Author: Noah Festenstein

A 70-year-old Castle Rock woman who forged a deceased landlord’s ballot in March 2024 became the new 23rd Judicial District’s first voter fraud conviction. The Douglas County Clerk & Recorder and 23rd Judicial District officials said voter fraud cases are rare within the large, Republican-dominated county south of Denver. Joy “Beth” Lewis was convicted on…

Chalked in bold, right outside the front door of Heritage Elementary School in Highlands Ranch, messages on the pavement read “save our school” and “our memories are here.” Heritage Elementary, one of Colorado’s highest performing schools, is one of three Douglas County School District schools on the chopping block in its effort to accommodate downsizing.…

A long-imagined tunnel under Broadway in Littleton is about to become reality. Littleton officials announced the busy road must undergo a critical infrastructure project, according to a news release, opening up an opportunity for the city to build its long-desired pedestrian underpass below Broadway. Littleton engineers estimated the cost at up to $9 million, but…

Douglas County School District officials this week recommended three Highlands Ranch schools for closure in an effort to consolidate growth and account for the decline of students in some areas. To balance out that growth and decline, DCSD seeks to “pair” and “consolidate” six elementary schools into three in time for the 2026-2027 school year,…

Douglas County commissioners voted on Tuesday to explore establishing a home rule charter, arguing the move would allow the county to carve a path that is different than where the state is headed.     Establishing home rule, officials said, gives commissioners and the county more local control. “Douglas County seeks more local control, freedom from…

Douglas County officials on Tuesday presented plans for what could become one of Colorado’s largest sports complexes, a development that may generate billions of dollars in tax revenue for the county within the growing Sterling Ranch community. Plans call for a 500-acre sports and recreation complex — including 400 acres of open space and commercial real…

In a continued effort to curb auto thefts, the Denver Police Department has partnered with the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority to provide 450 free tracking devices to residents. The police department is offering the 450 free AirTags and SmartTag Bluetooth location tracking devices to residents who register through the city’s DenverTrack auto theft prevention…

The Lakewood Police Department is searching for a suspect who allegedly carved a swastika on a Tesla Cybertruck parked outside the Colorado Mills mall. In a statement on X on Saturday night, Lakewood authorities said a person vandalized a Cybertruck in the mall’s parking lot. The incident occurred on March 5 and was first reported…

As Denver pushes for more “affordable” housing, experts wonder if the city’s approach is sustainable and question whether it aligns with today’s market needs. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal for 2025 to “preserve” or help in the development of more than 3,000 such units. Denver worked with developers last year to build 1,695 new units,…