Author: Kyla Pearce
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Aurora communication policy changes raise concerns for public safety, press freedom
Proponents argue arestees have a right to privacy until adjudicated An Aurora City Council decision to alter social media policies for the police department has raised concerns from press freedom and public safety advocates, who worry that limiting what police can release to the public will impact safety and limit media professionals’ ability to access…
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Tapped: Aurora cracks down on water use as reservoirs fall, runoff shrinks
Editor’s note: The Denver metro region sits at the center of one of the American West’s most complex and consequential water challenges. This series examines the interconnected systems that determine how the region secures, stores, and conserves its water while navigating the competing demands of fast‑growing urban communities and the increasingly unpredictable mountain snowpack that…
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Tapped: Front Range residents face higher water rates, restrictions as rapid snowmelt threatens supplies
Editor’s Note: The Denver metro region sits at the center of one of the American West’s most complex and consequential water challenges. This series examines the interconnected systems that determine how the region secures, stores, and conserves its water while navigating the competing demands of fast‑growing urban communities and the increasingly unpredictable mountain snowpack that…
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Aurora eyes raising taxes to pay for infrastructure projects
Aurora voters could decide this November whether to raise sales taxes for the first time since 1993 to help pay for infrastructure, transportation and public safety improvements. The city’s Infrastructure Task Force recommended that the City Council approve a bond program supported by sales and use tax increases to fund Build Up Aurora projects. On…
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Aurora City Council wants ICE facility to report health hazards to city
The Aurora City Council on Monday night advanced proposed changes to the city code that would require all detention facilities to report health hazards to the local government, though whether the new mandates can be enforced remains unclear. The rule change — which would apply to detention facilities like the GEO U.S. Immigration and Customs…
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Aurora City Council votes to create police social media policy to bar ‘editorializing’
The Aurora City Council voted to alter social media policies for the Aurora Police Department on Monday night to bar department officials from posting mug shots and suspect names until a suspect is convicted or pleads guilty. The resolution, which passed with four “no” votes, directs the city manager to develop a social media policy…
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Aurora is ‘strong and getting stronger,’ mayor says in State of City speech
Aurora is “strong and getting stronger,” the city’s mayor said on Tuesday, citing successes in a new homeless navigation campus. Mayor Mike Coffman said he leaves work every Friday and goes straight to the Regional Navigation Campus, where he then sleeps in the low-barrier homeless shelter and helps serve breakfast in the morning. The navigation…
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Aurora City Council to vote on police shooting statement
At Monday night’s Aurora City Council meeting, councilmembers will officially vote on a resolution stating that the council “stands in mourning” with people who have lost loved ones to officer-involved shootings. The resolution, which passed through study session in late April, was proposed by Councilmember Rob Andrews in response to two years of protesters attending…
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12 finalists selected to interview for Aurora Colfax revitalization board
Twelve finalists, including several area business owners, will interview for Aurora’s Downtown Development Authority Board in early May to form the oversight body for a project to revitalize Colfax Avenue. Aurora officials received 38 applications for the six board positions, and 32 met the criteria. Of those 32, a nomination committee selected 12 finalists to…
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Arapahoe County lawmakers postpone vote on short-term rental regulations after tech issues
Arapahoe County Commissioners delayed an official vote Tuesday on regulating short-term rental properties after technological challenges caused issues for public comment. Commissioners voted to approve the regulations after a public comment period Tuesday, then revoked the vote and rescheduled it to May 12 after technical issues kept online participants from being able to hear or…