Prostitution decriminalization bill not moving forward; JBS workers to go on strike in Greeley; Neguse calls for investigation into NCAR dismantling

Headlines Wednesday, March 11, 2026

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    Prostitution decriminalization bill not moving forward; JBS workers to go on strike in Greeley; Neguse calls for investigation into NCAR dismantling KGNU News

 

Prostitution decriminalization bill not moving forward

A bill to decriminalize prostitution in Colorado is not moving forward at the state legislature this year. The Democratic sponsor of the bill, Senator Nick Hinrichsen from Pueblo, says it doesn’t have enough support. And when it comes up for a hearing, he plans to ask the Senate Judiciary Committee to defeat the bill.

The proposal would have gone further than any other policy in the country to decriminalize both sex work and those who pay for sex. Maine does have a similar law that legalizes just sex work. Nevada allows for legal prostitution at regulated brothels in certain counties outside of Las Vegas. Backers say Colorado’s bill would improve safety for sex workers, opponents said it would increase sex trafficking and exploitation.

This story was reported by the Colorado Capital News Alliance.

 

JBS workers to go on strike in Greeley

Nearly 3,800 workers at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley say they plan to walk off the job next week after contract talks with the company stalled.

Union leaders with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 say negotiations have dragged on for about eight months without a new agreement. Workers have been on a temporary extension of their old contract since last summer.

The union says employees want higher pay that keeps up with inflation and better safety protections. The physically demanding jobs haven’t kept pace with the rising cost of living.

The strike is expected to begin on Mar. 16 and could affect operations at one of the largest beef-processing plants in the United States.

 

Neguse calls for investigation into NCAR dismantling

Colorado representative Joe Neguse is calling for an investigation into the Trump administration’s dismantling of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). In a letter to the Inspector General, Neguse says a whistleblower told him that NCAR and the National Science Foundation (NSF), which oversees the center, had reached an agreement to transfer parts of its space weather program to a private, for-profit company. That’s after the NSF sent a “Dear Colleague Letter” in January asking the scientific community to weigh in on how to restructure NCAR’s operations.

Neguse says NSF reached a deal with the for-profit company—which he did not name—before the feedback period ended. He says the Office of Management and Budget may have violated federal law by bypassing rules that ensure a competitive, transparent process for awarding government programs to private companies.

The Trump administration announced in December that it would be dismantling NCAR calling it a “source of climate alarmism.” The public can submit comments on NCAR’s restructuring via email until Friday, Mar. 13 ([email protected])

This story was reported by Caroline Llanes for Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

 

Glenwood Springs ICE detainee accused of gang affiliation awaiting bail

A Glenwood Springs resident was arrested last month by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which accused him of being a member of the MS-13 gang.

Friends and family dispute that claim, and the advocacy group Voces Unidas says ICE has lied about key facts of the case. The man is being held at the ICE detention facility in Aurora.

Juan Carlos Membreno Portillo  is originally from El Salvador. He had been renting basement accommodations in Glenwood Springs for roughly five years when ICE agents arrested him near City Market in mid-February.

His friend and landlord, who has asked for his identity to remain confidential out of fear of retaliation, attended his bail hearing at the ICE detention facility in Aurora. He said “the prosecutor had a document from El Salvador that said Juan Carlos… accusing him of being a gang member, I guess, but it was in Spanish, so the judge gave the prosecutor another week till the 12th to have that document translated.”

This means that Portillo will remain in detention until the next bail hearing, after which his friend hopes he will be released.

“The guy is just a really nice guy, that’s all I can say and I’m gonna do anything I can to help him out. And in fact, if I offered, told his lawyer that I would be glad to sign a, some kind of responsibility form where they allow people to come to the United States if they have a sponsor,” said Portillo’s landlord, who notes that Portillo runs a crew for Aspen Roofing and has always paid his rent on time. He was the only person present for Portillo at the bail hearing.

Portillo’s boss at Aspen Roofing was expected but did not show up. Portillo’s wife was also absent our source speculates this was out of fear.

This story was reported by Lily Jones for Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

 

 

You can hear daily headlines on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show, with coverage of local and regional public affairs and news with headlines and commentary. Click here to listen to full episodes of the Morning Magazine.

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