Headlines – August 21, 2023

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Changes Mark First Day Of School At DPS

Denver Public Schools start today, with some changes.

According to Denverite, armed police known as School Resource Officers will be back in 13 high schools. That includes East High School where a shooting incident in March prompted the Denver School Board to reverse course on moving police out of schools. The board had voted to remove SROs from public schools in 2020 because of concerns over racial profiling.

Another change: DPS students – along with all public school students in Colorado – are eligible for free cafeteria meals. Almost 180 Colorado school districts are participating in the new, voter-approved program called “Healthy School Meals for All.”

CU Welcomes Students Back To Dorms

Today is move-in day for CU Boulder students living on campus. The move-in process has been spread out over several days to keep traffic jams at a minimum, according to the university.

According to a CU press release, local residents should expect area groceries and big box stores to be busier with students picking up household goods and kitchen essentials. The families of new students will also be busy all week with their Fall Welcome Family events.

United Airlines Partners With MSU To Educate Future Pilots 

United Airlines and Metropolitan State University, or MSU, are establishing a partnership in an attempt to address the nationwide shortage of commercial pilots. Starting this week, MSU Students can join Aviate, a learning and career development program organized by the university and United Airlines. Aviate was designed to create a streamlined path to becoming a pilot. 

After students submit an application, they go through an interview process. Accepted students receive conditional admission to the program. Graduates of the Aviate program can expect to secure a pilot job with United Airlines upon completion of the program. 

The airline company also purchased 13 acres of land by Denver International Airport earlier this month and plans to build a pilot training facility. United Airlines is the largest private employer in the Denver Metro area.

Griswold Opposes Kroger-Albertsons Merger

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold joined counterparts last week to oppose a potential merger between Kroger and Albertsons.

 In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, Griswold and secretaries representing six other states claimed the merger would create a monopoly. They said the almost 5,000 grocery stores that would be affected could see unfair price changes for both consumers and local suppliers.

 According to The Denver Gazette, a Kroger spokesperson responded to the letter by email, saying the merger would mean lower prices, higher wages and growing union jobs.

 Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced in July there will be a multistate investigation of the merger in the coming months.

 Colorado Council Announces New Grants To Fight Opioid Crisis

Colorado officials tasked with fighting the opioid crisis approved a second round of funding last week for state programs.

The Colorado Opioid Abatement Council, or COAC, announced several grants totaling $2.5 million in funding. The money will go to state organizations, including regional councils, county health departments and for a school that provides treatment for teens recovering from substance addiction.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, there were over 3,300 drug overdose deaths related to prescription and illegal opioids between 2020 and 2022. Colorado has received over $700 million in settlement money from drugmakers and pharmaceutical distributors who were sued for the nationwide opioid crisis. The first grants were announced in March.

Bicyclist Killed Near I-25 Ramp In Denver

Another cyclist has been killed in a crash with a car, this time near the I-25 on-ramp at Santa Fe Drive Saturday morning.

Denver police are investigating how the crash occurred. 

UCHealth Performs First Robotic Living Donor Liver Transplant In Colorado

 Doctors at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital have performed the first robotic living donor liver transplant surgery in the Rocky Mountain Region.

 The head of the hospital’s transplant center, Dr. Elizabeth Pomfret, said using robotic technology means a smaller incision, quicker recovery and less pain for the donor.

 UCHealth says rates of alcohol-associated liver disease doubled since the pandemic and patients are much younger – between 25 and 50 years old. Pre-pandemic, most patients were over 55.

 The hospital claims to have the largest program in the nation for living donors who want to donate liver tissue to complete strangers.

Western Slope Fires Have Burned 10,000 Acres

Lighting has sparked about a dozen fires across the Western Slope. The fires have burned about 10,000 combined acres but so far not threatened any structures. Little Mesa, Quartz Ridge Bear Creek and Deserado fires have burnt the most acreage. Officials have pre-evacuated residents around the Bear Creek Fire. 

As of now, none of these fires are close to being fully contained. The Little Mesa Fire, with a team of 60 firefighters battling it, has achieved a 30% containment rate.

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