Jan. 13-17, 2025
Each week, KUNC collects and curates some of the more important stories of the week that have aired on our daily newscast. We know how busy life can be, and that it's not always possible to get your news on our airwaves (or from streaming us right here on our website). Fill in the gaps and catch up right here. No one enjoys the feeling of missing out!
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Cold snap on tap for MLK weekend
Winter weather is coming back to northern Colorado with extreme cold. The National Weather Service in Boulder says to expect rapidly dropping temperatures Friday afternoon and evening on the Front Range. Saturday through Tuesday, highs will be in the single digits to teens and some low temperatures will dip below zero. The area can expect 3 to 6 inches of snow. We have a list of warming centers that will be open during this severe cold snap here.
State鈥檚 DNA test turnaround rate balloons amid data scandal
Retesting of manipulated DNA data has put major delays on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation鈥檚 work processing sexual assault test kits. The Denver Post reports the average turnaround time is now more than 500 days. That鈥檚 nearly six times the division鈥檚 goal. The backlog was made worse by findings last year that lab analyst Yvonne 鈥淢issy鈥� Woods had manipulated more than a thousand DNA test results. Woods is under investigation and widespread retesting of her assigned cases is currently underway. The state鈥檚 backlog came up during a Department of Public Safety oversight hearing with state lawmakers last week. In The NoCo has a conversation about this and two other lab testing scandals here.
Boebert will co-lead Natural Resource Subcommittee
Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert was named Vice-Chair of the Natural Resource Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which oversees agencies like the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Energy and Commerce. She also serves on the subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries. Issues like forest and water management have been a focus for Boebert over her first two terms. She has worked to prevent some of the Biden administration鈥檚 environmental policies from being implemented. Boebert is the only Colorado Republican in committee leadership. Representatives Joe Neguse and Diana DeGette are the top Democrats on the subcommittees on federal lands and on energy and climate. Congressman Jason Crow is the top Democrat on the oversight committee for Foreign Affairs.
JBS strikes a deal with labor officials
Greeley-based meatpacker JBS has reached an agreement with the US Department of Labor to address concerns over child labor. A federal investigation last year found JBS's third-party service providers had children working dangerous jobs and overnight shifts at several of the company's facilities - including here in Colorado. Through the new agreement, JBS will put $4 million toward preventing child labor and supporting victims of the illegal practice. The company is also required to hire a child labor compliance specialist to develop training and conduct reviews.
Future Legends gets an extension on safety fixes
A U.S. bankruptcy judge has given Future Legends three months to fix health and safety issues at the sports complex in Windsor. Future Legends was facing the possibility of shutting down last week. The town of Windsor has tried to pull its occupancy permits several times, arguing that issues at the site need to be fixed. Owner Jeff Katofsky took the town to court and won a temporary injunction to stop any action. That injunction has now been extended until April 15th. Future Legends still has to get expired building permits re-approved to continue any work on the complex.
Johnston rejects needle exchange ordinance
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has vetoed an ordinance that would allow for more needle exchange programs. The Denver Post reports Johnston described the ordinance as "the wrong solution at the wrong time." The city council approved the measure on Monday with an 8 to 5 vote. Needle exchange sites offer a place for drug users to dispose of used needles and pick up clean ones. Only three exchanges exist in the city under a 1997 law. The ordinance would have removed a 1,000-foot buffer between the sites and schools or daycares.
New Lafayette affordable housing complex now open for tenants
A new affordable housing development in Boulder County is welcoming its first residents this month. Willoughby Corner in Lafayette offers below-market rentals and properties for sale for older adults and families. The housing project has been in development since 2017 when Lafayette, the county, and Boulder County Housing Authority partnered to purchase the land. Willoughby Corner will eventually offer 400 units.
U.S. Supreme Court squashes Utah鈥檚 public lands lawsuit
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday stopped Utah鈥檚 long-shot public lands lawsuit in its tracks. It's the latest rejection in a decades-old fight to turn control of federally managed lands over to states. Public lands advocates worried that allowing Utah鈥檚 case to move forward could threaten to upend the management of 200 million acres of public lands across the West, potentially giving way to the sale of public lands to private entities. Utah's lawsuit specifically targeted 18.5 million acres of public lands 鈥� about a third of the state 鈥� managed by the Bureau of Land Management and are not designated as wilderness, parks or monuments. It argued that it鈥檚 unconstitutional for the federal government to hold onto those 鈥渦nappropriated鈥� lands indefinitely.
Colorado's 'fiddle family' holds a swinging reunion at the National Western Stock Show
The first weekend of Denver's National Western Stock Show saw fiddlers from across the state and around the nation descend on the city to prove their mastery at the . More than 70 fiddlers - some as young as 6 years-old - compete for cash prizes, belt buckles and, of course, glory. KUNC鈥檚 Rae Solomon joined the competitors as they warmed up. You can find her story here.
