Colorado

Cash infusion hits RTD races in effort to boost pro-transit candidates

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2024

Cash infusion hits RTD races in effort to boost pro-transit candidates

The relatively low-key political races for seats on the Regional Transportation District board that governs metro Denver’s public transit have drawn nearly $100,000 in campaign advocacy group spending and high-profile political endorsements this year.

Most of the 13 candidates vying for the RTD director seats have spent $1,000 or less on their campaigns. But Conservation Colorado, an environmental advocacy group, got involved for the first time and injected $95,381 into two races. The group also made four endorsements, adding to the endorsements by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Gov. Jared Polis.

A non-profit with a staff of 38 and annual revenues topping $3 million, Conservation Colorado leaders looked at the RTD with its annual $1.1 billion budget as “a massively important taxpayer-funded agency” that will determine how people move around a densifying metropolis, executive director Kelly Nordini said Wednesday in an interview.

“Transportation is our biggest source of climate pollution. If we want to get on top of our climate objectives, RTD and transit have to be a central part of that,” Nordini said.

Conservation Colorado’s spending on RTD races, part of the group’s $800,000 in statewide election spending, is designed to ensure the RTD is run by directors who are “very pro-transit” and equipped to forge links with other agencies to combat climate warming, she said.

The funds target a three-way contest for a central Denver seat, boosting the campaign of Kiel Brunner, a digital data scientist who has support from Gov. Polis. Brunner faces Chris Nicholson, endorsed by Denver Mayor Johnston, and former RTD bus driver Bob Dinegar,who has the backing of state Rep. Meg Froelich, leader of Colorado’s transportation, housing and local government committee.

Conservation Colorado also spent funds on former bus driver Bernard Celestin, a U.S. Army veteran and civic leader running to represent Aurora, against Kathleen Chandler, who directs a citizens involvement project for the libertarian Independence Institute think tank. That’s because “libertarians as a whole are not very interested in expanding public goods like public transit,” Nordini said. Candidates Karen Benker (northwest suburbs) and Brett Paglieri (west metro Denver) also received Conservation Colorado endorsements.

The money — $45,000 sent on Oct. 23 and $50,381 on Oct. 25 — supported ads, according to Colorado Secretary of State records.

Dinegar said he’s spent less than $1,000, for a website and doorknob notices, hoping his two, better-funded opponents will “cancel each other out” and that voters will reward his professional experience.

“I have embraced the underdog role. I am the bus driver,” Dinegar said. “I harbor no other future political aspirations. I am the only one who has on-the-ground experience with RTD security, maintenance, governance, and operations. I know how the thing works and where it is broken.”

Originally Published: October 31, 2024 at 6:00 AM MDT

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Colorado

“Madsgiving” feeds thousands after Colorado community steps in to save event

Published

3 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

“Madsgiving” feeds thousands after Colorado community steps in to save event

What looked nearly impossible just a few weeks ago became a Thanksgiving miracle in Aurora.

Madsgiving is the annual effort that prepares and delivers thousands of meals to people experiencing homelessness, seniors, and families in need. It was on the verge of collapse earlier this month.

The longtime chefs who normally anchor the event were deployed to Jamaica to help rebuild kitchens damaged by Hurricane Melissa. Without them, organizers suddenly had no chefs and no kitchen just weeks before Thanksgiving.

Lead Pastor Dwayne Johnson of Mean Street Worship Center has helped distribute Madsgiving meals for seven years.

“At first, it started out as panic,” he said. “But then the community started coming together. Other agencies, ministries, and chefs came alongside us.”

CBS

One of the first to answer that call for help was Pesto Italiano, a new restaurant that opened in Englewood this summer. Chef Pablo had never cooked a Thanksgiving meal in his kitchen before – and certainly not at the scale Madsgiving requires.

“This was the first year we tried something like this,” he said. “We just opened in June. The first thing we wanted to do was help the community.”

Pesto Italiano donated their kitchen and their chefs, giving volunteers access to a full professional space to roast, prep, and assemble thousands of meals.

“With all the volunteers that came to help us, it was possible,” Pablo said. “We wanted to create something with love, passion, and quality – something people could enjoy the same way any family does on Thanksgiving.”

His team even improvised when dozens of turkeys arrived still on the bone and behind schedule. Pablo grilled and roasted them, finishing with a sauce of orange and rosemary. He even used pizza ovens to get the job done.

Johnson says the scale of collaboration was unlike anything he’s seen.

The Amish community from southern Colorado also stepped in, preparing meals on Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

By midday Thursday, every group Madsgiving serves had been reached: people living in cars and under bridges, seniors in assisted living, nursing home residents, and people facing hunger across the city.

What started as a call for help became one of the largest Madsgiving efforts yet, powered by strangers, volunteers, churches, restaurants, and neighbors who refused to let the tradition die.

“To the world, you’re one person,” Johnson said. “But to one person, you become the world. Today, miracles happened.”

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Colorado

Here’s where Colorado’s gray wolves roamed in past month

Published

21 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

Here’s where Colorado’s gray wolves roamed in past month

Colorado’s gray wolves stuck a little closer to central parts of the state in late October and November, roaming into watersheds that reach metro Denver and near tribal lands to the south, according to a map released Wednesday.

The monthly Colorado Parks and Wildlife map shows the broad movements of 20 gray wolves that wear GPS collars. If an area is highlighted, that means at least one wolf was in a watershed at least one time during the time frame, according to state officials.

Between Oct. 21 and Tuesday, gray wolves traveled in watersheds that reach as far north as the Wyoming state line; as far east as Boulder, Jefferson, Adams and Broomfield counties; the northern edge of Archuleta County to the south; and Meeker in Rio Blanco County to the west.

Most wolf activity appeared to take place around the Continental Divide, with wolf movement tracked near Walden, Granby, Vail, Aspen and Gunnison.

The wolves also explored near tribal lands to the south, Parks and Wildlife officials said. The state has an agreement with the Southern Ute tribe and is working to finish a similar agreement with the Ute Mountain Ute tribe to address potential impacts of wolf reintroduction.

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Colorado

Police issue shelter-in-place order for Colorado Springs neighborhood due to barricaded suspect

Published

2 days ago

November 26, 2025

Press Room

Police issue shelter-in-place order for Colorado Springs neighborhood due to barricaded suspect

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) issued a shelter-in-place order Wednesday morning for 7366 Legend Hill Dr.

CSPD says this order is due to law enforcement responding to a barricaded suspect in the area. Police tell 11 News the call came in at 9:15 a.m. for a family disturbance.

If you are in the area, police encourage you to secure your home or business and stay away from doors and windows.

This is a developing situation; Information is very limited at this time. This article will be updated when more information is available.

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