Denver in 5 minutes: What you need to know today, August 1

Andrew Kenney

Aug. 01, 2016, 9:23 a.m.

Happy Colorado Day! The party gets started this morning at the Capitol, complete with burros, artillery and a ceremony at 11 a.m. (Not too different from the very first Colorado Day, as it turns out.)

We’ve also got an in-depth look at how party politics are shifting here in Colorado ahead of the presidential election. Don’t expect a third-party breakout, but both the Democrats and the GOP are still cleaning up from the conventions.

If you’re not ready to give up the weekend, check out our video about the local significance of dragon-boat racing, and some amazing images of bike racing in the Golden Triangle. Also, Westword has photos of ten new murals in Denver.

In Colorado Springs, officers chased a guy up a tree. He was arrested, because a tree is not a great escape route, but it took a few hours. (Gazette)

Sports-wise, we’ve got conflict among the Denver Broncos at practice and big money for a returning Denver Avalanche player.

More seriously, we’ll be hearing more details of two officer-involved shootings that happened over the weekend. Denver police shot a man in Park Hill during an “exchange of gunfire” following a traffic stop and chase. Police in Lakewood shot a man who had a gun and was chasing partygoers. Both men were hospitalized with injuries.

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A very preliminary rendering of the proposed mid-sized arena that would be paid by a bond package in Denver. (Courtesy of the Office of the National Western Center)

$450 million bonding package could pay for a new arena, libraries, park improvements and more

Denver City Council has received the final list of projects that would be paid for by a general obligation bond package.

Zenna Garnett has a Casa Bonita tattoo on her arm. July 27, 2021.

Casa Bonita is not everyone’s cup of tea; neither is Zenna Garnett.

Her sleeve of the building's famous facade drew a slew of comments on Reddit this weekend.

BookBar on Tennyson Street. July 24, 2021.

Berkeley’s BookBar serves up literature, wine and that community vibe

Dreams of "happier hour" and the need to support local businesses prompted Sarah Frazer to nominate the indie bookstore as our third business in the series.

Vacant buildings at 991 North Alcott Way in the Sun Valley neighborhood. (Esteban L. Hernandez/Denverite)

Rezoning in Sun Valley will pave the way for more than 200 affordable units for seniors

Denver City Council approved a request from the Denver Housing Authority to allow for more density.

Mayor Michael Hancock speaks during a mayoral candidate forum on environmental policy at the Alliance Center downtown, March 21, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Mayor Hancock commits to using federal money for the city’s affordable housing fund

He said addressing homelessness was his top priority during his State of the City speech.

A mobile vaccine clinic sits in parking lot near the intersection of Chambers Road and Colfax Avenue in Aurora. July 23, 2021.

We went to vaccine pop-up event. People had a lot to say.

This far into the pandemic, what's changing people's minds?

A controversial billboard designed by artist Maia Ruth Lee, as seen on For Freedoms' Instagram.

A Denver billboard was supposed to show solidarity with the Asian American community. It ended up hurting instead.

Some local artists are now grappling with what it means to responsibly display art in public.

An issue of The Black Panther from Sept. 27, 1969, which was recently added to the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library's collections. Photographed July 22, 2021.

LOOK: Denver’s Five Points research library just got some Black Panther Party newspapers

Blair-Caldwell is one of five public libraries that focuses specifically on Black history.

Downtown Denver, Jan. 30, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Colorado’s confusing pay disclosure law is leaving remote workers out of a job

Employers aren't reading the fine print and excluding Coloradans.

A Denver Sheriff's Department prisoner transport bus. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Denver sheriffs union sounds alarm on low staffing levels

The union says staffing has fallen under 65 percent, though the department says that figure is higher.

Ben Roy talks junk about 2020 during the first-ever monthly comedy night at Number Thirty Eight in Five Points. Nov. 19, 2020.

Entertainment industry jobs in Denver are back to pre-pandemic levels

Restaurant jobs are still behind, according to the latest numbers.

Prumrose the Fairy blows bubbles and the minds of guests walking into the Colorado Renaissance Festival in Larkspur. July 4, 2021.

Things to do in Denver this weekend, July 23-25

Circus, live music, a county fair and more!

The sign welcoming you to the Grand County town of Kremmling.

Denver DA’s husband pleads guilty to attempted arson after starting fires near the East Troublesome blaze

It wasn't the first time Christopher Linsmayer was charged for setting fires on his property.

Lakeside Amusement Park's vintage parking sign, March 11, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

lakeside amusement park; denver; colorado; kevinjbeaty; denverite;

Lakeside Amusement Park is open again

Can you smell the funnel cake?

Jacqueline Lawrence pulls the stop cords as RTD's number 15 bus heads east. June 16, 2021.

City says Colfax’s rapid bus line is on schedule for “later in the 2020s”

The project is in a preliminary design phase, and the city is looking for your input.

Birds flutter over Sloan's Lake on a dreary day in Denver. May 11, 2021.

Sloan’s Lake temporarily closes due to blue-green algae bloom

The bloom is toxic and potentially dangerous to humans and pets.

Marijuana at a Denver grow facility. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

And just like that, Denver has marijuana delivery — at the only dispensary to have applied

The first business to work with delivery partners was approved Tuesday.

Crowds pour into Coors Field before the MLB All-Star Game. July 13, 2021.

Did the All-Star Game give downtown Denver businesses a boost? Well, sort of.

Restaurants and bars around Coors Field had a good weekend, but the promised crowd fell short of great expectations.

An apartment building in the Golden Triangle area, Nov. 13, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

The Golden Triangle blocks south of Civic Center Park are looking to get a lot taller

The idea is to make it a dense, walkable district, but at least one Denver developer thinks the city is making a huge mistake.

Sunset over the city. Dec. 12, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Denver wants to hire a top designer to focus on the city’s urban design and architecture

The city wants to hire a City Urban Designer to make sure the city stays pretty.

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