jefferson county
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Save your pines: Jeffco launches pine beetle assistance program
Mountain pine beetles may be small, but the potential danger to Colorado forests is massive. Jefferson County announced a new pilot program on March 16 to help combat green pine trees infested with pine beetles before the beetles can spread or the removal of infested trees altogether, according to a news release from Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper.…
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Former Jeffco teacher claims district wrongfully terminated her
Courtney Capek claims her career was completely altered by the actions of another. The Lakewood native returned to the school she graduated from, Green Mountain High School, in 2023 to begin her career teaching and establishing a new era for the school’s theater program. Her dream job didn’t last long. The district did not renew…
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Colorado lawmakers seek faster warrant response from social media firms
Proponents argue legislation would prevent school shootings Colorado officials on Monday claimed that the Evergreen High School shooting could have been prevented if social media companies had been required to respond faster to warrants — and they are pushing legislation at the state and federal levels to speed up that process. Current laws allow social…
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Evergreen High School shooting motive still unknown; parents won’t be charged
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office completed the investigation into the Evergreen High School shooting that shocked the county — and country — five months ago. Following the investigation, the parents of the shooter, 16-year-old Desmond Holly, won’t face charges regarding the gun Holly used, according to a Wednesday news release. The sheriff’s office is still…
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Christopher Zenisek, trial judge experienced with high-profile cases | SUPREME COURT FINALISTS
After the Marshall fire burned through Boulder County in the final days of 2021 and wound up destroying more than 1,000 homes, the sprawling 4,000-plaintiff litigation was assigned to District Court Judge Christopher Zenisek of Jefferson County. Zenisek would go on to issue more than 100 orders, hold dozens of hearings and, ultimately, much of…
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Jeffco saw largest increase in homelessness rate in metro area last year
Jefferson County saw the highest increase in the rate of homelessness in the metro area, though Denver still dwarfed its neighbor’s total number of homeless people. Jeffco saw a 27% increase in homelessness from 2024 to 2025 — the largest increase within the metro, according to Kerry Wrenick, regional homeless coordinator for the county. Those…
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10th Circuit rebuffs Jeffco’s attempt to expand immunity footprint
The Denver-based federal appeals court confirmed on Wednesday that it would not treat a judge’s decision to move a civil case forward as the automatic equivalent of denying immunity to governmental officials. The order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit came one month after a trial judge deemed Jefferson County’s appeal…
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Colorado Supreme Court to hear cases on witness retaliation, slip-and-fall
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will decide whether defendants can be convicted of retaliating against a victim or witness when that person has not yet testified and is not scheduled to testify. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case on appeal. There is currently…
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Colorado justices clarify procedure for defendants to access DNA analyst’s criminal file
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that trial judges may order Jefferson County prosecutors to disclose information related to the criminal prosecution of a DNA analyst accused of misconduct, but defendants seeking those files cannot rely on the order alone to gain access. Yvonne “Missy” Woods is a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA…
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Colorado Supreme Court reverses Jeffco judge’s order for fender-bender plaintiff to undergo mental evaluation
The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday that a Jefferson County judge improperly ordered a plaintiff in a personal injury case to sit for a mental health examination after the defendant’s experts suggested her injuries were actually psychological. The justices sided with plaintiff Spring Charlson, whose attorneys warned against allowing defense attorneys to delve into…