La Joya, TX

Colorado State

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David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

A historic marker could be erected to honor the victims of the racist mass shooting at the Dollar General store in Jacksonville’s New Town neighborhood nearly a year ago. If approved by the Jacksonville City Council, a marker would be installed at Kings Road and Canal Street on Aug. 25, a day before the first anniversary of the shooting, when a white gunman took the lives of three Black people.

Memorial considered to honor Dollar General victims

Kansas State

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

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Missouri State

CJ Coombs

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) helps to locate missing children. Since July 1, 2024, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 174 children have been reported missing in the U.S. Since January 1, 2024, there was a total of 1,445 reported missing in the country.

Missing Missouri children as of July 17, 2024, according to the NCMEC

Denver, CO

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

No, pallet shelters for people experiencing homelessness don’t fold into caskets. It’s a question a reader posed one of the first times I wrote about pallet shelters. I find the pallet shelters to be more palatable than ice fishing tents. The Colorado Village Collaborative operates both micro-communities and the so-called Safe Outdoor Spaces with the tents. We all learned the tents are not safe when a fire roared through a CVC Safe Outdoor Space, destroying the compound quickly. Officials never disclosed a cause of the fire.

Opinion: No, pallet shelters for homeless in Denver, Aurora don’t fold into caskets

Louisiana State

Natrona County, WY

Houma, LA

WyoFile

A worker died Aug. 5 when the crane he was operating toppled at a wind farm construction site in remote Natrona County, state and local officials say. The victim, John William Hoffpauir, Jr., 55, of Houma, Louisiana, was working as a crane operator at the Cedar Springs wind energy construction site north of Casper and Glenrock under the control of Blattner Energy at the time of the accident. Hoffpauir was a Blattner Energy employee, a spokesperson for the company told WyoFile.

Worker killed in accident on wind energy construction site in Natrona County

Saint Augustine, FL

Saint Johns County, FL

Five years ago, St. Augustine resident Julia Perez was on her motorcycle when a St. Johns County sheriff’s deputy hit her and her husband. Perez was on a motorcycle and her husband, Thomas Eiland, was on a bicycle.

St. Johns County to pay $6.3M for deputy’s crash

A Black woman may be leading the presidential ticket of a major political party for the first time, but for Jacksonville’s Black conservatives, political values trump a candidate’s personal identity.

Republicans look to shore up support among Black conservatives in Jacksonville

More dangerous substances are entering the Denver drug supply, Harm Reduction Action Center warned in a newsletter this week. “The Iron Law of Prohibition posits that as law enforcement becomes more intense, the potency of prohibited substances increases,” HRAC Executive Director Lisa Raville wrote in the newsletter. That is exactly what is happening, she said.

Dangerous substances entering Denver drug supply

The Denver City Council will vote Monday whether pump about $580,000 into its jail-based RISE, or Recovery in a Secure Environment program. The council will consider contracts for $389,434 and $193,475 through Sept. 30, 2025, with the Mile High Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and The Empowerment Program. Inmates enrolled in the RISE program spend much of their time out of their cells during the day engaging in therapeutic activities. There are group sessions and one on one treatment.

Jail-based drug, mental health recovery program costs Denver $580,000 for a year

Kentucky State

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to Anne Milgram, administrator for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Wednesday, expressing his support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation that the DEA ease restrictions on marijuana.

Gov. Andy Beshear pens letter to DEA in support of easing federal restrictions on marijuana

Aurora, CO

The Aurora Police Department released a statement on Tuesday on social media to clear up misinformation about an incident involving thousands of migrants. “Misinformation has spread on social media regarding the large gathering on Sunday at Gardens on Havana shopping center,” Aurora PD posted on X. “We recognize that Sunday’s incident was disconcerting and alarming for a large number of our residents and citizens. The purpose of this message is to provide the community with accurate information based on what we know right now.”

Law-abiding Venezuelans watch election results in Aurora, leave behind mess

The driver of a bakery goods truck who Denver police crashed into head-first will receive a $350,000 payday from the city. The settlement to Christopher Cordova appears on the consent agenda of Monday’s City Council meeting. Items are the consent calendar are considered routine and generally pass in a block vote. However, council members Shontel Lewis and Sarah Parady regularly call out the settlements to draw attention to them.

Bakery truck driver latest to receive a Denver police payout

Have you ever thought about what it costs to be homeless?. Oh, I know, the quick answer is that it doesn’t cost anything. Everything is free. My readers bemoan free phones, Medicaid, food stamps … everything that is provided to people experiencing homelessness. So, they especially didn’t like it when I reported that the Denver Basic Income Project wants more money from the city.

Opinion: Living unhoused proves an expensive pit to be in; Denver Basic Income Project provides exit

A man peacefully sitting with his son in his car in their church parking lot was assaulted by a Denver police officer in June 2019 and will receive a $75,000 settlement. The payoff appears on the Denver City Council agenda for Monday. The item is on the consent calendar. Items on the consent calendar are considered routine and generally pass in a block vote without discussion.

Man hit in face by Denver police officer to receive $75,000 settlement

For the fourth meeting in a row, the family of a Black man killed by Aurora Police disrupted the Aurora City Council Monday. Kilyn Lewis’s family and other supporters again packed the council chambers and dominated public comment period. They again spoke well beyond the four-minute time limit and ignored Mayor Mike Coffman’s gavel pounding.

Family of Black man shot by Aurora Police shuts down City Council meeting again

City Council member Steve Sundberg led a scolding of Aurora Police Thursday with his council colleagues Danielle Jurinsky and Stephanie Hancock. “I’m going rogue,” he said during the Safety Committee meeting.

Migrant mass gathering: Council trio scolds Aurora police

Florida State

Uncovering Florida

Most people are guilty of doing it at least once in their lives, many people do it by accident, some do it because they find it fun, and others do it for reasons like honoring loved ones. Regardless of the situation, just about everyone has released a balloon. The difference is that intentionally releasing balloons is now illegal by House Bill 321’s standards.

Law Signed By DeSantis Makes It Illegal To Release Balloons In Florida

In this week’s installment of Homeless Hotel Diary, broken glass again leads the lineup. Someone smashed a window in the lobby of Fusion Studios, the Colorado Coalition for the homeless property where I live and pay a third of my income for rent. This same person shattered the door to the case manager’s office and threw rocks through the windshield and side windows of the community van. Multiple residents told me who did the damage – the same person allegedly committed all three crimes – and last I knew that person still was at large. I could not get any official reports from Coalition staff. They were not available to speak with me Friday.

Opinion: Homeless Hotel Diary: Busted door, windows at Fusion Studios in Denver, internet spotty

New Jersey State

Lawrence Township, NJ

Morristown Minute

NEW JERSEY - In a significant ruling, the New Jersey Supreme Court has permanently removed Lewis J. Korngut from his position as a Municipal Court Judge. The decision, finalized on July 24, 2024, follows an extensive investigation by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) into numerous allegations of unethical behavior.

NJ Judge Permanently Removed for Unethical Conduct

Penitas, TX

Los Ebanos, TX

Sullivan City, TX

Mission, TX

Mcallen, TX

Hidalgo, TX

Edinburg, TX

Pharr, TX

San Juan, TX

Alamo, TX

Rio Grande City, TX

NewsBreak

La Joya ISD rolls out new leadership team, organizational chart

For her last major announcement for the school year, La Joya ISD Superintendent Marcey Sorensen officially announced at a board meeting last month the district’s new...

La Joya ISD rolls out new leadership team, organizational chart

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