Colorado
Federal judge rejects Colorado voter intimidation lawsuit midway through trial
A federal judge in Denver ruled against the plaintiffs in a voter intimidation lawsuit Thursday, ending a trial early after finding the organizations behind the suit hadn’t presented sufficient evidence against a group of Donald Trump supporters.
U.S. District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney issued her ruling Thursday morning. The trial had started Monday, more than two years after the lawsuit was filed by a trio of voting and civil rights organizations, including the local chapters of the NAACP and the League of Women Voters, against the U.S. Election Integrity Plan.
That group, made up of supporters of the Republican former president and tied to prominent and discredited election conspiracy theorists, had been accused of questioning residents of high-density areas and places where ethnic and racial minorities live about their votes.
The lawsuit said the group, which has made false claims of mass voter fraud, also photographed voters’ homes as part of a pattern of “door-to-door voter intimidation.”
But Sweeney found that the evidence and testimony presented by the plaintiffs at trial to prove intimidation were insufficient, according to Colorado Newsline, which first reported the ruling Thursday morning. The defense had made a motion to end the trial early. Sweeney was appointed to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden.
“We are disappointed in this ruling and are exploring all appeal options,” said Courtney Hostetler, one of the attorneys representing the civil and voting rights groups, in a statement.
Cameron Powell and Michael Wynne, attorneys for one of the three defendant members of the election group, praised the decision Thursday morning. They said the allegations against their client were related to speech, not any actual conduct.
Wynne said the three members of the group had been “dragged through the mud” by the lawsuit.
The case relied in part on a post-Civil War anti-Ku Klux Klan law that sought to protect Black voters who were being intimidated from using the ballot box by white Americans.
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Colorado
Data center gained first approval in Colorado Springs. Here’s a look at what’s ahead in monthslong process.
EDGARTOWN, Mass. (WWLP) – A resident of Aurora, Colorado, won the third and final $4 million grand prize in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “4,000,000 Platinum Jackpot” instant ticket game.
In a news release from the Massachusetts State Lottery, on Friday, June 12th, Enrique Frias Mejia visited the lottery office to claim what he thought was a $4,000 prize, and learned it was actually a $4,000,000. Enrique chose the cash option on his prize and received a one-time payment of $2.6 million (before taxes). He plans to use the winnings to buy a house, invest, and help his family.
The winning ticket was purchased at Great Harbor Market in Edgartown, which will receive a $40,000 bonus for selling the ticket.
Local News Headlines
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand.
As Colorado heads into what experts worry could be a busy wildfire season, specialized paramedics are preparing to deploy alongside firefighters. They will provide medical care in some of the most remote and dangerous environments in the state.
Wildland paramedics with Eagle County Paramedic Services said it takes pride being qualified to respond to our state’s dangerous natural disasters alongside firefighters to keep them in the fight.
“It’s pretty important that we have an understanding, even if we’re not doing the same job that they are of exactly what’s going on kind of top to bottom of the entire incident,” paramedic Beckett Lilien told CBS Colorado.
To work on a wildfire assignment, paramedics and EMTs must earn what’s known as a “red card,” completing specialized training in wildfire behavior, safety protocols and fire operations. The goal is to make sure firefighters can focus on fighting fire without worrying about providing medical care if something goes wrong.
Lilien said the job ranges from treating common issues such as dehydration, illness and blisters to handling serious emergencies.
“If a tree falls on somebody or somebody drives a blade through their foot or the chainsaw slips or something like that, being able to respond and give point-of-injury care,” Lilien said.
Wildland firefighters said having medical professionals embedded with crews is a major advantage, especially when fires are burning in remote terrain where help can be hours away.
“If someone does get hurt, they’ll take control of that situation, and I can continue to focus on putting the fire out. And that’s really important,” said Hugh Fairfield-Smith, division chief of wildland fire operations for the Eagle River Fire Protection District.
The partnership comes as fire agencies across Colorado prepare for elevated wildfire risk following a dry winter and below-average snowpack. Lilien said conditions are developing earlier than normal this year, raising concerns about what the rest of the summer could bring. Still, firefighters said having trained medical personnel on standby provides peace of mind.
“It’s a safety blanket there we hope we never have to use,” Fairfield-Smith said. “But they’re there.”
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