🏢 Second ICE facility confirmed near Denver

🏬 New ICE Detention Center to Open Northeast of Denver

The private prison company Geo Group, which already runs the ICE detention center in Aurora, announced Monday that a closed prison in Hudson, Colorado is set to reopen as an immigration detention center, called the Big Horn Contract Detention Center, on August 1. Signed more than a year after Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it was looking to expand capacity in Colorado, a five-year contract between the federal government and Geo Group will increase capacity by more than 1,000 beds. [Denver Post]

• A community against ICE: Residents and local leaders of Hudson, a small community located about thirty miles from Denver, have spoken out against the ICE center since talks began. [CBS News]
• Detention centers drive revenue: Geo Group expects to earn $85 million in annual revenue from the facility in Hudson, adding to the company’s soaring profits. [Wall Street Journal]
• How many ICE facilities are in Colorado? The Big Horn Contract Detention Center will be the state’s second official ICE facility. However, Logan Davis of the Colorado Times Recorder reported that detainees are held in additional locations statewide, some of them hidden in nondescript places. [CTR]

♻️ Compost and Recycling Rules Take Effect Sept 1

A voter-approved recycling and composting ordinance takes effect in Denver on Sept 1. That means large multi-family residences, restaurants, construction projects, and permitted events will be required to follow the new guidelines. [Denvergov; 9News]

• The big picture: Colorado’s got a new, more aggressive approach to recycling launching later this year, and one of the state’s biggest trash companies, WM, just opened a $110 million recycling center in Aurora, featuring more than two miles of conveyor belts. [Denver Post 🔒]

🎒 School Band Director Accused of Emotional Abuse

Students, parents, and community members are petitioning for a formal investigation into the band leader at Denver School of the Arts amid allegations of “social-emotional abuse.” Families say that the teacher shamed and humiliated students, causing some kids to lose their interest in music, or leave the school, as a result. [Denverite]

🎨 Downtown Revitalization Effort Taps Artists

The Denver Downtown Development Authority approved a $1.35 million grant for Community Arts Stabilization Trust, a Bay Area-nonprofit, to help open an art-focused center in an old ANB Bank branch at 444 17th St., featuring including a microcinema, gallery, studios, and storage space. [Denver Business Journal 🔒]