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03_04_25_Headlines Gabrielle Mendoza
Thousands gather to protest against NOAA
Close to 1,000 people gathered outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, Boulder Campus yesterday to protest the mass firings of federal employees by the Trump Administration.
Many people held signs criticizing President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who runs the Department of Government Efficiency, also referred to as DOGE.
Several NOAA employees observed the protest from the David Skaggs Research Center, and watched the namesake of that center speak to protestors in the group.
Skaggs is a former representative for Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District. He told The Denver Post he planned the protest just one day before hundreds of Department of Commerce employees were fired. He also told The Post that QUOTE “It defies anything that [he] [has] in [his] personal experience to understand how stupid this is.”
Skaggs clarified what it means to be a probationary worker – it doesn’t mean you have done something wrong at your job or exist in a trial period; it simply means you’re new to your current position. And “new” is relative based on the employer’s definition.
NOAA officials refuse to say how many employees were fired, according to The Post, and have described the moves as internal personnel and management matters. It’s unclear whether or not the layoffs are truly final, since a federal judge last week ruled that they are likely illegal and ordered the Office of Personnel Management to rescind the directives that started the mass layoffs.
You’ll hear from protestors outside NOAA yesterday on today’s Mag.
Officials remove upside down American flag
Boulder officials have removed an upside-down American flag from the Second Flatiron.
The flag was found on Friday. According to Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks spokesperson Phillip Yates, the flag was considered abandoned property and was treated as such. Yates added that the flag, like any unauthorized items and displays, was removed to “ensure these areas remain open and welcoming for all visitors.” That’s according to The Daily Camera.
An upside-down American flag has been used as a form of protest for decades. A flipped flag was also hung at El Capitan in Yosemite National Park early last week.
Dave Williams Not Running
Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams will not be seeking a second term as the state’s GOP chairman.
Williams said he has “chosen to move in a different direction” but will continue to move forward with the grassroots conservative agenda. The announcement came on Friday, after the former state lawmaker from Colorado Springs announced in an email to Republicans that his tenure had “its fair share of ups and downs.”
Williams received widespread backlash for many actions, including his attacks on the LGBTQ+ community during Pride month and his active role in state primaries. Opponents from within his party eventually tried to oust him and install a new chair. A judge ruled that effort invalid.
Sources told Colorado Politics that Williams has landed a job with the Trump administration. However, Williams won’t give any more details about his future plans for now.
The Colorado Republicans are set to elect statewide officers at a biennial reorganization meeting of the party’s central committee on March 29.
The four Republicans that have announced their runnings for the position are Darcy Schoening, Brita Horn, Kevin McCarney and Lori Saine. The state party is suing two of the candidates, Horn and McCarney, who spearheaded the failed effort to oust Williams and his fellow officers.
Testifying in support of tipped wage bill, now facing doxxing
The restaurant workers who testified in support of the new tipped wage bill have been threatened and doxxed, according to the bill’s sponsors.
House Bill 25-1208, dubbed the Restaurant Relief Act by supporters, would require local governments with a minimum wage that exceeds the state minimum to provide a tip offset for tipped employees. The bill would put all tipped workers in Colorado at a minimum wage of $11.79 per hour, which is $1-4 lower than the current wages for those workers in Boulder, Denver, and Edgewater.
Colorado House Democrats reported QUOTE “deeply disrespectful” flyers being distributed at the Capitol targeting an employee, as well as attacks on a business that testified in support of legislation in recent days.
The details of the flyer were not shared with the public.
Democratic Rep. Alex Valdez told KDVR that the House Finance Committee chose to only hear from restaurant owners whose businesses have already closed, to protect open businesses from harassment by opponents of the bill. He added that he and other supporters have asked the opposition to discuss the bill, but haven’t been able to connect.
While those in favor of the bill say it would provide more financial flexibility and allow more equitable pay for back-of-house employees like cooks and dishwashers, critics say it would cost tipped workers thousands of dollars and that there are other ways to support struggling restaurants.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s office has backed the bill, while several city council members has spoken out against it.
KGNU has already spoken with supporters of the bill. You’ll hear from a Boulder City Council member opposing HB 1208 on Thursday’s Morning Magazine.
