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Week of March 31, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
JeffcoTranscript.com
VOLUME 38 | ISSUE 36
Wheat Ridge PD airs concerns to City Council Chief concerned about bill that would allow more convicted criminals to possess guns BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
placement bridge will offer, as well as its ability to support increasing traffic. “This intersection right behind me is notorious in that a year or two ago, a chunk of concrete fell off the bridge and landed on the hood of a brand new car,” Perlmutter said, referencing the soon-to-berebuilt bridge. Funding for I-70 bridge replacement infrastructure projects comes from both state and federal sources.
Wheat Ridge Police Chief Chris Murtha spoke to Wheat Ridge City Council members about legislative issues around handgun crimes and fentanyl during their March 21 study session. Murtha said HB1257, possession of a weapon by a prohibited offender would change which people are able to access a weapon. “This bill, if passed, would allow felony drug distribution — people convicted of that crime—to obtain a weapon. It would also allow people who are convicted of motor vehicle theft to obtain a weapon,” Murtha said. “In my conversations with General (Merrick) Garland we talked about the ongoing violence— the spike of violence in Colorado. We’ve seen a 20% increase in violent crime—a lot of that around handguns.” Murtha said his officers come up against way too many felons in possession of firearms as it is. And he pointed to the inordinate amount of officer involved shootings as resulting from the number of armed individuals they encounter.
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Ceremonial ground is broken near the construction site of a replacement bridge at I-70 and 32nd Avenue in Wheat Ridge. PHOTO BY BOB WOOLEY
Perlmutter leads groundbreaking ceremony for bridge replacement State-funded infrastructure project called necessary and overdue BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
On March 21, political leaders including U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Jeffco Commissioner Les-
ley Dahlkemper and Wheat Ridge Mayor Bud Starker joined Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) officials in a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of a replacement bridge at I-70 and 32nd Avenue in Wheat Ridge. In a written statement, Perlmutter’s office said the project aligns with CFDOT’s 10-year plan commitment to replace aged bridges throughout the region and state. The statement also pointed to the improved safety aspects the re-
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 26
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