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07_01_24_AMheadlines Greta Kerkhoff
New State laws in effect today
A handful of new laws go into effect in Colorado today.
First up, Senate Bill 131 prohibits carrying firearms in sensitive spaces, including government buildings, child care centers, and public schools.
Critics of the bill say the new law isn’t tough enough on those who carry guns onto school grounds. A violation of the law is considered a Class 1 misdemeanor, as opposed to a class 6 felony as it was before.
According to Colorado Politics, before the bill, a person caught with a gun in certain locations could face over a year in prison and up to $100,000 in fines; now, someone carrying a gun on school grounds faces a shorter jail sentence and a maximum of only $1,000 in fines.
There’s also House Bill 1007, which prohibits local governments from limiting the number of unrelated people who can live together in a single house, with a few exceptions.
The bill says occupancy limits may still be enforced if they are essential to upholding health and safety standards and government affordable housing guidelines.
The City of Boulder has previously limited unrelated people living together per household to as few as three, but raised the number to five across much of the city last year. Now, due to the new bill, that limit no longer exists explicitly.
However, Boulder will still enforce the International Property Maintenance Code to regulate properties. It requires that each bedroom be no fewer than 70 square feet in size and prescribes minimum areas for living and dining rooms.
Another bill from this past legislative session is House Bill 1147, which regulates the usage of deep fake videos and other AI-generated political content. It mandates that any manipulated media about a candidate must include a disclosure statement stating it has been altered by AI.
You can see a list of other laws that passed at coloradopolitics.com.
Boulder Camping Ban and SCOTUS Ruling
An ongoing lawsuit seeking to overturn Boulder’s camping ban may be derailed by a Supreme Court ruling on a similar case.
In a 6–3 ruling along ideological lines, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of Grants Pass, Oregon, to ticket people for sleeping in public spaces.
The Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, the city’s main shelter in North Boulder, only has 180 beds, and unhoused individuals are often turned away. The lawsuit seeking to overturn Boulder’s campaign ban was filed by the ACLU of Colorado, alleging that the city violated protections against cruel and unusual punishment by issuing citations to people sleeping in public spaces, when they had nowhere else to go. That trial was scheduled for a trial in August 2024, but paused due to the pending Supreme Court Grants Pass ruling.
The ruling is likely to significantly impact how cities across the country – including Boulder – address encampments and homelessness, according to Boulder Reporting Lab.
BoCo Voter Turnout
Boulder’s voter turnout in this past primary election was noticeably lower than in years past.
$1.5 million dollars went into campaign spending for this year’s primary election, yet voter turnout was down from 2020 and 2022. Results from Boulder Reporting Lab show only around one-third of registered voters cast their ballot in this year’s race.
Boulder Reporting Lab also found that the population of people who voted in Boulder’s primary was [quote], “disproportionately older.” While the average age of registered voters in Boulder is near 50, the average age of those who voted in this year’s primary election hovered near 60.
Results are not expected to change, given the leads in the polls by current projected winners. but a final vote count will be posted by the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder.
Frontier and United Airlines face federal wage theft lawsuits
Two separate lawsuits in Colorado Frontier and United airlines of wage theft.
Frontier employees report working up to 16 hours a day without breaks or overtime.
Meanwhile, flight attendants from United claim they were not paid full wages while planes were stopped.
According to Colorado Public Radio, attendants are only paid $2 per hour for duties before and after takeoff, a violation of Colorado wage law.
HKM Employment Attorneys in Denver filed both cases and are seeking class-action status for the cases.
Rare Disease In BoCo Rabbit
A dead rabbit with tularemia has been found in Boulder County.
The carcass was discovered west of 95th Street near Phillips Road in unincorporated Boulder County, according to Fox 31/KDVR.
Tularemia can spread to humans, though rarely fatal if treated with antibiotics. The bacterial disease can cause skin ulcers and swollen lymph nodes.
Pneumonic tularemia is the most serious and results from breathing dusts or aerosols containing the organism.
According to the Boulder County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control, other ways humans can be infected include tick and deer fly bites, skin contact with infected animals, and drinking contaminated water.
Stabbing at Large EDM Concert at CU Boulder’s Folsom Field – Suspect is on the loose
CU Boulder Police are searching for a suspect involved in a stabbing at Folsom Field during an EDM concert.
CUPD received the report of an individual who was stabbed in his hand in a stairwell at 11:30 p.m. during the Odesza concert.
The victim was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
The suspect is described as a 5’10” male with a black zip-up hoodie and a white t-shirt.
Anyone with information regarding the crime or the suspect’s location is encouraged to contact CUPD.
