News: Cross Mine application changes denied, shopping center cleanup updates and more

On this week's episode, we're bringing you just the headlines: All the information you need to stay informed on what's happening in your community, in a tight show you can listen to in less than 10 minutes.

This week's updates

• Nederland Mayor Billy Giblin provides update on Caribou Village Shopping Center cleanup
• Gilpin County Sheriff's Office sees large uptick in calls for service, domestic violence bookings
• State denies amended application for Nederland's Cross Mine to begin operations
• Remembering LGBTQIA+ advocate Clela Rorex

Clips used in today's show

• Demolition begins at Caribou Village Shopping Center in Nederland after months-long delay, Denver 7
• Six gay Weddings and a Horse, History Colorado's Lost Highways

Listen in next week for exclusive content from the third edition of our arts and culture monthly Caribou Current.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:34

If you haven't noticed, or if you've been trapped inside watching college basketball for the past seven days, like some of us, it's been hot outside. Really hot. So hot that you can see the shrinking snowpack daily from the foothills in Boulder. It's unsettling, to say the least. But there are somewhat cooler temperatures on the horizon. We might even get a little bit of snow at the end of this week. That's Colorado weather for you. Welcome to the Mountaineer Podcast. I'm Tyler Hickman. We've got some dense news stories for you this week. So we're going to focus on that. The news. No feature segment, just everything you need to keep you informed. Before we dive in, here's a word from our sponsor, Eldora Mountain. Skip the epic traffic on I-70 and head to Eldora for good vibes all season long. Eldora is your go-to spot for nonstop winter fun with great local skiing and riding, plus slopeside DJs and an entre music series. Don't miss the Full Moon Ski Tour, the Timbers Rail Jam, or the Morning Uphill Grind. Get all the details and check out weekly events at Eldora.com. See you on the mountain. Let's get into this week's top stories.

SPEAKER_03 2:16

It's pretty traumatizing for the folks, especially the tenants and the business owners who were displaced.

SPEAKER_02 2:21

Business owners are ready to move on to.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Tebow has located a landfill and developed a decontamination plan, which will allow residents to cleanse and salvage belongings that were left in the rubble. TIBO has also completed designs for a new shopping center and has submitted a pre-application with the town. Their hope is to expedite local and state approval, allowing construction to begin before the end of this year. Gilpin County saw a 35% increase in calls for service from 2024 to 2025, along with a 223% increase in domestic violence bookings, the Sheriff's Office revealed in its annual report. The jail population is made up largely of nonresidents, which places a significant daily burden on the Sheriff's Office, according to Central City Alderman Zane Pultsek. The state provides$79 per inmate per day at the county jail, while daily costs can exceed$200, especially for people experiencing drug withdrawal, Sheriff Kevin Armstrong said. Overall, the average daily jail population fell by 10%, which the report credits to expanded service capacity, such as an increased use of detox holds. Plans to amend an application to reopen Cross Gold Mine, located northwest of Netherland, were denied by the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board during a meeting last week. The mine's owner, Grand Island Resources, submitted a mining application to the Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety in December of 2024 after receiving multiple time extensions. Two separate adequacy reviews identified 124 and 106 issues respectively. In response to these issues, GIR drastically reduced the proposed mining acreage from 206 acres to just 84 and slashed the initial duration of operations from 50 years to five. The state determined these major changes required GIR to submit an amended application. At its Wednesday, March 18th meeting, the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board voted unanimously to deny the amended application. GIR now has the option to either move forward with its initial application during the board's May 20th meeting, requiring them to respond to the hundreds of issues flagged by the board, or permanently close the mine to begin reclamation. And finally.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

And um it was really only when I got involved in the women's movement, which was about um I would say 1972, that I began to be a bit aware that there was also a gay rights movement kind of percolating along in Boulder.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

That's the voice of the woman who issued the very first same-sex marriage license in the United States. In 1975, Boulder County Clerk Cleela Rorex signed a marriage license for two men, setting the stage for a decades-long civil rights movement to legalize same-sex marriage in this country. For Women's History Month, reporter Mindy Leary retells Rorex's story in this week's paper, from the moment she signed the license to the media firestorm that ensued afterwards. Her profile is part of a series Mindy has been writing all month, covering the lives of some of Boulder and Gilpin County's most influential women of the past two centuries. You can read about Mary Ripon, the first female professor in Colorado, and Ida Cruz-McFarland, who revived the Central City opera in the early 20th century on our website. That's all for this week's news. You can read the full stories in this week's paper or online at the MTNEAR.com. One last note. Be on the lookout for the third edition of Caribou Current next week. This one is packed with concerts and events to get you hyped for this summer. Pick it up, put the shows on your calendar, and get ready for some truly fantastic live shows. You won't want to miss it. This is the Mountaineer Podcast. I'm Tyler Hickman. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.