Denver News

For Coloradans who haven’t gotten around to turning in their ballots yet,

Uber is giving free rides to voters on Election Day.

The move is part of a push Uber is making to help those who cannot vote because they lack transportation, the company said in a release.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/pollup2018/welcome-to-pollup2018

More than 1.5 million Coloradans have cast ballots already in this election, according to data released Monday by the Colorado Secretary of State’s office.

With billionaire backing, a D.C. museum is headed to Five Points to collect Denver’s black culture

Nov. 1-11, the NMAAHC will set up shop in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood and elsewhere with the goal of collecting and digitizing as much of the local African-American population’s photos, documents and videos as possible — part of a nationwide initiative that began last fall in Baltimore.

The opening reception for the project took place on November 2 at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library That institution and the Black American West Museum, also in Five Points, are collaborating with the Smithsonian on the initiative.

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/initiatives/family-history-center/community-curation-program/community-curation-denver

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It appears Denver is off the list of possible locations for Amazon's second headquarters.

The retail giant is in "advanced talks" to open its second headquarters in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

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Skiers heading to Aspen this weekend may have to reschedule their route.

The Colorado Department of Transportation announced that Independence Pass on Colorado 82 will be closed for the weekend because of snow and wind.

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Just One month into the flu season and 10 people in Colorado already have been hospitalized with the virus.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is urging people to get a flu shot.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while Colorado so far has a minimal number of flu cases, it's seeing more reports of it than most other states.

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The city of Denver has rejected a plan to place a tiny-home village for people experiencing homelessness at a development site along the South Platte River.

The Community Village is on a deadline: Its permit for its current site at 38th and Blake expires in January.

The village organizers issued an open letter on Thursday demanding that city leaders figure out an immediate solution, and one council member immediately called for action.

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An oil tanker rolled over Thursday morning in Aurora, spilling roughly 500 gallons of diesel fuel onto an I-70 overpass at North Chambers Road.

Chambers Road was closed between 40th and 38th Avenues in both directions… as well as The off-ramp from I-70 to Chambers Road .

Noosa Yoghurt, the creamy treat made in Bellvue, has agreed to merge into the family of brands owned by private equity firm Advent International, the companies announced Tuesday.

Australian native Koel Thomae brought a yogurt recipe from her hometown, Noosa, back to Colorado and teamed with Larimer County dairy farmer Robert Graves to start the new yogurt line in 2009. Initially, the product was marketed locally. Four years ago, California based Advent acquired a majority stake in Noosa and helped the company triple its sales and production capacity then grow its distribution network from 5,000 to 25,000 stores.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/10/30/colorado-noosa-sold-to-sovos/

The University of Northern Colorado has suspended a fraternity for seven years after finding violations of student code of conduct.

The Greeley Tribune reports The University announced the suspension Monday for the Sigma Chi fraternity after wrapping up an investigation that began in April.

Campus leaders are examining how to provide mental health services not only for students, but also for faculty and staff members at the University of Colorado amid increasing demand.

The topic has been of public discussion recently, and Demand for services among students is outpacing enrollment growth.

http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_32234281/cu-boulder-seeing-an-increase-demand-mental-health

City employees spent $2.1 million on purchase cards in violation of the Denver government’s rules, according to a new report from Denver Auditor Timothy O’Brien.

The auditor’s office took issue with the way the money was spent, but not necessarily what it was spent on.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/10/23/denver-audit-expense-cards-misused/

Known for its massive portions, The Cheesecake Factory, will be closing its doors for good in Boulder December 29th.

The Cheesecake Factory is the latest national brand to join the likes of Old Chicago, the Olive Garden, Applebee’s, Chili’s and TGI Fridays in leaving Boulder’s Pearl Street.

“After 19 years of operation, we have decided to terminate our Boulder restaurant’s lease” writes Alethea Rowe, senior director of public relations of The Cheesecake Factory

The company is working with staff to help transition them to other opportunities, including transfers to other area restaurants.

http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_32233458

Construction crews are working six days a week to finish the 1,501-room Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center. The hotel won’t open until December but more than one million rooms are already booked.

Many groups looking to host conventions need to secure their location several years in advance so, some of the rooms are booked out as far as 2028. More than 80 percent of the conventions booked so far have never been held in Colorado before.

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/our-colorado/the-gaylord-rockies-resort-and-convention-center-isn-t-open-yet-but-1-million-rooms-are-booked

You could be holding a ticket that isn’t exactly useless.

Two tickets sold at a Safeway in Littleton and a 7-Eleven in Denver are worth $30,000 each.

Five tickets sold are worth $10,000. They were sold at a King Soopers on West Florida Avenue in Denver, a King Soopers on

Lookout Road in Boulder, a C&K Food & Gas on North Pecos Street in Denver, a King Soopers on North 50th Avenue in Brighton and a Stinker Store on West Hampden Avenue in Englewood.

Another 40 tickets are worth $1,500.

Several thousand other tickets sold were winners ranging from $2 to $600.

In sports:

The Denver Nuggets will take their undefeated record on the road and face LeBron James and the Lakers tonight for the third time in four weeks, counting two preseason wins.

In Weather

With the exception of an isolated sprinkle around sunset this evening we'll have dry weather all day. The high will be 68 today and the low 44 tonight.

CompTIA’s report, ranks the Denver, Boulder & Colorado Springs areas as best in the country for tech workers based on salaries, job availability, job growth and cost of living.

The report, “Top 20 Tech Towns,” is the first of what the association plans to be an annual release, comes as the technology industry is experiencing significant growth. The industry expanded by nearly 200,000 jobs in 2017 to an estimated 11.5 million workers, according to the association.

The report notes the cost of living in the Colorado communities ranges from 7 percent to about 15 percent higher the national average, but points to amenities and outdoor lifestyle that have made the state among the fastest-growing.

https://www.aitp.org/blog/aitp-blog/2018/10/23/tech-town-usa-20-cities-it-pros-will-want-to-call-home/

SoulCycle, the national indoor cycling brand that’s gotten media attention because of its passionate following, is coming to Cherry Creek.

Colorado’s first SoulCycle location, scheduled to open Nov. 10, will feature a 64-bike studio and a lifestyle boutique.

The first class will cost riders $20 and following classes will cost $28.

SoulCycle studios are intimate and candlelit, and instructors strive to be inspirational coaches. Lady Gaga, Madonna, Bradley Cooper, Chelsea Clinton, Katie Holmes and Lena Dunham are said to be avid SoulCyclers.

https://theknow.denverpost.com/2018/10/24/soulcycle-denver-studio-opening/199340/

One day after his arrest in Englewood on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing, Denver Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly was waived by the team Wednesday morning.

Proposition 112 is without a doubt one of the most controversial measures on your November ballot. The measure would increase oil and gas setbacks to 2,500 ft for any occupied structure.

Over $30 million is being spent against the Proposition by the oil and gas industry while only $800,000 has been raised by supporters.

Top elected officials -- from Governor Hickenlooper to Congressman Jared Polis & Treasurer Walker Stapleton -- are all opposed to the measure.

Despite widespread criticism… the Measure could still pass.

https://kdvr.com/2018/10/22/poll-shows-polis-education-tax-oil-and-gas-drilling-setbacks-leading/

In sports:

The Nuggets won a hard-fought road opener against the Los Angeles Clippers, smashed the Phoenix Suns in Denver’s home opener and then took down the defending champion Golden State Warriors in a nail-biter and one of the most tightly-contested games of the early season.

The 3-0 Nuggets host the 2-1 Kings tonight in the fourth game in six nights for Denver.

Home sales aren’t just taking a big dive in metro Denver, they are dropping across much of Colorado and in what were some of the hottest markets in the country.

Existing home sales in the United States fell 3.4 percent in August from September. And Year-over-year, they are down 4.1 percent, according to an update from the National Association of Realtors.

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Political spending in Colorado races already has hit a record this cycle with more than two weeks still remaining before all ballots are cast.

Statewide, candidates, political action committees and groups pushing ballot measures have pulled in $186 million since December, according to a Denver Post analysis of campaign finance reports. The previous record was the just $153 million collected in the 2014 election cycle.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/10/18/polis-stapleton-wealth-colorado-governor-race/

Colorado’s unemployment rate has run significantly below the rest of the country for more than four years, allowing the state to post a bigger help wanted sign, one that attracted workers from other states, especially millennials starting their careers.

That gap is now narrowing. Colorado’s unemployment rate rose to 3.1 percent in September from 2.9 percent in August, according to a monthly update Friday from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

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Marijuana sales in Colorado exceeded $1 billion as of August of this year, with tax revenue from those sales coming in at $200 million, according to a report from the Colorado Department of Revenue and its Marijuana Enforcement Division.

It’s the earliest point in any of the four years Colorado has had legal recreational marijuana that combined medical and rec sales have cracked the billion-dollar mark.

Total combined recreational and medical marijuana sales through August hit $1,022,245,511, according to the MED, setting the state on a trajectory to break last year’s record of more than $1.5 billion in sales.

It also found that while sales of marijuana flower remained relatively steady, sales of edible products and concentrates like hash oil and live resin grew significantly. Between January and June, edibles sales shot up 13.8 percent over the first six months of last year, and concentrates sales skyrocketed, growing 94.6 percent over the same period.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/10/18/colorado-cracks-billion-marijuana-sales-record/