Headlines — May 19, 2022

May 19, 2022

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Citizens Demand County Commissioners Back Off Criminalization Of Homeless On County Land 

The Boulder County Commissioners held a meeting this week to discuss making it illegal for people experiencing homelessness to “engage in activities of daily living on Boulder County-owned land.” The new ordinance would allow law enforcement to escort people experiencing homelessness off the land. 

Commissioners did not discuss housing for homeless populations. They will hold a virtual public hearing today to discuss a possible new ordinance at 9:30 AM. Find a link here. 

Boulder Receives $750,000 Grant For Park Development

Congressional representative Joe Neguse announced Wednesday that the City of Boulder will receive a $750,000 grant from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program to develop a seven-acre parcel of land into a new public park.

The new space in North Boulder will be known as Violet Park and will include attractions such as a playground, a plaza, and a community garden. Funding for the grant comes through a program administered by the Land and Water Conservation Fund to create new outdoor recreation spaces and restore existing parks in urban areas and in economically underserved communities.

Return Of Oil And Gas Leases On Public Lands Prompts Protests

The Biden Administration’s plans to reinstate oil and gas leases on public lands have prompted administrative protests in multiple states. 

Climate and environmental activists across the country are calling on the Biden Administration to walk back plans to lease out 140,000 acres of public land for oil and gas extraction. Most of the acreage is in Wyoming, but the entirety is spread across eight states.

Activists say, Biden should keep his green energy promise and restrict fossil fuel leases on public lands. 

Fossilfueltreaty.org, an organization dedicated to reducing the usage of fossil fuels to combat climate change, says the full development of the world’s fossil fuels would increase the world’s temperature by one point five degrees celsius. 

Biden, whose campaign called for the of drilling on federal lands, instituted the lease to increase American energy production and lower gas prices.

According to an analysis of federal data by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Biden Administration has approved more drilling permits in 2021 than the Trump Administration did during their first year in office.

Second Student Walkout At North High In As Many Weeks

Students at Denver’s North High School are planning to walk out of classes again today to call for the rehiring of a popular English teacher, Tim Hernandez. School administrators placed Hernandez on leave for the remainder of the school year after students walked out last Friday to protest a school’s decision to not rehire him next year.

Today’s walkout falls on the same day as a Denver Board of Education meeting with a public comment component.

The Denver Metropolitan Area Is Getting A New Area Code

Starting June 17, telephone customers in the Denver metro area will get a new area code. Because of the high demand for telephone numbers, residents in the 303 and 720 area codes will now be getting 938 numbers. 

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has previously said that the 303/720 area codes are projected to run out in the fourth quarter of 2022. All three-digit numbers can still be dialed during the change like 911, 811, 211, and 411.

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