BOULDER, Colo. — The Boulder City Council signaled support this week for keeping Boulder Municipal Airport open indefinitely, a move that could limit the city’s ability to redevelop the 179-acre site in the future.

According to reporting by Boulder Reporting Lab, councilmembers took a 5–4 straw poll during an April 23 study session, directing staff to move forward with plans that would allow the city to seek federal aviation funding.

Accepting funding from the Federal Aviation Administration could bind the city to continued airport operations because federal grants typically require airports to remain open unless the agency approves closure.

Councilmembers supporting the direction included Mayor Aaron Brockett, Mayor Pro Tem Tara Winer, and councilmembers Taishya Adams, Matt Benjamin, and Rob Kaplan.

Opposing the direction were councilmembers Tina Marquis, Ryan Schuchard, Nicole Speer, and Mark Wallach.

Some councilmembers supporting the move expressed concern about the cost of operating the airport without federal assistance. City officials estimated it could cost roughly $600,000 per year for the next 14 years if Boulder declines FAA grants.

Opponents raised concerns about making such a long-term decision through an informal straw poll rather than a public hearing, and about limiting future options for the airport property.

The airport debate has been ongoing for years. In 2024, the city sued the FAA seeking a ruling that would allow Boulder to close the airport once federal grant obligations expire, which the city estimated could occur around 2040. The case was later dismissed on procedural grounds, and the city chose not to appeal.

That same year, residents affiliated with the Airport Neighborhood Campaign gathered more than 3,000 signatures for a ballot measure that would have asked voters whether to close the airport and repurpose the land, often discussed as a potential site for housing. The measure was later withdrawn while the city’s lawsuit was pending.

City officials are expected to bring back a formal resolution reflecting the council’s direction for a vote at a future meeting.

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The post Boulder Council Signals Support for Keeping Municipal Airport Open appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Waking up this morning to a snow-covered Denver, I reflected on last night’s events with a surreal platitude one reserves for dreams. I felt a strange disconnectedness from the world around me, a creeping apathetic hedonism that will likely propel me through the next several months. My co-workers at my day job, a High School within the Denver Public School system, shared both my anxiety and apathy for the state of things.

Last night, Donald Trump overwhelmingly won both the popular vote and the Electoral College. And before people go pointing fingers, though I’m sure this has already started, not a single third-party candidate won any Electoral College votes. Whether they were in a swing state or a blue strong-hold like Colorado, third-party voters could not have saved Harris from this devastating loss.

Republicans are also projected to take a majority in the Senate, flipping seats in West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana. The House race is still too close to call.

In Colorado, progressives passed Amendment 79 and Amendment J, codifying the rights to same-sex marriage and abortion in the state’s constitution. Voters also passed taxes on sports betting and firearm sales.

The state’s justice system will see changes starting in 2025, with voters passing measures that remove the right to bail in case of first-degree murder and requiring persons convicted of certain violent crimes to serve more of their sentence before being eligible for parole.

Colorado voters also chose to keep money out of politics by rejecting Kent Thriy’s Proposition 131 to change Colorado elections to open primaries and switch to ranked-choice voting. Shrouded in popular progressive election reform, Prop 131 would have transformed Colorado’s primaries into a pay-to-play format, allowing politically active billionaires like Thiry to easily throw their hat in the ring with little popular support.

Yellow Scene covered Thiry’s marred past in politics and various legal battles extensively earlier this year.

Though several bomb threats were made to polling stations in swing states, none of these threats proved credible, and voting resumed at all locations after authorities had cleared the sites as safe. Democrats online have begun, ironically, making claims of election fraud, which, as of right now, are completely unfounded.

While all of the votes have yet to be counted, several credible publications have called the 2024 Presidential Election in favor of Trump, with him winning in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Kamala Harris is expected to concede Wednesday afternoon.

In the face of a second Trump presidency, community connections and mutual aid will be the path to getting through an instable future. In the meantime, Yellow Scene will stay dedicated to speaking truth to power and providing the Front Range with invaluable fact-based journalism.

Like journalism like this? Consider becoming a sustaining supporter (and get our printed copy monthly at home.)

Democracy needs journalism more than ever. We’ve been telling the truth for 24 years. Your support helps us keep telling it for at least the next four years.

Democracy needs journalism more than ever. We’ve been telling the truth for 24 years. Your support helps us keep telling it for at least the next four years.

The post What Just Happened: Election Results From Colorado Ballot Measures to Democratic Defeat appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Today (10/23/23), the Yes on 1B Campaign announced it has received endorsement from over 30 community organizations, and 17 different elected officials.  Throughout the County a wide group of organizations including nonprofits, business groups, local governments and elected officials have come together to endorse County Issue 1B. All these organizations and individuals know how important it is that we find ways of addressing our housing problem.  County Issue 1B will benefit young people, seniors, employers, working people and families and individuals with limited incomes in our community. Business organizations include the Chamber of Commerce and Prosper Longmont.  Community serving non-profits have endorsed such as Sister Carmen, and the Emergency Family Assistance Center, as well as advocacy organizations like Together Colorado, the East County Housing Opportunity Coalition, and Plan Boulder County.  All these groups have seen the need for housing funding in order to offset the high cost of housing.

The Yes on 1 B Campaign will be continuing to collect endorsements throughout October, and endorsements can be found on our web page at www.yeson1b.com.  Local communities will leverage these dollars with other moneys to have a big impact on housing in our community.  Recent surveys by the Department of Local Affairs shows that every government dollar invested in housing can generate up to 8 dollars in investment from other sources.

For more information contact:
Annmarie Jensen
annmariejensencolorado@gmail.com

The post Campaign for 1B Gains Support from throughout the County appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.