Elijah McClain Trial Update
The fate of two police officers charged in the death of Elijah McClain is now in the hands of jurors.
A verdict in the trial of suspended Aurora police officer Randy Roedema, and former officer Jason Rosenblatt, could come this week. Both are charged with reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and assault in the 2019 death of McClain.
McClain was stopped as he walked home in August of that year, after someone made a 911 call about a “sketchy” person in the area.
A third officer was also involved. He is being tried separately, and jury selection in his case begins this Friday.
Two paramedics are also charged in the case and will be tried next month. They were called to the scene in 2019 after McClain lost consciousness, allegedly because of choke holds used by police. The paramedics injected him with the sedative ketamine, which prosecutors say contributed to his death.
Tim Hernandez Joins Rally In Support Of Palestine
Colorado Representative Tim Hernández is drawing severe criticism for participating in a Palestinian Solidarity Rally on Saturday, just hours after the militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. That attack has killed more than one thousand people.
Representative Hernández was seen waving a Palestinian flag at the Capitol in Denver, along with about three dozen others. According to media reports, the rally was organized by the Colorado Palestinian Coalition.
Lawmakers on both sides have commented on Representative Hernández’s participation in the rally.
Rep. Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican, told the Denver Gazette that Hernández has, “voiced his approval of the slaughter of innocent people.”
But Aurora Democrat Rep. Iman Jodeh said that as far as she knew, “no one held that rally for Hamas. People were rallying for Palestinian human rights.”
There is no rule that says legislators cannot take part in rallies like the one on Saturday but some lawmakers said the participation by Hernández doesn’t show respect. Many legislators are calling on House Democrats to censure him.
In Washington, Republican and Democratic members of Colorado’s congressional delegation have condemned the Hamas attack, and expressed solidarity with Israel.
Colorado State Patrol To Increase Driving Citations
Statewide Enforcement Day is this Friday. Colorado State Patrol has partnered with local police departments across Colorado to heighten their visibility of reckless driving. According to the State Patrol, 2022 held the highest number of fatal car accidents in Colorado in over 40 years. Statewide Enforcement Day is an attempt to decrease those numbers.
The last Statewide Enforcement Day on Aug. 4 resulted in 110 distracted driving citations and 11 DUIs.
Cap On Property Tax Increase Proposed
State election officials say a proposition to cap property taxes has received enough signatures to qualify for the November 2024 ballot. If passed, Initiative 50 will alter the Colorado Constitution to halt property tax increases over 4%.
According to Colorado Public Radio, there has been an average increase of about 6.5% in property tax revenue every year since the year 2000.
Critics of the initiative say that a cap on tax increase would cause local governments to lose funds for school services and basic municipal needs. They also argue that because property taxes vary from county to county, it would be difficult for local governments to translate the statewide initiative for their unique circumstances.
Advance Colorado, a conservative political group, compiled Over 227,000 signatures to put Initiative 50 on the ballot. It isn’t the only property tax bill that will appear in November. Proposition HH is another bill that places a cap on tax increase based on inflation rates.
Colorado Ranked 4th In U.S. For Outmigration
A report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas ranked Colorado as the 4th state in the U.S. for outmigration..
In 2021, about 42 out of 1,000 native Coloradans left the state. Wyoming leads with the most outmigration in the US.. Alaska comes second and Hawaii third.
Texan natives were the least likely to leave their state, with 82% choosing to stay. North Carolina, Georgia, California and Utah were not far from Texas’s percentage, with their natives also choosing to stick around.
Potential reasons for the high out migration numbers in Colorado are high inflation rates and unemployment, according to Axios Denver.
First Snow Of The Season Brewing
Winter is around the corner, and snow is coming to Colorado, maybe a little sooner than expected. Meteorologists across the state predict the first snowfall of the season is tonight along elevated areas in the Rocky Mountains, particularly areas at or above 9,000 feet in elevation. Boulder, Denver and Fort Collins will be snow free.
