Headlines — December 6, 2022

December 6, 2022

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Club Q Suspect Due In Court

The person accused in the Club Q murders in Colorado Springs is due in court this morning.

The 22-year old suspect has been held in the El Paso County jail since the shootings last month, Five people were slain and more than a dozen others were wounded. Five counts of first degree murder and five counts of bias-motivated crimes resulting in bodily injury have already been filed. More charges against the suspect are expected, and will likely be detailed at today’s hearing.

The defense today will also have the opportunity to request a sanity evaluation to determine whether the suspect is competent to stand trial. If that is requested, it would delay future criminal hearings stemming from the Club-Q shootings.

New Competency Unit Opens At The Colorado Mental Health Hospital

The Colorado Mental Health Hospital has opened a new unit to restore competency to patients accused of crimes. The hospital in Fort Logan opened a new unit yesterday to treat patients facing criminal charges so they can stand trial. The new unit has 22 beds but has a waitlist of over 400 detainees waiting for treatment.

According to Denver’s Channel 7, the Colorado Department of Human Services was sued in 2011 for failure to provide timely competency and restoration services, which prolonged pretrial detention periods. The new unit will begin accepting patients today and is expected to soon operate at full capacity with a waitlist.

State Senator Bob Rankin Of Carbondale Announced His Resignation

Republican State Senator Bob Rankin of Carbondale announced his resignation last week, effective in January. Rankin represents State Senate District 8 

Rankin was appointed to the State Senate in 2019 after then-Senator Randy Baumgartner resigned. He won re-election in 2020. But Rankin has served the state since 2012 when he was elected to the State House of Representatives.

The Colorado Republican Party is responsible for creating a vacancy committee to appoint Rankin’s replacement, who must come from his district. They have 30 days to fill the vacancy from January 10, when Rankin’s resignation is effective, and to certify the person’s name to the Secretary of State.

Rankin did not give a reason for his resignation, only that he was ready to “move forward with the next chapter of my life.” He has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Experts Weigh In On Rep. Boebert’s Likely Next Term

As Lauren Boebert, congressional representative of Colorado’s 3rd district, appears to be heading into her second term in congress, political experts are discussing if she will tone down her far-right persona.

Due to the close voter count, Representative Boebert is in a state-required recount with Adam Frisch for Colorado’s 3rd district congressional seat. The Denver Post spoke with a few political experts on whether she will tamp down what they call her incendiary and sometimes dangerous rhetoric. But at the same time, they say that this is helping her become a national, far right brand.

They don’t think she has any intention of changing her hard right ways. They point out her resent comments on her anti-LGBTQ stances after the Colorado Springs shooting in a gay nightclub.  

During her first term she called women weaker than men, that she was tired of the separation of church and state, and called Democratic U. S Representative Ilhan Omar a possible terrorist.

Seth Masket, a political scientist at the University of Denver, feels that even though her far right rhetoric has given nationwide appeal and helped her raise funds it almost caused her to lose her congressional seat. He felt that kind of  rhetoric doesn’t always play so well back home in Colorado.

Boulder Releases Interactive Crash Dashboard

The City of Boulder has launched a new website that shows where crashes occur throughout the city. 

The site is an interactive crash dashboard and includes filters that allow visitors to check for crash severity, crashes involving bikes and pedestrians, alcohol and drug-related crashes, and other types.

In a press release Monday, the city said it hopes the dashboard will build awareness of where crashes most often occur, and increase data transparency.

About two-thirds of severe crashes happen on major streets with high volumes of traffic, according to the press release. Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said the top causes of crashes in the city are speeding, and left-hand turns. He said the new crash dashboard will help the community understand the places where most crashes occur, and how everyone can work together to share the road.

Data on the new dashboard are periodically updated and includes crashes reported to Boulder Police since 2017.

Local Nonprofit Host Free Bike Giveaway

Community Cycles is holding its 16th annual kids’ holiday bike giveaway this weekend and the next. Community Cycles is a Boulder nonprofit that aims to make access to bicycles equitable. This year’s bike giveaway will take place on December 10 and 17 from 10 AM to 2 PM. Parents must sign up for a time slot before the day of the event. More information is available at the community cycles website.

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