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

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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