Denver City Council on Monday approved settlements in the lawsuits filed by advocates Regan and Bo Benson in 2023, according to a news release from the law firm Newman McNulty.

The first lawsuit claims Denver Police Department Officer John Schaal retaliated against the Bensons in August 2021 after the couple spotted a group of police officers sitting in their vehicles in a private parking lot near the 800 block of South Huron Street and pulled over to start filming them. Schaal wrote a ticket for parking in the middle of a roadway and blocking traffic and later requested that Bo Benson be required to retake his driver’s test.

Benson’s license was later suspended in connection to the incident, according to the complaint. A DPD internal investigation later found Schaal violated department policy by conducting a traffic stop in retaliation for filming officers, and he was suspended for 10 days.

The second lawsuit claims Denver police officials retaliated against Regan Benson for criticizing the department during a virtual public meeting of the Citizen’s Advisory Board in September 2021.

Benson was criticizing police treatment of homeless people during the open forum portion of a meeting when she was challenged and questioned by now-Police Chief Ron Thomas, who was a division chief at the time. She was later banned from future meetings for making disruptive comments, according to the lawsuit.

The Bensons will receive $100,000 to settle the first lawsuit and $30,000 for the second, along with an agreement that Regan Benson is not banned from attending or recording advisory board meetings.

“While exceptionally deceptive, this is a mild case of police retaliation by those that are sworn to uphold and protect our rights,” Regan Benson said in a statement through her attorney, Andy McNulty. “They failed, once again. I do not ever want to forget or minimize those who have lost their lives or physically/emotionally suffered eternally due to law enforcement misconduct.”

The Denver Police Department and Denver City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the settlements.

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A 1934 Waco YKC biplane, piloted and owned by retired airline pilot David Allen, 78, was traveling north around 6 p.m. June 30 when it crashed in a field in Sheridan County, Kansas, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol crash report. After crashing, the plane burst into flames. David Allen and his wife, Jeanne Allen, 79, died at the scene, the report states.

The couple lived at Kelly Air Park, a residential neighborhood in Elbert where pilots keep their planes in on-site hangars and takeoff using two neighborhood runways.

The circumstances of the crash are currently unknown, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The incident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

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“The first thing Coloradans need to understand is that there is a seemingly small but important difference between lane filtering and lane splitting,” said Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, in a Tuesday news release. “One will soon be legal, and the other remains prohibited, so let’s all start by getting on the same page.”

A motorcyclist splits a lane when they ride between two rows of moving or stopped traffic that’s traveling in the same direction, often riding on the painted line. Lane filtering is when a motorcycle passes a vehicle that is traveling in the same direction and at a complete stop. Motorcyclists may use lane filtering to avoid traffic that is at a standstill or move to the front of a line of traffic at a stop light.

Under Colorado’s new law, Senate Bill 79, motorcyclists who wish to legally filter must follow five rules: Traffic must be at a complete stop, the road must have lanes wide enough to accommodate the vehicle and the motorcycle that is passing, the motorcycle can’t go over 15 mph, the motorcyclist must pass on the left without entering any lanes of oncoming traffic and the biker must be in control of the motorcycle and pass safely.

“It’s up to the rider to assess each situation and determine if the conditions are safe and legal to filter – it’s an option, not a requirement to filter,” Col. Packard said in the release. “It is also the responsibility of every motorist to share the road.”

The bill, passed on April 4, will be repealed in 2027 following a safety report by the Colorado Department of Transportation, according to the Colorado General Assembly.

“Drive with etiquette and with the law in mind,” Col. Packard said. “Respecting each other and driving without distractions will make all of our commutes faster and safer.”

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Former Lt. Henry Trujillo and former Deputy Mikhail Noel were charged with assault, official misconduct, official oppression, menacing and failure to intervene in May. The Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office did not immediately reply to The Denver Post’s request for comment on the charges.

The men shocked Kenneth Espinoza with Tasers as he tried to watch a traffic stop involving his son on Nov. 29, 2022. Espinoza was unarmed and at one point handcuffed when he was struck with the Taser in the chest and face, according to body-worn camera footage of the incident.

Noel falsified an arrest affidavit and claimed that Espinoza tried to run him over and slammed his hand in a car door. Espinoza initially faced multiple charges in connection to the incident, but they were later dropped. Both the lieutenant and the deputy were fired on Aug. 25.

During the investigation, officials discovered that Trujillo was convicted of multiple criminal charges between 1997 and 2009, including displaying a weapon, harassment and fighting in public. Days before the traffic stop, the county settled a lawsuit alleging Trujillo and Noel used excessive force while arresting a deaf woman.

Espinoza filed a federal lawsuit against county officials and received a $1.5 million settlement in March.

Trujillo and Noel will return to court on July 24, according to court documents.

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Shuttle buses will run between Union and Central Park stations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday while Union Pacific Railroad completes maintenance work at the Ulster and Havana Street crossing.

Travelers can board a shuttle bus at Union Station gate B22, 38th/Blake in front of the station, 40th/Colorado gate B and Central Park gate B3, according to the release.

A Line trains will run as scheduled between Central Park and Denver Airport stations.

The first train with uninterrupted service to Denver Airport station will leave Union Station at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday. The first train with uninterrupted service to Union Station departs Denver Airport station at 12:57 p.m., according to RTD.

RTD encourages customers to allow extra time for bus shuttle transfers and to plan ahead using the Next Ride app.

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Showers or thunderstorms that produce heavy rain, small hail and wind gusts up to 35 mph are possible in the mountains near Park County this afternoon and evening. Strong to severe storms may form over the southern San Luis Valley and surrounding mountains, with quarter-sized hail and 60 mph wind expected, NWS meteorologists said.

Severe storms yesterday brought golf-ball sized hail to eastern Colorado near Seibert and a tornado that briefly touched down in Bethune, near the Kansas border, according to reports by the NWS. Penny-sized hail hit parts of Northglenn and Denver saw some rain and cloud coverage yesterday evening.

Denverites can expect clear skies today and tonight, with a high of 82 degrees and a low around 57.

Tuesday’s high will be around 89 degrees and temperatures will continue to rise throughout the week. The heat wave currently hitting the West Coast is expected to move through Colorado Friday through Sunday, bringing near-record high heat with highs in the 100s across the urban corridor and plains, according to the NWS.

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The crash happened near southbound Interstate 25 and West 8th Avenue around 4 a.m., according to an X post by the Denver Police Department. Police did not say what may have led to the crash.

Five people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. All delays in the area were cleared by 5:52 a.m., according to an update from the Denver Police Department on X.

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Officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 1700 block of Constitution Road around 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, according to a Sunday evening news release from the Pueblo Police Department.

A man and his child were searching for the child’s stolen bicycle when they found it in front of a residential building, according to police. The man confronted the residents and “a disturbance occurred,” the release said. The child, whose age was not disclosed, was shot and taken to a hospital with minor injuries, the department said.

A person barricaded themselves inside the residence and the Pueblo Police Department SWAT team was called, according to the release.

The shooting is under investigation and more information is not available at this time.

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Around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, a boat hit a tube that was being towed behind another boat near Windsurf Beach at Navajo State Park. People on the two boats called 911 and rangers, as well as Southern Ute police officers, arrived shortly after the incident. Three people were riding on the tube, according to a Saturday news release from CPW.

One woman died at the scene. She was identified as Mikayla Wright, a 25-year-old Durango resident, by the Archuleta County Coroner’s Office. Another tuber was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition and the third was not injured, park officials said.

Windsurf Beach was temporarily closed for the investigation, according to the release.

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Updated 3:55 p.m. July 8, 2024: This article was updated to include the victim’s identity.

Firefighters increased the containment line over the weekend as the fire’s acreage grew, reaching 69% containment as of Monday morning, according to a Facebook update by Oak Ridge fire officials.

On Saturday morning, the fire, sparked by lightning on June 22, was 1,193 acres and 50% contained, double the 25% containment reached on Thursday. Firefighters on Saturday worked to contain the southeastern corner of the fire and protect property in Beulah and the Middle Creek watershed using drip torches and aerial ignition. By Sunday morning, the fire was burning on 1,240 acres and the containment line was 59%, fire officials said in a Sunday update.

Crews will continue to pull brush back from the fireline, reposition berms — soil piled along the outside edge of the fire — and place water bars to divert water and reduce the risk of erosion, fire officials said.

Hot, dry weather may cause fuels within the fire perimeter to smoke and burn. Light smoke may travel west of Beulah on Monday afternoon and evening, according to the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program.

Pre-evacuation notices remain in effect for Middle Creek Canyon Road, Vine Mesa, Cascade Avenue, Pine Avenue and Beulah Highlands Road.

Trails and roads in the San Carlos Ranger District of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests are closed until July 26, according to the U.S. Forest Service. There is also a temporary flight restriction over the fire area.

The fire is the first to burn in the area in more than 100 years, forest officials said, and may not be contained until late July.