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!
Get top headlines and KUNC reporting directly to your mailbox each week when you subscribe to In The NoCo.
The Catch-Up: October 14-18
The comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is visible in Colorado this month
An ancient comet is close enough to Earth for stargazers in Colorado to spot this month. Observers have been following it since last year. Seeing this comet is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience — it isn’t expected to return for another 80,000 years.
According to NASA, it should be visible for the rest of October as it progresses along its orbit. Last weekend, the comet came within approximately 44 million miles of Earth. Meteorologists say the best viewing time is right after sunset.
Loveland councilmember files complaint to stall recall vote
A contentious recall effort in Loveland is running into another delay. City council member Troy Krenning filed a complaint in district court last week that temporarily halts a recall vote against him. Krenning had previously submitted a formal protest of the recall petition that was verified in August.
According to the Loveland Reporter-Herald, the Ward 1 representative is asking the court to reconsider its rejection of that protest. Krenning was elected last year. The community effort to recall him comes in part from his role in reestablishing city agreements over the Centerra South project.
Williams stays as head of Colorado GOP
A lawsuit over embattled Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams’ leadership has been dismissed. Williams’ opponent, Eli Bremer, dropped the case after a judge ruled against him last month. The ruling found that Bremer and his backers didn’t have enough support when they voted in August to oust Williams.
The lawsuit ends a months-long fight over who is the GOP’s rightful party leader. Williams first faced calls to step down this spring following campaign finance concerns and anti-LGBTQ messaging.
Indigenous artist sues Vail over early end to her residency
Denver-based artist Danielle SeeWalker is suing Vail for violating her rights when the town canceled her artist residency earlier this year. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on SeeWalker’s behalf this week in federal court.
The ACLU argues Vail violated SeeWalker’s First Amendment rights by canceling her residency on the grounds of a piece of art she made. Her painting “G is for Genocide” compares the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to the genocide of Native Americans. SeeWalker is a member of the Lakota Tribe.
At the time, Vail said SeeWalker’s take about the Isreal-Hamas war had raised concerns and did not represent the town’s inclusive community. SeeWalker said the town’s decision has hurt her financially. Vail hasn't commented on the lawsuit.
Boulder v. local NAACP
The Boulder NAACP chapter posted audio on Facebook this week of a private meeting from July with then interim police chief Stephen Redfearn and other city officials. The group has been critical of the city’s choice of Redfearn to lead the department because Redfearn was a captain with Aurora Police Department on the night of Elijah McClain’s death.
Boulder’s City Manager filed a complaint with the national NAACP after the local chapter allegedly threatened to release the private recording if Redfearn was selected. The city set up a meeting in July to try to resolve the conflict between the NAACP and Redfearn. According to the city, the meeting was ultimately unsuccessful because of NAACP members' conduct toward Redfearn.
Boulder NAACP says they have not heard from the national organization yet about the complaint. They dispute the city's narrative of the meeting and say the recording is meant as a way to get the truth out.
Colorado owes taxpayers almost $1.7 billion under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights
Nonpartisan legislative staff at the State Capitol crunched tax numbers for a report this week. The refund will be paid out next year, and the amount will vary depending on the taxpayer’s income. Refunds will be distributed through the normal tax refund process. It will either be added to your tax refund or subtracted from the taxes you owe.
Payouts will be smaller than the last two years when the total TABOR surplus was over $3 billion. The Taxpayer Bill of Rights is an amendment in the state constitution approved by voters in 1992. It requires that Colorado pay back any excess tax revenue it collects to taxpayers.
CU study says clearing Denver homeless camps doesn’t lower crime rates
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus published a study showing sweeps of homeless encampments in Denver were not effective in reducing overall crime in the city.
The researchers examined crime figures in areas surrounding sweep sites between November 2019 and July 2023. They found little to no change in most of the crime rates in those areas. In some cases, rates of violent crime went up.
The findings suggest that encampments can't be linked to increasing crime rates. Denver and other cities are allowed to remove people from public camps under a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.