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07_18_2024headlines Greta Kerkhoff
Housing advocates file a second election complaint over Boulder airport
The fight to close Boulder’s Municipal Airport continues to become political.
The Airport Neighborhood Campaign, which put forward ballot measures to shut down the airport, has filed the second of two election complaints against groups that are funding political advertising in support of the airport.
The most recent election complaint alleges that Save Boulder Airport and the Boulder Airport Association did not follow the county’s finance disclosure rules for its pro-airport political advertising, according to the Daily Camera. The City Clerk’s Office confirmed it has received the new complaint. It dismissed the first election complaint in June and has launched an investigation into the second.
Pro-airport groups have been accused of withholding expenditures and contributions, and not registering as official ballot measure committees.
Boulder residents will vote on two measures in November regarding the future of Boulder’s airport and the 179 acres it sits on. Housing advocates want the land converted into affordable housing. Airport supporters want the revenue, jobs, and runway access for both safety and private aircrafts.
Colorado’s affordable housing fund to pay for more than 600 units
State officials have announced nearly $40 million in funding for over 600 subsidized housing units.
The housing, specifically slated for lower-and middle-income Coloradans, is subsidized by funding generated by Proposition 123, which passed last year.
According to the Denver Post, the money will help finance apartment and housing projects in Denver, Lone Tree, Fort Collins, Montrose, and Craig. The developments will include rent protections for tenants.
The largest single recipient in this funding round is in Denver. The Ballfield at Auraria development near Metropolitan State University, one of two recipients in Denver, received $15 million. This money will help pay for 340 housing units.
For a single-person household in Denver, annual income ranges between nearly $55,000 to about $110,000, according to current city guidelines.
This housing will prioritize “high-density, mixed-income properties and environmental sustainability, including walkability to public transportation or community centers, electrification and water-wise landscaping,” according to the governor’s office.
ZYN nicotine pouch plant coming to Aurora
Tobacco company Philip Morris International has chosen Aurora to be the site for a new manufacturing plant to make its ZYN nicotine pouches.
Zyns are mouth capsules marketed to people wanting to stop smoking or chewing tobacco.
The company plans to invest $600 million in a new facility which will be at 48th Avenue and Harvest Road. Once completed, the plant will employ 500 workers according to the company.
Construction is slated to begin later this year, and manufacturing could start as early as 2026.
According to the Post, the company chose Aurora in part due to the $7.1 million in tax rebates the city provided for the new plant.
The company plans to make philanthropic contributions to the state, specifically to military veterans, among other causes.
Phillip Morris International has also committed $250,000 annually for the next eight years to support a flexible housing fund for transitional housing in Aurora and Adams County.
Colorado Option health insurance premiums on the rise again
Monthly premiums could increase 4% next year for Colorado Option health insurance plans, and 6% on average for other types of plans sold. That’s according to new data from the State Division of Insurance.
The Colorado Option is a standardized health plan that covers more services without out-of-pocket costs than average, and is generally more affordable than other plans on the market. The option plans were supposed to lower premiums by 10% this year, accounting for inflation; however, only about one-third succeeded.
For small businesses, the average premium would increase about 8% if the Division of Insurance approves the increases.
Companies doing business in Colorado have to submit their proposed rates to the Division to determine if they are justified based on the cost of covering care. Final rates will become public in October.
Mountain lion staggering disease
A sick mountain lion euthanized by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials in Douglas County last year was the first confirmed case of staggering disease in North America. In a news release Tuesday, the agency said it first received reports of the sick mountain lion in a residential area on May 12, 2023.
According to the Denver Post, staggering disease is a usually fatal neurologic syndrome seen in domestic cats in Europe. The illness is caused by the rustrela virus and is categorized by animals staggering and having trouble walking, both of which were observed in the mountain lion.
The mountain lion was euthanized and tested for a variety of diseases, all of which came back negative. Due to the observed symptoms, wildlife officials sent tissue samples to the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut in Germany, where researchers confirmed the case of staggering disease.
Wildlife officials don’t know just how widespread the disease is yet in Colorado. Those who see mountain lions behaving abnormally are encouraged to report them to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
