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Colorado mayor speaks out after video of armed Venezuelan gang in apartment goes viral: 'Failed policy'

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Colorado mayor speaks out after video of armed Venezuelan gang in apartment goes viral: 'Failed policy'


Mayor Mike Coffman of Aurora, Colorado joined “America Reports” on Thursday after surveillance footage showing armed Venezuelan gang members in an apartment complex went viral online.

Coffman confirmed that at least two apartment buildings within the city limits have been overtaken by Venezuelan gangs.

VIDEO SHOWS ARMED GANG AT TROUBLED COLORADO APARTMENT BUILDING BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER BY MIGRANTS

The mayor also admitted on-air that “Cookie Monster,” a Tren de Aragua gang leader, “has been apprehended.”

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“This is an organized criminal effort. Whether it’s trend, a drug war, that remains to be to be seen,” said Coffman. 

The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment concerning the organized crime efforts of Tren de Aragua in the Aurora area.

Former Congressman and current Mayor of Aurora, Colorado Mike Coffman joined “America Reports” on Thursday to update the nation on Venezuelan gangs in his city. (Larry French/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

“So there are several buildings actually under the same ownership, out of state ownership, that have, fallen to, these Venezuelan gangs. I’m trying to walk it back and do the, and do the investigation as to how there’s a concentration of Venezuelans, in these, these three buildings,” said Coffman.

“Somebody put them there and somebody funded it, whether it’s federal government or not, we’re trying to find out who, these gangs apparently, or attracted to where there’s a concentration of, of, Venezuelan migrants. And so, they’ve, in fact, have kind of pushed out the property management through intimidation and then, collected the rents,” he added.

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VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA GIVES ‘GREEN LIGHT’ TO MEMBERS TO ATTACK COPS: OFFICIALS

An anonymous former resident of one of the apartment buildings confirmed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that members of Tren de Aragua have collected rent from residents in at least one overrun complex.

Mayor Coffman claims the city of Aurora is “a victim” of federal policy and nearby Denver’s sanctuary city policy.

“[This is] not our problem, federal problem or issue. They need to resolve it. Not us. But somehow we got sucked into this,” said Coffman.

Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang have overtaken an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, charging rent in exchange for ‘protection.’ (Edward Romero)

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“I think we’re a victim of a failed policy at the southern border because, what you have, I, Venezuelan, does not according to to my law enforcement, Venezuela does not cooperate with the United States in sharing criminal histories. You had a third of the country leave,” said Coffman.

“You’ve had these massive waves of migrants coming across the border that many of them crossed the border illegally, were arrested, asked for a political asylum, were not adequately vetted, were released into the country, the city of Aurora. We did everything we could to, quite frankly, keep them out of out of the city because it’s not our problem. This is a federal problem,” the mayor asserted.

The apartment building has been completely overrun by the alleged gang members, including changing the locks, according to one resident. (Council member Danielle Jurinsky)

One Aurora mom has gone viral for her video claiming that she doesn’t feel safe taking her children to public parks in the area anymore given the presence of Venezuelan gangs.

“This is terrifying. And I understand they’re coming here for a better life, but at the same time, is this life getting any better when you’re bringing what was there here?” she asked.

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Aurora PD has not released any new statements since their social media post via X on Wednesday on the situation, calling it “isolated.”

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Coffman formerly served as congressman for Colorado’s 6th District as a Republican from 2009 through 2019.



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West Virginia

Why is Popular Bracketologist Still Considering West Virginia for NCAA Tournament?

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Why is Popular Bracketologist Still Considering West Virginia for NCAA Tournament?


Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.

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ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.

Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble

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Feb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Honor Huff (3) shoots a three point shot over BYU Cougars guard Robert Wright III (1) during the second half at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State

Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana

First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati

Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall

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Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State

How is this even possible?

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Feb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Ross Hodge watched a play from the sideline during the first half against the BYU Cougars at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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Short answer? I don’t really know.

My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.

Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.

If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.

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The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.

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The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.

At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.



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Dallas, TX

Study says the real value of a $100K salary in Dallas is…less than that

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Study says the real value of a 0K salary in Dallas is…less than that


How much do you earn? And how far does that paycheck really go?

In Dallas, a $100,000 salary is a figure that’s more than double the area’s individual median income, but nevertheless a useful benchmark for the region’s burgeoning business community. However — once taxes and the local cost of living is factored in — it has the effective purchasing power of around $80,000 according to a new financial report.

Consumer-focused fintech site SmartAsset worked the numbers on the country’s 69 largest cities, determining the “estimated true value of $100,000 in annual income” in each location by measuring federal, state and local taxes as well as local cost of living data, including on housing, groceries and utilities.

It used its own proprietary figures, as well as information from the Council for Community and Economic Research.

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Despite recent research suggesting North Texas has lately been losing some of its famous economic advantage — a major factor behind the region’s explosive growth — Dallas actually fared relatively well in SmartAsset’s analysis. Of the 69 cities, Dallas’ effective purchasing power, of $80,103 on the $100,000 salary, tied with Nashville to rank 22nd highest.

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Like many cities in the report, Dallas also actually saw a year-over-year effective salary bump, likely because of slightly lower effective tax rates and living costs that have hewed closer to the national average. In 2024, the value of a $100,000 salary in Dallas came out to $77,197.

Other large Texas cities fared even better than Dallas. El Paso, where SmartAsset calculated the effective value of the $100,000 salary at nearly $90,300, ranked third highest overall.

San Antonio, where the effective value was around $86,400, ranked eighth. Houston, where the figure was around $84,800, ranked 10th, and Austin, where the figure was $82,400, ranked 17th.

Oklahoma City topped SmartAsset’s value ranking, with an effective salary of around $91,900, and Manhattan, which the website considered as its own city, came in with the lowest value, at around $29,400.

Dallas’ relatively strong effective value score won’t necessarily translate to the good life: Another financial report, published in November by the website Upgraded Points, determined that even a single adult with no kids needs a pre-tax salary of at least $107,000 to live “comfortably” in the Metroplex.

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Miami, FL

Miami’s own Marcello Hernandez delivers special tribute to former teacher on SNL

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Miami’s own Marcello Hernandez delivers special tribute to former teacher on SNL


Miami’s own pays tribute to former teacher on SNL Miami’s own Marcello Hernandez brought a piece of home to SNL for his latest performance, giving a tribute to his hometown and a special teacher in that classic Miami accent.

NEW YORK CITY — Miami’s own Marcello Hernandez brought a piece of home to SNL for his latest performance, giving a tribute to his hometown and a special teacher in that classic Miami accent.

During his performance, Hernandez definitely brought the character of “Mr. Fronzi” to life.

The over-the-top teacher with a big heart was a character inspired by his real-life theology teacher at Miami-Dade’s private Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Angie Fernandez.

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And Hernandez even flew her up to New York City to see the skit live in person.

“When I saw the skit, I was flabbergasted. I laughed from here to eternity. It was so good,” Fernandez said. “I am so honored that he chose to imitate me. That’s the best compliment you can give somebody!”

Fernandez said that while Hernandez drove her crazy in her classroom, he was also always humble, honest and she calls him one of her favorite students.

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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Jenise Fernandez

Jenise Fernandez is a six-time Emmy award winning anchor and reporter at Local 10 News. Currently, she anchors the 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. news, Monday through Friday.



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