Preliminary hearing set in King Soopers shooting trial
The defendant in the King Soopers shooting trial, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, is set for a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Nov. 14. The 24-year-old faces more than 100 criminal charges related to the March 2021 shooting that left 10 dead.
The preliminary hearing, in which a judge (not a jury) will determine if there is probable cause to move forward in the criminal justice process, comes after a judge found Alissa competent to stand trial in October, more than two years after the shooting. If the judge finds there is sufficient evidence, the case will move forward to an arraignment, where the defendant will plead guilty or not guilty to the charges.
— Kaylee Harter
Applications open for Boulder’s cash payment program
Applications are now open for the City’s guaranteed income pilot project. Elevate Boulder will provide no-strings-attached monthly payments of $500 to 200 residents for two years. Here’s what you need to know:
- Applicants must be 18 years or older, reside within city limits, have been impacted by COVID and make 30% to 60% of Boulder’s area median income — between $27,900 and $55,800 for a household of one and increasing by household size.
- Full-time students do not qualify, but part-time students can apply
- Participants must be Boulder residents for the duration of the program, but there’s no continued income reporting, meaning participants who start making more or less money after the program’s start will still receive payments.
- Applications are open through Nov. 17. Participants will be selected at random and notified in late December.
- Apply and learn more at bouldercolorado.gov/projects/guaranteed-income-pilot-project
— Kaylee Harter
Complaint filed against Bob Yates campaign over spending, reporting practices
The campaign for soon-to-be-outgoing Boulder City Councilman Bob Yates is being criticized for its financial practices. An official complaint was sent to the city clerk’s office Monday, one day ahead of the election, by a Boulderite backing two of Yates’ competitors.
The official complaint was filed by Brian Keegan, a professor at CU Boulder and board member of Boulder Progressives. The Boulder Progressives organization is backing Aaron Brockett and Nicole Speer for mayor. Although results are unofficial, Brockett has apparently kept his post as mayor. Yates conceded in his personal newsletter on Wednesday.
Keegan alleges that Yates’ campaign, Bob Yates for Mayor, improperly reported $8,861.80 in pre-campaign spending. Rather than accounting for the expenditures as a loan (from Yates or someone else), the campaign recorded the June and July purchases of yard signs, newspaper advertisements and web hosting as being paid for by $6,800 in individual donations, recorded Aug. 9 and Aug. 10.
Yates did report a $2,061.80 personal loan in his first filing — exactly covering the gap between the donations and the June and July spending.
“In effect,” Keegan wrote in his complaint, “the $6,800 in donations in August were backdated to reimburse the Committee for the undisclosed and unsecured loans covering the pre-candidacy expenses.”
Keegan believes this “accounting sleight-of-hand” does not meet the spirit of Boulder’s campaign finance laws, in particular because Yates’ campaign did not disclose who paid for the pre-filing expenses (though Keegan believes Yates likely spent his own money).
Reached by email Monday, Yates declined to comment while his campaign treasurer, Susan Connelly, is out of town. The phone number for Connelly listed in city documents is the general phone number for Colorado Chautauqua. Connelly was executive director of the Chautauqua Association for 12 years. She last held the post in 2015.
Complaints are common in local elections. They have been filed in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 elections, often by members of opposing political groups.
This is the second official complaint of the 2023 election. The first was filed by Crystal Gray, a former city councilwoman, about a political mailer criticizing Yates for his previous party affiliation as a Republican. (He switched to unaffiliated in 2022; city council races in Boulder are nonpartisan.)
Boulder’s new city council and mayor will be sworn in Thursday, Dec. 7 at 5 p.m.
— Shay Castle
Community Foundation extends aid to Marshall Fire survivors
Community Foundation Boulder County has set up a Housing Support Program for Marshall Fire survivors who are not back in their homes following the deadly December 2021 blaze.
Community Foundation is offering $5 million total from the Boulder County Wildfire Fund for homeowners and renters. Residents can receive up to $2,500 per month for up to six months or until a Certificate of Occupancy is received for their rebuilt homes. (Applicants do not have to be in the rebuilding process.)
The announcement comes as fire victims are set to run out of Additional Living Expense (ALE) insurance, meant to cover expenses while displaced from damaged or destroyed homes. Households receiving other assistance through Community Foundation can also apply for Housing Support.
Learn more and apply at https://cedproject.org/rebuild/.
— Shay Castle
Ski season Boulder-to-Eldora RTD shuttle up and running
RTD Route NB (Nederland to Boulder) has started its seasonal extension service to Eldora Mountain Resort.
Starting from Boulder’s downtown station, some trips will end at Nederland High School, while others drop riders off at the base of the ski resort “steps away from the Alpenglow lift,” according to RTD officials.
Daily schedules and more information at https://app.rtd-denver.com/route/NB/schedule?serviceType=3&direction=Eastbound&branch=
— Shay Castle
