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| |  | The Denver DMV is operating with about half of its usual staff, creating frustration and long wait times for Colorado drivers across the city. (Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images) |
| 🚙 DMV Customers Feel the Strain of City Staffing Cuts | As the Denver Department of Vehicles struggles with understaffing, both wait times and frustration for customers are mounting. The DMV is operating with about half of its usual staff, which has extended the average wait time to more than 90 minutes for each person. [CBS Colorado] | - Customers feel the impact of layoffs: Last year, the City and County of Denver laid off 169 people — including at the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure — to save money and recoup a budget shortfall. This has caused closures at multiple offices. [9News]
- Confusion worsens crowds: All Colorado DMV locations underwent a digital upgrade earlier this year. While this was intended to streamline the customer experience, some people say that things are still confusing. “You're supposed to schedule an appointment for a Colorado driver's license, but there are no scheduled appointments for the Department of Motor Vehicles for registration," one customer told CBS News. He later waited three hours for service. [CBS Colorado]
- Late fees: DMV delays this year have also forced people into paying late registration fees that were out of their control. [9News]
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| | | Join us at the Vail Wine Classic, August 6-8 for a weekend of wines from around the world, food from top Vail restaurants, and an escape from summer heat! Craft your own weekend adventure with the various unique events throughout the weekend. Use code citycast at checkout for $10 off. |
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| What Denver's Talking About |
|  | CU Denver intends to buy Independence Plaza and create an innovation hub, building on expansion and improvement efforts in recent years. (Hyoung Chang / Denver Post via Getty Images) |
| 🎓 CU Denver Eyes Independence Plaza for ‘Innovation Hub’ | The Denver Downtown Development Authority approved a $4.5 million grant to CU Denver toward the $30 million purchase of Independence Plaza at 1050 17th St., which the university plans to use to build an “innovation hub.” City Council still has to approve the grant. CU Chancellor Ken Christensen says the project would help strengthen “CU Denver’s learner experience” while helping to “reactivate downtown and to drive economic prosperity.” [BusinessDen 🔒] | | 🛴 Veo Marks First Fatality Since Arriving in Denver | Days after the city’s new micromobility operator launched, a juvenile riding a Veo e-bike was hit by a car and killed while crossing West Colfax at Knox Court on May 7, according to a Denver Police Department crash report. A Veo spokesperson told City Cast Denver that the company is “deeply saddened by this tragic incident” and that safety is their highest priority. | - Can future tragedies be avoided? By law, riders must be 18 to rent a scooter or e-bike from Veo, which was also true with the city’s previous micromobility vendors. However, it’s easy for kids to bypass these rules and ride the scooters anyway. [Denverite]
- “We are gathering information, reviewing the circumstances surrounding this incident, and cooperating with law enforcement and DOTI as they conduct their investigation,” Veo said in response to a question about age-restriction enforcement in this incident. “Out of respect for the family and the ongoing investigation, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
| | ✈️ Did the Mayor’s Office Try to Cover Up a Scandal? | CBS News recently uncovered an internal memo that shows evidence of unethical actions that the city previously denied. Earlier this year, City Council voted against an airline’s lease with DIA due to its partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That decision put the airport at risk of losing $90 million in federal funding. According to a former DIA attorney who is now suing the city over alleged retaliation, that’s when a city attorney suggested that DIA launch a safety investigation into the airline to “fabricate” the real reason their lease was rejected, which never came to pass. | - What has the mayor been saying? Back in March, a spokesperson told CBS, “No one called for a fake investigation on Key Lime.” In response to the memo revealed last week, the mayor’s office stated, “there was no fake investigation and a memo written by the same person who filed the lawsuit does not change that." [CBS Colorado]
| | “If the FAA comes knocking, I want to be able to have in my back pocket that council was also voting because of safety issues but ran out of time to get to talking about that before voting” | Michiko Brown | Denver City Attorney in a Leaked Memo to DIA Officials |
| | 😔 Another Business Shutters, Blaming Colfax BRT Construction | 303 Boards, a skate shop serving Denver for three decades, has closed its Boulder store and declared bankruptcy. Majority owner Sam Schuman says that a 20% reduction in sales at the Colfax location prompted him to take out “merchant cash advances,” and his creditors are now asking for their money back. 303 Boards’ Broadway and Colfax locations remain open. [BusinessDen 🔒] | |
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That’s it for today! If you’re planning a summer getaway and you want to, you know — really get away — this list of less crowded spots is worth a skim. Or check out our monthly guide to July on the podcast today for plenty more inspo, from under-the-radar Fourth of July events to some delectable Mexican-inspired chicken. | | |
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