Headlines June 2, 2021
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Tribute to Victims of Boulder Shooting Removed and Preserved
Yesterday, volunteers removed the temporary tribute in response to the shooting tragedy at the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder in March. The Boulder Strong memorial fence that was created after a gunman killed 10 had collected thousands of items placed there by community members. Those items that can be preserved will be taken by the City of Boulder and the Museum of Boulder which have partnered to archive the tragedy for future generations.
A joint release from the city and the grocery chain said that following the removal, King Soopers will reset the location of the fence and add a mesh fabric covering to the portion along Table Mesa Drive with the #Boulder Strong message.
In addition, a tribute space will be created in the west side of the parking lot. The space will house an installation of fresh flowers, donated by King Soopers, to honor the victims.
The city is considering what to do on a long-term basis to remember the victims of the shooting and will work with the families of the victims and the community.
Boulder County Crisis Fund to Give $50,000 to Each Family of Shooting Victim
The Boulder County Crisis Fund will give $50,000 to each of the families who lost a loved one in the mass shooting at King Soopers in South Boulder. The money will come from the Community Foundation of the county which announced yesterday it will grant $500,000 to support families of those killed.
So far, over one and half million dollars has been given to the crisis fund, and a spokesperson for the Community Foundation told the Daily Camera that an advisory committee is helping to determine the use of the rest of the money.
COVID-19 Rate of Hospitalization Trends Down But Not as Sharply as Early May
The number of hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the state is still trending down but the drop last week was not as sharp as occurred earlier in May.
The state health department reported 488 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 as of yesterday afternoon. Hospitalizations had fallen since the first week of last month, but popped up again last week and then started to drop in an uneven pattern again over the weekend.
New positive cases in Colorado dropped to about 4,600 cases in the week ending Sunday, which was about 300 fewer than in the previous week.
Officials in Denver have dropped capacity limits for large outdoor events, including for Coors Field and Red Rocks.
Regents approve Saliman as Interim President of CU
The Board of Regents of the University of Colorado has named an interim president for its four campuses. Todd Saliman, CU’s chief financial officer was unanimously approved to serve after the departure of current President Mark Kennedy on July 1. Saliman has been at the university since 2011, and said in a release he would not seek the permanent presidency.
CU officials have not announced a search process to select a permanent successor, and it was not clear how long Saliman is expected to serve in the interim role.
State Supreme Court Allows Redistricting Commissions to Use Data Less Precise than Census Figures
Colorado’s new commissions – that are redrawing legislative and congressional districts – will be able to begin their work using data less precise than final census results. The release of those numbers has been delayed by the U.S. government.
Yesterday, the state Supreme Court ruled that the commissions are not required by the Colorado Constitution to use only final census data. According to the ruling, the commissions can consult other reliable sources of population numbers, such as preliminary and interim census figures.
The Denver Post reports that Colorado’s commissions will now move ahead with drawing maps. An adverse ruling could have made the redistricting process uncertain and the state’s 2022 election schedule chaotic.
Every 10 years, states redraw district lines using precise, block-level census data. Due to difficulties conducting the census during the pandemic, that data won’t arrive until August. Usually, they are released in March.
The redistricting commissions will adjust and finalize their maps after the final figures are delivered, and after public hearings are held across the state.
JBS Plant in Greeley Affected by Cyberattack
The meat packing facility in Greeley operated by JBS USA was affected by a cyberattack on the company’s operations in North America and Australia. A union official confirmed yesterday that two shifts at the Greeley facility – the company’s largest U.S. beef plant – were canceled. Some shifts in Canada were also canceled Monday and Tuesday.
JBS is the second-largest producer of beef, pork and chicken in the U.S., and the Associated Press reports that a shut down for even one day, would result in the loss of almost a quarter of its beef-processing capacity in the country.
In a statement from Greeley, the company said yesterday that their systems are coming back online and they are not sparing any resources to fight the threat. Operations are expected to be operational today. JBS has not stated publicly whether the attack was ransomware. Backup servers weren’t affected and it said it was not aware of any customer, supplier or employee data being compromised.
