Angela Rae Harris's Blog, page 3

Denver deputy arrested on suspicion of menacing, child abuse in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs police arrested Denver Sheriff’s Deputy Darrel Killebrew, who is facing several charges, including child abuse, according to a news release by the sheriff’s department on Thursday.

CSPD officers responded to a domestic disturbance call for service on Monday after an adult female reported Killebrew, 33, broke a tablet and a laptop and pulled a gun out during a confrontation over alleged cheating, according to court documents obtained by The Gazette.

Killebrew allegedly accused the woman of cheating after discovering a phone number was repeatedly calling her phone. The woman had served Killebrew divorce papers in April, according to court documents.

After retrieving the devices, he told the woman he knew what she did and put his firearm in his waistband.

Killebrew allegedly told police he threw the devices at a kitchen cabinet, picked them up off the floor and then “slammed” them against a kitchen island multiple times.

Court documents stated Killebrew went upstairs to pack his belongings, including his firearm, to stay with a friend for the night as two children watched from the stairs.

Later, a redacted name learned Killebrew allegedly changed the front door code, and he began arguing over alleged cheating once the woman returned after visiting someone.

Killebrew allegedly told the woman to call the number in her phone and that “I got something coming for him,” according to court documents. He then drew the handgun, which is normally locked away, from his waistband.

Several physical altercations allegedly ensued between Killebrew and one or more redacted names before police were called, according to court documents.

Killebrew was placed on investigatory leave on Wednesday by Denver’s sheriff. The deputy has worked with the office since 2023 in the Downtown Detention Center.

He was charged with felony menacing, third-degree assault, criminal mischief, two counts of child abuse and second-degree criminal tampering, according to the release.

Brent Burns, Avalanche stay hot: 5 takeaways from Colorado’s 4-1 win in Columbus

Nothing against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but when the Colorado Avalanche get going, they’re on a different level than most NHL teams. That was evident in Colorado’s 4-1 victory over the Blue Jackets on Thursday.

Here are five takeaways from Colorado’s dominant performance:

The Avalanche brought in Brent Burns to eat some heavy minutes behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews, but on Thursday night he was probably their best defenseman. The 40-year-old played a little over 20 minutes and made an impact every time he was on the ice, including some fantastic work on the penalty kill. A nice takeaway by Burns from Norris nominee Zach Werenski in the second period created a great scoring chance for Ross Colton. Just a few minutes later, Burns shot the puck directly at Brock Nelson’s stick for a deflection goal, which ultimately turned out to be the game-winner. The veteran looks like a fine pickup at the moment.Gabriel Landeskog picked up an assist on the empty net goal, giving him his first regular-season point since March 8, 2022.Valeri Nichushkin has probably been the best player on the second line for the Avalanche. He was rewarded Thursday, although it wasn’t a perfect game from the Russian. His turnover led to Columbus’ only goal in the second period, but he made up for it later, deflecting a Sam Malinski shot home with just a few seconds in the third to give the Avalanche an important two-goal lead heading into the third. Nichushkin added an empty netter for good measure. When he gets going, he’s impossible for opposing teams to slow down.Colorado’s third defensive pairing had itself a heck of a game. Malinski’s move around a forechecker in the neutral zone is what created Colorado’s first goal of the game, and he later added an assist. Ilya Solovyov had his best night in an Avalanche uniform, and the team controlled 86% of the shot attempts with him on the ice at even strength.Thursday’s game was the 400th of Cale Makar’s young career and he put the cherry on top with a vintage Makar goal, using Artturi Lehkonen as a screen and firing the puck over Elvis Merzlikins shoulder in the second. Makar is already up to seven points in five games, so another Norris Trophy could be in his future.

Briggeman | Air Force football midway analysis and bold predictions for the finish

Air Force (1-5, 0-4 Mountain West) has reached the halfway point of a bizarre season that has seen the team post one of the best offenses in the nation and one of the worst defenses.

Let’s try to make sense of it all.

Air Force Falcons quarterback Liam Szarka (9) throws a touchdown pass to Air Force Falcons tight end Bruin Fleischmann (88) during the second half Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

MVP – Liam Szarka, so., QB

Szarka has played just four full* games thus far. In that time he is averaging 227.8 passing yards and 134.3 rushing yards.

Looking back at every Air Force quarterback since 1995 (the furthest back game log data is available) if you took every player’s best four games passing and rushing, there’s not a quarterback who, at their best, has matched what Szarka has done in his brief body of work.

Only Nate Romine averaged more passing yards (228.3) over his top four performances, and that was by less than a yard.

Beau Morgan (214.5), Arion Worthman (165.8), Keith Boyea (158.5) and Chance Harridge (137.5) averaged more rushing yards than Szarka over their best four games, but among them only Worthman (203), also cracked 200 passing yards in his top four outings.

Measuring a triple-option quarterback solely on passing and rushing yards is as incomplete as judging a point guard simply on assists and points, as involvement of others in ways that don’t show up on stat sheets is a key component of the position, but the production still counts and matters. And over a span of 30 years, nobody, even when cherry picking only their best games, has been as impactful as Szarka in his first four tries in those areas.

* The first of those four games, vs. Boise State, saw Szarka come off the bench on Air Force’s third offensive possession.

Air Force linemen work at a practice in August. (BRENT BRIGGEMAN, THE GAZETTE)

Key stat, Part 1:5

Offensive linemen who have started games this year (meaning the team has used the same lineup in all six games), providing the continuity behind some of the statistics that have followed: 38.3 points per game (first in the Mountain West, 18th nationally), 276 rushing yards per game (first in the Mountain West, fourth nationally), 20.74 passing yards per completion (first in the nation).  

But don’t count on a lineman to promote this.

“To be frank,” left tackle Trevor Tate said, “Liam Szarka and Owen Allen and all these other guys in the backfield, they’ve been making us look really good.”

Air Force Falcons defensive back Roger Jones Jr. (5) celebrates with Air Force Falcons cornerback Levi Brown (9) after intecepting a Bucknell Bison pass during the first half Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at Falcon Stadium. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Key stat, Part 2:9

Players who have started games in the five positions in the defensive secondary. Among the nine are seven underclassmen – five sophomores and two freshmen. On top of that there are two more freshmen who have logged at least 20 snaps in a game.

The blame doesn’t fall entirely on one position group, but obviously the extreme youth has played a role in a defense that ranks last in the conference and in the bottom three nationally in points allowed (40 per game), passing yards allowed (323.3 per game) and total yards allowed (496.7 per game).

“It’s not going to happen instantly,” coach Troy Calhoun said. “We don’t live in fiction. There’s no time warp. We’ve just got to keep pouring it into them, which we will. And, the other part, too, is I think they realize the more you do this how important Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are when you’re lifting upper body or you’re cleaning or you’re squatting. How much that carries over to Saturdays and you just have to build on the layers for a long time.”

Air Force Falcons wide receiver Cade Harris (21 runs past the tackle of Bucknell Bison linebacker Jack Goheen (47) during the first half Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at Falcon Stadium. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Worth noting: Cade Harris

The senior slot receiver is on pace for 984 receiving yards, which would be the second most in Air Force history behind All-American Ernie Jennings’ 1,289 in 1970. Harris ranks sixth in the nation, averaging 132 all-purpose yards per game.

Other positives …

Tight end Bruin Fleischmann is on pace for 28 catches for 488 yards and eight touchdowns. The most receiving yards for an Air Force tight end in the option era (since 1980) belongs to Travis Dekker, who had 25 catches for 382 yards and two touchdowns in 2007. … Behind punter Luke Freer, the Falcons rank fifth nationally in net punting (45.18). … Outside linebacker Isaac Hubert ranks second in the Mountain West and 18th in the nation with 1.33 tackles for loss per game. … Linebacker Blake Fletcher’s 10.5 tackles per game rank eighth in the country. His 63 tackles are first on the team by 25.

Worth worrying about: Shrinking crowds

The two largest crowds the Falcons have played in front of this season came on the road – at Navy (37,517) and UNLV (32,932). Average home attendance has dropped from 26,226 in 2024 to 25,643 in 2025. Granted, that is before a game against Army that figures to draw well, but there is also a Nov. 22 game against New Mexico remaining that could be a roll of the dice in terms of weather and will almost assuredly feature two teams with losing records.

Other less-than positives …

The Falcons are averaging 45.7 penalty yards per game. This is up from 28.8 last season. Air Force was flagged just 38 times last year and are already at 30 at the midway point. … The Falcons have had lengthy losing streaks in three consecutive seasons: Four straight in 2023, seven in a row last year and a current skid of five in a row. On the flip side they started ’23 with eight straight wins, finished last season with four victories in a row and still have six games to work with this season. … The team is 3-of-6 on field goals behind sophomore placekicker Jacob Medina. Meanwhile, opponents are 10-of-10. However, Medina has hit all 26 PAT tries.

Air Force running back Owen Allen (2) gets past UNLV defensive back Jake Pope (7) and runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Bold prediction, Part 1: Owen Allen rushes for 1,000 yards

Allen had just 25 carries for 75 yards entering last week, when he exploded for 192 yards and three touchdowns. He would have to average 122 yards over the final six games to get to 1,000, but I think it’s possible for a few reasons.

First, I suspect he’ll get the carries. At some point the Falcons have to be careful about Szarka’s workload (he has averaged 22.3 carries over the past four weeks). Also, as the team has routinely demonstrated, an up-the-middle running attack tends to grow even more potent as the season wears on and defense tires.

Second, Allen has the talent. He showed a glimpse last year when he ran for 194 yards in three weeks in wins over Fresno State, Oregon State and Nevada. He ran for 7,600 yards and 120 touchdowns in posting one of the most prolific high school careers in Texas history, which is no small statement. The Falcons used him on the perimeter as a pitch back last week and he showed the speed to pick up 43 yards.

Finally, as a junior, it would make sense to invest in a player who will, along with Szarka, be back next year, particularly as offensive playmakers Cade Harris and Bruin Fleischmann will graduate.

The Air Force cheerleaders celebrate after The Falcons scored against Navy during the first half Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Bold prediction, Part II: The Falcons make a bowl game

Huh? This would mean a 5-1 finish with no gimmes on a schedule that has home games vs. Wyoming and Army, trips on opposite sides of the country (San Jose State and UConn) in consecutive weeks, home vs. New Mexico and at Colorado State to finish.

I think this is an all-time great Air Force offense. The defense, for the most part, is finished with its gauntlet. The four remaining conference games come against offenses ranked in the bottom half of the Mountain West. UConn is solid, but will it be able to contend with Air Force’s offense? Army, of course, will be a challenge.

Even with the defense struggling in such an extreme manner, Air Force played unbeaten Navy and UNLV each to within three points on the road in the past two games. The two games before that saw the Falcons within a touchdown of Boise State and Hawaii inside the final 3 minutes.

Just a bit of defensive improvement and a slight reduction in quality of opposing offenses and this team could get hot.

Broncos thrilled to have ‘chatterbox’ Malcolm Roach back after missing 5 games with calf strain

ENGLEWOOD – Broncos’ practices have gotten much louder over the past two weeks. 

Boisterous defensive tackle Malcolm Roach returned to practice Oct. 8 in London and played in last Sunday’s 13-11 win over the New York Jets in London after missing the first five games of the season with a calf strain. Then he was back at Broncos Park on Wednesday yelling all sorts of things. 

“I think everybody in the building and in the next three buildings can hear Roach,’’ defensive end John Franklin-Myers said after Thursday’s practice. “When he’s out there, he’s a chatterbox. He was just on the field with his talking, the swagger, we just missed that. But he’s back now.” 

Roach suffered a calf strain in practice Sept. 4 and was placed on injured reserve Sept. 6, the day before the opener against Tennessee. He sat out one more game than the minimum of four he had to miss. 

“It was cool,’’ Roach said of returning to face the Jets. “It was a good opportunity, especially being able to play in London. That was my first time playing there. It felt good being on the field with the guys. The energy was good. I did my job. I tried to do it at a high level.” 

Roach played 25 of the 57 defensive snaps as a reserve as the Broncos had nine sacks of Jets quarterback Justin Fields. Although Roach didn’t have a sack, he helped clog up the middle, which aided other defenders in getting to Fields. 

Roach said he ended up being out about as long as he had expected. 

“Something just happened,’’ he said of getting hurt. “But healing up pretty good and we’ll keep it going from there. … I pretty much knew the timetable I was going to be at and we rehabbed it really good and I’m feeling good.” 

Roach, who was Denver’s top reserve defensive lineman last season and is now back in that role, was happy to see several young linemen step up in his absence, and he gave them plenty of pointers while sidelined. While Jordan Jackson and rookie Sai’vion Jones got some work, Roach’s primary replacement was third-year man Eyioma Uwazurike, who looked good and has two sacks this season. 

Uwazurike was suspended for the 2023 season for violating the league’s gambling rules after it was determined he had bet on NFL games in 2022. He returned last season and played just 63 defensive snaps in four games. 

“Missing a whole year of football is always tough and kind of redshirting last year, he was practicing and not really playing as much,’’ Roach said. “He just came back (this season) in so much better shape, came back so much better mentally. He’s doing a great job, a phenomenal job for us.” 

As for the Broncos missing Roach’s boisterousness when he was out, he downplayed that. The six-year veteran said it’s most important being able on the field “to see things which you see and being able to tell (other players) how you see it and how you think they should play it.” 

Uwazurike agreed with that. But he also said Roach’s loud voice when he was out was indeed missing from Broncos practices and games. 

“You need that energy to get you going, and he definitely brings it,’’ Uwazurike said. “It’s definitely something that’s special about him.” 

Colorado title board rejects graduated income tax ballot measures

Colorado’s title board on Wednesday unanimously rejected two ballot measure proposals submitted by a policy think tank that would change the state’s flat income tax rate — in which everyone currently pays the same rate of 4.41% — to a graduated income tax, where people with incomes of up to $500,000 would get a small tax cut and those who earn more would see an increase.

The issue? They violate the constitution’s prohibition on ballot measures having more than one topic, known as the single-subject rule. 

In September, the Bell Policy Center submitted three versions of its proposal.

The title board — the body that finalizes the language of an initiative and which also determines whether or not it has a single subject — heard two and rejected both. The third awaits a hearing with the title board, but it is similar to the two rejected on Wednesday.

The proposals contain a dozen tax brackets, with the highest levels set to accrue up to hundreds of thousands more in liabilities, while cutting them for individuals at the lower ends of the proposed spectrum.

How it would affect individuals will depend on their annual household — or business — income.

At the lower end, people could see their taxes cut by a few hundred dollars. At the highest end, $10 million or above, individuals and businesses could pay hundreds of thousands more each year.

The money generated by the ballot measure, should voters approve it next year, would bring in about $2.3 billion annually. As proposed, the money would primarily go toward K-12 and higher education, childcare, homeless or workplace initiatives, and health care programs.

The title board is a three-person panel that includes a representative from the attorney general’s office, another from the secretary of state’s office and the head of the General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Legal Services or the latter’s designee.

The ballot measures drew objections from Michael Fields of Advance Colorado, Natalie Menten of the TABOR Foundation, attorney Rebecca Sopkin, and Michael A. Hancock (not the former Denver mayor), represented by attorney Sarah Mercer of Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schrek.

All argued against the measure based on the single-subject issue and challenged the removal of the surcharge language.

The measure, the objectors said, seeks to do more than change the state’s flat tax to a graduated or “progressive” tax. It would also “deBruce” state income tax revenue, allowing the state to retain all revenues collected, instead of sending those that exceed the TABOR cap back to taxpayers. 

Article 20 of the Colorado Constitution says any income tax law change after July 1, 1992 requires all taxable net income to be taxed at one rate, excluding refund tax credits or voter-approved tax credits, with no added tax or surcharge.

The ballot measure would strike that entire sentence, and the objectors took particular note of the word “surcharge.”

Incumbent Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, left, talks with President of the Advance Colorado Institute Michael Fields during the “No On HH-Advance Colorado election night watch party” on Tuesday at JJ’s Place in Aurora. (Timothy Hurst, The Denver Gazette)

Fields, in a post on X on Wednesday, said removing that language would allow the legislature to add fees on everyone’s income without voter approval.

“That’s an incredibly lazy reading of the law,” replied Chris deGruy Kennedy, the president and CEO of the Bell Policy Center, the group pushing for the tax changes.

According to Advance Colorado, the Colorado Supreme Court has said that a surcharge is a fee. Striking the surcharge language could allow the legislature to target industries its members don’t like, such as oil and gas. 

The title board also pointed out — as did the objectors and Ed Ramey, the attorney for the Bell Policy Center — that a ballot measure could not include both taxes and fees.

Ramey disputed the interpretation of the objectors, saying the language on the surcharge has “no independent life” outside of the flat tax.

“We have no intention on changing anything about the surcharge,” deGruy Kennedy told Colorado Politics on Thursday. 

It’s a single sentence within the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, he said, but the title board decided that the one section on the surcharge is the single subject violation. He called the board’s judgment “questionable.”

DeGruy Kennedy, who served eight years in the legislature, also said the Colorado General Assembly would not have the ability to raise taxes. That part of TABOR is still completely intact, he said. 

“No one who understands the law believes this would restore the legislature’s ability to raise taxes,” he said.

Then-Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy speaks to media before Gov. Jared Polis signs Senate Bills 23-303 and 23-304 on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at the home of Joe Lloyd Medina in Commerce City.

DeGruy Kennedy said the remaining measure, Initiative No. 145, is up for appeal on Nov. 5, and there’s a way to refile it that would keep 99% of the measure as is. 

But the single subject challenge brings up another issue around TABOR, he explained.

“If you can’t eliminate a single sentence in TABOR without triggering a single subject challenge, that says something about how broken the constitution is,” he said.

When TABOR was passed in 1992, the state constitution did not have a prohibition on ballot measures with multiple subjects. It was TABOR and its multiple subjects that led to the creation of the single-subject provision, adopted by voters in 1994.

In a 2019 white paper, the Colorado Fiscal Institute said that proponents of the single-subject rule argued that the change was needed “to keep misleading measures covering multiple topics off the ballot. TABOR was often cited as an example of the kind of measure that contained multiple subjects and would be prohibited if the measure was adopted.”

Alex Palczewski ‘ready for the challenge’ at left guard vs. Giants, teammate says | Broncos notebook

ENGLEWOOD — The Broncos carousel at left guard appears to have stopped next at Alex Palczewski.

Denver (4-2) hosts the Giants (2-4) on Sunday at Empower Field with a third different offensive lineman in three games besides left tackle Garett Bolles and center Luke Wattenberg.

Starting left guard Ben Powers went on injured reserve after suffering a biceps injury against the Eagles. Reserve left guard Matt Peart joined him in IR a week later with a torn MCL in London, playing the Jets. Coach Sean Payton has not publicly named a starter in Week 7 against the Giants.

However, after practice Thursday at Broncos Park, Bolles suggested that Palczewski will step up.

“Having two guys go down that quick, within two games, is a tough situation. But Palcho is ready for the challenge,” Bolles said. “I’m ready to be there for him and protect him as much as I can. Make sure that he feels comfortable. This ain’t my first rodeo playing with different guards. I’ve done it for a long time here.”

Palczewski, undrafted out of Illinois in 2023, was primarily a backup on the right side of the offensive line. He also served as the jumbo tight end — becoming a home fan favorite in the process. Palczewski started three games last season at right tackle when Mike McGlinchey was injured.

“Our o-line is deep. We have a lot of depth that can plug and play in all different positions,” Bolles said. “Obviously, Ben is my guy. I’ve played a lot of games with him. I hope he has a speedy recovery. … I hope we can get him back as soon as possible. Obviously, it was a very unfortunate situation for us (with) Matt going down.”

Greenlaw still limited

Inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw was a limited practice participant for the second time this week as he recovers from a quad injury. The free agent signing has yet to play for the Broncos this season.

It appears the team won’t rush Greenlaw’s return to action.

“If he returns this week, it’s got to be in a part-time role, maybe. We’ll see,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said on Thursday. “We’re not sure if that’s going to happen this weekend or next. But he’s in good spirits, he’s worked hard (and) he’s in the right mindset. So, we’ll see how Sunday plays out.

“But once he gets out there, we’ll feel him. Everyone will.”

Outside linebacker Jonah Elliss (shoulder) did not practice for a second consecutive day. Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper (quad) was limited on Thursday. Two players on the injury report — outside linebacker Nik Bonitto (wrist) and inside linebacker Alex Singleton (thumb) — were listed as full participants.

Dobbins laments injury label

J.K. Dobbins disputes the narrative that he is an injury-prone running back.

Dobbins, in his first season with Denver, has missed significant games previously in his long NFL career due to a significant knee injury (torn ACL/MCL/meniscus) and a torn Achilles. On Thursday, after practice at Broncos Park, Dobbins explained why those injuries shouldn’t ultimately define him.

“People say I have injury issues. But I don’t. I’ve had two major injuries. That’s it. It’s not like I’m rolling ankles. It’s not like I’m injury prone,” Dobbins said. “The injuries that I’ve had have been unfortunate. They’re God-given, actually. A torn knee? I can’t help that. A torn Achilles? That’s something I can’t control, either. Other than that, what are the injuries? … So, no, I’m not worried.”

Last season, playing for the Chargers, Dobbins went on injured reserve with a knee sprain. He signed with the Broncos in free agency.

Dobbins has 91 carries for 442 yards and four rushing touchdowns this season. He’s played 51% of all offensive snaps over six games as the featured Broncos running back.

Briefly

Former Broncos safety Caden Sterns, a fifth-round pick in 2021, announced his NFL retirement Thursday on social media. Sterns last played for the Broncos in 2023 before his career was derailed by a torn patellar tendon. … Free agent wide receiver Treylon Burks (who worked out with the Broncos earlier this week) has signed with the Commanders practice squad, per NFL media reports. … Starting left tackle Mike McGlinchey is impressed with the Giants defensive front. McGlinchey said: “It’s going to take all five of us and then some to keep these guys in check. They’re a really, really talented group. A lot of great players. They’re relentless in their rush and really stout against the run as well.” … The Broncos painted the No. 88 on their practice field this week to honor wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who enters the Broncos Ring of Fame on Sunday.

Denver clerk tosses Vibrant Bond campaign finance complaint

Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López recently dismissed a complaint alleging several donors to Denver’s Vibrant Bond Issue Campaign violated campaign finance rules with money that may have been taxpayer dollars.

The complaint, filed by Jason Bailey, founder of the Citizens for NO New Debt group, was dismissed almost as quickly as it was submitted, with the Clerk’s Office citing the complaint was incomplete.

“Your complaint fails to specifically identify the section or sections of Denver’s campaign finance laws that the respondent allegedly violated, nor does it include the date or dates of each alleged violation,” a letter from the Clerk’s Compliance Team said. “In addition, the complaint lacks sufficient facts giving rise to the alleged violation. Therefore, the complaint is dismissed.”

Bailey said his group will continue to pursue the complaint until he gets an answer, but insists he shouldn’t have to be the campaign finance expert and feels as if the Clerk’s Office is brushing him – and the concern – off.

A staff attorney representing the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office told The Denver Gazette in a statement that the office has had an open line of communication with Bailey on the matter and will continue to do so.

As for Bailey’s submission, city legal officials argue the devil is in the details.

“Denver law requires that a valid complaint contain certain information, including citation to the specific provisions of Denver campaign finance law alleged to have been violated and sufficient facts to support the allegations,” the staff attorney said. “When a complaint does not contain the information required by law, we dismiss the complaint. But a complainant may refile and include the missing information.”

2025_001 Complaint Decision Letter

The information required by law allows the Clerk’s office to review the complaint and decide if the named individual or organization should be asked to respond to the allegations.

“Here, the complaint did not provide enough information that would allow our office to proceed with the complaint process,” the attorney said.

“It is possible that the complainant believed there to be a violation of the Denver campaign finance law that prohibits the use of city funds to advocate for or against a ballot measure,” the attorney said. “But that prohibition is specific to city departments, agencies, boards, commissions, officers, or employees. Denver’s code does not reference funds from other governmental or nonprofit entities.”

Without the additional information, election office officials were unable to proceed with the complaint. 

Spokesperson for the Vibrant Denver Bond Issue Campaign, Mike Strott, stands firm in asserting that Bailey’s complaint “was completely baseless.”

“We appreciate the Denver Elections Division for quickly dismissing it,” Strott said in an email to The Denver Gazette. The organizations identified in the complaint are not public entities. They are all independent nonprofit organizations. There is no restriction on these entities contributing to campaigns, nor is there any restriction that prohibits a campaign from accepting their contributions.”

The Denver Gazette reached out to the Denver Botanic Gardens, one of the donors named in Bailey’s complaint, to better understand how donations are made and what internal controls might be in place.

A response has not been returned as of the publishing of this article.

Bailey has also submitted a complaint to the Colorado Secretary of State, but has not received a ruling.  

With less than three weeks to go, voters will consider Mayor Mike Johnston’s Vibrant Denver Bond, which, if all five questions are passed,  would allow the city to take on $950 million in additional debt to repair and improve city infrastructure and community spaces — including roads, bridges, parks, playgrounds, recreation centers, and libraries.

The 6-year general obligation bond would not raise taxes, but city officials state that over the term, it could cost the city as much as $1.8 billion.

Bolton charged with mishandling classified information

GREENBELT, Maryland • John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, was indicted on Thursday on charges of mishandling classified information.

Bolton’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His lawyer had previously denied that Bolton engaged in wrongdoing.

The indictment, filed in federal court in Maryland, charges Bolton with eight counts of transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of retention of national defense information, all in violation of the Espionage Act.

Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison if Bolton is convicted, but any sentence would be determined by a judge based on a range of factors. 

John Bolton was named President Donald Trump’s third national security adviser in March 2018.

Asked by reporters at the White House about the Bolton indictment on Thursday, Trump said: “He’s a bad guy.” 

Bolton served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, as well as White House national security adviser during Trump’s first term before emerging as one of the president’s most vocal critics. He described Trump as unfit to be president in a memoir he released last year.

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks at the John F. Kennedy Jr Forum at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., September 29, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

In the indictment, prosecutors said Bolton shared more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as national security adviser, including top secret information, with two unauthorized people from April 2018 to August 2025. The indictment did not name the recipients.

The indictment said the notes Bolton shared with the two people included information he gleaned from meetings with senior government officials, discussions with foreign leaders, and intelligence briefings.

Prosecutors said a “cyber actor” tied to the Iranian government hacked Bolton’s personal email after he left government service and accessed classified information. A representative for Bolton told the government about the hack but did not report that he stored classified information in the email account, according to the indictment. 

Trump himself was previously indicted on Espionage Act violations for allegedly transporting classified records to his Florida home after departing the White House in 2021 and refusing repeated requests by the government to return them. Trump had pleaded not guilty and that case was dropped after he won reelection in November 2024.

The charges against Bolton come shortly after the Justice Department indicted former FBI director James Comey, who investigated Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who previously brought a civil fraud case against Trump and his family real estate company.

FILE – Former FBI director James Comey speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, June 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Comey, whom Trump fired in 2017, is facing charges of making false statements to Congress and obstruction of Congress. He has pleaded not guilty.

James is facing charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. She has denied wrongdoing and is slated to appear in federal court later this month.

Senior leaders at the U.S. Justice Department had been pushing for swift charges against Bolton, despite initial concern from some line prosecutors in Maryland, as well as attorneys in the National Security Division who felt more investigation was needed and feared the case was being rushed, two people familiar with the matter previously told Reuters.

Prosecutors more recently concluded they were comfortable proceeding after taking more time to review the evidence, one of those sources added.

The case against Bolton is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Maryland. That office is separately investigating Democratic U.S. Senator Adam Schiff of California for possible mortgage fraud. Schiff has denied wrongdoing, and has not been charged with a crime.   

Medicaid spending surge for therapy sessions prompts Colorado to reinstate limits

Colorado’s health agency will reinstate prior authorization requirements for Medicaid patients’ therapy sessions next year as part of its efforts to control costs, which soared following a state law passed in 2022.

That year, the state legislature adopted a bill prohibiting health plans from requiring prior authorization for psychotherapy sessions for Medicaid recipients. While the bill was intended to remove barriers to accessing mental health and treatment for addiction for disabled and low-income Coloradans, it increased the amount the state was spending on Medicaid by nearly 75%, according to Cristen Bates, the director of Medicaid and CHP+ Behavioral Health Initiatives and Coverage.

In an August meeting, Bates said there are several reasons why the state’s Medicaid spending has gone up so sharply in the past half-decade: The state expanded its network from about 6,000 providers to more than 13,000, increased provider rates, and added dental and vision benefits. The state also received a 1115 waiver for addiction treatment in 2021, which allows waiving certain Medicaid requirements to test new programs.

Reflecting on the 2022 law, Bates said that, initially, the program expected to “make things a little bit easier” by removing administrative burdens. Instead, the department found itself facing an unexpected $40 million increase in Medicaid spending for behavioral health and substance abuse.

Bates explained that the spending increase was primarily driven by a small percentage of patients who received significantly more therapy sessions than average. She argued that if someone is needing more than one therapy session per week, it could indicate a need for a higher level of care or a different form of treatment.

“We really need to reevaluate what services people need and how much quality they’re getting,” she said.

Another major cost driver is the state’s peer services program, which connects individuals struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues to peers with similar experiences. While the program has been effective at preventing hospitalizations, associated costs have increased by 95% each year since 2021, Bates said. A key factor is the absence of limits on daily billable hours, resulting in some clients billing up to eight hours of peer services treatment each day.

Bates told Colorado Politics the state has seen a 98% increase in the number of Medicaid patients receiving more than 56 therapy services a year. While this may be appropriate for “a small number of people” with complex issues like PTSD or those for whom medication is not effective, she believes there are other patients who are receiving far more treatment than medically necessary.

“When somebody is sitting there taking 40 sessions, that means the next person is waiting in line and not getting care,” she said. “So, there’s the workforce issue here of needing to make sure that therapists are serving more people, and we need people to get more access and go complete the programming.”

“It’s not about whether the client wants therapy, it’s whether or not the therapy is actually medically necessary for a specific disorder,” Bates added.

To combat excessive spending, over the summer, limits were placed on which providers can administer peer services. The agency has also collaborated with regional entities responsible for administering Medicaid services at the regional level to educate and train providers on Medicaid requirements.

Seeing the need to cut more spending, the agency implemented a number of changes last month, including the prior authorization requirement.

Denver Health Medical Center.‘We opened up the gate really wide, and we didn’t really build a fence around it‘

Behavioral health spending in Colorado has increased “significantly,” Bates said, particularly following the creation of the Behavioral Health Task Force in 2019.

“(Health Care Policy and Financing) said, ‘listen, we’re having some big challenges statewide, and we need to have a focused intervention to say we are trying to expand access to care, improve care quality, and improve the type of care people get,'” she said.

Following the dissolution of the task force, the state expanded its Medicaid coverage to include peer support programs, medication-assisted treatment, residential, and partial hospitalization programs for substance abuse disorders.

These changes led to a “huge” increase in hourly therapy services, Bates said, adding some were legitimate, and some not so much.

“We opened up the gate really wide, and we didn’t really build a fence around it, so we really needed to identify where these planned increases were happening, and where is there just outright fraud?” she said.

“I do think there were some consequences to really significant expansion of benefits of networks of providers. Some of them are just getting providers used to working with Medicaid, and it is difficult and there are additional administrative requirements, but I do think a lot of providers want to serve people who are in lower-income populations and they don’t want to limit their practice to only cash (payments),” Bates added. “I think that ethically, there’s a lot of providers who want to do that, but we need to train them.”

The majority of instances of Medicaid fraud and abuse seem to be occurring at smaller, newer providers who may not have as many resources or experience with serving the Medicaid population, Bates said.

Christian Thurstone, the behavioral health chair at Denver Health, said the hospital, which is the second-largest in the state, has not seen a significant increase in therapy sessions for Medicaid patients since the 2022 law went into effect.

In fact, Thurstone said, the number of Medicaid patients who received over 24 therapy sessions for substance abuse decreased from 2020 to 2024.

“The bottom line is, we didn’t really see a big increase in patients coming for more than 24 visits when the prior authorization went away in 2022,” he said. “Maybe some other places have seen a significant increase, but that is not our experience at Denver Health.”

As a mostly publicly-funded hospital, Thurstone said Denver Health is conscientious to be “good stewards” of taxpayer money.

“We make sure we’re not doing sessions that we don’t need to, and if somebody has achieved benefits and achieved their goals, we encourage them to taper off in terms of the frequency of their sessions, so we’re pretty careful about that,” he said.

Like many other behavioral health care providers in Colorado, Denver Health has invested in community-based care to keep patients out of the hospital and lower costs, he said.

“We made a lot of investments in things like case management, peer support, and getting people engaged in recovery services, and I think some of those efforts may also limit the number of actual treatment encounters that we have to do,” Thurstone said.

Thurstone agreed with Bates’ worries about patients needing significant amounts of therapy sessions: “If somebody’s doing great, why would they want to even come to therapy?”

“We would encourage them to taper off and maybe see me once a month or once every other month just to check in, because we have a waiting list and we don’t want to keep people in treatment unnecessarily, we want to offer care to the people who are on our waiting list,” Thurstone said.

Therapy can be helpful for some individuals experiencing mental health or substance use issues, but Bates believes the state is severely lacking in alternative options.

“What we’ve seen, unfortunately, is that when we’ve tried to just say, ‘Okay, we want a lot more providers and a lot more services’, we just ended up with a lot more therapy, which is important, but it cannot be the answer to all of our community-based problems, right?” Bates said. “We have to make sure that there are recovery services, safe places to go where you don’t have to drink or do drugs to have a good time in Colorado, and I think we’ve been over-reliant on these outpatient psychotherapy services.”

Corinthiah Brown, executive director of The Don’t Look Back Center in AuroraJust not enough

While larger providers like Denver Health don’t expect to see significant changes with the implementation of prior authorization requirements, some smaller organizations are worried about how it could impact operations and the quality of patient care.

Corinthiah Brown, who serves as the executive director of The Don’t Look Back Center, an Aurora-based nonprofit that provides mental health and substance use treatment for women and transgender individuals, said she is frustrated to hear about upcoming changes, especially because nearly all of her clients are on Medicaid.

“Twenty-four sessions is just not enough for someone,” she said. “How are we gonna be able to bill for these necessary services and have someone in these programs in the different levels of outpatient if they can only have 24 sessions in a year?”

Many of the nonprofits’ clients are dealing with co-occurring issues like addiction, involvement in the criminal justice system, and mental health conditions, she said. These are often treated separately, meaning the group frequently bills Medicaid for well over 24 sessions a year for an individual patient.

Once the prior authorization requirement goes into effect, Brown said she’s worried that some of her clients may be forced to choose between treatments to stay within the session limits.

Even if patients choose to receive more than 24 sessions, Brown is also worried about them having to take a break from therapy while they wait to receive prior authorization, which can take up to two weeks.

“It puts people on hold and interrupts the therapeutic process,” she said.

More prior authorization requests means more hours Brown will have to pay her biller for, creating more costs.

“It’s not that we don’t want her to get paid, but it just puts stress on our organization because we’re a nonprofit and we have limited funding,” Brown said.

Brown said she didn’t feel like the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing listened to smaller providers when deciding what changes to implement. It is too late to do anything at this point, she said.

“We’re prepared to accept that this is what they’re going to do and we really don’t have a say,” she said. “It sounds like they’ve already made a decision.”

Denver area events for Oct. 16

If you have an event taking place in the Denver area, email information to  carlotta.olson@gazette.com  at least two weeks in advance. All events are listed in the calendar on space availability.

Thursday

Biohazard — With Onyx, Bayway, Swollen Teeth, 6:30 p.m., Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway, Englewood, $50.50-$54.06. Tickets: axs.com.

Carnival of Death Tour — Vader and Kataklysm co-headliners with Malevolent Creation and Skeletal Remains, 6:45 p.m., The Oriental Theater, 4435 W. 44th Ave., Denver, $35.34 and up. Tickets: theorientaltheater.com.

Letlive — 7 p.m., Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St., Denver, $35 and up. Tickets: summitdenver.com.

Goon — With Beaming & the Milk Blossoms, 7 p.m., Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver, $25.24. Tickets: hi-dive.com/events.

Marielle Kraft — With Lew, 7:30 p.m., Skylark Lounge, 140 S. Broadway, Denver, $18.08. Tickets: skylarklounge.com.

René Moffatt — 7:30 p.m., The Studio at the Parsons Theatre, 1 E. Memorial Parkway, Northglenn, $20. Tickets: northglennarts.org.

Willi Carlisle — 8 p.m., Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, $33.20. Tickets: axs.com.

Lecrae — With Miles Minnick, Gio., 8 p.m., Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, $42.43-$124.24. Tickets: axs.com.

Scott H. Biram — With Sasquatch & the Sick-A-Billys, 8p.m., HQ, 60 S. Broadway, Denver, $27. Tickets: hqdenver.com.

Free Milk — With KYj & Deva Yoda, 8 p.m., Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, $19.10-$24.10. Tickets: lost-lake.com.

Skinny Limbs — With Four Horsemen, Venture 5, WerD, Jacknomadic, 8:15 p.m., Cervantes’ Other Side, 2635 Welton St., Denver, $20-$23. Tickets: cervantesmasterpiece.com.

Fire On the Mountain Presents: Travis Book & Andy Falco Play Garcia — 9 p.m., Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox, 1215 20th St., Denver, $23 and up. Tickets: opheliasdenver.com.

Thursday-Friday

Parcels — 7 p.m., Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison, $80 and up. Tickets: axs.com.

Thursday-Oct. 26

“Rock Ballets” — Wonderbound, 3824 Dahlia St., Denver, go online for prices; wonderbound.com.

CARLOTTA OLSON, The Denver Gazette