Family of Nicaraguan asylum-seeker is suing Aurora detention center
The family of a Nicaraguan asylum-seeker who died in ICE custody from an undiagnosed blood clot is suing the operator of a privately-run Aurora detention center.
Melvin Ariel Calero Mendoza was a father of two from Niacaragua who sought asylum in the U.S. back in 2022. His family says the detention center ignored his pleas for health, in the wake of other preventable detainee deaths.
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MorningMagazine_2024-10-21 Jack Dawson
Mendoza’s family says Mendoza tried to get treated for severe pain in his right leg at least three times while in ICE custody. The 39-year-old collapsed in a common area at the facility in October 2022, and was pronounced dead an hour-and-a-half later from what forensic examiners later determined was a blood clot.
The lawsuit goes on to call out the facility for consistently failing to meet national health care standards, citing years of concerns about individual’s inability to access medical care. That’s all according to The Denver Post.
Text spreading misinformation over school choice ballot measure sparks tension
Voters across Colorado received a text message last week suggesting that the president of the state’s largest teachers union supports Amendment 80 – which would change the state constitution by adding a right to school choice.
The text was from an unidentified source, and did not disclose who sent or paid for it.
The Colorado Education Association and its president, Kevin Vick, have been outward about their opposition to Amendment 80. His text included an audio clip of a voice purported to be Vick talking about school choice.
Those texts are now the subject of a campaign finance complaint filed by the current chair of the Pueblo County Democratic Party, who said she “strongly suspect(s)” the texts were filed by Colorado Dawn IEC – an independent expenditure committee backing conservative candidates in local and state races. She says that if they did send the texts, they should file as an issue committee.
Colorado Dawn IEC has not reported working on Amendment 80. However, a separate nonprofit with a very similar name – Colorado Dawn – has been supporting the measure and is allowed to under state campaign finance laws. If the nonprofit did send the texts, its up in the air whether or not they violated state law by not providing a disclaimer with the messages.
Former Denver child-protective case worker arrested for allegedly falsifying reports
A former Denver Department of Human Services (DHS) child-protective case worker was arrested last Thursday on 17 felony counts, for allegedly falsifying reports to make it appear as though she had conducted interviews that never occurred. Those interviews would have taken place during child abuse and child sex abuse investigations.
Christina Gray was the agency’s lead intake social caseworker for child abuse investigations. Denver-based attorney Jessica Peck made DHS aware of the alleged falsified official reports back in January.
The lawsuit includes at least four examples of alleged fabrications. In one instance, Gray said she conducted a home visit to investigate the potential child sex abuse of a 7-year-old girl by an individual that was not the girl’s parent. During the supposed home visit, the mother of the child had actually been taking a bath and talking to her boyfriend.
A review of Gray’s cell and work phones also found that she was repeatedly not at locations she claimed she had visited during her intake casework on at least eight other cases. That’s according to a police report.
Gray resigned from her position on February 29. Denver police did not start investigating Gray until April 2. That’s also according to a police report.
Peck called Gray’s ability to resign rather than be immediately fired an “atrocity,” and that the decision “casts doubt on the integrity” of DHS.
Xcel efficiency rebate resumes but likely in exchange for higher future rates for consumers
Xcel Energy has restarted its energy efficiency rebate program after stopping it in July, when it ran out of its $94 million budget. This state-mandated program requires Xcel to provide businesses with rebates for energy-saving upgrades as part of Colorado’s efforts to cut energy use and emissions.
In July, Xcel told the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that it could no longer offer rebates for the rest of the year because far more businesses than expected applied for the program.
To keep the program going, Xcel took $34 million from its 2025 budget, with approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC). This fix keeps rebates flowing in 2024, but it leaves a hole in next year’s budget.
Consumer advocates are pushing back, arguing that Xcel should have used other financial resources, like profits or cash reserves, rather than forcing ratepayers to cover the cost of its poor budget management.
That’s all according to The Colorado Sun.
