Primary election voting starts soon and Boulder needs funding for unhoused projects

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Voting ballots to be sent out this week

Coloradans will cast their primary votes about who should serve as the following United States president in the coming weeks. 

The Colorado Presidential primary lands on March 5th this year, and ballots for its Republican and Democratic primaries will be mailed out starting today. Officials say voters can expect them to show up in their mailboxes starting later this week.

Today is also the last day for voters registered with a party other than Democrat, Republican, or Unaffiliated to switch or change party affiliation.

Colorado has no voter registration deadline, and new voters can register and vote up to and including on Election Day.

The last recommended day for mail-in ballots to be mailed and received on time is February 26th. Officials say that ballots must be received by then; postmarks do not count. February 26th is also the day that in-person voting centers open in Colorado.

Former US President Donald Trump will appear on this year’s ballot despite ongoing legal efforts to disqualify him from running.

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Voting Info

Unhoused support programs in Boulder are running out of money

The City of Boulder could run out of money for its homeless programs by the end of the year.

That’s according to a city staff memo cited by Boulder Reporting Lab. The programs were created with federal stimulus funding during the pandemic. The staff memo says that to keep them running, the city needs to find up to $2.5 million from other sources.

The financial shortage comes as homelessness is on the rise in Boulder. Programs like rental assistance, financial assistance, and support for transitioning into housing are part of the city’s homelessness strategy.

Boulder Reporting Lab says some Councilmembers decided to put off discussing the financial shortage because they didn’t have enough information about the efficiency of the programs.

To replace pandemic-money-funded programs, the city is considering creating new ones that need funding.

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 24/7 warming center opens in Denver until Friday

The Denver Coliseum is now open as a cold weather warming station and will stay open 24/7 through Friday morning.

9News says that the shelter can hold up to 400 people and is open to anyone in need. Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing this week, and Denver could get up to 4 inches of snow. 

At the same time, Denver City Council will try to override Mayor Mike Johnston’s veto of a measure banning sweeps of homeless encampments during cold weather.

The council voted 7-6 in favor of the ban last week, but Mayor Johnston rejected it. Council is expected to try to override his veto tonight which would require nine votes. 

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Possible CU Boulder tuition hikes

Incoming freshmen at the University of Colorado may see a 3- to 4-percent tuition increase this fall. A 3 percent increase equates to around an additional $359 per year, and a 4 percent increase equates to $479 per year.

The potential tuition increase comes on top of what many say are already unaffordable tuition fees. It costs an in-state student around $11,000 a year to attend CU Boulder. For out-of-state students, that number increases to between $20,000 and $40,000 a year.
Those numbers don’t include housing, transportation, or cost of living.

This year, the University of Colorado system provided more than $242 million in financial aid, more than the designated minimum. Even so, Regent Glenn Gallegos voiced his concern over the effect increased tuition may have on families and students.

According to Gallegos, it may make CU education out of reach for potential applicants. Budget changes and increases proposed on Friday will not be finalized until the Regents meeting in April.

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Boulder used less water in 2023

The City of Boulder used less water last year than the previous five-year average, according to a Year in Review report.

Boulder Reporting Lab says that one of the reasons for the drop in water use was the rainy spring and summer in 2023, which meant people weren’t watering their lawns so much. Water use in Boulder was down 20% during that period.

As climate change increases, so does the variability of precipitation, which in turn affects people’s water usage.

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