Headlines — August 4, 2022

August 4, 2022

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Support Staff At Denver Public Schools To Get Pay Raise

Support staff at Denver Public Schools will see a raise in their wages this coming school year. After months of negotiations, the District has reached agreements with multiple organizations that represent workers from paraprofessionals to custodial staff to patrol officers. 

Food workers and custodians in the district will now earn more than $18 an hour and classroom aides will earn a minimum of $20 an hour. 

In a press release, DPS indicated the minimum wage for all workers will increase to $20 per hour by the 2024-2025 school year.

The increase comes as multiple districts in the state of Colorado are following the same steps due to recent cost of living hikes that make it difficult for staff to remain in their positions.

DPS To Pay $2.1 Million In Lawsuit Settlement 

Denver Public Schools (DPS) has been ordered to pay $2.1 Million (dollars) to settle a lawsuit in which the district was found to have misrepresented staff service hours to the federal government.

In this case, Denver Public Schools falsely reported staff service hours to get the AmeriCorps grant. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, six DPS programs were not qualified to earn over $500,000 in grant money but were granted over $800,000 in cash based on their false certifications. The district had to report staff office hours to get an education award, which falsely reported some hours. According to The Colorado Sun, DPS said in a written statement, “DPS maintains its actions were in alignment with its core mission of educating youth.” The school district is currently conducting its investigation into the irregularities of staff members.

Denver Includes Sidewalk Repair As Part Of Annual Concrete Maintenance Program

The Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure or “DOTI” will include the repairing of hazardous sidewalks as a part of Denver’s annual concrete maintenance program. The decision was made in order to spend fund dollars in an efficient manner and as a backup plan in case the Denver Deserves Sidewalks ballot fails to pass. The decision made by the DOTI will result in the replacement of the Neighborhood Sidewalk Repair Program.

The funding for the addition will be sourced from parking meter rates, parking citations, and an annual general fund appropriation. As of now, the DOTI has accumulated a total of $1.2 M from current contracts with numerous concrete companies to help with the repairs. The locations that will receive these repairs will be influenced by areas that the annual concrete maintenance program will focus on and other factors like level of damage and tilt.

The first sidewalk locations that will receive these repairs will be the boundaries of 26th Avenue from 35th Avenue and Downing Street to York Street.

New Filtration System Cleans Marshall Fire Particulates From Water Supply

The town of Superior now has a new water filtration system in place to resolve issues lingering from the Marshall Fire. 

Town officials announced yesterday that a granular activated carbon filtration or “GAC” system has been installed at the town’s water treatment facility. 

The installation of the filtration system came after months of complaints by residents that the town’s water had an unpleasant taste and smell. Even though the Public Works and Utilities department started cleaning up the water supply back in January, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Boulder County Public Health, and Corona Environmental Consulting, who recommended the filtration system, declared the water to be compromised. 

Installation of the new filtration system took around three months to complete.

Edgewell Recalls Banana Boat Spray Sunscreens After Detecting Cancer-Causing Benzene

On Sunday, the Edgewell Personal Care Company announced a recall of Banana Boat sunscreen, after it was discovered that a carcinogen known as benzene in one of its more popular products.  

According to a press release from Edgewell Personal Care Company, “benzene can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin and it potentially can result in cancers including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders which can be life-threatening. To date, Edgewell has not received any adverse events related to this recall.” 

Benzene can possibly result in cancers, such as leukemia, cancer in the bone marrow, and blood disorders that can be life-threatening. 

The three products being recalled are the Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Spray SPF 30 which expires in December 2022, February 2023 and April of 2024. 

Contact Edgewell Personal Care at 1-888-686-3988 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Consumers may also visit www.bananaboat.com for more information and to learn how to receive reimbursement for eligible products.

The Rocky Mountain National Park Is Now More Accessible

All-terrain wheelchairs are now available for free for any Rocky Mountain National Park guests who may need one. These wheelchairs feature a third wheel that extends out front of the wheelchair and comes with levers on each side wheel to aid in getting through the mountain terrain. It also has handles on the back for pushing if necessary. They are said to handle rocky trails, dirt paths, and even snow.

These chairs were donated by the Sam Schneider Legacy Foundation and aim to expand access to the Rocky Mountain National Park to everyone.

Reservations can be made through the Estes Park Mountain Shop.

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