WEEK OF MAY 22, 2025
VOLUME 53 | ISSUE 50
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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WING CRAWL BRINGS IN $8K FOR LOAVES AND FISHES P2
DRIVE UNDERWAY TO REMEMBER PLANE THE MILLER MOTHS ARE COMING, BUT YOU CAN RELAX P11 BOMBING OVER COLORADO IN 1955 P14
Deal shuffles CCM papers to 2 companies Courant stays with nonprofit while 21 papers go to Arizona group BY CCM STAFF
This map shows the scene of the fatal officer-involved-shooting of Christine Lewis in Dumont on March 6.
Lorenz was able to remove Hueter but he said Lewis barricaded herself in the vehicle and eventually drove away resulting in a brief chase that ended when Lewis crashed the truck into a creek bed in Dumont, disabling it. By that time, Idaho Springs Police officers and Clear Creek deputies had arrived on scene to assist in the situation, according to CBI reports. Hueter reported to officers
The National Trust for Local News on May 13 announced a restructuring of its Colorado operations — known as Colorado Community Media — that centers on a partnership with Times Media Group. The National Trust will transfer ownership of 21 local publications concentrated in metro Denver to Times Media Group (TMG), a community news publisher based in Tempe, Arizona, whose owner has personal roots in Colorado. The National Trust will retain ownership of seven publications stretching from Brighton to Idaho Springs, and will continue to grow and operate the Trust Press, a community printing press that serves the Front Range media ecosystem. The organizations will enter into a strategic partnership around shared services and print production. “Through this strategic partnership with Times Media Group, we can reduce our footprint in greater Denver without reducing local journalism there, all while positioning ourselves to grow in the parts of Colorado where the need for our unique model is greatest,” Will Nelligan, chief growth officer at the National Trust for Local News, said in a statement. “While it wasn’t an easy decision, we think it’s a positive outcome from all perspectives that sets the stage for a more resilient, equitable, and vi-
SEE SHOOTING, P9
SEE TRUST, P7
COURTSEY CLEAR CREEK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
Clear Creek deputies cleared in fatal shooting DA report reveals details of the March 6 death of Christine Lewis BY CHRIS KOEBERL CHRIS@COTLN.ORG
Content warning: A violent image is with the continuation of this article inside A felony traffic stop in Empire on March 6 ended when three Clear Creek County deputies fired multiple rifle and handgun rounds into 36-year-
old Christine Lewis, killing her. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation conducted a lengthy study into the facts and circumstances surrounding the homicide, according to several sources, including CBI. After a thorough review of the CBI investigatory reports,
Clear Creek County District Attorney Heidi McCollum issued what’s known as a “Letter of Declination,” formally declining the pursuit of any criminal charges against the deputies in the fatal shooting. The incident started when, according to CBI reports, Empire Chief of Police Andrew Lorenz attempted a felony traffic stop of a pickup truck for two individuals with outstanding warrants: James Hueter and Christine Lewis. When the truck pulled over,
CURRENTS: 7 | VOICES: 8 | LIFE: 12 | PUZZLES: 16
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