Headlines — September 12, 2022

September 12, 2022

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Huge fire at Aurora Apartment Complex Affects Hundreds

An explosion in an apartment building on East Alameda Avenue in Aurora on Saturday morning forced every resident in the complex to evacuate. 

According to CBS News Colorado, all 350 residents remained displaced a day later. Aurora Fire Rescue told CBS News over 100 residents, and 25 pets moved to an emergency center at Gateway High School. They are now staying in hotels. 

Utility services are still off, and once the services are on again, most residents may return home. Five families have lost their homes, but none experienced life-threatening injuries. The cause of the explosion remains unknown.

Suspect Breaking Into Homes On University Hill Arrested

The Boulder Police Department arrested the 17-year-old male responsible for committing a series of crimes on University Hill the weekend prior. 

According to a press release from the city of Boulder, BPD identified the suspect Thursday as a 17-year-old male with previous charges of indecent exposure. According to officials, police arrested the minor for violating his probation on Thursday evening. 

On Friday, BPD charged the suspect with three felony counts of second-degree burglary, two misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure, one misdemeanor count of attempted invasion of privacy for sexual gratification, one felony count of aggravated motor vehicle theft, and one misdemeanor count of unlawful sexual contact. 

Detectives presume the charges don’t end there and will hold the suspect without bond at a juvenile detention center until Monday. The current crimes remain open for investigation. Anyone with more information or video footage is to contact Detective Flynn at 303-441-1850 reference case 22-8786.

The Recall Of State Sen. Kevin Priola Can Begin Collecting Signatures

A group of Republicans is circulating a petition to recall Senator Kevin Priola who, last month, announced his decision to switch parties. 

Sen. Priola announced that he was leaving the GOP party and would serve as a  Democratic in August. He cited republicans’ insistence on election fraud, the January 6 insurrection at the capital, and denying the existence of climate change as his main reasons for switching affiliations. 

There is now a group to recall Priola before his term is supposed to end in 2025. The group has until November 8, or the day of the general election to collect 18,000 signatures. If they do so, a special recall election will take place. 

The Democratic party currently has the house majority in Colorado, and they are expected to stay that way after the November elections.

Front Range Community College Working To Meet Health Care Shortage

The Front Range Community College system has expanded its apprenticeship program thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. FRCC is the first college in Colorado to participate in the federal program. 

The apprenticeship program seeks to provide on-the-job training to students in high-priority fields, including health care and information technology.
Chris Heuston, who leads Front Range Community College’s apprenticeship program,  says apprenticeships are a critical component of the state’s workforce development strategy because they create a more direct training and hiring link between job seekers and employers.

Healthcare is a priority area in the FRCC apprenticeship program due to ongoing shortages of healthcare workers in the area and nationwide.

Mary Sandoe House For Lease By Boulder Shelter 

Boulder Shelter for the Homeless announced Friday that they will take over the lease for the former Mary Sandoe House in south Boulder.

Named after a CU boulder librarian who donated the house in 1980, the Mary Sandoe House operated as a 24-bed assisted living facility serving elderly, female residents. 

According to the daily camera, the Boulder shelter for the homeless will continue the services for elderly women and use the facility to expand its overnight homeless services to shelter female seniors experiencing homelessness.

According to the Daily Camera, the public will most likely not be involved in the shelter’s decision to use the facility.

County Road 21 Fire 100% Contained In Larimer County

The Larimer Fire department announced Saturday that the fire at County Road 21 is at 100% containment. 

According to a report by CBS News, lightning most likely started the fire on Thursday that burned over 200 acres of land. The fire department told displaced residents that they could return to their homes Friday evening. 

Any and all evacuation mandates and other orders made by authorities were lifted after the fire was contained, along with County Road 23 reopening to resume northbound traffic.

City’s Independent Police Monitor Accepts New Position in California

Boulder’s first independent police monitor- who creates policy and training, Joey Lipari announced that he has accepted a job in California. He accepted a position as a special investigator at the Office of the Inspector General for the Los Angeles Police Department in Los Angeles, California.

After becoming Boulder’s first independent police monitor, he created and operated the Office of the Independent Police Monitor and the civilian Police Oversight Panel, which now has 11 members. 

The city will begin the lookout for a new independent police monitor, and in time will hire a contractor from the OIR Group, an independent California-based police oversight and review firm.

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