Colorado Week in Review

awesome + uniting

• Ways to celebrate Black History Month in Denver
• TikTok users flood Greeley mailbox with requests for 177-year-old sourdough starter
• Dia may look like a house cat, but this Geoffroy’s cat will make her home at the Denver Zoo

awesome + controversy

• Record wet storm moves away, fog likely through Sunday morning
• Here’s what is in the Colorado bill to allow construction of more accessory dwelling units
• Semitrailers may be prohibited from using the left lane on I-70 through Colorado’s mountains. Truckers aren’t happy.

awful + uniting

• Jane Fonda’s climate activism brings her to Denver’s most polluted neighborhood
• Jeffco student assaults bus driver, union calls for improved safety measures
• Ouray police chief placed on leave amid sexual assault investigation involving stepson

awful + controversy

• El Paso County leaders say migrants from Denver arrived in the area, urge nonprofits not to help
• Republican state rep. opposes resolution to honor Black History Month
• She blames social media for contributing to her daughter’s death. On Wednesday this Colorado mom took her pain to Capitol Hill

awesome + uniting

• Medicaid reimbursements for autism care could get big bump under proposal initially approved by Colorado lawmakers
• $88 million in federal funding to improve I-76 and U.S. 160
• Chloe Kim becomes first woman to land 1260 in snowboard halfpipe, wins record-tying 7th X Games gold

awesome + controversy

• Denver Basic Income Project extends cash payments through $5M reinvestment
• Colorado renters could stay after lease expiration under ‘for cause’ eviction proposal
• Advocates Rally for Launch of “Right to Abortion” Ballot Initiative

awful + uniting

• Texas man allegedly gets from Colorado Springs to Denver in 20 minutes. Now he has an arrest warrant.
• Alex Jones’ latest target is Denver Health
• A Colorado pastor says God told him to launch a crypto venture. He’s now accused of pocketing $1.3 million from his followers

awful + controversy

• Denver police, Mayor Mike Johnston introduce new auto theft program
• Rose Pugliese elected as Colorado House Minority Leader after Mike Lynch steps down
• Colorado voters emphasize January 6 violence as they urge Supreme Court to keep Trump off the ballot

awesome + uniting

• Miss Colorado, 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, crowned Miss America 2024
• A Colorado man’s aging parents kept falling. He invented the solution
• Denver’s MLK Marade will continue despite frigid temperatures, but with schedule changes

awesome + controversy

• Dems Commemorate Roe, Urge Voters to Approve Abortion Ballot Measure
• With almost 88 inches this month, Steamboat has seen the longest stretch of snow since 1991
• Forest Service withdraws permit for Uinta rail project that would send crude oil through Colorado

awful + uniting

• Ouray Plaindealer newspapers stolen on day it publishes story with allegations of rape at police chief’s house
• Human head found in deep freezer on Grand Junction front lawn
• Shooter who killed 5 people at Colorado LGBTQ+ club will plead guilty to 50 federal hate crimes

awful + controversy

• Colorado’s plastic bag ban is in full effect, but enforcement is inconsistent
• Trump urges Supreme Court to reject efforts to keep him off ballot, warning of “chaos” in new filing
• Top Republican in Colorado House, who is also running for Congress, was arrested in 2022 on DUI charge

awesome + uniting

• Gov. Jared Polis delivers housing-centric State of the State speech to Colorado lawmakers
• Colorado lawmakers unveil priority bills on employment, housing and other issues as leaders call for civility
• Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance program is now approving paid leave claims. Here’s how it works.

awesome + controversy

• Nexstar workers in Denver declare intent to unionize
• Crawfish boils are now legal in Colorado
• CPW reports all reintroduced gray wolves are doing well, no reported livestock depredations so far

awful + uniting

• Denver warming shelters open 24 hours a day through weekend, Polis issues disaster declaration ahead of arctic blast
• Jayson Boebert, ex-husband of US Rep., arrested following physical altercation with teenage son
• Investigators found stacked bodies and maggots at a Colorado funeral home, FBI says

awful + controversy

• GOP Party Chair Dave Williams will run for retiring Rep. Lamborn’s seat. More contenders expected
• Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis faces second misconduct case in Colorado over conviction
• Denver to slash up to 15% from city budget to fund migrant aid

awesome + uniting

• Colorado Gov. Jared Polis releases results of pollinator study, wants to protect bees, butterflies
• Mayor Mike Johnston reaches goal of sheltering 1,000 unhoused people
• Hundreds of Colorado vendors prepare for 118th National Western Stock Show

awesome + controversy

• 12-year-old environmental activist fought to ban plastic bags and plastic foam use in Colorado
• Families with trans kids flee to Colorado as other states ban gender-affirming care
• Early numbers from CBI show downward trend in violent crime, car thefts in Colorado

awful + uniting

• As Colorado stretches to fund help for migrants, Democrats ask for more federal money. But there’s a catch
• Colorado’s quiet killer: Alcohol ends more lives than overdoses, but there’s been no intervention
• Colorado Supreme Court break-in suspect appears in court as DA weighs charges

awful + controversy

• Gun rights groups sue Colorado over ban on “ghost guns,” which lack serial numbers
• What happens to your vote if Trump is taken off the ballot?
• Rep. Boebert heads to District 4 peddling a familiar pitch

awesome + uniting

• Colorado approves first two awards of refundable tax credits to boost chip manufacturing
• Nuggets’ “D” dominates Nets as Nikola Jokic makes more triple-double history
• Falling gasoline prices put a dent in metro Denver inflation

awesome + controversy

• Colorado-based Cobalt Abortion Fund quadruples financial aid for people seeking abortions
• EV Colorado releases electric vehicle report card
• Looking for a diverse Santa to take a picture with? Here’s where you can find them in the Denver area

awful + uniting

• Colorado’s Black lawmakers say it’s time the state fully grapples with racial inequity and discriminatory practices
• Loveland to pay $400,000 over Colorado DUI arrest, Driver had no alcohol, drugs in system
• Anesthesiologist testimony: no medical reason to give ketamine to Elijah McClain before death in Colorado

awful + controversy

• Colorado GOP eyes January vote on Trump endorsement ahead of state’s presidential primary
• US Senate postpones winter break as lawmakers try to craft an immigration deal
• Only 2 of 168 people moved from encampments into hotel placed into permanent housing

awesome + uniting

• After failed land use bill, Gov. Polis aims to link climate, housing and transit — and tie state funding to RTD overhaul
• Front Range Passenger Rail receives federal funding to kickstart development
• Brock Lesnar’s daughter breaks school record in shot put for Colorado State

awesome + controversy

• Polis urges federal government to reclassify marijuana
• Colorado had the highest remote work rate nationwide last year
• Initial release of gray wolves in Colorado will happen anytime between Friday and the end of 2023

awful + uniting

• State leaders urge action to combat rise in hate crimes in Colorado
• Lakeside puts town clerk on leave during Colorado car investigation
• Broomfield moves to add the 1stBank Center to the scrap heap of Colorado history

awful + controversy

• Colorado justices grapple with unprecedented possibility of disqualifying Trump from ballot
• Former Colorado Olympian Klete Keller gets 6 months home detention for role in Jan. 6 Capitol riots
• Two former longtime legislators join crowded GOP primary in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District

awesome + uniting

• Biden visits Boebert’s district to reject Republican criticism of green policies
• Gov. Jared Polis signs law giving a $30 million boost to eviction prevention for low-income renters
• New urban gardens are coming to West Denver neighborhoods thanks to $500,000 EPA grant

awesome + controversy

• Deion Sanders, coach of a 4-8 team, wins SI Sportsperson of the Year
• Effort to ban mountain lion hunting in Colorado heats up with state Supreme Court challenge and a second ballot measure
• Colorado State Patrol starts motor vehicle relief program

awful + uniting

• Prosecutors say Aurora paramedics ignored Elijah McClain’s distress and instead injected him with fatal dose of ketamine
• Colorado lawmaker abruptly announces her resignation, citing “sensationalistic and vitriolic” political environment
• Colorado GOP Leader Predicts Civil War if Trump Is Forced Off Ballot or If Election ‘Fraud’ Continues

awful + controversy

• Gov. Polis welcomes Global Conference for Israel attendees amid protests
• Colorado conservatives call for law enforcement action to ban books
• Jefferson Parkway future uncertain after dismissal of lawsuit that followed plutonium concerns

awesome + uniting

• Colorado coffee shop cracks the top 5 in USA Today’s national ranking
• Environmental Group Ranks Colorado 7th in Progress Toward Aligning Transporation Policy with Climate Goals
• Interview: Jared Polis joins Utah’s governor to talk civility in politics, even with contentious state issues

awesome + controversy

• Colorado has “abysmal” recycling rate, but most plastic bags and foam takeout containers are on their way out soon
• Federal judge denies effort to block enforcement of Colorado’s new law imposing 3-day waiting period on gun purchases
• ‘This is a special win’: Broncos show potential, continue to redefine season with win over Bills

awful + uniting

• Colorado middle schooler’s racist rant caught on video, raising concern for school violence
• DA: Federal Heights police lack of investigation into serious felony cases in Colorado “Utterly alarming”
• One year after Club Q shooting, survivors struggle with pain, trauma and unpaid medical bills

awful + controversy

• Families with autistic children seek stability as providers struggle with Colorado’s Medicaid system
• Trump ‘engaged in an insurrection,’ judge says, but should remain on Colorado ballot
• GOP Legislator Suggests Coloradans Could Use Rent Aid Checks to ‘Buy Cocaine All Day’

awesome + uniting

• Your guide to Thanksgiving volunteering and community service opportunities across Colorado
• Colorado lawmakers face deadline to get children in need food benefits next summer
• The Denver Zoo Has Become Very Big in the Elephant Sperm Business

awesome + controversy

• Kaiser Permanente workers ratify contract after strike
• Price war forces gas prices below $2 on road south of Denver
• Another Colorado 14er could have its name changed

awful + uniting

• Colorado sees antisemitic, Islamophobic incidents rise since Israel-Hamas war
• Suicidal thoughts, bullying and drugs are plaguing Colorado students, according to latest Safe2Tell report
• After repeated atrocities, state asks lawmakers for permission to more closely regulate funeral homes

awful + controversy

• Black widow spider population rises after humid Colorado summer
• Gov. Polis calls special legislative session on property tax spike after Prop HH failure
• Momentum behind impeachment inquiry slows under new speaker