1) Northeast Denver Innovation Zone to End

The Northeast Denver Innovation Zone, which oversees McAuliffe International, McAuliffe Manual, and Swigert International schools, will dissolve on June 30. In a letter to parents and staff, the zone’s board of directors said that “the DPS philosophy on innovation zones has changed significantly in the last three years creating an uncertain environment to operate.”

The innovation zone was created to give traditional public schools more flexibility in how they function in order to better serve students, but in recent years, innovation leaders often found themselves at odds with the DPS superintendent and board members. McAuliffe International and McAuliffe Manual will become innovation schools within DPS while Swigert will try to join the Luminary Learning Network, Denver’s last remaining innovation zone.

McAuliffe International will be allowed to operate under its own innovation plan, which was approved unanimously by the school board on May 16. The school’s innovation model will continue with an extended school year calendar, an extended school day, unique curriculum, and more professional development for teachers than at other schools. McAuliffe consistently outperforms other DPS schools in test scores and was named a Blue Ribbon School in 2020 by the U.S. Department of  Education.

2) Park Hill’s Ed Dwight Makes Historic Flight

Sixty years after he was stymied on the path to becoming the nation’s first Black astronaut, Park Hill resident Ed Dwight finally made it into space. The flight in May lasted 9 minutes and 53 seconds and at age 90, Dwight is now the oldest person to travel in space. After emerging from the Blue Origin capsule, he grinned broadly and said “Long time coming.” Last year, Dwight told Front Porch he left NASA in 1966 after facing racism. He went on to become a celebrated artist showcasing Black history, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. sculpture in City Park.

3) Portable Toilets Moved Thanks to a Front Porch Reader

A reader notified Front Porch about portable toilets parked in the disabled parking area at Central Park. Front Porch notified Denver parks and recreation marketing and communications director Yolanda Quesada, who responded that the toilets would be moved. Two days later they were relocated to a non-restricted area. Front Porch encourages readers to email askfrontporch@box2438.temp.domains with questions about neighborhood concerns.

4) A Crackdown on Shoplifting in Northeast Denver

The Denver Police Department conducted a retail theft prevention operation “To Catch a Thief” at The Shops at Northfield and the surrounding area during the spring. Police collaborated with store managers and security to catch shoplifters who were trying to flee stores. Uniformed and undercover officers worked on the operation and arrested four people for felony-level theft. One suspect was linked to thefts at Chery Creek Mall.

During the past few months, the DPD District 5 investigative team also arrested five suspects described as prolific shoplifters who were seen so many times they were given informal monikers: “The Trash Bag Bandit,” who always took the trash bag from the shopping center’s janitor’s cart to steal, “Minute Man,” who was in and out of a store in 60 seconds and “Sleeper,” who was found sleeping in the shopping center on the day of a crime.

5) Aurora Water Work Closes Access to 25th Ave.

Aurora Water is working on a two-month project to replace a water line and fire hydrants along East 25th Ave. in Northwest Aurora. In a letter to residents, the department says there will be disruptions in water service lasting between 30 minutes and four hours. The road will be closed in segments between South Peoria St. and South Havana St. throughout the project. Residents are being alerted to the work through hang tag notices and there are “no parking” and road closure signs in the construction area.

6) Mayor’s Plans for Neighborhood Safety and Downtown Growth

Because the downtown area has been slower to recover from the pandemic than some other parts of Denver, Mayor Mike Johnston is hoping to accelerate economic growth by investing more than $500 million over the next decade.

The money will come from the “Downtown Development Authority” (DDA), a state statute that lets cities fund economic development by using a portion of taxes collected in a central business district. The existing DDA uses money from property and sales taxes from areas around Union Station and Market Street Station to fund improvements there. Johnston hopes to grow the area of tax collection for the new DDA. The earliest funding would be available is 2025.

The mayor also announced a new Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS). The office will combine existing resources of the Office of Social Equity & Innovation and the Department of Public Safety.

The ONS will work with communities to help identify causes of violence and crime and focus on intervention and solutions through community collaboration. Several City agencies will become part of the office, moving existing employees and budget money.

Front Porch photos by Linda Kotsaftis