Colorado
Colorado town faces religious liberty lawsuit after cracking down on church's shelter ministry for homeless
A Colorado church filed a federal lawsuit against the town of Castle Rock after local officials allegedly cracked down on their use of RVs to shelter members of the local homeless population, according to a May press release from First Liberty Institute.
Attorney Jeremy Dys, senior counsel for the organization, says the crackdown violates the church’s First Amendment right to religious liberty.
“Every law in this country is subject to the Constitution, and we have said that the government has to act very carefully if any of its laws and its rules run up against the free exercise of religion and federal law, has taken that even a step further to say when it comes to land use regulations, when a county party can or can’t do something on your property. Well, they’re going to have to demonstrate that they are pursuing a very compelling justification for shutting down that religious activity,” he told Fox News Digital during a recent phone interview.
“It’s obviously something that is harming no one. It’s on the back of the property. It is helping everyone. It’s a very minimal ministry, meaning there has been less than ten people or so they’ve gone through that in a period of five to eight years, so I just don’t quite understand why the city has been so bent on preventing this church from doing the right thing. They should be supporting the church rather than trying to stop their ministry,” he added later.
FEDERAL JUDGE RULES IN FAVOR OF OREGON CHURCH IN KEY FIRST AMENDMENT LAWSUIT AGAINST CITY
I-25 traffic and Castle Rock photographed in Castle Rock, Colorado on Thursday, September 14, 2022. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
The RVs used to house the homeless sit on a parking lot on the church’s 54-acre property that spans to the Rocky Mountains and is reportedly distant from residential areas.
First Liberty’s press release says the town claims these RVs – or temporary shelter ministries – violate zoning ordinances and put an end to the practice last December.
“It has essentially decided that it’s illegal to offer temporary shelter to the homeless, but okay to let them freeze on the frigid cold sidewalks,” the release read in part.
The Rock church is said to provide a number of ministries to help members of the community, including financial assistance, food distribution and job training. The RVs serve as temporary shelter for those seeking to get back on their feet after being displaced.
OHIO CHURCH SUES CITY AFTER PASTOR CHARGED WITH VIOLATING ZONING LAWS FOR HOUSING HOMELESS
The Rock church in Castle Rock, Colorado filled a federal lawsuit against the town last month, claiming crackdowns on their temporary shelter ministry constitute violations of the First Amendment. (iStock)
Despite the crackdown by officials, the church continues to do what they believe is right, and that decision created other problems, Dys said, as the town has allegedly threatened to revoke the license of the coffee service housed in the church.
“They’ve also sort of interfered with the relationship the church has with the Red Cross. They’ve sort of interfered with the relationship the church has with the county to help other people out,” Dys added, pointing to claims made in the lawsuit.
Insisting the crackdown violates religious expression rights, First Liberty filed a federal lawsuit last month, requesting that the town “stop abusing its code” and allow the church to continue its ministry without disruption.
TRANSGENDER BISHOP FILES LAWSUIT ALLEGING HE WAS FORCED OUT OF HIS POST AFTER MONTHS OF DISCRIMINATION
The Rock church has used two RVs to offer displaced members of the community a place to stay until they are back on their feet again, according to a press release. (iStock)
“People in the community depend on the church’s ministry—particularly single moms and their children who, without the church’s help, would be separated and placed with foster families while homeless. Many have nowhere else to turn, especially because neither the town or county has emergency temporary shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness or who are otherwise suddenly without a place,” the press release said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the town of Castle Rock for comment and received the following response: “The Town has retained defense counsel to rigorously defend the zoning authority of communities.”
The town had no further comment on active litigation.
The Rock church isn’t the only instance of churches experiencing crackdowns for housing the homeless.
Dys appeared on “Fox News @ Night” with pastor Chris Avell in late April to discuss backlash against Dad’s Place Church in Bryan, Ohio for allegedly creating a fire hazard by housing people with no place to turn.
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Colorado
Dog reunites with owner after 43 days lost in the mountains
Dog survives 43 days in Colorado mountains and reunites with owner
After 43 days lost in the Colorado mountains, a Ring camera helps volunteers find and reunite 10-year-old dog, Rocky, with his owners.
A dog named Rocky was rescued and reunited with his owner after surviving 43 days alone in Summit County, Colorado.
Rocky, age 10, had gone missing in late December after escaping from a pet sitter while his owner was traveling.
According to local media, volunteers from Summit Lost Pet Rescue and members of the local community helped search for the dog for weeks, eventually locating and capturing him using a tip from a homeowner who spotted the dog on her Ring camera and a trap set with the owner’s scent.
According to Summit Daily, Rocky had gone from 50 pounds to 28 pounds during the time he was lost.
Video posted by Summit Lost Pet Rescue shows the heartwarming moment Rocky is reunited with his owner, Steven Maa.
“It takes partnership, a village, and donations to save lost pets,” the organization wrote on social media.
Colorado
Greer, Wooten combine for 20, Colorado women advance in Big 12 Tournament with 55-48 win over Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Logyn Greer and Desiree Wooten both scored 10 points in No. 6 seed Colorado’s 55-48 win over No. 11 seed Kansas on Thursday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
Greer shot 4 for 7 from the field and drained both her attempts from 3-point range from the Buffaloes (21-10). She had six rebounds and four blocks. Wooten added four assists.
Colorado was in foul trouble early, racking up seven fouls in the first quarter. A 9-0 run in the second quarter broke the game open for the Buffaloes and they entered halftime up 26-18. Their defense held Kansas to 36% (19 of 53) from the field and 15% (2 of 13) from 3-point range.
Kansas (19-13) was led in scoring by S’Mya Nichols, who put up 14. Her and Sania Copeland scored the only 3-pointers for the Jayhawks.
Colorado: Will play No. 3 seed Baylor on Friday. The Lady Bears are ranked No. 20 in the country.
Kansas: Will wait for an invitation into a postseason tournament.
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Colorado
Deen: Avalanche Solve Roster Needs. What’s Next? | Colorado Hockey Now
The trade deadline is less than 24 hours away and the Avalanche have already made the three moves that had been clear-cuts needs for the team.
They needed to improve their third pair. They did that by swapping Samuel Girard for Brett Kulak.
They needed to replace the recently departed Ilya Solovyov with a more capable No. 7 option on the blueline. That was accomplished with Wednesday’s trade for Nick Blankenburg.
Most importantly, the Avs needed a third-line center. On Thursday, they paid a hefty price to acquire Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
These are all things that had to be done. Now? They have nearly $7 million in available cap space (with Logan O’Connor on LTIR), with an opportunity to improve on the roster they have. This is the part of the trade deadline where general manager Chris MacFarland can bolster the team, find those luxury additions, and maximize his team’s chances and winning a Stanley Cup.
So what could that look like?
Most of the season has seen Ross Colton, Victor Olofsson, and even Gavin Brindley occupy the wings on the third line. With Roy expected to settle into that 3C role, there’s an opportunity to build on the wing. Elliotte Friedman mentioned last week that the Avs could move on from Colton. If so, that would give them a lot more cap space and a valuable asset they can use on the trade market to bring in a solid middle-six winger. Perhaps someone like Blake Coleman.
Olofsson has chemistry with Roy dating back to last season with Vegas, but you have to wonder if they’d be looking to upgrade on his position, too.
That leaves Jack Drury on the fourth line, centering Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta. Brindley slots down to the No. 13 forward (when everyone is healthy), while Zakhar Bardakov is the 14th option.
If O’Connor returns before the postseason, he instantly rejoins the fourth line. That would push Kiviranta out, and he’d be the 13th forward just like he was last year. Even in that scenario, I do wonder if the Avs decide to improve on Bardakov. He’s a young centerman who has impressed in limited minutes but has struggled to gain the full trust of the coaching staff.
There’s also the option to add another depth defenseman. Right now, an injury to Kulak or Devon Toews would again force Colorado to have five right-shot defensemen in the lineup. Blankenburg, who also shoots right, would be an ideal fill-in if an injury were to strike on the right side.
But what about another depth option? Colorado won the Cup in 2022 with both Ryan Murray and Jack Johnson on the outside looking in. After Girard’s injury, Johnson stepped in. But it didnd’t hurt to have multiple depth options just in case.
Could the Avs target another depth blueliner? If so, will they go for a bigger body? I’ve seen the name Urho Vaakanainen floated around. He would be the type of left-shot defenseman who could fill that role as an extra. Albeit his $1.55 million cap hit might be too large to take on without retention for such a limited role.
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