Headlines November 8, 2021
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Kids Are Getting Vaccinated Across Colorado
After last week’s announcement that children aged 5 to 11 are eligible for to be vaccinated against COVID-19, school districts in the metro area are making shots available.Beginning this afternoon, kids in Denver can get a COVID-19 vaccine at 18 school clinics. Next week larger clinics will be available, according to the district.
Officials in Boulder are asking parents who want their kids vaccinated to make appointments based on the demand.Angela Simental, spokesperson for Boulder County Public Health, told The Daily Camera that the state has control over allocation of the vaccine and they are now working through what they have.
The Aurora Public Schools will offer clinics on Wednesday for vaccinations to kids. Cherry Creek School District is working with local partners to provide jabs.
Colorado COVID Hospitalizations Surging
It is now more urgent than ever to get vaccinated, says Colorado health officials. Scott Bookman, the COVID-19 incident commander for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, told CBS4 that the state has less than 100 ICU beds available.
On Friday, state hospitals were treating almost 1,300 COVID-19 patients. Colorado currently has a 9% infection rate. The state’s goal is below 5%.
Nine Boulder Community Health Workers Fail To Get Vaccinated
Nine employees for Boulder Community Health have failed to receive the vaccination as of the hospital’s November 1 deadline. The Daily Camera reports the employees could face termination. Since announcing the vaccine mandate in August, almost all the hospital’s 2,200 employees, staff and contractors have gotten the vaccine.
Classes Cancelled Friday For Boulder Valley And Adams 12 Districts
The Boulder Valley School District has cancelled all classes this Friday, November 12 because of staffing shortages. The same cancellation is occurring in the Adams 12 Five Star District.
Schools already have Veteran’s Day off, which is Thursday. Instead of returning to classes Friday, about 500 teachers requested to take Friday off as well. With a shortage of substitutes, the district couldn’t fill about 200 of the open slots.
The district says for staff who don’t take the day off, it will be a workday. The Boulder Valley School District said it is working with parents who have to make child-care plans.
Protest at Boulder Fraternity Against Sexual Assault Draws Hundreds
Hundreds of protesters surrounded a fraternity house in Boulder on Friday demanding accountability over recent sexual assault allegations. According to The Daily Camera, the Boulder Police Department received two sexual assault reports for the Pi Kappa Alpha house in late October.
Protesters rallied on campus before marching down Broadway toward the fraternity. Police estimated that around 600 people, most of whom are CU Boulder students, surrounded the house. Protest leaders said they wanted to send a message that sexual assault is not OK, according to Selena Powell, one organizer.
The police blocked surrounding streets and fenced off the fraternity as, for more than an hour, protesters chanted for justice. The Police said in a statement that the alleged assaults are in the early stages of investigation without naming the fraternity.
Scholarship Extended For All Auraria Descendants
The University of Colorado, Denver, Metropolitan State University and Community College of Denver announced last week that it will extend a scholarship program for people who it displaced over 50 years ago. The program will offer free education to all descendents of people who lived in Denver’s Auraria neighborhood during 1955 to 1973.
During that time, campus construction and Denver’s Urban Renewal campaign displaced hundreds of mostly Hispanic and indigenous people had to sell their homes. On Thursday, groups celebrated the announcement at a ceremony where there were cultural dances, speeches and a healer’s blessing.
The Denverite reports that before this recent announcement the program had been limited only to children and grandchildren of former residents.
Immigrant Who Was In Sanctuary Granted Stay Of Removal
The state granted a stay of deportation order this month for a Peruvian immigrant who has been living in sanctuary at a church in Boulder for four years.
Ingrid Encalada Latorre, has sheltered at the Unitarian Universalist Church with her three children who were born in the U.S. They can now leave sanctuary without fear of her being detained by authorities for at least a year.
The Daily Camera reports that a crowd of 50 people gathered at the church on Friday to learn of the stay for Encalada Latorre. She told them she was very excited and glad that her community was there to support her, especially on the day of this big victory.
Boulder County Commissioners Approve Deal To Expand Gross Reservoir
The Boulder County Commissioners unanimously approved a settlement with Denver Water that will allow the expansion of Gross Reservoir in the county. According to The Colorado Sun, the commissioners said they were heartsick over the destruction that the project will cause for neighbors and open lands. County attorneys advised that because the existing damn as a hydroelectric generator, federal laws preempt the county planning process. The attorneys said that the county would lose the pending suit filed by Denver alleging the county was delaying the process and Denver would withdraw its mitigation offer if the commissioners did not approve it. The commissioners took action after a $10 million mitigation deal was increased by $2.5 million to soften the impacts of construction. The Denver Water Board could approve the $12.5 million deal today.