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WEEK OF MAY 15, 2025
VOLUME 159 | ISSUE 20
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Harris found guilty of firstdegree murder in Golden-area RV case Harris was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on May 9
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BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
infrastructure & operations, said the goal behind updating the intersection is to effectively funnel students and other pedestrians to the designated crosswalk rather than people choosing to cross in unsafe areas. Improvements to the intersection should start this month, Slowinski said at a recent community meeting. Most of the work should be complete before The Village at Mines Park opens in August. Then, next summer, Slowinski said Mines is planning to improve 19th Street in front of the new sophomore dorm, midway between Elm and Illinois Streets. According to the Mines website, the dorm is set to open in August 2026. It will be dedicated to housing second-year students, with more than 800 beds. To accommodate the large number of students who will need to cross 19th Street regularly, Slowinski said the university plans to build a raised, signaled pedestrian crossing directly in front of the dorm.
A jury has found 52-year-old Donald Harris guilty of first-degree murder in the 2023 death of his acquaintance, Matthew Hire. Hire, 57, was found dead inside his RV in the Golden-area Wooly Mammoth Park-N-Ride lot on April 14, 2023. He had died of a gunshot wound to the back of his head, and Harris testified to killing him by accident on March 26, 2023. The jury announced the verdict early May 9, after a full day of deliberations. Harris was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder. He was also found guilty of tampering with evidence and sentenced to serve 12 months in prison concurrently with his life sentence. The prosecutors and Hire’s family thanked the jurors for their time and effort, with Hire’s aunt, Judy Hensley, describing how Hire was “a trusting and friendly person throughout his life, including, unfortunately, during (his) last devastating days.” According to Hensley, Hire was adopted when he was 15 months old, and his family instantly loved him. His grandma referred to him as “our little lamb,” which Hensley said annoyed Hire when he was a teenager. Hire “encountered many challenges in his life,” Hensley said, including alcohol addiction. However, after he got sober, he helped others as an addiction counselor and worked with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in Denver for many years. Hire’s life changed drastically when he was hit while riding his motorcycle, Hensley described. He sustained a traumatic brain injury and a major
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Concept art shows a pedestrian crossing on 19th Street just in front of Colorado School of Mines’ forthcoming sophomore dorm. The dorm is scheduled to open in August 2026, and Mines officials anticipate having to install a pedestrian crossing across 19th Street, midway between Elm and Illinois streets. COURTESY GRAPHICS
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Mines: New housing requires improved crossings on 19th Street The Village at Mines Park to open this August BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Golden’s 19th Street around the Colorado School of Mines campus will be updated over the next two summers, as the university plans to improve pedestrian crossings before its new student housing facilities open. The west-campus intersection of 19th Street and Moly Road will be updated this summer, before Mines Park opens in August. The Village at Mines Park will have five apartment buildings and 19 completely renovated apartment buildings, totaling 1,058 beds, according to the Mines website. To accommodate these students, Mines officials said they’re working with city staff to install a raised, unsignaled crosswalk across 19th Street. Jason T. Slowinski, associate vice president of
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