Sign In Join now This story was updated on April 28 to reflect new information regarding the number of residents at the home the Longmont City Council's recent actions and the timing of the upcoming ordinance hearing Mobarez Solutions will host an open house at 2200 Winding Drive in Longmont the location of a sober living home for sex offenders aims to help reintegrate sex offenders into society in sober living homes like the one on Winding Drive after they have served their time Mobarez is also a registered sex offender.  no formal invitations had been distributed to nearby residents or the HOA Longmont residents first noticed that there were several sex offenders in the house on Winding Drive by searching the sex offender registry. Some residents attended a Longmont City Council meeting earlier this month to express their concerns about the home’s proximity to children The City Council has started considering an ordinance to prevent sex offenders from living within a certain distance of schools and parks and that would impose setback requirements and limit the number of sex offenders who can live together in a home.  “The [open house] aims to foster understanding and promote open dialogue about the organization's work and its impact on resident reintegration and community safety,” according to a press release regarding the open house The open house will include a tour of the sober living home. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with residents, staff, and representatives from partner agencies. There will also be a restorative justice circle led by BRITE and a question-and-answer session to address community concerns Mobarez Solutions is inviting community members and media members to attend and learn more about their programs.  The Longmont City Council discussed the potential terms of an ordinance on April 1 They are awaiting further reports and information before outlining specific guidelines within the ordinance They are considering whether to include public parks and schools within the ordinance and what an appropriate distance would be.  Councilman Matthew Popkin said they are trying to determine the “most effective level of arbitrary.” Evidence does not show that residential restrictions have an impact on recidivism for sex offenders Mobarez has also expressed the same point during Longmont City Council meetings and in communication with the Longmont Leader.  Councilman Aren Rodriguez agreed with Popkin but also said it is prudent to move forward with an ordinance to “alleviate fear in the community.” The City Council has scheduled the first reading of the ordinance for May 6 The next regularly scheduled meeting on April 29 has been canceled.  The Longmont Leader reported earlier this month that there are five other homes in Longmont with three or more registered sex offenders but these homes are not associated with Mobarez Solutions.  "We believe that transparency and open communication are essential to building strong relationships within our community," Mobarez said "This open house is an invitation to our neighbors and the media to come and see firsthand the work we do and the positive impact it has on our residents and public safety as a whole." This article has been updated to reflect the following corrections and clarifications: There are currently eight registered sex offenders residing at 2200 Winding Drive The Longmont City Council discussed potential regulations regarding group homes for sex offenders not only on April 1 The Council has scheduled a first reading of the proposed ordinance for May 6 which proposes both setback requirements and limits on the number of sex offenders allowed in a group home The article referenced an upcoming open house based on information provided by the facility’s operator no public invitations or formal notices regarding the open house had been distributed to the surrounding neighborhood or HOA We strive for accuracy and appreciate readers bringing additional information to our attention Organize Registered nurses at CommonSpirit Longmont United Hospital (LUH) in Longmont made history today by voting 100 percent in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU] This is the first union contract for the nurses at LUH and the first acute care private-sector contract for RNs in the state of Colorado.  “We started organizing because our community deserves the best care when they come to our hospital and our nurses deserve support to be the best nurses they can be,” said Kris Kloster “I am so proud of the work we have accomplished at the table and we couldn’t have done it without the solidarity of nurses in our facility Highlights of the contract include:   The nurses originally won their union vote in 2022 After years of fighting LUH management and with community support the RNs began bargaining in February 2024.     “We are excited to continue championing the fight for safer staffing in our beloved hospital,” said Carol Anne White “We won protections that ensure CommonSpirit can never take away protections from us the way Centura (former managers of LUH) did.”  NNOC will represent more than 250 direct-care nurses at Longmont United Hospital.  National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee CE courses are free to National Nurses United members See all classes If you’re interested in organizing a union at your facility Contact us See all issues © 2010 - 2025 National Nurses United    |    Privacy Policy Automated vehicle identification systems (AVIS) have been installed at various intersections and tickets will start being issued in Longmont on May 29 Speeding cameras are already installed and red light cameras will also be part of the program when the city completes obtaining the necessary permits.  The program was approved in November and utilized the contractor Sensys Gatso to review the images The image captures will be sent to the Longmont Police Department and reviewed before citations are issued Running a red light will be a $75 ticket and speeding will be $40.  Longmont Chief of Police Jeff Satur told the Longmont Leader that neighbors in the areas where speeding cameras have been placed have been appreciative of the new program “One of the biggest complaints I get all the time is people are tired of the traffic violations in this town,” Satur said this is a tool that will help us achieve several of those goals and hopefully reduce those violations around our community.” The City of Longmont adopted a Vision Zero strategy in 2023 which implemented a goal of reducing traffic deaths and severe injuries to zero by 2040 in the city The latest data published by the City of Longmont regarding traffic crashes shows 68 accidents causing fatal or serious injury including four total fatalities in 2023.  Sensys Gatso is the third-party contractor that verifies the camera footage and ensures the plate matches the vehicle. Then, the information is sent to the Longmont Police Department to be verified before citations are issued. The six-year base contract is worth up to $2.2 million according to Sensy Gatso but the city has said the program is expected to pay for itself with the added income from issued citations.  appreciate it because it’s something they’ve been wanting for years,” Satur said “We can’t be everywhere in our community This is a tool that helps us have an impact on the speeders and if we can reduce the speed in the neighborhoods It’s a force multiplier for us.” Similar automated enforcement programs in other communities have raised concerns from some residents about privacy city officials have emphasized that all images will be reviewed by both the third-party vendor and the Longmont Police Department before a citation is issued feedback from residents may play a role in how it is implemented moving forward Satur hopes the red light camera permitting process and installation will be completed in about a month He also said the speed cameras have been effective based on the data they’ve collected so far.  11:45 AM CDTBy Ben RootScott Michael Dawson Colorado.  He was born in Nebraska City the fourth of their five children.  Scott graduated from Nebraska City High school in 1979.  He attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and in his twenties moved to Colorado where he worked at Valleylab a medical products manufacturing plant in Boulder specializing in the 2-mile event.  He continued to run for relaxation and pleasure for most of the rest of his life.  Like his three brothers he was a dedicated Nebraska Cornhuskers fan following the football team closely throughout both his childhood and adult years.  Scott loved music (especially John Waite) and had an intellectually curious mind.  He read avidly and was well-versed in national and world affairs.  He had a gentle soul and dearly loved his family and close friends often expressing pride in the various accomplishments of his siblings nieces and nephews.  Scott remained close to his best childhood friend Robert Givehand (currently of Connecticut) Scott was preceded in death by his parents.  He is survived by his sister Becci Dawson Cox and husband Glenn of Stillwater Minnesota; brothers Pat and wife Jane of Maryville as well as many nieces and nephews.  Survivors also include Scott’s step-mother Kansas; and step-brothers Brad Stava and wife Jane of Hartland Kansas.  No formal services are planned at the current time.  Inurnment of ashes will take place at Wyuka Cemetery in Nebraska City at a later date  Memorials in memory of Scott may be sent to the Nebraska City High School Alumni Foundation at P.O The fast food chain In-N-Out Burger recently purchased land near the intersection of Ken Pratt Boulevard and Harvest Moon Drive The land will be home to a 3,860 square-foot In-N-Out restaurant with a drive-thru with an additional 1,100 square feet of outdoor dining space that could accommodate about 112 guests This will be the first In N Out location in Boulder County An opening date has not yet been announced by In-N-Out for their Longmont location, but according to BizWest the restaurant’s construction timeline typically spans approximately six months once ground is broken.  The California-based restaurant chain opened its first location in Colorado in 2020. By the end of this year, more than a dozen In-N-Outs will have opened in the state.  In-N-Out Burger emphasizes community engagement and works with various organizations to strengthen local communities This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The result of a unique collaboration between the City of Longmont True North will offer something not often seen in the market today: a community-oriented development that offers design-forward homes that are attainable for families and individuals looking to put down roots in one of the Front Range’s most vibrant small towns The idea for True North emerged from a shared concern and a desire for change residents of Longmont for five generations recognized the growing challenge many families faced in securing a home they could afford Reggie Golden agreed with Longmont’s affordable housing vision and sold the property to the City at a below-market rate My father bought his first house in Longmont in 1960 for $15,000 I bought my first house in Longmont in 1984 for $70,000 And then prices just exploded here and more people than not are priced out of the market,” said Reggie Golden “I wanted to help do something about that.” The City of Longmont wanted to see a new approach to housing – one that didn’t just meet a need but elevated the very concept of homeownership in the community Vertikal was already exploring creative solutions for design-forward attainable housing in communities across the Front Range and joined the conversation bringing with them their expertise in public/private real estate developments.  “The City of Longmont is committed to investing resources in affordable and attainable housing to address affordability gaps for Longmont families Longmont is leading the way for other communities throughout Colorado and nationwide This project showcases the power of what local governments and community partners can achieve together to address our housing crisis head-on” said Longmont City Manager the team decided to take an open-book approach to development transparency and collaboration became the guiding principles with all parties committed to sharing information and making decisions together The City of Longmont contributed the land to the project infrastructure costs and waived the cost of fees and permits totaling over $14M Vertikal is covering all other development costs Mountain Valley Bank is providing the loan for the project.  “We’re honored to be a part of such a unique collaboration that creates a new model for affordable and attainable homeownership,” said Walker Thrash “It’s about public/private problem-solving Longmont had the vision and we’ve worked hard as a team to make this project a reality.” While the project will eventually have 185 new homes Phase 1 consists of 52 homes and will provide a diversity of housing options to meet varying needs Five different unit types will range in size from 900 to 1,500 square feet and 2- to 3-bedrooms with options for either single or two-story as well as townhome or single-family homes Each single-family home will have access to private side yards Pricing starts in the mid-$300Ks up to mid-$400Ks there are 10 affordable homes achieving below 80% Average Median Income target price and the remaining majority (42 homes) achieving between 80 to 120% Average Median Income target price Eligible buyers must meet income guidelines a family of four earning an annual household income of up to $175,200 would be eligible to buy homes restricted to 120% AMI and below A family of four can earn up to $116,800 to be eligible for homes restricted to 80% AMI and below first serve so interested buyers should join the interest list for more information including workshop dates with the first homes being completed in late summer 2025 Vertikal broke ground on Cheesman Street Residences last year and received 52 pre-applications in the first day of sales portal opening Opus has broken ground on Catalyst Industrial a new 188,054-square-foot Class A speculative industrial development on 14.26 acres located at 15030 E Each year during National Preservation Month Historic Denver opens the doors for the public to nominate the people and projects A stabbing occurred in Longmont on the 300 block of Main Street early on Saturday morning, according to the Longmont Times-Call A man had “threatened two other men with a deadly weapon and had stabbed one of them.” Police responded to the disturbance at around 1:53 a.m but was apprehended after a “foot pursuit and taser deployment.” The suspect was transported to the Boulder County Jail.  The medical condition of the man who was stabbed has not been announced at this time.  pictured maneuvering a climbing wall that’s been turned into a simulated wall of ice will compete in the upcoming 2025 Ice Climbing World Cup in Longmont is looking forward to a competitive adventure in February that involves twisting herself into a pretzel then climbing horizontally over free-hanging air She’ll compete against other pretzel-shape-shifting athletes from more than a dozen countries when the Ice Climbing World Cup competition comes to Longmont in February about 50 miles north of Denver with a population of close to 100,000 has been selected as the host city for the Ice Climbing World Cup; it will happen at Longmont Climbing Collective “The idea is they use the movement of climbing to make it to the top,” he said in describing what he called a fringe sport the lesser-known little sibling to the more mainstream mountain climbing.  Since finding safe ice mountains to climb is difficult he and other early pioneers of the sport found ways to make it both safe and teachable The keys are to turn a wooden climbing wall into a wall of ice create holes in the wall to simulate spots in the ice into which a climber would insert their picks he’ll spend some time prepping a wooden wall borrowed from a previous competition held in Denver “We’ll skin it with some white-colored plywood We hang big wood blocks or logs that people can swing their tools into .. Shirley plans to compete in two of the main events: one “which is where you wrap one of your legs over your arm And that allows you to just have to use your arms and have your legs hang describing the pretzel shape she’ll assume “It kind of gives you an opportunity to traverse So [you] just climb horizontally over free-hanging air You’d be underneath the [four foot by four foot frozen] cube and your feet wouldn’t be touching anything And then one leg would be looped over one arm and so you’re kind of up there in a little pretzel and that actually allows you to make some really big reaches,” said Shirley who began training in the sport at 14 and has won a silver medal in an earlier Cup The other event she’ll compete in is for speed which involves racing up a 40-foot steep wall that has bars across it with pre-existing holes for competitors’ hand-held tools; climbers can hook into them for support The competitors go up with harnesses and belay down The climbing wall that will simulate mountain climbing and ice climbing will be used by athletes from between 15 and 25 countries that have qualifying athletes who compete in the sport with men and women getting equal halves of the purse The prize money comes from sponsorships; this time it’s Visit Longmont February’s event will be followed by an annual ice climbing event six hours southwest in Ouray The 30th Annual Ouray Ice Festival will take place January 23 to 26 Described as a fundraiser to cover costs for its own existence that event attracts a worldwide audience to watch ice climbers compete against each other but the concept there isn’t oriented around such high stakes as a World Cup opportunities to purchase ice climbing gear mixed-climbing competitions and fireside chats with climbers Hylenski intends to create an atmosphere of energy for spectators “The plan is that we would have a VIP area in the front for the judges and the athletes and their families to be right in front of the wall We’ll have ax throwing; we’ll have a playground for the kids; we’ll probably have a bouncy house and we’ll have a whole vendor area out in that big field People will be able to see the climbers from all over We’ll have DJs; we’ll probably have a band one night.” The Longmont competition is among a handful of others that create an international ice climbing circuit in which about 180 elite-level ice-climbing athletes participate There are stops in January and February in China according to the International Union of Alpine Clubs the sport’s international climbing and mountaineering group Hylenski said the first day of competition involves qualifying rounds and then the lead and speed events Shirley is anticipating will happen after that she looked focused and her torso was rigid – a posture she needs to maintain throughout events “I think what makes ice climbing such a unique sport is the fact that it requires a kind of maintenance of constant body tension So there’s almost never a point where you’re like I’m on my feet and I’m going to shake it out and it’s going to be easy in competition.’” and the route doesn’t let up until you’re all the way done with it.” You want to know what is really going on these days We can help you keep up.  The Lookout is a free daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado Sign up here and we will see you in the morning Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. Listen now. © 2025 Colorado Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy The Longmont City Council heard a presentation at its March 4 meeting regarding a potential city ordinance to set distance requirements to prevent registered sex offenders from living within certain distances of schools and Public Safety Chief Zach Ardis gave an hour-long presentation to the council regarding current and potential regulations 30 states have residency restrictions on registered sex offenders to prevent them from residing within a certain distance of schools and other locations 35 jurisdictions in Colorado have local ordinances with various restrictions some local ordinances were presented that enact restrictions for sex offenders Northglenn restricts sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school or within 500 feet of a park Greeley only restricts sex offenders from living within 300 feet of a school but only if the sexual assault victim was a child under 18.  The council members inquired about unintended consequences of enacting regulations Councilman Matthew Popkin said he was concerned about creating certain pockets within the city where the sex offenders would have to live.  Councilwoman Shiquita Yarbrough said she likes the Greeley ordinance the best but doesn’t like that they have to create an ordinance they serve their time,” Yarbrough said That’s why we have to put this order together to protect our kids We hope the best for people and give them the benefit of the doubt hopefully they have had treatment and everything.” Five sex offenders are living in a house approximately a quarter mile away from Alpine Elementary School and even closer to Rough and Ready Park Longmont residents brought up their concerns at the city council meeting last week The offenders live in a house on Winding Drive and are listed on the sex offender registry.  Four of the five men were convicted of felony sexual offenses in 2024 Three of the men have committed sexual crimes against children including one who was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and publishing the content One attempted incest and another was charged with attempted sexual assault The oldest conviction dates back to 1989 and the man was charged with “LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS W/CHILD UNDER 14.” there are 286 sex offenders in the city of Longmont and 202 of them are required to be registered in the online database as some of the offenders are homeless.  and Tyrrell are going to gather more specific information for a future meeting before a vote takes place in the city council They said they would come back with overlaid maps that show the location of parks Councilman Popkin indicated that the regulation may be difficult to enact if a regulation is placed upon a sex offender’s residential proximity to a park because there are a lot of parks in Longmont.  Popkin clarified with the presenters that there isn’t specific data showing that certain distances are more effective, and the numbers are arbitrary. It was also stated during the presentation that there is no evidence that these restrictions lower the case of recidivism Popkin added that a regulation preventing sex offenders from living within a certain distance of the park does not prevent the individual from going to the park.  announced on February 7 that it would be opening a new 28,000 square-foot Nordstrom Rack location in Harvest Junction a shopping center located off of Highway 119 and Ken Pratt Boulevard Nordstrom Rack is the off-price retail division of Nordstrom and shoes from many of the top brands sold at Nordstrom stores at up to 70 percent off.  said that Nordstrom Rack is an excellent addition to Harvest Junction “The addition of Nordstrom Rack will offer the Longmont community high quality items at a great value further enhancing the shopping center’s offerings and cementing its place as an essential retail destination,” he said The new location will be a site where customers can pick up online orders from both Nordstrom.com and NordstromRack.com Customers will also be able to do returns from Nordstrom at this location Nordstrom, Inc. currently operates two Nordstrom stores and eight Nordstrom Rack stores in Colorado according to a press release that was published on Friday The Colorado stores have generated more than 1,400 jobs statewide “We look forward to being a part of the Longmont community and serving our customers with an amazing offering of great brands at great prices,” said Gemma Lionello “We're excited to grow our footprint in the Colorado market and introduce new customers to the Nordstrom experience.” An official date for the store opening has not yet been announced Last week, the Longmont Leader reported about the Longmont City Council’s consideration of an ordinance to change the residential requirements for sex offenders Residents expressed concerns about a particular residence that has five registered sex offenders living in close proximity to the Alpine Elementary School and Rough & Ready Park The house is operated by Mobarez Solutions a company that works to provide stable solutions for sex offenders to reintegrate back into society.  a resident of the household and former client of the program Michael requested that his last name not be shared in this article He currently works as the operations manager for Mobarez Solutions.  I oversee the daily functionality of our homes and the effective implementation of our program,” Michael said “This includes client intake and orientation pro-social calendar development and execution My background as a former client in the program provides me with a unique perspective and allows me to connect with and mentor our residents effectively My experience in team leadership and operations facilitated my transition into this role.” The for-profit company is funded primarily through resident fees but they also have partnerships with Boulder County Probation and re-entry programs like the Re-Entry Initiative in Longmont These organizations can provide scholarships for sex-offenders to enroll in the program but they are expected to gain full-time employment and begin making their own contributions.  The business says they have a zero-percent recidivism rate over the last two years since the company was founded They currently have four houses in Denver and Boulder County Most residents stay in the program for a minimum of 90 days the founder and owner of Mobarez Solutions sent the Longmont Leader a company statement in response to the concerns Longmont residents have regarding the house and its proximity to the elementary school “Our program is founded on the principle that providing a structured and supportive environment is the most effective approach to mitigating risk and promoting successful reintegration for individuals with sex offense convictions,” the statement said.  Residents are expected to “maintain stable employment contribute as responsible community members and adhere to strict program guidelines.” They are also expected to maintain sobriety as part of the program.  “We firmly believe that the greatest risk to public safety arises from a lack of stability and support,” Mobarez’s statement said and untreated mental health issues are far more likely to reoffend Our program aims to break this cycle.” said that joining Mobarez Solutions has helped them beat homelessness I’ve been able to find a really good job which is turning into my career,” they said “I was able to save enough money to buy a vehicle I was able to pay off a large debt for treatment and really start to advance with my education there because of it but with this program and everything it has to offer; I know I won’t fail I don’t know where I would be without Mobarez Solutions.” said that they had a lot of worries and anxiety about the uncertainties of re-integrating back into society after being released from prison but Mobarez Solutions helped them with more than just housing “They provided me with resources to help me find work as well as directed me to re-entry resources that helped me get back on my feet I feel that because of the program’s guidance I was able to quickly adjust back to a new lifestyle of sobriety Mobarez played a huge part in who I have become and continues to strive to help me become the person I plan to become.” The U.S. Department of Justice published a study in 2019 called “Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from State Prison: A 9-Year Follow-Up (2005-14).” The report analyzed the recidivism rates for 401,288 prisoners released in 30 states in 2005 84 percent of prisoners released after committing an offense other than rap or sexual assault were arrested for a new crime within the 9-year follow-up period and 2.6 percent were arrested for a sex crime 67 percent of sex offenders released in 2005 were arrested in the follow-up period and 7.7 percent were arrested for a sex crime in the follow-up period.  Michael explained that sex offenders have a more difficult time finding housing and employment due to the stigma associated with the seriousness of the offense “Housing is very difficult for people with sex offenses as it disqualifies them from many opportunities and does take time for them to find an understanding landlord,” he said “Many of our clients report they spend $1,000-pus dollars on application and background check fees while constantly being denied for residency in apartments.” The Longmont City Council canceled its meeting on Tuesday There will be a future meeting in which the council discusses potential residential restrictions for sex offenders in the community The council will consider how far away sex offenders should be allowed to live from certain locations Longmont Public Safety is installing “speed and red light cameras” as part of an effort “to decrease the number and severity of crashes” in Longmont The city will utilize automated vehicle identification systems (AVIS) in four locations but said the number of cameras “may increase over the program’s life.” The initiative was approved on November 19 2024 and the system will be installed on or after March 16 drivers will receive a warning for speeding and/or red light violations Beginning on the thirty-first day following installation No points will be assessed against the driver for violations unless it is a speeding violation more than 25 miles per hour over the speed limit which will result in a six-point citation.  It is the first contract the company has in the state of Colorado.  Red light and speeding cameras that capture videos and pictures have been criticized for being unconstitutional. The Sixth Amendment allows a person accused of a crime to confront the witness The camera that catches the violation is the witness in this case these violations are considered civil infractions rather than crimes Those who receive a citation are still able to argue against the ticket in court.  The cameras can be placed in “residential construction zones [and] school zones.” The Longmont website also lists 13 additional places the cameras may be placed and says they are subject to relocation within Longmont city limits The locations of red light cameras will be “marked clearly with signs” according to the city’s official statement