NAACP National Office Says Locals Cannot Dissolve

Listen:

NAACP National Office Says Locals Cannot Dissolve

National officials say the Boulder County NAACP lacks the authority to dissolve its branch.

Leaders of the Boulder branch announced via email that they were dissolving the local organization late last week, due to what they called persistent “retaliation” from city officials.

In an April 1 statement, the national NAACP said, “The NAACP Boulder County has not been dissolved, and any claim otherwise is completely false.”

While chapter leaders say the email announcing the dissolution was written collaboratively by all 12 members of the executive committee, some members have publicly expressed their disappointment in the process. Boulder City Councilmember Taishya Adams, who is a member of the branch, said via Instagram that she believes “the entire membership should have been included in such a foundational decision to close our chapter.”

If the decision stands, it would leave Boulder without an established civil rights group rooted in the Black community, according to Boulder Reporting Lab.

Read More

Day Three Of Magnus White Death Trial

The trial seeking justice for 17-year-old cyclist Magnus White continued yesterday, with experts and an eyewitness cyclist taking the stand to testify. 

Quintin witnessed Yeva Smilianska hit White with her car. In court, he said that there was no chance White could’ve seen the vehicle coming toward him, but that it “went straight through him.” He added that White hit the windshield and launched so high in the air that Chiapperino had to actively look up. Meanwhile, according to his testimony, Smilianska expressed little to no remorse in the moment. She told him she thought she passed out and didn’t know what happened.

Smilianska is currently facing charges for vehicular homicide, though her defense is fighting for a lighter sentence.

Later on in court, a crash reconstructionist said he thinks Smilianska should be charged with reckless vehicular homicide. White was riding at 25 miles per hour, while the car that hit him was driving at between 55 and 60 miles per hour.

Also yesterday, those in the courtroom watched videos of Smilianska singing karaoke with a friend early in the morning on the day of the crash. The video shows her drinking whiskey around 6 a.m., though officers on the scene of the crash determined she was not intoxicated. Later that day, around noon – about 20 minutes prior to the crash, Smilianska texted her friend and said  “I’m falling asleep and going to head home.”

Investigators said in an arrest affidavit that Smilianska was most likely asleep at the wheel at the time of the crash.

That’s all according to The Daily Camera.

Read More

Boulder County Fracking

State regulators have approved the controversial Draco Pad oil and gas project near Erie. This means Civitas Resources can move forward with drilling that will extend more than two miles into Boulder County.

The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission voted 4-1 in favor of the project after months of public opposition, and a temporary pause over safety concerns and questions about moving it to an alternative location. 

The well pad will be located in unincorporated Weld County, near the Westerly neighborhood. 72 homes will sit within 2,000 feet of the site once the project is completed, according to Boulder Reporting Lab

Boulder County officials and residents have openly warned of the project’s potential threats to the environment and public health, including ozone pollution and potential disturbance of legacy wells beneath other nearby homes. 

Civitas must complete all pre-production work by October 15 of 2027.

Read More