Headlines – June 7, 2023

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Mike Johnston is Denver’s New Mayor and Other City Council Election News

Former state senator Mike Johnston is Denver’s new mayor, beating out opponent Kelly Brough with 54% of votes. Brough conceded at 10 PM with Johnston being nearly 10,000 votes ahead.

For Council people’s elections, Flor Alvidrez is the new council person for District 7 by default after opponent Nick Campion withdrew his candidacy in April.

Vote tallies, published at 1:30 AM, show the District 8 race giving a very slim margin of victory to Shontel Lewis, with opponent Brad Revare trailing by just 61 votes.

Hopes for a left-leaning slate within City Council sustained a major blow as incumbent Candi CdeBaca lost her runoff race to retain her District 9 seat. 

Finally, District 10 councilperson Chris Hinds retained his incumbency, besting challenger Shannon Hoffman with 57% of votes.

Yemi Mobolade is Colorado Springs’ New Mayor

Colorado Springs has sworn in its newest mayor, Yemi Mobolade. In his swearing-in speech, Mayor Mobolade mentioned safer neighborhoods, an efficient and fully staffed police force, and innovative homelessness solutions as his first main priorities.

With Mobolade’s big plans, the new mayor of Colorado Springs asked residents to join him in ” a quest for an inclusive, culturally rich, economically prosperous, and yes, safe and vibrant city on a hill…”

Originally from Nigeria, Mobolade is Colorado Springs’ first Black and first non-Republican mayor.

Outgoing Mayor John Suthers and Governor Jared Polis gave speeches at the ceremony, and before the ceremony, Suther offered himself as a resource to Mayor Mobolade.

Family of Black Teen Killed by Aurora Police Wants Access to Video Evidence

Legal representatives and relatives of a 14-year-old killed by Aurora police last week met with officials to review body cam footage of the fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon.

This comes after relatives of Jor’dell Richardson gathered at Aurora’s main police station Monday to demand access to the footage. They cited multiple word-of-mouth reports that Richardson – who is Black and a recent middle school graduate – had been shot in the back while on the ground.

Police claimed in a press release just after the shooting that Richardson was armed and part of a group of youths who had allegedly stolen vape canisters from a convenience store. 

Richardson’s mother, Laurie Littlejohn, told the Denver Post her son had never been in trouble with the police before. The family is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the funeral.

The Bureau of Land Management Puts Conservation on Equal Footing with Oil and Gas Leasing within Public Lands

The Federal Bureau of Land Management is considering a new public lands rule designed to promote ecological restoration. The new rules would broaden the Bureau’s land health surveys to allow private parties to engage in conservation leasing.

The conservation leases would authorize the BLM to help restore the public land leased to it and mitigate future damages. The BLM says these leases will allow for conservation feedback from state and local governments, as well as other stakeholders.

The federal agency is still seeking public feedback on the proposed rule, and comments can be made on the Bureau of Land Management’s website until June 20th.

New Data Shows 1% of Colorado Households Have a Same-Sex Partnership

Recent Census data shows that nearly 1% of all Colorado households contain a same-sex partnership. In Denver, 2% of households are home to same-sex couples.

Rex Fuller, CEO of The Center on Colfax, an LGBTQ+ community center, said the data is validating for the LGBTQ+ members of Colorado and can help ensure people have access to the healthcare they need.

The Center members said they wanted to see further census survey questions that diversified sexual orientation and gender on the question roster.

A Team of Cows Attack Jogger on Trail in Superior

A flink of cattle attacked a jogger on Tuesday morning on Meadowlark Trail near Superior, according to the Daily Camera.

A witness called 911 after seeing the jogger on the ground trying to protect herself from the drove of cows. Boulder County and Open Space rangers responded within 15 minutes. Rangers say the cows were likely trying to protect their calves, and trail users should be cautious this time of year because the cattle have their calves with them.

The jogger was taken to the hospital, and her condition is unknown.

‘Ironman Boulder 70.3‘ Race in Boulder County on Saturday, June 10, 2023

Ironman Boulder 70.3 will be coming to the city this Saturday, June 10th. All residents will have access to their homes, but there will be delays through multiple streets around the city. Detours will be set by barricades residents are being asked to adhere to all restrictions on any roads along the route.

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