Aurora City Council this week addressed a court order granting new trials for two paramedics convicted in Elijah McClain's 2019 death.

The big picture: Monday's council meeting marked the first chance for city leaders to respond collectively after a Colorado appeals court ordered new trials for Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec.

Driving the news: The appeals court last week overturned the paramedics' criminally negligent homicide convictions, ruling jurors received flawed instructions on the legal standards governing the pair's conduct.

Zoom in: Several council members said the ruling forced McClain's family and residents to revisit years of grief and demands for accountability after the 23-year-old's death.

Councilmember Amy Wiles fought back tears as she spoke.

• "[T]he small amount of justice Elijah received is now at risk, and this opens wounds that were never fully healed," she said. "This was a systemic failure in our city."

What they're saying: "Most of our community had to learn about [McClain's death] after community members came to call for justice … because his murder was treated as not important," Mayor Pro Tem Alison Coombs said.

• After the court's ruling, Coombs added, Sheneen McClain's "pain and our community's desire for accountability and reckoning have been reopened and are raw."

In the room: Several members of the public addressed the council about McClain's death and the court's decision.

• Speakers used only part of their allotted three minutes before yielding the remainder for a moment of silence.

Zoom out: Councilmember Rob Andrews read remarks from a constituent who said the ruling carries significance beyond legal questions.

• "The overturning of these convictions feels like the unsettling of something we believed had finally been acknowledged, that a young Black man's life mattered, that his death mattered."

What's next: Attorney General Phil Weiser's office plans to appeal the ruling to the Colorado Supreme Court.

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It's been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year so far for one of Colorado's most prestigious school districts.

The big picture: The hits keep coming.

Driving the news: The Trump administration opened a federal investigation into Cherry Creek Schools this week, with the U.S. Department of Education alleging race-based practices are embedded across the district.

• Its Office for Civil Rights says Cherry Creek "allows or sponsors a wide range of racially-discriminatory programming" and may have violated federal civil rights laws.

Why it matters: The investigation puts new political and legal pressure on a district that's spending much of 2026 putting out fires.

Catch up quick: Superintendent Chris Smith abruptly resigned in January after allegations of a toxic workplace culture.

• Denver7 reported in March that 14 district employment contracts were improperly signed, raising questions about oversight.
• In April, board member Terry Bates resigned after the district said he made "racialized" remarks.
• The district fired Brenda Smith — its human resources head and the former superintendent's wife — in May after an investigation found "significant policy violations."

The latest: Federal officials are turning Cherry Creek's inclusion efforts into the latest flashpoint.

The most explosive allegations include:

• Cherry Creek Schools considered race when putting students into classes.
• Race influenced which students received academic support.
• Some clubs exclude students based on race.

The Department of Education also alleges training materials taught that the U.S. was founded on white supremacy.

What we're hearing: The federal investigation emerged from complaints filed in February and June 2025.

What they're saying: "We strongly disagree with the characterization of district programming," Cherry Creek Schools said in a statement to Axios.

• As of yesterday, the district still hadn't received a copy of the complaint.

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🔒 Bow Mar approved gates and road closures that could restrict non-residents from using public roads through the town, including South Sheridan Boulevard.

• Denver and Littleton officials say the plan could create access and safety problems — and are warning they may limit Bow Mar residents' use of their roads in response. (Denverite)

🎉 The Downtown Littleton Block Party returns Saturday with live music, street performers, family activities, food vendors and a Main Street fireworks display.

• Up to 20,000 people are expected at the free event.

🏛️ GEO Group sued Colorado to block a new law requiring regular health and safety inspections of immigrant detention facilities, arguing the state is overstepping its authority over federal immigration operations.

• State officials and immigrant rights advocates say the law is intended to ensure humane conditions and transparency at detention centers such as the GEO-run facility in Aurora. (CPR)

A 7-year-old boy drowned at Cherry Creek Reservoir after drifting into deeper water on a float and going under last Saturday, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

• Officials said he wasn't wearing a life jacket and are reminding visitors to wear one while in the water this summer. (CBS)

Since I'm a kid of the '80s and '90s, much of my young life revolved around mall culture.

What I'm thinking: Who had it better than us?

• Aurora Mall, Buckingham Square, Southglenn.

Anyone remember Aurora Mall's second-floor, shoebox-sized tobacco shop — now (gasp) a Journeys Kidz?

• Or Buckingham's soldiers — and its movie theater and Round the Corner fast food? If you understand this emoji, you're an Aurora OG: 📞
• Or that sweet, sweet smell of oil and rubber at Southglenn's Sears?

Yes, but: Nothing lasts forever.

• Google tells me Buckingham — now The Gardens on Havana for nearly two decades — is a "vibrant mixed-use outdoor retail destination."
• But not more vibrant than my memories.

The bottom line: Share your best mall remembrance here, and I might post it later.