skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Westminster Residents Host "People's Assembly" for Housing Concerns

play audio
Play

Friday, September 29, 2017   

WESTMINSTER, Co. – We Organize Westminster, or WOW, has a public assembly Saturday to address what the group is calling a housing and renters' rights crisis in the Denver suburb.

In the five years, Inez Marquez has lived at the Copperwood Apartments, she says the rent for the one-bedroom unit she shares with her children has doubled, and the bill often includes other, unexplained charges. She hopes the city will adopt an affordable-housing platform developed by residents, which includes a "Renters Bill of Rights."

"Because we are working on policies here in Westminster to better our community, we all need to get together and work something out," she says.

The group wants the city to require landlords to present itemized receipts, provide translated leases, and connect tenants to free legal advice through volunteers at local bar associations.

Councilwoman Emma Pinter has said she supports parts of the WOW platform and is set to speak at the assembly. Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison has promised to attend but hasn't taken a stand on the recommendations.

Marquez says she and other renters' advocates spent the past year researching successful affordable-housing policies at work in other cities, including the idea of creating an affordable-housing trust fund.

"To help with rent if somebody can't pay rent for that month, or they need funding to help get an apartment or a house," she adds. "You know, just little resources like that, that will help a family to stay in their home."

Marquez notes WOW's efforts are already paying off. After confronting the City Council in June, Westminster has added inspectors, recommended increases in rental and food-assistance budgets, and prioritized 25 percent of the new downtown development for affordable housing. Saturday's 2 P.M. event is set to take place at the Advent Lutheran Church.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …

Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …


The California Department of Conservation is holding a public meeting online on Sept. 24, to update the public on its progress in plugging abandoned oil wells. (Alizada Studios/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package…

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

The American Heart Association said caregivers often experience personal and spiritual growth, discovering their own resilience, competence and capacity for sacrifice as they help a friend or loved one. (Justlight/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and the American Heart Association in Missouri is urging caregivers to take some much-needed time for themselve…

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021