Colorado
“It could be explosive;” Colorado firefighters brace for busy summer
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) – Colorado’s Division of Hearth Prevention launched its annual wildfire outlook Friday, and the predictions are grim.
State officers are forecasting a better than common fireplace season in 2022, with excessive drought situations alongside the Entrance Vary heading into July.
At South Metro Hearth Rescue Station 39, the hearth hazard dial out entrance sits at “Very Excessive,” uncommon for this time of yr.
“Straight away driving down the road you may see it’s usually inexperienced, and it’s simply not,” says Captain Brian Delasantos. “The truth that we haven’t had vital moisture in a month, is drying out the fuels.”
Delasantos stated the ponderosa pines, and the opposite timber that cowl the district, are dry as properly.
“Proper now, we’re seeing gas moistures in these timber that we wouldn’t usually see till July or August, and it’s April,” he stated. “So it’s sort of mind-blowing in a method.”
As protocol, South Metro Hearth Rescue triples its response to fires on Pink Flag days.
It’s, nevertheless, a proactive security measure they’re not used to utilizing in April.
Delasantos stated if dry situations proceed, his crew may very well be in for a protracted summer time.
He’s involved small fires in pockets behind subdivisions may trigger extra injury than standard.
“These are all going to be explosive, and probably carry fireplace into houses,” he stated. “You don’t must burn greater than 10 acres, however that may very well be an explosive 10-acre fireplace that takes out 3 or 4 houses, and that’s what actually regarding about one of these gas and climate sample we’re in proper now.”
Delansatos informed FOX31 it’s necessary for Coloradans to know the chance this spring, summer time, and fall, and to be ready irrespective of the place they stay.
“Man, cross your fingers we get some moisture for Might,” he stated. “It ought to have been right here already, however hopefully it’ll occur.”
In accordance with him, a moist Might may not less than delay among the issues.
Colorado
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Colorado
Colorado authorities shut down low-income housing developer
The Colorado Division of Securities is pursuing legal action against a man whom it claims deceived investors and used the ownership of federally supported low-income housing projects to line his own pockets.
Securities Commissioner Tung Chan announced its civil court filings against Michael Dale Graham, 68, on Nov. 12.
Chan’s office filed civil fraud charges against Graham, and also asked for a temporary restraining order and freezing of Graham’s assets and his companies’. A Denver district court judge immediately granted both. Since then, two court dates to review the those orders have canceled; a third is scheduled for mid-January.
Graham operates Sebastian Partners LLC, Sebastiane Partners LLC, and Gravitas Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund I LLC (“GQOZF”), all of which were controlled by Graham during his “elaborate real estate investment scheme,” as described by the securities office in a case document.
The filing states Graham collected more than $1.1 million from eight investors to purchase three adjacent homes in Aurora. The Denver-based Gravitas fund and its investors purportedly qualified for the federal Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program with the homes. Qualified Opportunity Zones were created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2017. The zones encouraged growth in low-income communities by offering tax benefits to investors, namely reductions in capital gains taxes on developed properties.
Graham formed Gravitas in early 2019 and purchased the three homes located in the 21000 block of E. 60th Avenue two years later. He quickly sold one of them with notifying investors, according to the case document. While managing the other two, Graham and Gravitas transferred the fund’s assets and never operated within QOZ guidelines to the benefit of its investors or the community, according to the state.
Gravitas also transferred the titles for the two properties to Graham privately. As their owner, Graham obtained undocumented loans from friends totaling almost $600,000. The two loans used the two properties as security.
Gravitas investors were never informed of the two loans, according to the case document. Also, Gravitas never sent its investors year-end tax reports, the securities office alleges.
Graham used the proceeds of the loans for personal use. No specific details were provided about those uses.
“Effectively, Graham used Gravitas as his personal piggy bank,” as stated in the case document, “claiming both funds and properties as his own. Graham never told investors about the risks associated with transferring title to himself. On September 1, 2023, he sent a letter to investors, stating that the properties ‘we own’ are doing well and generating growth due to record-breaking home appreciation. But Gravitas no longer owned the properties.
“Gravitas no longer had assets at all.”
Furthermore, the securities office said Graham failed to notify investors of recent court orders against him in Colorado and California. In total, Graham was ordered to pay more than $1 million in damages related to previous real estate projects.
Graham’s most recent residence is in Reno, Nev., according to an online search of public records. He evidently has previously lived in Santa Monica, Calif., and Greenwood Village.
Colorado
Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday
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