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08_07_25_Headlines Ainsley Coogan
Polis calls for special session
Governor Jared Polis is calling for a special session of the Colorado legislature, to address a sudden deficit in the state budget brought on by the federal tax bill signed by Donald Trump last month.
The cuts in that federal bill have left Colorado with a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall, representing more than 4.5% of Colorado’s general budget fund, according to the Denver Post.
The Colorado budget went into effect on July 1 and is already out of balance, according to state budget director Mark Ferrandino. He said that the longer lawmakers wait to address the problem, the deeper the necessary cuts will have to be.
In announcing the special session yesterday, Governor Polis said lawmakers need to find major spending cuts, find new revenue, and limit the use of financial reserves for as long as possible.
Lawmakers will return to Denver on August 21 for a special session that will last at least three days, according to the Post.
Lawmakers will have to cut or find about $738 million, in order to offset revenue losses brought on by the federal tax bill signed into law last month. The total amount to cut would have been more, but the state had a projected $300 million budget surplus prior to the federal cuts.
The governor says lawmakers need to find ways to “restrict spending, enhance revenues, and use a modest portion of the state’s rainy day reserves.” One possibility of several he has recently proposed is encouraging businesses to prepay their taxes.
Although no furloughs or layoffs are predicted at this time, Governor Polis has already established a hiring freeze that begins later on this month, and runs through the end of the year, according to the Post. He said that would save up to $7 million.
The governor unveiled other cost-cutting proposals. But even if lawmakers approve them all, the state would still be some $200 million in the red. The governor stressed, however, that he does not want cuts made to education.
Wildfires
Wildfires continue to burn across western Colorado, and at last word have consumed more than 32,000.
A new fire called the Twelve fire was reported to the Bureau of Land Management at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. It has burned across 1,000 acres over the course of five hours after sparking in Moffat County, about 50 miles west of Craig.
Gov. Jared Polis announced a disaster declaration for the Leroux fire burning near Hotchkiss in Delta County, and the Lee fire burning in Rio Blanco County. Disaster declarations allow for the state to send additional resources to help suppress wildfires.
The Lee fire has burned more than 22,000 acres as of Wednesday morning. It absorbed the Grease fire that started nearby.
The Elk fire has burned more than 8,300 acres as of Wednesday. It is at no containment and has destroyed at least two homes.
More than 230 firefighters are working to suppress the Elk and Lee fires, including seven aircraft, nine fire engines and seven hand crews.
That’s all according to The Denver Post.
Aurora cop sued
The family of an unarmed Black man who was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer sued the officer on Monday.
Aurora police officer Brandon Mills shot and killed Rashaud Johnson, who was 32, back in May at a private parking lot near Denver International Airport. Johnson was unarmed and walking toward Mills after a physical altercation between the two. They were separated by about 15 feet when Mills killed him, according to The Denver Post.
The lawsuit says that Johnson was having a mental health crisis and that Mills should not have fired his gun.
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said that the officer tried to deescalate the situation first. Johnson was suspected of trespassing on the private parking lot.
The suit also objects to the way the Aurora Police Department has portrayed Johnson since the shooting. The suit says Johnson was a thoughtful and introspective person.
Know Your Rights training
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty is leading a free, Know Your Rights training event this Saturday.
It’s scheduled for the Canyon Theater at the Boulder Public Library’s main branch, beginning at 3:30pm and running until 5:30.
The D.A.’s office said in a press release that the aim of the event is to help people understand and exercise their rights, relating to immigrant protection.
There’s a scheduled discussion on the immigrant protections that the law does, and does not, provide in situations like traffic stops, interactions with police as the victim of a crime, and probation offices.
Also scheduled is a reading of an autobiographical story about the challenges of someone with Dreamer status, or Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals. It will be followed by a question-and-answer session between the audience, local law enforcement leaders, and an immigration attorney.
The Know Your Rights training is offered in correlation with Boulder’s non-profit Motus Theater.
