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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U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman (right) sits next to to Jason Crow (middle) while Univision Colorado Anchor Juan Carlos Gutierrez looks at notes before the start of a debate on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, in Denver. (Esteban L. Hernandez/Denverite)

Three things we learned from the Rep. Coffman-Crow debate in Denver, which shows the incumbent isn’t done yet

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman and Democratic challenger Jason Crow are locked in one of the most-watched congressional races in the country.

Jody Davison, pushing her one-year-old in a stroller, stares down the barrel of an unhospitable sidewalk in Univeristy Hills, Jan. 31, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

To give sidewalks the same love that roads get, Denver City Council will consider a tax or fee

"We've got a billboard that says we love our refugees, and we do, but we can't put that same billboard up for our mobility challenged community and really mean that we're taking robust action and welcoming them."

Cardboard signs hang in the Denver Public Library during a day of empathy-fueled events meant to teach people about what it's like to be homeless. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

“Right to Survive” to appear on Denver municipal ballot in May

Denver voters in the spring will consider whether to overturn the city’s urban camping ban.

Homes in Green Valley Ranch, Oct. 18, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Prices may be rising, but other numbers indicate a cooling Denver housing market

RE/MAX, in its most recent monthly housing report, found home sale closings in September were down more than 19 percent from September 2017/

Lamont M. Shannon, a Vietnam veteran in Colorado Coalition for the Homeless transitional housing, gestures during an interview. (Donna Bryson/Denverite)

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless steers determined veterans to permanent housing

The point-in-time survey, taken earlier this year in an annual attempt to understand the problem, found 427 veterans on Denver streets.

Voting booths at the Harvey Park Recreation Center. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Time to get serious: Voter centers open around Colorado for in-person voting

In the 2016 election, 7 percent of Colorado voters used voter centers.

Geese flee a well-meaning photographer at Green Valley Ranch's Town Center Park, Oct. 18, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Study: If you’re not white or wealthy, you’re less likely to live near a Denver park

The city says it's working on that.

An oil rig in Commerce City, March 9, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Proposition 112 in the 2018 Colorado election: What to know about oil and gas setbacks

This is the one that would require new oil and gas operations to be at least 2,500 feet from occupied structures, water sources, and areas designated as vulnerable.