Free Republic

Denver police officers faced an armed bad guy who drew down on them in the midst of a busy bar crowd at 1:35 a.m. The cops engaged, firing their sidearms, scoring seven hits out of six rounds fired. That represents a remarkable 117% hit rate. The only problem is that six of the seven people who were wounded soaked up rounds meant for the bad guy. They surely don’t appreciate DPD’s marksmanship skills, or lack thereof. Yes, there’s that pesky fourth rule of gun safety: Know your target and what’s beyond it. For the record, that even applies to the...

More than 140 people experiencing homelessness in Denver will each be provided up to $1,000 in cash a month for up to one year as part of a basic income program designed to help "lift individuals out of homelessness," the city announced last week. The $2 million contract with the Denver Basic Income Project was approved by the City Council and will provide direct cash assistance to more than 140 women, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, and families in shelters. "Just as important as housing and shelter is a regular source of income for those experiencing homelessness," Mayor Michael B....

The search warrant that named Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington last year was carried out this week related to a corruption investigation in Los Angeles, California. Why it matters: The move comes ahead of his nomination process to lead the Federal Aviation Administration after President Biden tapped him in July. Driving the news: The warrant aims to unearth information about possible favoritism in how Los Angeles' Metropolitan Transportation Authority — which Washington headed for six years — awarded contracts. A copy of the warrant, published on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website, reveals the agency has asked for...

DENVER (KDVR) – An event being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday aims to get people ready to respond to emergencies as part of National Preparedness month. The Denver Office of Emergency Management is hosting two events during September as part of a nationwide campaign that will provide free emergency “Bug Out Bags” to anyone in attendance. Those events fall under the DenverREADY: Preparedness Program which is part of the National Preparedness Month movement, the theme of which is: Protecting your Legacy: The Life you’ve Built is Worth Protecting.

Three years ago, a Denver bellhop ventured into Arizona’s Superstition Mountains determined to find the Lost Dutchman’s Mine, an elusive, vast gold reserve that has lured prospectors since the 19th century. Jesse Capen, 35, had made finding the hidden treasure an “obsession” fueled by more than 100 books and maps on the legendary — and perhaps nonexistent — mine named for German immigrant Jacob "The Dutchman" Waltz. On Saturday, years after Capen’s Jeep, wallet, backpack and cellphone were found by hikers, volunteers from the Superstition Search and Rescue finally located what they believe is Capen’s body. “We call ‘em Dutch...

Nearly two years after opposing political rallies in Denver’s Civic Center ended with a man shot and killed by a security guard for 9News, a bystander to the shooting has filed a lawsuit for ongoing physical and emotional distress against the company and two contracted security firms. The Denver Gazette is a content partner of 9News. Matthew Dolloff shot Lee Keltner, 49, on Oct. 10, 2020, in a confrontation as rallies — which called themselves a “Patriot Muster” and “BLM-Antifa Soup Drive — ended in Civic Center. Steven Wright, a friend of Keltner, was pictured trying to break up a...

Earlier this year, Denver City Council passed a property ordinance that requires all rental houses, units and apartments to be licensed. The deadline for some landlords is around the corner and the FOX31 Problem Solvers are finding out that only 1% of owners have complied. Eric Escudero, spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Excise and Licenses said they’re concerned about a “slow” and “disappointing” start. “There are obviously a lot of people who are procrastinating to get this required licensing to be a landlord in the city and county of Denver,” Escudero said. The city council passed the “Healthy Residential Rentals...

22,000 people lost control of temperatures in their homes for hours Tuesday.. DENVER — During the dog days of summer, it's important to keep your home cool. But when thousands of Xcel customers in Colorado tried adjusting their thermostats Tuesday, they learned they had no control over the temperatures in their own homes. ... Xcel confirmed to Contact Denver7 that 22,000 customers who had signed up for the Colorado AC Rewards program were locked out of their smart thermostats for hours on Tuesday. "It's a voluntary program. Let's remember that this is something that customers choose to be a part...

A local Denver area school system dropped the ball by not being aware of a video that was released to students that advised them to ‘not contact police’ if they witness a ‘racist, or violent act.’ The released video titled “Don’t be a bystander: 6 Tips for Responding to Racist Attacks” gives unsanctioned advice to teenage students on how to react when observing a violent attack and law enforcement. According to the Fox News press release: “The video gives tips of what to do if a viewer sees a violent racist attack. One tip was to talk to the victim,...

Citing alarm toward the Republican Party’s widespread embrace of 2020 election conspiracies, a moderate GOP Colorado state senator has switched his affiliation to Democrat, enhancing that party’s prospects to retain its majority in the chamber in the November midterms. Kevin Priola, who represents Adams County in Denver’s suburbs, said in a letter Monday he was horrified by the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol and had waited in vain for his party to repudiate it as well as former President Donald Trump, who continues to insist that it was stolen. “It never came,” Priola said. “To my dismay, brave...

Michael Lee Sandoval had been out of jail on a personal recognizance bond for just a few days when he made his way from Pueblo to Colorado Springs, where he allegedly car-jacked a new victim. He then drove up to Highlands Ranch, where he is accused of committing an armed robbery before heading up to Denver, where he was arrested. After the arrest, and despite already being out on a PR bond in Pueblo for a robbery, a judge in Denver again released Sandoval on a PR bond, meaning that he only needed to sign his name to a statement...

The world hasn’t seen commercial supersonic travel in nearly 20 years since the Concorde was retired in 2003, but all that is about to change with the development of a new, environmentally friendly airliner. Meet Overture – the world’s fastest airliner that was developed by Denver-based Boom Supersonic. With 26 million hours of designing and testing, Overture will run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as it flies at Mach 1.7 over the ocean, shuttling between 68-80 passengers up to nearly 5,000 miles. The updated design features four engines that will keep weight and temperature balanced, which will also lower...

DENVER (CBS4)– A new study finds violent crimes and property crimes are rising faster in Colorado than nationally. Common Sense Institute, a non-partisan research organization, says violent crime jumped 10% in the state last year, compared to 5% nationally, and property crime increased 8%, while it dropped 8% nationally. The study puts the total cost of crime in Colorado at more than $27 billion in 2020. “We are awash in a crime tsunami,” says former 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler. He and former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrisey conducted the study that found crime has been on the rise...

Crime has surged in Denver, despite the city council increasing the budget to a record high of $265 million in 2022. The last weekend in July was a violent one in and around Denver, Colo. Early Saturday, a 31-year-old man was shot and killed in Northglenn, a northern suburb of the city, the first of at least six area shootings that sent at least four others to the hospital that weekend. Around 3 p.m., a man was stabbed to death on Denver’s north side. ... The weekend concluded with the late-Sunday killing of Kevin Piaskowski, who was driving home from...

A special agent for the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms, and Explosives) in Colorado Springs has resigned after 18 years of service. In his resignation letter obtained by 13 Investigates, Brandon Garcia says he cannot support the way criminals are being handled by the current government. The ATF is a federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice. ATF has a field offices in Denver and Colorado Springs. ... Garcia, who according to his resignation letter has served in law enforcement for 18 years, has concerns about the over 5,000 ATF agents nationally. "The last time morale was...

A gunman shot at a Denver-area Catholic church in separate early morning incidents Saturday and Monday. No one was hurt, but one estimate suggests the gunshots caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Parish staff stressed the need to pray for the perpetrator and emphasized that they are taking the utmost security precautions. “We are praying for the conversion of whoever did this,” Deacon Derrick Johnson of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church told CNA Aug 8. “If there’s any opportunity to speak to that person, we’d be happy to speak with them and have a dialogue.”...

Denver’s top prosecutor Beth McCann has survived numerous scandals since she was first elected in 2016. McCann is notorious for her refusal to prosecute the 9News security guard who shot and killed Lee Keltner during a 2020 conservative political rally. Then there was the time she blocked efforts by police to pursue prosecution of Denver School Board member Tay Anderson following the school board’s own investigation of harassment complaints. The Denver Police Department brought a sexual assault case against Anderson to the district attorney’s office, but after reviewing the facts, prosecutors decided Thursday they would be unable to prove the...

Another former football player has passed away in the span of just one week in the sporting world. On Thursday, former South Carolina quarterback Phil Petty passed away at the age of 43. The tragic news follows his recent appointment as an assistant coach at Gray Collegiate Academy in Columbia, South Carolina. According to reports, Phil Petty died after a “brief stay in the hospital.” The cause of death has not yet been made public as of the time of this writing. ... Petty was a three-year starter at quarterback under coach Lou Holtz at South Carolina and led the...

Roe v. Wade protesters in South Carolina clashed with police on Saturday as thousands continued their outrage against the Supreme Court's decision to end the landmark abortion ruling by holding demonstrations in Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and all across the country. Protests erupted on Friday following the court's ruling to overtun women's federal right to abortions, with 26 states expected to futher restirct or outight ban abortions. Outrage over the decision is expected to carry on over the weekend through the chaotic protests, as Capitol Police said two people were arrested on Saturday for throwing paint...

DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a woman who expected to pay about $1,300 for spinal fusion surgery but was billed more than $300,000 by a suburban Denver hospital that included charges it never disclosed she might be liable for. This week’s ruling in favor of Lisa French, who underwent two surgeries in 2014, follows efforts by many U.S. states and the federal government to help curb health care costs by restricting or eliminating so-called “surprise billing ” and requiring increased price transparency for consumers. In a unanimous opinion, the Colorado justices ruled Monday that...