Today's news roundup includes evictions of artists, a car-free plan for 21st Street, fireworks in Aurora, the death penalty, a fascinating new cooking show and more.
Denver shuts down a DIY community.
Denver Fire made a surprise inspection and forced five people out of Rhinoceropolis, where they reportedly were living. It closely follows a deadly warehouse fire at the Ghost Ship arts space in Oakland. (Denverite)
Denver will turn a block of 21st Street into a car-free pedestrian zone next summer.
The test will last up to two months, stretching from Larimer to Lawrence on 21st Street, just southeast of Coors Field. The city is trying this out as a step toward a permanent redesign of 21st and Wynkoop streets. (Streetsblog)
Department of Defense clears United Launch Alliance.
The federal department's inspector general "found no evidence to support an allegation that the Pentagon showed favoritism toward space contractor United Launch Alliance." ULA is based in Colorado. (AP via CPR)
Seagate lays off 70 in Longmont.
The disk-drive manufacturer laid off 70 people, mostly engineers, from its Longmont office. The company is cutting nearly 20 percent of its global workforce. (Daily Camera)
The Arapahoe County DA is trying for another death penalty.
DA George Brauchler wants the death penalty for a man accused of killing his son. The ACLU notes that the only people on death row in Colorado are two black men tried in Brauchler's district. This would make a third. (Aurora Sentinel)
Cooking without sight:
Claudia Folska has a fascinating new cooking show on Rocky Mountain PBS. Folska, who began losing her sight at age 5, has guests on her show cook blindfolded. It airs 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays this month and it's available online. (5280, RMPBS)
Aurora may legalize fireworks.
Our easterly neighbor's city council may soon allow "sparklers, fountains and ground snakes" – anything that doesn't explode or shoot into the air. That would make Aurora our South Carolina: the place just across the border where you can have fun and/or accidentally start fires. (Aurora Sentinel)
Big changes at New Belgium:
Colorado's largest craft brewer is killing off Snapshot Wheat, Slow Ride Session IPA and Shift Pale Lager. In its place are four new year-round brews (a hop ale, an "easygoing" ale, an "excotic lime" ale and a lemon ginger sour) and a bit of rebranding. (DBJ)
Today's soundtrack:
Howlin' Wolf will do you no wrong.
