Headlines — September 15, 2022

September 15, 2022

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Amtrak to Cancel Most of Their Long Distance Routes

Amtrak announced it would temporarily suspend most long-distance routes nationwide ahead of the possible rail strikes on Friday. The suspended routes include the California Zephyr and Southwest Chief.
Railway maintenance workers have been fighting for years to negotiate a new contract for higher hourly wages and paid time off. They say they need time to address medical needs without fear of discipline.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said, “This abusive and punitive attendance policy is breaking apart families and causing locomotive engineers and other railroaders to come to work dangerously fatigued.”

Mayor Hancock Proposing Spending Package

Denver Mayor Michael Handcock is requesting a record budget for his final year in office. The $1.6 Billion [dollar] proposal represents a 12% increase from last year.

Hancock identified four spending priorities; affordable housing and homelessness, mental health and community support, public safety, and a plan to revitalize downtown. The city expects more funding from the American Rescue Plan and other organizations to tackle Hancock’s critical issues. The city council will review Hancock’s proposal later this month with a final vote in November.

I-70 in Glenwood Canyon reopens In Both Directions

Interstate 70 reopened on Wednesday night after a flash flood warning expired. The National Weather Service issued the alert for the Grizzly Creek fire scar, which prompted the closure of I-70 in both directions. The notice also affected parts of Eagle and Garfield Counties. The National Weather Service said that the area would have rounds of moisture and rain.

Visit the Colorado Department of Education for more information regarding future closures and road conditions.

Parkside Collective Apartment Explosion that Residents Temporarily Homeless 

Residents at an Aurora apartment building evacuated on Saturday morning and are now discovering they will have to find alternative housing. Claire Purnell reports…

 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 the CBS story on Monday, most residents expected to return home once utility services were turned back on. Only five families thought they had lost their homes. 

 In the latest update from 9News, Parkside Collective informed its residents that the building recovery will take several months, and residents will not be able to live there. The email also mentions that residents will not have to pay rent as of September 10th. Residents remain unsure when they may be able to collect their belongings. 

 The cause of the explosion remains unknown. Aurora fire continues to look into the explosion. 

CO Students Can Access Mental, Medical, and Dental Care at School

Returning to school can mean increased access to mental, medical, and dental care services for kids. Federally qualified health centers serve more than one in seven Coloradans regardless of their ability to pay, and most operate health centers at Colorado K-12 schools.

With school back in session, many Colorado kids are accessing medical, behavioral, and dental care through School-based Health Centers, fully functioning clinics offering services just steps from the classroom. Kendra Nagey directs Mountain Family Health Center’s five school-based clinics, and she says the beginning of each school year brings a spike in pediatric care.

Tax Rebate For Residents Who Lost Their Homes In Fires

Boulder County residents planning to rebuild homes lost in the Calwood or Marshall fires will be eligible for a $35 hundred dollar tax rebate.

The Board of County Commissioners approved the measure Tuesday. Property owners must file building permits by October 31, 2023, for Cal-Wood and December 31, 2024, for Marshall Fire-impacted properties to qualify for the rebate.

The county stated in a press release that the rebate would cover most of the county’s use tax for most affected residents.

Vote Extending Cemex Minning Permit

At Wednesday’s meeting, Boulder county commissioners also decided to postpone a vote extending mining permits for Cemex– a cement manufacturing company with a mining site near Lyons.

After more than 7 hours of discussion and public comment, the commissioners delayed the vote —initially scheduled for a meeting earlier this summer—until the county’s Sept. 29 meeting.

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