New 2024 laws and Denver says it reached its House 1000 goal

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State Supreme Court Building Gunfire

Denver Police have arrested a man who broke into the Colorado Supreme Court building early today and fired at least one gunshot.

Denver 7 reports that the incident began at about 1 o’clock this morning when two cars collided at 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street. According to Denver Police, one of the drivers fled from one of the cars and entered the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center. An unarmed security guard encountered the man, who held the guard at gunpoint and took his keys. He fired gunshots out a window before ascending to the building’s 7th floor, firing more shots. Denver 7 states the man called 911 around 3 a.m. and then surrendered.

In a statement, State Police said they do not believe the incident is associated with recent threats against State Supreme Court Justices.

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26% of houses lost during the Marshall Fire were rebuilt

About a quarter of homeowners who lost homes in the Marshall Fire have rebuilt, according to the Community Foundation. This is ahead of national averages for home rebuilding after wildfires, which find that about a quarter of rebuilding usually takes about five years to complete. Seventy-two percent of homes destroyed during the Marshall Fire have re-applied for building permits. Of the 43 million dollars of community support raised after the Marshall Fire, about 10 million remain.

Denver Mayor Johnston says the city met its House 1000 goal.

According to 9 News, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston says the city moved more than 1000 people off the street into housing in 2023. According to the Denver House 1000 dashboard, Denver’s HOUSING and stability officer 1034 moved indoors, largely in group shelters and permanent housing. Seven hundred sixty-eight encampments were part of the resolution activity – the overall length of stay in hotels and micro-communities was 23 days. They opened their first micro-community over the weekend and will provide temporary shelter to about 50 people. KGNU will follow up to explore what these numbers mean later this week.

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90 thousand migrants sent to Sanctuary cities since April 2022

The state of Texas, meanwhile, has sent more than 90,000 migrants to sanctuary cities since April of 2022, according to data released by Governor Greg Abbott late last week.

Those cities include Denver, New York, and Los Angeles. CNN is reporting that the huge influx of people has strained city resources.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has led a coalition of mayors calling for more federal support, calling the situation a national humanitarian crisis. Mayor Johnston said Denver and the other affected sanctuary cities are working closely together to support incoming migrants but that it’s time for the federal government to step in and help.

Governor Abbott has said that up to now, Texas and Arizona have borne the brunt of migrants crossing into the United States. By busing migrants to other cities, he said, the rest of the country can better understand the situation.

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2024 New State Laws: Plastic Bag Ban, Right-to-repair, and more eviction rules

Some two dozen new Colorado laws went into effect with the New Year. Among them is a new statewide ban on plastic bags at stores and restaurants. There are already similar bans in Boulder, Louisville, and other cities. The new statewide Plastic Pollution Reduction Act also bans foam carry-out cups and containers.

Another new state law now in effect is a “right to repair” law. State lawmakers passed the law last April. It gives farmers and agricultural workers the right to repair their tractors and equipment and requires manufacturers to supply manuals, software, and other essentials so that owners can fix broken equipment.

Also going into effect on January 1st is a law that allows renters facing eviction to take part in court proceedings remotely. The law’s supporters say before it went into effect, people facing evictions didn’t always have adequate representation, so judges tended to rule in favor of landlords in rental disputes.

Colorado has had record numbers of evictions in recent years.

A new law meant to make Epi-pens more affordable is now in effect. It caps the out-of-pocket cost for Epi-pens in Colorado at $60. Epi-pens are used by people who have severe allergic reactions to medications. Before the new law, the cost of Epi-pens was nearly $700, according to the Denver Post.

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Alexis Kenyon

Alexis Kenyon is an experienced radio reporter with more than 15 years of experience creating compelling, sound-rich radio stories for news outlets across the country.

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