Today is July 12, 2024, and here’s what you need to know:

RFK Jr. aims to join 3rd party, independent candidates who left a mark in Colorado elections | TRAIL MIX

It’s a safe bet that presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on Colorado’s general election ballot this year, though it remains to be seen whether he’ll be listed as an independent or as the Libertarian nominee.

Recent polling shows Kennedy — the son and namesake of 1968 presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former president John F. Kennedy — could pull enough votes to influence the race in a state Democrats have carried by comfortable margins in the last four presidential contests.

If that happens, the environmental attorney and former Democrat will join the rarified ranks of independent and third-party presidential candidates who have made a mark in Colorado elections over the last 100 years.

Elbert County manager, attorney get 40% pay increases, with perks

Two of Elbert County’s top officials received contract extensions this year, each with pay raises and county-owned cars, among other perks.

The Board of County Commissioners extended “Engagement of Service” contracts to County Manager Shawn Fletcher and County Attorney Bart Greer.

Fletcher, who has been on the job for less than 18 months, saw a pay bump of $80,000 over his 2023 contract, bringing his annual salary to $220,000. Additionally, he gets the use of a county-owned or leased vehicle, a monthly housing allowance of $1,500, and an extra two weeks (8 days) of vacation leave above his current accrual rate.

Federal judge dismisses constitutional challenge to Breckenridge short-term rental regulations

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a set of claims from a group of Breckenridge property owners who alleged the town’s caps on short-term rental licenses violate their constitutional rights.

Breckenridge enacted a pair of ordinances in 2021 and 2022 that limited the number of short-term rental licenses to 2,200, divided among four zones within the town. Previously, a survey found close to 14% of Breckenridge-area residents had a lease terminated because landlords converted their units to a short-term rental.

In January 2023, a group called Colorado Property Owners for Property Rights registered with the state, ostensibly representing 300 residential property owners in Breckenridge. They filed suit in October alleging the town’s regulation of short-term rentals was arbitrary, treated property owners differently based on where they live and violated the state’s prohibition on rent control.

Second federal judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against Fort Collins for officer's wrongful DUI arrests

A second federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss Fort Collins from a lawsuit alleging the city’s own failures contributed to a police officer’s repeated wrongful arrests of motorists who were not actually intoxicated.

Carl Sever is one of several arrestees who filed suit over their encounters with Jason Haferman, the former “DUI officer” for Fort Collins Police Services. Sever’s complaint described how Larimer County prosecutors dismissed the drunk driving charge against him after his blood test results showed no intoxication — one of many instances in which Haferman wrongly arrested motorists for driving under the influence.

Earlier this year, U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney rejected the city’s motions to dismiss itself in two other cases involving Haferman. She found the allegations credibly showed police supervisors should have reviewed Haferman’s work after the blood test results for his arrestees started coming back negative, but the city did nothing.

Federal judge throws out challenge to Colorado Springs' local election schedule

A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a voting rights challenge to Colorado Springs’ municipal election schedule, brought by four civic groups seeking to force the city to move its April elections to November to reduce turnout disparities among voters of color.

The parties submitted hundreds of pages of evidence disputing whether April elections in odd-numbered years should be considered a discriminatory practice under the Voting Rights Act. The plaintiffs argued participation from Black and Hispanic voters was only on par with White residents in November elections in even-numbered years, while the city maintained the lawsuit sought to establish a “national election day” for municipalities that federal law does not require.

Ultimately, U.S. District Court Judge S. Kato Crews did not analyze any of those arguments. In a July 9 order, he concluded the organizations suing the city had no basis to bring their claim — going so far as to suggest the plaintiffs attempted to manufacture standing solely for the lawsuit.