Headlines — December 5, 2022

December 5, 2022

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Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders To Lead CU Football Program

The University of Colorado announced over the weekend that Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders will be CU’s next head football coach.  Sanders comes to CU following a three-year successful and transformational run at Jackson State in Mississippi.  Sanders also on Saturday led the Jackson State Tigers to a second consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference – or SWAC – championship win over Southern.

Fans of the Buff football program expect Sanders, who has a nickname of “Prime Time” from his NFL career, will have excellent recruiting potential and turn around for the beleaguered CU football program that has a 5 to 21 win loss record for the program’s last 26 games. 

According to a tweet by Brian Howell of the Daily Camera, Sanders has agreed to a five-year $29.5 million deal with CU, with an average annual salary of $5.9 million and the potential for raises. The Mississippi Clarion Ledger reports Sanders may owe around $300,000 to Jackson State to buy out the remainder of his contract.

Supreme Court Set To Hear Colorado Web Designer Case Challenging State’s Anti-Discrimination Law

The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in the case of a Colorado Web Designer challenging Colorado’s Anti-discrimination laws. The United States Supreme Court will hear arguments today in the case of 303 Creative v. Elenis. The plaintiff is Lorie Smith, a Littleton-based graphic artist, who argues Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination law prevents her ability to publicly refuse web design services to same-sex couples.

Back in February, the United States Supreme Court decided to take up Smith’s case, but only on the question of free speech and not on the question of free exercise of religion. Even though the Supreme Court is limiting the case’s focus on the matter of free speech, some legal experts warn the court’s opinion could gut antidiscrimination laws. 

The case is the second time in five years the Supreme Court has heard a case involving a Colorado business owner not wanting to provide services to same sex couples.

Denver Ending Emergency Rental Assistance Program December 9th 

Denver is winding down its Emergency Rental Assistance – or ERAP – program this week. The city’s Department of Housing Stability announced Friday the agency will stop taking new first-time applications for the city’s federally funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program by midnight on December 9th. The program, which has provided rental relief for close to 14,000 Denver families during the pandemic, is running out federal pandemic relief funds.  City officials have also cut the number of months the city will provide rental relief under the program. According to city officials, new applications spiked after the city initially announced the program’s closure.

CSU Names Longtime Administrator As Finalist For President

The Board of Governors to the Colorado State University system has named longtime former administrator Amy Parsons as the sole finalist to become the university’s next President.  Parson’s history with Colorado State includes 16 years working in various roles, including ones in the general counsel’s office, operations, and the most recent as vice chancellor of the CSU system. The CSU system includes the main campus in Fort Collins, the Pueblo campus, the new Denver Spur campus, and the online CSU Global school.  Parsons, who is also a Colorado State alum, left CSU in September 2020 for a CEO position with an e-commerce company.

As required by Colorado Law, Colorado State cannot formally hire Parsons until a 14 day waiting period has lapsed after Friday’s announcement. Parsons will replace Joyce McConnell, who parted ways with CSU in early June and whose contract prevented her or the school from saying negative things about the other. 

Estes Park To Host Frozen Dead Guy Day In Place Of Nederland 

Organizers of the Frozen Dead Guys Days are moving the mountain festival from its longtime home in Nederland to Estes Park. The festival’s name refers to a dead Norwegian man whose corpse was cryogenically frozen and kept in Nederland. After a two year hiatus following the COVID pandemic, Frozen Dead Guy Days took place in its usual Nederland location in March of 2022. 

The relationship between the event and Nederland grew cold after the event this year. Festival organizers announced last month that the event would not take place in 2023. The announcement led to the owners of the historic Stanley Hotel and Visit Estes Park to join forces and hold the event in March of 2023. 

Aurora Public Schools Superintendent To Resign 

Aurora Public Schools, through its school board President Debbie Gerkin, announced on Friday that Superintendent Rico Munn will resign at the end of the school year. Gerkin also announced that Munn will also begin transitioning to a support role starting in January with the school board hiring an acting superintendent in the days ahead to fill Munn’s remaining duties for the rest of the year. The school board plans on voting on Munn’s exit agreement during tomorrow’s meeting.

Friday’s announcement did not explain Munn’s reasons for stepping away from his post. According to Chalkbeat Colorado, the Aurora school board and Munn began having conversations about Munn’s evaluation and contract in the fall, with his contract set to expire by the end of the current school year. Chalkbeat Colorado says Munn has led the state’s fifth largest school district nine plus years with significant improvements, as well becoming the 2019 Colorado superintendent of the year, but also faced criticism from the school board

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