-
play_arrow
06_26_2025MMHLnews Ainsley Coogan
New charges in Pearl Street attack
Twelve new hate crime and explosives charges have been filed against the man accused in the June 1 attacks on Pearl Street mall.
Mohamed Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group of people participating in a peaceful “Run for Their Lives” demonstration. The group meets weekly in support of Israelis being held by Hamas in Gaza, according to the Denver Post.
The 45-year-old Soliman had previously been charged with just one hate crime count. Prosecutors say he shouted “Free Palestine!” when he threw the incendiary devices.
After the attack, investigators found a handwritten note inside Soliman’s car that said, “Zionism is our enemies until Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land.” That’s according to The Colorado Sun.
Soliman’s defense attorneys argued in federal court that his anti-Zionist statements showed that he targeted the group because of their perceived political views. That would not be a hate crime, under federal law.
Assistant U.S Attorney Melissa Hindman argued that it was a hate crime because Soliman targeted people based on their perceived connection to Israel as their national origin.
Outside of the 12 counts of hate crime, Soliman also faces 118 counts, including 28 counts of attempted first-degree murder in the state court.
Read more
Safeway strike expands to Greeley
Union employees at two Safeway stores in Greeley have joined the strike against the grocery chain.
That means workers at more than a dozen Colorado Safeway stores, all members of the labor union United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, are on strike, according to 9News.
The Greeley walkouts have caused staffing shortages that forced the two stores to shorten their hours of operation.
Safeway employees in Boulder and Denver are also striking. They want better wages, benefits and increased staffing.
Safeway management says they are committed to collective bargaining with the union. 9News says both the grocer and the union confirm that contract talks have resumed, but no agreement has been reached.
Denver – Fort Collins passenger rail gets tentative approval
The Regional Transportation District has approved a plan to examine the feasibility of a Front Range passenger rail line.
Tuesday’s unanimous vote by RTD’s Board of Directors approved a plan to convene an intergovernmental committee to identify current costs of the long-awaited rail connection. The rail line would connect Denver, the northwest Denver suburbs, Boulder County and Fort Collins.
The planning phase does not bring the project into execution, but does provide some hope to those in Northern Colorado who voted to pass a tax to support the FasTracks project back in 2004. RTD Director Lynn Guissinger described Tuesday’s vote as a way to move forward.
The committee will be chartered with negotiating with BNSF railway regarding the cost to RTD to use one of their existing freight rail lines. Potential funding for the new line includes fees on rental cars and oil and gas production. Since the line would connect multiple cities, it could also unlock federal transportation funds.
That’s all according to The Denver Post.
Read more
RTD stowaway
Transit authorities are investigating the case of a man who appears to have ridden on the back of an RTD bus, as it drove along U.S. 36 near Boulder.
The man is seen in a video posted to Reddit, and shared with Denver7. The user who posted it said it was recorded around six a.m. on Tuesday morning, although the Daily Camera said it was posted to the Boulder sub-Reddit on Monday.
It shows a man in dark clothing riding on the rear bumper of an AB2 bus, the bus that runs between Boulder and the Denver International Airport.
A RTD staffer said they are aware of the video, and that what it appears to show is clearly unsafe behavior, and against their rules.
Hail study
Boulder-based researchers and students are engaged in a summer-long project studying hail storms. Experts say it is the largest study of hail storms in the United States in more than 40 years.
The researchers, including University of Colorado Boulder students and scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, are chasing thunderstorms all over the country. The Daily Camera says their strategy is to get ahead of a storm, and lay out instruments along the side of a road to collect data once the storm arrives.
A senior NCAR scientist called the work extremely exhausting, but said what they learn should advance the knowledge of hail storms. The Camera said that hail storms cause billions of dollars in damage every year.
