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Immigrant rights groups in Colorado are preparing for the possibility of mass deportations after President-Elect Donald Trump's announcement that Tom Homan will lead U.S. immigration and customs enforcement or ICE. Homan served as acting director of ice during the first 18 months of Trump's first term. This time Homan is joining a trump administration that has said it will carry out mass deportations, which Trump has said will be in the millions. Immigrant rights groups are worried that the Trump administration will want to remove birthright citizenship and actively take away citizenship from those who have become citizens. Deportations, however, are not that unusual. Barack Obama's administration deported 2.9 million people during his first term. 1.5 million were deported during Donald Trump's first term. And, the Biden administration has deported 1.1 million people so far and is possibly on track to exceed Trump's previous deportation numbers.

CO Attorney General's office releases statement on Safe 2 tell.

The Colorado Attorney General's office said yesterday that "safe 2 tell", an anonymous reporting tool in Colorado, had a record-breaking number of tips made during the last school year. Officials say that more than 28,000 reports were submitted to safe 2 tell. There were 22,000 reports the previous year. Top concerns amongst complainants include: school complaints, suicide, bullying, drugs and threats. The category of "school complaints" was the most-reported category. In an effort to improve responses to student reports, that category will be broken down to staff, facility and policy-related concerns.

Suspect facing multiple charges after incident in Trinidad.

Anthony Gamboa, 36, is facing multiple charges including kidnapping following an incident that took place in Trinidad. According to Trinidad police, officers spoke with a female about a possible kidnapping and reported that there were threats made involving a gun. Police identified Gamboa as a suspect and later made contact with him. Gamboa was arrested on November 4th. He is facing charges of first-degree kidnapping, menacing with a deadly weapon, prohibited use of weapons, false imprisonment and reckless endangerment.

Raton City Commissioners vote for de annex of land near I-25.

Raton City Commissioners yesterday voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that will de-annex almost 368 acres of the city located near I-25 and Exit 450 for the purpose of pursuing a possible gaming casino partnership with Picuris Pueblo. Public comment was called for prior to the vote, however, no comments were made. The De-annexation of the 368 acres of contiguous property would allow the alignment of the 133 acres outside the municipal boundary which would be part of a government-to-government transfer between the City of Raton and the Picuris Pueblo. The remaining 244 acres will remain as city property.

CPW asking drivers to lookout for pronghorn.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking drivers to slow down and watch for pronghorn after at least 100 pronghorn were killed along eastern Colorado roadways. According to CPW, pronghorn cross roadways as they attempt to seek refuge from deep snow. Pronghorn can't move quickly on icy roads to escape oncoming traffic. Pronghorn roam all across the eastern plains. Along with putting drivers on alert, CPW is asking landowners to plow sections of their fields to give the animals a safer place to gather, away from area roads.

Two Democratic Colorado Lawmakers say their cars were vandalized on election night. State Representative Matthew Martinez, of Monte Vista, and State Representative Tisha Mauro, of Pueblo, in a joint release yesterday, condemned what they are calling "political violence". Martinez said he was attending the Pueblo Democratic Watch party at the Union Depot in Pueblo on election night. Upon leaving, he discovered his truck's passenger and driver side windows had been smashed. A large rock was left on his seat. Mauro's car windows were smashed with a rock as well. Her car was parked outside of her home. Martinez says he believes they were targeted because both have identifiers on their vehicles signaling they work at the state capitol. The two incidents remain under investigation.

Speculation swirling over Space Command move.

With the re-election of President Donald Trump, speculation is swirling that one of the first actions Trump will take is to move Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama. The rumors come from Alabama Representative Mike Rogers who make the comments on a talk show on a Mobile, Alabama, radio station. Rogers said in the interview that he expects President Trump to sign an executive order to make the move during his first week in office. Leaders in Colorado, however, maintain that Colorado is still the best home for space command and the families that support its operations. Colorado US Senator Michael Bennet says he will keep fighting for the members of Colorado's military community and that Colorado is the rightful home for space command. President Trump has not weighed in one way or the other on the issue.

CPW requesting input from public on future Fishers Peak state park plans.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking for input from the public during a series of meetings to discuss future plans for managing fishers peak state park, southeast of Trinidad. The 10-year management plan will build on the master plan for the park, which was approved in 2022, and will implement that document's broad vision for visitor experience, recreation opportunities, protection of cultural and natural resources, and the development of park infrastructure. The first meeting will be Tuesday, November 12th, from 6 to 7:30pm via zoom. The second meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 19th, from 6 to 7:30pm in the pioneer room inside the Sullivan center on the Trinidad State College Campus in Trinidad. CPW will also accept public input through December 13th. For more information, go to cpw.state.co.us

City of Pueblo releases people from Jail after ALCU complaint.

The City of Pueblo has released three people from the Pueblo County jail after the American Civil Liberties Union said the three were being held unconstitutionally. The ACLU called the issue a flagrant violation of the U.S. Constitution. All three people had been placed in jail for missing court dates under an ordinance that allows the city to place people in jail for up to 364 days even when their alleged offense carries no jail time. A judge determined that the City of Pueblo neglected to provide charging documents that would have allowed time to prepare a defense and protect all three against future charges. The three had been charged with petty offenses, like loitering, standing in the median and trespass.

Next snowstorm appears to be on the horizon.

After all of the snow we received last week, this week is calling for warmer temperatures and sunshine, and that means that a lot of snow is melting. However, our next snowstorm appears to be on the horizon, with what forecasters are saying may bring up to 23 inches of snow to the mountains along the southern front range, beginning Sunday night and continuing next Monday and Tuesday. What's being called a "complicated weather pattern" is to blame. The weather reports are still a long way out, however, and a lot could change between now and next week. We'll keep you up to date as things get closer.

Colorado's 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office on Friday said they are cooperating with the Denver District Attorney's Office regarding an investigation that involves the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. According to a statement from the 4th Judicial DA's office, the office received two affidavits alleging violations of a Colorado statute tied to the unauthorized access to or tampering of voting equipment. The statement continues that the violations alleged in the affidavits are related to the Secretary of State publishing on its website certain passwords for election machines maintained by clerk and recorders in several counties throughout Colorado. The 4th Judicial District is reporting that it will review the investigation conducted by the Denver DA's office to determine if further investigation should be conducted.

I-25 reopens Saturday after snowstorm.

Interstate 25 was reopened to traffic on Saturday Morning south of Pueblo after being closed for almost 2 days. The Colorado Department of Transportation closed the interstate from Pueblo to the New Mexico Border on Thursday due to heavy snow and because the State of New Mexico also closed Interstate 25 from Las Vegas on the south side, north to the Colorado state border. When the closure was put in place Thursday, CDOT said the closure would remain in place through Friday or Saturday, depending on weather and conditions. Friday, the closure remained in effect "for the foreseeable future". Residents of Rye, Colorado City, Walsenburg and Trinidad were allowed to travel south on the interstate during the closure in an effort to return to their homes.

Massive snowstorm leaves SOCO buried.

The massive 3-day snow storm at the end of last week has left most of Southern Colorado buried in snow, although with warmer temperatures and sunshine, the snow has begun to melt over the weekend. Looking at snow totals from around our area, Alamosa received 8.4 inches of snow, Walsenburg received 27.8 inches, Trinidad received 37.4 inches, Cuchara received 46.0 inches, La Veta Pass received 37 inches, Westcliffe 31 inches, Kim 26 inches, Colorado Springs received 14.5 inches, Pueblo West 11.4 inches, San Isabel 54.9 inches, Woodland Park 24 inches, Canon City 12 inches, Falcon 11 inches and Black Forest received 20 inches.

Alamosa City council votes to stop construction on second soup kitchen.

The Alamosa City Council last week voted to stop work on building a second soup kitchen and emergency shelter near the industrial park on the south side of Alamosa. After listening to comments, a motion was made and seconded to stop the project and to return the grant money to the funder. The vote was unanimous to stop further work on the construction. Members of the public had voiced opposition to a second shelter in Alamosa when it would only be open for the winter months. The shelter being open year-round was met with even greater resistance.

CPW offering antlerless elk hunts in SLV.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is offering antlerless elk hunts on the Baca and Monte Vista national wildlife refuges in an effort to mitigate damage conflicts from elk. Each refuge will have one long-period hunt beginning at the end of rifle season through the end of February. Regular hunting licenses will not be valid for the hunts, and anyone who successfully applies for them will need to obtain an access permit. Hunters will only be able to obtain a permit for one of the refuges. Each hunt will be fore 5 hunters at any one time. The applications period ends Friday. Go to cpw.state.co.us for more information.

Colorado Democrats will maintain overwhelming control of the Colorado State Legislature following this week's election. Democrats appear to be on track to maintain their supermajority in the Colorado House. Democrats are taking their wins as strong comment from voters on their support for the agenda the party has laid out in the state and Democrats plan to build on the legislation they passed in the last session, according to House Speaker Julie Mccluskie. While Democrats will still hold overwhelming control of the Colorado Senate, they did not get a supermajority there. That means democrats will need republican support to override gubernatorial vetoes and to refer ballot measures. Senate Republican Leader Paul Lundeen said that Democrats have been in control of everything for a number of years and the people of Colorado are saying "enough, enough, give us a break".

CO Gov Polis issues disaster emergency in SOCO.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has declared a disaster emergency due to the severe winter weather conditions taking place in Southern Colorado and throughout the rest of the state. The Colorado Department of Transporation closed Interstate 25 just south of Pueblo to the New Mexico border yesterday for what CDOT said would be an indefinite period of time. The interstate is also closed in New Mexico between the Las Vegas and the Colorado State Border. Only local residents were being allowed to travel the interstate in an effort to reach their homes. With continued heavy snowfall expected today, it doesn't appear likely that the interstate will reopen any time soon. CDOT says the interstate will remain closed through today or tomorrow, depending on weather and conditions. Many roadways are also closed in Eastern Colorado, which is also expecting additional heavy snowfall throughout the day today.

Colorado Court of Appeals rules on Trinidad Ambulance District case.

The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that the Trinidad Ambulance district's right to prioritize 911 responses over non-urgent inter-facility transfers does not breach its obligations under the Colorado Special District Act. Mt. San Rafael Hospital sued the ambulance district contending that such restrictions constituted a significant modification to the district's service plan. The trial court ruled in favor of the ambulance district saying "it would create a greater risk to a greater number of individuals" if the district couldn't restrict inter facility transfers when it needed to. The court of appeals agreed. Mt. San Rafael Hospital can now request a rehearing or appeal to the State Supreme Court by November 29th.

Alamosa City council approves central business district Amendment.

The Alamosa City Council has approved an amendment to its central business district zoning that will allow the Alamosa school district to relocate its alternative and online high schools to the old Friday health building in downtown Alamosa. Still at issue, however, is whether or not the city will impose an enrollment cap due to parking restraints. A public hearing will be held at the Alamosa City Hall on Wednesday, November 20th, to determine an enrollment cap and the parking situation. The school district's administrative offices will also relocate to the downtown location as part of the move, joining the alternative and online schools.

Huerfano County incident forwarded to DA's office.

The report of an incident that took place northwest of the City of Walsenburg in early October between a citizen and the driver of the toltec gardner valley school bus, has been forwarded to the 3rd judicial district attorney's office for review. According to the Huerfano County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was dispatched to the toltec neighborhood at 4:25pm on October 9th on the report of a man with a gun. The driver of the bus told the deputy that a man approached the bus with what appeared to be a pistol, asking if the bus driver was the one who had been stealing property in the area. No one has been arrested or charged in connection with the incident thus far.

Following Republican Jeff Hurd's victory over Democrat Adam Frisch in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, Frisch called Hurd just before 3:30pm yesterday to concede and congratulate Hurd. With more than 368,000 votes cast, Hurd received 50.06% of the vote. Frisch received 46.73%. The remaining 3.18% of the vote went to third-party candidates James Wiley and Adam Withrow. Frisch said in a statement that while he may have lost the race, his campaign was part of a movement seeking to "turn down the political temperature" and focus on issues impacting residents of the 3rd District. Hurd said he felt both he and Frisch had run "issues-based" campaigns. Hurd will be sworn in on January 3rd as the successor to Representative Lauren Boebert, who will now be representing the 4th Congressional District in the next congress.

Harris winner of Colorado's electoral votes.

While Kamala Harris has lost the race for U.S. President on the national stage, she is the winner of Colorado's popular vote, and hence all of Colorado's electoral votes, with 54.5% of the votes cast in Colorado compared to Donald J. Trump's 43.1%. That said, however, Trump won 41 counties (or 64.1% of the counties) to Harris's 23 (or 35.9%). Harris won many of Colorado's most populated counties, except for El Paso County, which pushed her ahead in terms of the popular vote. Most of the counties in the Denver metro area and along the northern front range went for Harris. Almost all of the counties in the KSPK listening area went to Trump, with the exception of Sagauche and Costilla counties, which both went to Harris.

Mesa County Ballot theift suspects arrested.

59-year-old Sally Jane Smith and 64-year-old Vicki Lyn Stuart are both accused of stealing ballots in Mesa County, altering them, and then fraudulently submitting them for counting. The pair are charged with identity theft, attempting to influence a public servant and forgery for their involvement in an alleged scheme to "test" the voting signature system for ballots utilized at elections. The two women were tracked down due to the fact that several of the ballots that were allegedly forged fell along the same mail delivery route, a route that had been temporarily assigned to Stuart. Smith's fingerprints were allegedly found on a ballot by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation - a ballot that she would not normally have had access to. Stuart and Smith are both currently being held in the Mesa County detention facility.

Alamosa rotary club contributed to Alamosa Police K-9 enforcement program.

With a 50-50 match from Colorado Rotary District 5470, the Alamosa rotary club has contributed $2,200 to the Alamosa Police Department's K-9 enforcement program. Corporal Cody Vanry and K-9 goose, and Officer Javier Moreno and K-9 kilo, were on hand Monday at the club's bi-monthly meeting to accept the award. While the K-9 officer will have the final decision in how to use the money, suggestions were first aid kits, dog beds, specific dog treats, K-9 narcotic overdose emergency kits and "popper boxes", which are used to help assist with narcotics detection training.

Huerfano County announces closure of county offices today.

Huerfano County has announced that, due to the expected inclement weather today, all county offices will be closed today, Thursday, November 7th. The county apologizes for any inconvenience the closure may cause.

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