A look at what’s coming for 2024
As an election year, it is probably safe to say the news cycle will be plenty busy in 2024.
Colorado has already managed to insert itself into what may become one of the biggest storylines of the year, barring Donald Trump from the state ballot in a move that will almost certainly result in the U.S. Supreme Court deciding whether to allow Trump to try and make a run at regaining the presidency in November.
But even as the highest court in the land prepares to weigh in on the race to decide the leader of the United States, 2024 is also shaping up to be a busy year on a local level.
Here in Boulder and Broomfield counties projects are being greenlit, trials will be held, and Deion Sanders is looking for an offensive line.
Here is a look ahead at some of the stories we will be keeping an eye on in the new year:
Boulder County
The Boulder County commissioners have already approved increasing the minimum wage to $15.69 an hour starting today, with additional increases each year that end with a $25-an-hour minimum wage in 2030.
But other municipalities have not been as quick to follow suit, as cities like Boulder and Longmont have opted to wait, citing concerns about small business.
Following the sheriff’s office finding that an Xcel Energy line was at least partially responsible for the Marshall Fire in 2021, individuals and municipalities alike have been filing lawsuits seeking to hold the utility accountable for the deadly fire.
Making its way through the courts are a series of lawsuits filed by the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners Association against Boulder County, Boulder, Louisville and Superior for passing varying degrees of gun control measures in 2022 after a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 students and two teachers were killed.
Judges passed a series of temporary restraining orders prohibiting the municipalities from enforcing the new gun laws before the cases were merged.
The ongoing expansion of Gross Reservoir southwest of Boulder will take a significant step forward in 2024 when the concrete placement for the new dam begins in the spring.
Engineers plan to raise Gross Dam by building about 118 concrete steps bonded to the front of the existing dam. Each step will be 4 feet tall, with a 2-foot setback from the one below it. Construction of the new steps of the dam addition is expected to last through 2025.
Boulder County will also need to select a new coroner after Emma Hall resigned following an internal investigation.
Boulder
Boulder’s City Council will likely vote on updates to its Energy Conservation Code, which could include a ban on gas in new builds. The Council is also likely to discuss the future of the Boulder Municipal Airport, though it’s unclear when the City Council will take a vote on the matter.
At least one new panelist will be appointed to the Boulder Police Oversight Panel in February, and two new co-chairs will need to be selected from among the panelists.
The Millennium Harvest House demolition could be coming in 2024. The time frame for that project has yet to be determined, since it is still in technical review at the time of this writing. City staff say the review process could take several months. Plans for a massive proposed residential and commercial project at U.S. 36 and Baseline Road called Williams Village II might also begin to take shape, though it’s still in the early planning stages.
Among the new facilities scheduled to open in 2024 are the new Boulder Public Library District, whose branches will open on Tuesday; a homelessness day services center; and a modular home factory that is scheduled to be completed this spring.
A couple of high-profile court cases should see some new developments in 2024. An ACLU lawsuit challenging Boulder’s camping ban is set for trial in August, while political organizer Eric Budd has also petitioned the Colorado Supreme Court to review a defamation lawsuit filed by Steven Rosenblum against Budd and other organizers, so the state’s highest court may hear and rule on that case in 2024.
Following a lengthy competency restoration process, the defendant in the King Soopers shooting case is set for a three-week trial starting Aug. 12. Ahmad Alissa, 24, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to 10 counts of first-degree murder, 47 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, 10 counts of felony possession of a prohibited large capacity magazine, and 47 crime of violence sentence enhancers in connection with the shooting in March 2021 that killed 10 people.
Higher education
The University of Colorado Boulder is searching for a new chancellor after Phil Distefano announced his retirement in September. The search committee has been assembled and is beginning the search process. A new chancellor will likely be announced in the spring and arrive on campus to replace Distefano in the fall.
After four women of color faculty left the School of Education and the existing dean resigned, information on the national search for a new permanent dean is expected to be announced in the spring. Through measures including new appointments and initiatives, CU Boulder will continue to work on improving retention rates among minority faculty into 2024.
Students reported racial discrimination from peers and a university department escalated by the Israel-hamas war and other students experienced food racism within a department
common space. Multiple students reported facing disability discrimination, and there are four active investigations due to disability discrimination complaints filed with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
CU Boulder is also considering purchasing a property in Louisville to house staff and faculty off-campus. If all necessary approvals are obtained, the university will close on the property in February with more details on the development possibly coming this year.
An election for three out of nine seats on the University of Colorado Board of Regents will take place Nov. 5. Seats for regent at large, district three and district five are up for election. The regent at large is elected statewide, and the two remaining seats are voted upon by constituents in each congressional district.
Naropa University is in the midst of a search for a new president after Charles Lief resigned and said it’s time for someone with a new perspective. Lief’s successor will begin the role in the summer or fall.
Longmont
While Longmont’s new boutique hotel may not open for business by the end of the year, the vast majority of construction on the forthcoming facility should be completed
by year’s end. The Thrash Group, which is based out of Hattiesburg, Miss., and developed the official hotel of Red Rocks Amphitheatre, plans to build a fivestory hotel at the corner of Kimbark Street and Third Avenue that is expected to have roughly 85 rooms along with a rooftop restaurant and bar.
In addition to the boutique hotel, Longmont residents can expect several other developments to get underway this year as the city continues to grow. The city currently has 14 plans listed as ‘under construction’ in its active development log.
Among the things Longmont City Council could be discussing in the new year: hopping off the Fastracks train and bringing in a drone show.
The defendant in a driveby shooting is now set for a five-day trial on May 13. Yahir Solis, 20, is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in a drive-by shooting in August in which 13-yearold Isahis “Zay” Rosales was killed.
Broomfield
In early December, the Broomfield City Council approved the first steps in the demolition of the defunct 1STBANK Center. Demolition date and future plans haven’t been solidified yet, but the building will likely be demolished early this year.
The exact demolition cost has also not been confirmed, but is estimated at $2 million. By the time the bonds used to finance construction are paid off, Broomfield will have spent approximately $135 million on the event center.
CU Buffs
Both the University of Colorado Boulder’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have postseason hopes, as the women are currently in the top 10 and the men have been in and out of the top 25.
The women especially are eyeing a deep run after a Sweet Sixteen trip in 2023 and a season-opening win over defending champion LSU in Las Vegas.
Regardless of how the 2023-2024 sports season ends, it will be the Buffs’ last in the Pac-12. More than a decade after leaving, CU will be returning to the Big 12 for the 2024-2025 academic season as part of a sweeping landscape change in college sports.
It is in this new Big 12 that head football coach Deion Sanders will be looking to capitalize on the unprecedented hype and excitement generated by a 3-0 start to the season. The Buffs finished 4-8, so Sanders in his second year will be looking to get the Buffs to a bowl and keep the national spotlight on Boulder.