Headlines

Headlines — November 7, 2022

November 7, 2022

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Headlines — November 7, 2022 Claire

Dozens of Boulder-based Twitter Employees Laid Off

Lay off notices were among the first changes resulting from the purchase of Twitter by the world’s richest man. Nearly 90 employees at the Boulder office of the social media platform received their virtual pink slips over email Friday. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment confirmed it has received notice of the mass layoff, due to take effect January 4th.

Many laid off employees took to Twitter to discuss the news in shock. Among those who lost their jobs were all members of the company’s Human Rights team, responsible for making social media use safe for users in authoritarian countries.

Tesla Founder Elon Musk officially bought Twitter late last month and claims the layoffs are necessary to make the company profitable. Twitter’s new ownership has also announced plans to charge $8 a month for user verification.

The Kroger-Albertsons Merger is on Pause

A judicial order has hit the pause button on the process to merge two of the country’s largest grocery store chains.

Kroger, the owner of King Soopers, announced plans last month to merge with Albertsons, which owns Safeway. A court in King County, Washington issued an order Thursday to restrain dividend payouts that were supposed to happen today, thereby halting the merger process at least for a few days.

Advocates and union workers nationwide expressed concerns about layoffs and labor protections in the event of consolidation. Consumer groups warned the merger would create a near-monopoly in many areas of the country and concentrate price fixing power at a time of historically high food inflation.

The merger could be one of the largest grocery store mergers in US history.

A Fort Collins Officer Under Investigation for Arrests

CBS News Colorado reports the Fort Collins Police Department is conducting an internal investigation into the behavior of one of its officers.

Multiple people have come forward about what they say are wrongful arrests by Officer Jason Haferman. At least nine people Haferman arrested for allegedly driving under the influence say they were not intoxicated…and lab reports show neither alcohol nor drugs in their systems at the time of arrest.

Haferman is currently on administrative leave for the duration of the internal investigation. Colorado Supreme Court Reduces Minimum Passing Score for Bar Exam

The Colorado Supreme Court announced Friday that they will lower the score needed for students to pass the bar exam and become a lawyer in the state of Colorado. The new score for 2023 will be 6 points lower than the previous 276 minimum score.

The Colorado Supreme Court instituted the 276 score in 1985. It ranked as the second highest bar exam score of the 41 states that use the system. Alaska’s is the highest, at 280. The new score 270 will join 16 other states with the same test requirements.

According to a news release, the National Conference of Bar Examiners are working on a new exam, known as “NextGen.” The test will have a different format and different focuses. The news release also stated that the court will be seeking public feedback further along in the development process.

Longtime Avalanche Broadcaster and Former DU Star, Peter McNab, Dies at 70

Famous Colorado Avalanche’s announcer and analyst, Peter McNab, has died at 70 years old. McNab called Avs games for 26 years, and was inducted into the hockey hall of fame in 2021.

“I will remember Peter McNab as the ultimate father of Colorado hockey.” said Nuggets broadcaster Vic Lombardi to the Denver Post.

McNab announced that he was fighting cancer on September 29 of 2021. Even while going through treatment, McNab still traveled with the team. His final season ended in the Avs winning the Stanley Cup.