Headlines — December 16, 2022

December 16, 2022

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BoCo Sheriff Provides Update On Marshall Fire Investigation 

As the one year anniversary for the Marshall Fire approaches, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Department released a statement Thursday saying that they will likely wrap up their investigation into the fire’s cause and release official findings early next year.  As part of the update to community members, the Sheriff’s Office said investigators along with the District Attorney’s office are reviewing significant amounts of documents, photos, and videos in consultation with experts and other state and federal officials. 

The Sheriff’s Office, also on Thursday, made available on the county’s website 60 additional body-worn camera videos made on the day of the fire with footage captured east of Cherryville Road. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the department’s employees involved with the initial response to the fire and the investigation following it captured 266 body-worn camera recordings and 450 photos. Investigators have also collected 186 items of evidence. The department said it will not release footage west of Cherryvale until it announces the final cause and origin of the fire.

Greeley Starbucks Workers Announce Strike 

Workers at a Starbucks store at the 11th Avenue location in Greeley announced this morning they are starting a strike today. The workers say they are joining a nationwide unfair labor practice strike that is demanding Starbucks cease the retaliatory closure of union stores in Colorado Springs and a recent closure of a store in Seattle. Workers also say they are protesting the termination of a fellow union worker.

Boulder City Council Approves BVSD Annexation For Modular Home Factory

The Boulder City Council unanimously approved Thursday night to annex 48 acres of the Boulder Valley School District’s Education Center property at 6500 Arapahoe Road. According to the Daily Camera, the annexation will allow BVSD to construct a modular home factory so students can build homes for Habitat for Humanity. 

City council also approved an intergovernmental agreement with the school district that tweaks the factory’s deliveries to only occur on 65th Street during times when traffic impacts on school district operations and safety risks to students, staff, and community members using the access are low.  The agreement also states deliveries to and from  63rd street will be minimized to the greatest extent possible. After receiving criticism from residents, both BVSD and city council agreed to changes for delivery locations and also agreed to other requirements to minimize noise and potential impacts to the nearby Sombrero Marsh open space. 

Building Fire Erupts On Main Street Lyons 

Several area fire crews and emergency response personnel responded to a building fire at the 400 block of Main Street in Lyons late Thursday morning. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said response crews were able to evacuate all of the building’s occupants although several people suffered smoke inhalation and minor burns. An ambulance transported one of the occupants to the hospital for further evaluation, while a sheriff’s office deputy transported himself to the hospital for treatment of minor burns.

According to the Sheriff’s office, the fire severely damaged the building, which houses several offices and businesses. The Multi-Agency Fire Investigation Team is looking into the cause and origin of the fire. 

Denver Mayor Issues State Of Emergency In Response To Migrant Surge

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced Thursday he has issued an emergency declaration so the city can free up resources to address the needs of migrants that have been arriving in large volumes in recent weeks and without notice. According to Hancock, 247 more migrants have arrived in Denver since Monday, prompting the city to set up two more emergency shelters located within the city’s recreation centers. According to Colorado Newsline, the original emergency shelter, which opened December 6th, has reached its capacity of 275 people and the city has spent more than $800,000 on sheltering and reunification efforts. City officials say the migrants are coming to Denver from El Paso, Texas, and have journeyed from Central and South America countries, including Venezuela. 

During his news conference, Hancock said city officials are pulling employees from multiple agencies and stressed they are working around the clock to support the migrants, while also responding to needs of Denver’s unhoused residents and the existing stressors to the city’s shelter system.  Hancock requested that anyone who can volunteer or provide shelter space can contact the city’s Emergency Operations Center at [email protected]. 

State Health Department Seeing A Rise In Children Strep A Cases, With Two Child Deaths Reported 

The state health department says its monitoring a rise in pediatric hospitalizations caused by the Group A strep bacteria, which the health department says can cause many different infections and diseases like pneumonia and sepsis. Since Nov. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infections Program has received reports of 11 Denver area pediatric cases of the invasive group A strep. Among the cases, the state health department says they are aware of two children dying from group A strep, although a coroner or medical examiner has not issued an official cause. The last time Colorado had a pediatric death from group A strep was in 2018.

According to health officials, Group A commonly causes sore throat that can be easily treated, and although it’s rare, the state is seeing invasive Group A strep causing severe illness. In a Thursday press statement, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihly said there is no vaccine for group A strep, but stressed that people and children should keep up to date on vaccines, practice good hand hygiene, and stay home when sick. Because some severe group A strep infections are occurring in conjunction with respiratory illnesses such as RSV, flu, and COVID-19, health officials are also cautioning that people should call their children’s health care provider immediately if their children develop new or worsening symptoms.

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