Headlines — November 3, 2022

November 3, 2022

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BVSD settles Title IX Lawsuit by two former Fairview students

The Boulder Valley School District settled a three-year-long Title IX lawsuit Monday, agreeing to pay two former Fairview High School students $1.26 million stemming from allegations that the district failed to investigate complaints of sexual harassment by school athletes and did nothing to protect students from inappropriate behavior. The settlement also requires all district staff to complete Title IX training.

Starting in 2019, Boulder police performed an internal investigation into the former principal’s handling of sexual harassment complaints after a series of arrests of former school athletes on sexual assault charges. Some students say Fairview officials were aware during the 2016-2017 school year that the ex-lacrosse players were accused of raping at least two other students but neglected to adequately investigate. 

As part of the settlement, the district also agreed to provide more consent, sexual assault, and sexual harassment training for students during school hours.

Boulder County Commissioners Turn Down Oil and Gas Lease Offer

The Boulder County Commissioners decided Tuesday to reject a lease offer from Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc. for mineral rights in eastern Boulder County. In a letter from Extraction Oil & Gas Inc. sent in July, the company threatened to push forced pooling if Boulder County decided not to lease mineral rights for its Blue Paintbrush drilling project. 

The project area is located in Weld County, but Boulder County owns a conservation easement on the land and would be affected by the horizontal drilling under several square miles of Boulder County. According to a Boulder County news release, almost all of the nearly 100 written responses by the public received before the hearing opposed the lease offer. 

Boulder County Commissioners agreed with residents that leasing county-owned minerals could significantly threaten public health and the environment. Extractions’ application for forced pooling before Colorado’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is set for a hearing on Jan. 25.

Vandals Deface Signs At CU South Property

 The University of Colorado police say vandals have recently damaged several signs at the CU South property. The damaged signs explain the future development of the 308-acre property that the university has owned since 1997 and lies outside Boulder’s city limits. 

Boulder City Council agreed to annex the property last year with a provision that the university would deed part of the property to the city for flood mitigation. The vandalism comes just ahead of an election in which a measure to reverse the annexation is on the ballot. Many supporters of Ballot Question 2F say the city got a poor deal on the annexation agreement and should renegotiate, while opponents say the measure would delay much-needed flood mitigation to the area. Campus police say the vandalism is costing the university $5000 in damages.

ACLU Colorado Urging Local Governments To Lift Restrictions Banning Residents With Prior Felony Convictions Running For Office

The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado announced Thursday the organization had sent letters to Weld County and eleven Colorado municipalities demanding the local governments to remove charter restrictions that bar citizens with prior felony convictions from running for office. ACLU Colorado said in its press release yesterday the candidacy restrictions directly violate the Colorado Constitution, which they say protects the right of citizens who have completed their criminal sentencing to run for office unless the crime involves embezzlement of public money, bribery, and perjury. 

According to the ACLU, the exceptions by the state’s constitution are not applicable to the charters of the municipalities and Weld County they have sent demands. The group won a lawsuit against the city of Aurora and its charter provision last year, which initially prevented candidate Candice Bailey from running for city council. In the ACLU press release, a formerly convicted official with Community Works said that as mass incarceration plagues many Colorado communities, returning citizens running for office offer a wealth of lived experience and a voice for the unheard.  

ACLU Colorado demands the municipalities and Weld County to respond within two weeks.

Denver Police Locate SUV Abandoned After Shooting

Denver Police say they have located the sport utility vehicle allegedly used by the suspects in a shooting Tuesday afternoon near the intersections of Verbena and East Colfax. The shooting left one person dead and another five wounded. Police found the black Ford Explorer in the 3900 block of Colorado Boulevard. 

Denver Police Cmdr. Matt Clark told CBS News that the suspects approached the scene in another vehicle. They exited the vehicle and shot multiple rounds from handguns before returning to their vehicle and speeding away from the scene. The suspects abandoned that vehicle near 12th Avenue and Yosemite Street, where they got into the identified SUV and drove away.

Snowstorm Headed for the Region 

The long-awaited…or maybe dreaded…first snow of the season is supposedly coming today. Following a few days of nearly record-breaking heat for November, weather conditions in Colorado are about to change quickly. 

A snowstorm headed for Colorado will bring cold temperatures today. The National Weather Service expects snow to develop over the mountains this morning. Light rain will develop over the front-range cities today, spreading across the plains and changing to snow early this evening. The snow is expected to stop after midnight. Snow accumulations in the valleys and foothills could be around 3 to 6 inches, and in the Front Range cities, 1-3 inches. Overnight it could get cold enough for slushy and icy conditions.

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