Janeece Hoppe is no stranger to public service, having served a decade as a Wheat Ridge city council member. Now she's continuing as the city clerk.

Why? Take a look at my article for the Neighborhood Gazette.
ngazette.com/hoppe-takes-...

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Tax Relief Expiration, Other Changes Equal Higher Tax Bills - Neighborhood Gazette Property owners in Wheat Ridge, Jefferson County and across Colorado recently learned they will be paying up to 20% more in property taxes this year. It’s due to a complicated combination of changes m...

Colorado property taxes increased this year due to several complicated changes in state law, according to Jefferson County Colorado Government officials. Details in my latest article for the Neighborhood Gazette.
ngazette.com/tax-relief-e...

Read more news articles at mikemckibbin.journoportfolio.com.

Traffic Cameras Slow Wheat Ridge Speeders - Neighborhood Gazette Wheat Ridge police have declared a traffic camera program a success after eight months and plan to expand it in the new year. In April, solar-powered automated speed camera trailers were placed at Wes...

Drivers in Wheat Ridge, Colo., have slowed down since the city installed some traffic cameras, according to police.

Check out my story for the Neighborhood Gazette.

ngazette.com/traffic-came...

Read more news articles at mikemckibbin.journoportfolio.com.

Council Candidates See Positives Out Of Election Losses - Neighborhood Gazette One second-place-finishing Wheat Ridge City Council candidate in the Nov. 4 general election found the experience personally satisfying and surprising. Another hopes his experiences might help lead to...

You might think a losing political candidate wouldn't look at the positives of their campaigns. But that's what two Wheat Ridge candidates for city council had to say about their experiences. Read about it in my latest article for the Neighborhood Gazette. 👍
ngazette.com/council-cand...

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JeffCo Schools To Cut 139 Positions By Next School Year - Neighborhood Gazette Close to 140 full-time Jefferson County School District employees will be unemployed when summer arrives. Ninety of those eliminated positions will be due to vacancies and current or pending retiremen...

School districts across Colorado and elsewhere are trying to deal with budget issues brought on by low enrollment and other factors. In Jefferson County, it's costing 139 employees their jobs this summer. My article for the Neighborhood Gazette has the details.
ngazette.com/jeffco-schoo...

Go Bears!

And the beat goes on...

Asbestos spill closes Lakewood Library for two months Asbestos contamination forced a two-month shutdown of administrative offices at Lakewood Library after untrained workers removed contaminated flooring.

The contractor, TCC Corporation, didn't respond to a request for comment.

Full story: www.thegoldentranscript.com/news/asbesto...

Read more news articles at mikemckibbin.journoportfolio.com.

Projects Near Finish, Others Prepare To Begin Work - Neighborhood Gazette One major Wheat Ridge development project is nearing the finish line, while another could get underway next year. Meanwhile, the same can be said about two city traffic improvement projects. The Clear...

Residents of Wheat Ridge, Colo., will soon get relief from a multi-year traffic improvement project and see the end of a multi-year development project. But they'll also see new projects begin in a growing community.
Details in my story for the Neighborhood Gazette.
ngazette.com/projects-nea...

Postal Service delays are making the already tight newspaper business even harder. Subscribers report delays of as long as two months.

Postal Service delays are making the already tight newspaper business even harder.! 🦋
www.cjr.org/analysis/pos...

Go Bears!!!

Makerspace Needs More Room, Localworks Plans Capital Campaign - Neighborhood Gazette Wheat Ridge City Council is one of the first donors to an expansion of the 18-month-old Clear Creek Marketplace. They agreed to a $30,000 request from Localworks, a nonprofit organization focused on t...

A "makerspace" helps new businesses get going and offers skill training. The one in Wheat Ridge, Colo., is a good example.

After a little more than a year and a half, it's gearing up to raise money for an expansion project.

My story for the Neighborhood Gazette.
ngazette.com/makerspace-n...

I Believe in Libraries. EveryLibrary's Executive Director, John Chrastka, discusses why he believes in libraries.

EveryLibrary's executive director, John Chrastka, discusses why he believes in libraries, a cause worth reading about in today's social and political climate. www.everylibrary.org/i_believe_in... via @everylibrary.bsky.social

Interesting. Who would have thought so many living things are still unknown.

Wheat Ridge Mentor’s Efforts Recognized - Neighborhood Gazette Mentoring is something Karen O’Donnell has done for 15 years. But she never thought she’d win an award for helping others grow and find their way in life. The Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation Departme...

Mentoring a young parks and recreation employee was not something a Wheat Ridge woman did to get noticed. But Karen O'Donnell won an award anyway.

And her mentoring actually goes back to a time when she moved to Colorado.

Here's my story for the Neighborhood Gazette.
ngazette.com/wheat-ridge-...

Mike McKibbin Independent Journalist

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Jefferson Students Welcome at WRHS if Closure Happens - Neighborhood Gazette Wheat Ridge High School can welcome many students who now attend Jefferson Junior/Senior High School — when and if the Edgewater school closes, according to WRHS Principal Lisa Mahannah. Jefferson Cou...

While a closure of Jefferson Junior/Senior High School in Edgewater, Colorado, is put off for 1-2 school years for further study, Wheat Ridge High School stands ready to welcome any Jefferson students if the closure does happen. My story for the Neighborhood Gazette.
ngazette.com/jefferson-st...

School Closure Plan Sparks Edgewater Alternative Proposal - Neighborhood Gazette Edgewater residents don’t want Jefferson Junior/Senior High School to close and have developed a plan to hopefully reverse its declining enrollment. The Jefferson County School District has proposed t...

A plan to close a longtime school in Edgewater, Colorado, didn't sit well with residents. So they came up with their own plan they think will keep it open. Here's the details in my latest story for the Neighborhood Gazette. And read more stories at mikemckibbin.com.
ngazette.com/school-closu...

Mike McKibbin Independent Journalist

Read more stories at mikemckibbin.com.

Metro District Letter Sends Wrong Message to Lutheran Area Residents - Neighborhood Gazette Residents living near the former home of Lutheran Medical Center in downtown Wheat Ridge were concerned earlier this year after receiving a letter that gave the mistaken impression they could be payin...

A letter related to property taxes and mill levies at the site of the former Lutheran Medical Center in downtown Wheat Ridge led to some misplaced concerns by nearby residents. My story for the Neighborhood Gazette has the details.
ngazette.com/metro-distri...

City Interested in Kullerstrand Site But Closed School Process Lengthy - Neighborhood Gazette Closing a public school starts what is usually a lengthy process to determine how those buildings and sites are put to other uses.  For example, Kullerstrand, New Classical Academy at Vivian and Wilmo...

What happens and how it happens when a school is closed down and put up for sale. My latest story for the Neighborhood Gazette. Read more stories at mikemckibbin.com.
ngazette.com/city-interes...