Headlines

Headlines — October 24, 2022

October 24, 2022

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Headlines — October 24, 2022 christian

Louisville Police Fatally Kill Domestic Violence Suspect

Louisville Police fatally shot a 57-year-old man early Sunday morning while responding to a domestic violence call.

Officers say they shot the man after he advanced towards them with a large bloody butcher knife while inside a home in eastern Louisville.

According to the department’s press release, the Boulder County Investigation Team and the Boulder District Attorney’s office will investigate the shooting. The Louisville Police Department has placed the three involved officers on administrative leave.

The Department has released no other information on the incident.

Individuals affected by domestic violence can seek help through the National Domestic Violence Center, as well as the services through the Colorado Crisis hotline at 1-844-493-8255.

Aurora Mayor Wants To Coordinate City’s Approaches For The Unhoused Population

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman has presented a plan to revise how the city provides support to the homeless population.

The main element of Mayor Coffman’s proposal calls for a centralized homeless services campus instead of multiple offices spread out through the city. The Aurora Sentinel reports Coffman took inspiration for the campus from institutions in San Antonio and Houston, Texas that have proven effective in providing and coordinating services.

The city also plans to offer numerous services to homeless individuals, including employment opportunities, better conditions for transitional housing, case management, and more. The city also plans to launch a public education campaign to garner support for the program.

The Aurora City Council is working with Coffman to further develop the plan and are adding elements to it, including the condition that the campus can be built if it is supported by a private, non-profit organization.

States Vying For Hydrogen Hub Funding

Groups in Colorado are scrambling to get a piece of funding from a new US Department of Energy $7 billion dollar hydrogen hub grant. Applicants have until November 7th to submit their applications to the Department of Energy for hydrogen hub concept plans.

The DOE describes a hydrogen hub as a center to produce, store and use hydrogen gas, which is a cleaner form of energy used in place of fossil fuels. The department announced funding for its hydrogen power initiative in September. Seven billion dollars are available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last year.

Bryan Willson, the director of the Rocky Mountain Alliance for Next Generation Energy and professor of mechanical engineering at Colorado State University, told Colorado Newsline that states will be vying for hydrogen hubs to bring in economic development and achieve climate goals.

The Rocky Mountain Alliance for Next Generation Energy is giving technical support to the effort of creating the Western Interstate Hydrogen Hub which includes Colorado as a leader, along with New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

Colorado’s air quality has recently been demoted to severe non-attainment along the Front Range and that has a direct influence in our state’s support for diverse ways of utilizing clean energy.

Boulder County Urges Residents To Provide Comments to DRCOG For Transportation Grant Funding along Colorado Highway 7

Boulder County officials are urging residents to contact the Denver Regional Council of Governments or DRCOG – to support the creation of an east/west starter transit service along Colorado Highway 7 between Boulder and Brighton.

The county says a $6.5 million [dollar] grant from DRCOG would cover bus service for two years and include ten stops along the route that would also serve the communities of Lafayette, Erie, Broomfield, and Thornton.

According to county officials, the service would begin in 2026 with weekday operations and then ramp up to 30-minute intervals all day, 7 days a week in 2027.

The county says the funding would precede the Bus Rapid Transit service along the corridor that will take advantage of lanes, stations, and other improvements currently in the works or under construction along the corridor. Improvements would include upgraded walking and bicycling facilities.

DRCOG staff is currently evaluating grant applications, including requests for transportation improvements along CO 119 between Boulder, Niwot, and Longmont.

Public Hearing Tonight As Denver Leaders Consider Proposed Budget For 2023

Denver residents can give public feedback tonight as city leaders consider Mayor Michael Hancock’s $1.66 billion budget for 2023. The city council will begin the public hearing today at 5pm.

Among budget priorities, the mayor is calling for a $43 million [dollar] increase for police and public safety. According to the Denver Gazette, city leaders identified crime rates, homelessness, and lack of affordable housing as focus areas during their council budget retreat.

Residents can sign up to speak between 3 pm and 5:30 pm today and can attend the meeting by zoom or in-person at the council chambers.

Respiratory Viruses Get An Early Start For Kids

Colorado’s flu season is already off to a rough start this year. According to a new report, four adults and close to a hundred children have been hospitalized in Colorado since the start of October for respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, which is a higher than usual rate for this time of year.

The increase in rates of seasonal respiratory viruses comes amid loosened COVID-19 prevention efforts –like masking – th

at partially curbed viruses over the last few years.

Dr. Kevin Messacar, an infectious disease specialist at the Children’s Hospital in Colorado, told the Denver Post, the number of children needing care for respiratory viruses started rising over the summer, which, he said, is earlier than expected and not a good sign for the rest of the flu season.