 9:45 – 11 p.m. to see if a light-colored pickup truck or SUV can be seen.

A sheriff’s office spokesperson said they have received nearly 300 tips since Thursday.

No arrests have been made.

King Soopers-Albertsons Merger

Colorado Attorney General Phill Weiser will hold a meeting in Longmont today to gather community feedback on the proposed merger between grocery store giants Albertsons and Kroger. The two companies operate the Safeway and King Soopers chains in Colorado. The meeting takes place this afternoon from 4 to 5 PM at Longmont High School.

Boulder Electric Fire Engine

Boulder Fire-Rescue will become the first fire department in Colorado to have an electric fire engine.

The city announced yesterday that it will receive the state-of-the-art fire engine late next year, or in early 2025.

In addition to reduced emissions, the Rosenbauer RTX has features that better support firefighters, as well as all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, and less operational noise.

The electric fire engine has a $1.78 million price tag. City officials say it is a planned expense, and that it is part of a broader movement toward electric vehicles.

New KGNU Building

Finally this morning KGNU is pleased to announce the purchase of what will become its new home on 14th Street in the heart of downtown Boulder.

The building acquisition comes as KGNU celebrates 45 years of operations as Boulder’s community radio station.

The building purchase was made possible in part by a November 2017 ballot measure to invest sales tax dollars into local non-profits. KGNU received access to a $1.25 million grant from the City of Boulder, with the stipulation that the station match that amount through fundraising.

KGNU plans to remodel the new location into state-of-the-art broadcast and production studios, including a live music performance space. The station expects to move into its new home at 1720 14th Street in early 2025.