The Front Range Passenger Rail District is rallying support from the cities where the future rail line will operate. Denver City Council got on board with a proclamation made Monday at its regular meeting. Denver is the latest of nearly a dozen municipalities to publicly express its support for the railway. 

Councilman Darrell Watson sponsored the proclamation that received unanimous support.

“Right now, we’re dealing with forest fires throughout the state,” Watson said. “That air that’s coming in, having a cleaner approach to transit is important, and the Front Range Rail provides that.”

The proclamation also supports the creation of two additional “special events” stops that are south of Union Station and therefore would need voter approval. 

“One is on South Broadway and I-25 for the new Denver Summit stadium, as well as Burnham Yard for the new Denver Broncos stadium,” explained Sal Pace, the Front Range Passenger Rail District’s general manager.

For Pace, the support is another step in the right direction for future expansion. 

“We’re asking the local municipalities to agree with the station locations and the placement of stations across the district,” Pace said. “That way if we refer a ballot question, that it’s done in alignment with the local municipalities, such as here in Denver.”

But city support also brings monetary gains.

“Because of its population, Denver will be receiving $225 million in local return Pace explained. “And for passing this proclamation, they’ve just qualified themselves for an additional $22.5 million in local return dollars,” he said. “That money will be coming from any future tax revenue that a district is collecting.”

“This is a unique opportunity, not just for Denver, but for anyone that loves rail and anyone that lives in the Front Range,” Watson added.

The first phase of the railway that the Colorado Connector (CoCo) will make trips on goes from Denver up to Boulder, on to Fort Collins. That phase is already funded and is expected to begin service in 2029. The Rail’s board will have a meeting in August on a possible ballot measure for this November. Voters from Fort Collins down to Trinidad would vote on the tax measure to support future expansion if placed on the ballot.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.

The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.

However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.

The proposed ordinance would:

1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.

2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.

3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.

4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.

Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.

“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”

But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.

“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”

At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.

“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.

But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.

“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”

The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.

Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.

For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.