Horses at 287 and Jasper, Erie, CO. Photo credit: Carrie Dowdy

[WORLD]

• Meta’s advertising practices of collecting personal data has been ruled illegal in the European Union, incurring a fine of over $400 million.
• Greta Thunberg was carried away by German police at a climate protest while attempting to protect against the expansion of coal mining into a traditional German village.
• The Chinese Communist Party lifted its heavy travel restrictions pertaining to the Covid pandemic just in time for Lunar New Years, the largest travel holiday for the nation.

[NATIONAL]

• Five Memphis police officers were fired and charged with murder and a sixth placed on leave in the brazen murder of 29-year old Tyre Nichol. Beaten like a “human pinata” is how the Nichol’s family lawyers described the fatal attack. The unit the officers were part of has been disbanded as well. 
• Calls continue for freshman Republican George Santos to resign amid incredible accusations of multitudes of lies. It seems he has lied about nearly every stage of his life, including his schooling, his family, his career, and even his name.
• Classified documents found by President Biden’s legal team at the President’s properties warrant the appointment of a Special Counsel to review. 
• Not the only former President under scrutiny for mishandling paperwork, classified documents have also been found in former Vice President Mike Pence’s possession raising questions on how material like this is handled when officials leave office. 
• The debate over the United States’ debt ceiling once again reawakens amid fear of partisan bickering and a divided government. Look for this to be used as a political tool in the coming weeks.
• According to the White House, the coronavirus public health emergency will end in May, signaling a shift in policy and perception pertaining to Covid.
• Ronna McDonald wins the RNC chair race for her fourth term. She is the longest serving RNC chair in centuries. 
• Actor Alec Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter in New Mexico relating to a firearms death on set of the movie “Rust” which he was also producing. 

[LOCAL]

• CU Boulder student Patrick Scott Durham is expelled for having ties to neo-Nazi group Patriot Front, as investigated by the CU Independent and the Colorado Springs Anti Fascist group.
• Two new members are finally confirmed to the The Boulder Police Oversight Panel, Lisa Sweeney-Miran and Sam Zhang. The pair both advocate for more effective oversight and changes in the way we think of policing and were opposed by pro-police organizations.
• An Aurora police officer is charged with third degree assault after Aurora sheriffs were called in response to the off-duty officer allegedly punching a disabled woman.
• Although six of the seven states that the Colorado River flows through have agreed to a water usage restriction proposal, California, the largest consumer, has failed to sign on. They are now forging ahead with their own proposal for the Federal government. 
• Investigators do not find enough evidence to implicate former Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Justin Nathan Coats, but state that he created a “dysfunctional and toxic” work environment during his time including an attempt to bribe an employee so she would not reveal dozens of sexual misconduct allegations in the department. 
• The Carlson 1-24 oil and gas site in Broomfield has been abandoned, environmentally tested, and re-seeded with native Colorado grass in order to incorporate the site into the Markel Open Space, reversing the typical trend of destroying nature to dig a well.
• Lorena Garcia, previous U.S. Senate Candidate, is chosen in the first round of voting to fill the vacancy in the Colorado House of Representatives after the resignation of representative Adrienne Benavidez.
• City of Thornton joins a growing lawsuit against companies that produced “forever chemicals” called PFAS which have since entered the town’s drinking water.

Small Talk

“This peaceful continuation of power must never be taken for granted. Our mandate from the people of Colorado is to lead the Colorado way. It’s not about the brand of our politics, it’s about solutions.” – Governor Polis at his January 10th, 20223 inauguration.

“Colorado is not and has never been a sanctuary state and the governor is not focused on buzzwords” – spokesperson for Governor Polis states in regards to Colorado accepting more migrants in December.

“This young man lost his life in a particularly disgusting manner that points to the desperate need for change and reform to ensure this violence stops occurring during low-threat procedures, like in this case, a traffic stop.” – Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, attorneys for Tyre Nichol’s family

“Humans have a basic cognitive need to categorize and simplify the world around them. And some lawyers use a prospective juror’s race or gender as a proxy for their ability to serve on a jury, in reliance on stereotypes.” – Ann M. Roan, Boulder-based criminal defense attorney regarding Senate Bill 128’s attempt to rectify racial bias in the justice system. 

By the Numbers