Denver news in 5 minutes: What you need to know today, March 13

4 min. read
Pedestrians and horse drawn carriages use the old 14th Street viaduct along Cherry Creek in Denver, 1899. (Western History and Genealogy Department/Denver Public Library)

Hi! We've got a surprisingly wide spread of news this Monday, because not even daylight saving time can slow the world's turning. (Interestingly, clock-shifting was originally introduced in Europe to save electricity during World War I.)

Anyway, today's roundup includes thousands of homes planned for Aurora, a tragedy that could possibly have been averted, a debate over late-night drinking, some library news (yay!), school inequities and more. Read on, reader.

Pedestrians and horse drawn carriages use the old 14th Street viaduct along Cherry Creek in Denver, 1899. (Western History and Genealogy Department/Denver Public Library)
Many, many homes:

Developers want to put 60,000 new residents on 5,000 acres near Denver International Airport in Aurora, as Quincy Snowdon reports. It will be somewhat near the 40th and Airport rail station. (Aurora Sentinel)

A father wonders:

Denver police officers stood by as Kayla Burke moved her belongings out of her boyfriend's apartment; she likely had asked for their assistance. She apparently dismissed them, telling them she'd be fine to wait for a ride outside the apartment. She was killed shortly after; her boyfriend is accused of the the murder. Her father, a retired officer, believes the police department erred in leaving her alone. Erica has the story. (Denverite)

MADD prepares for a late-night showdown:

A proposal in the statehouse would allow Denver and other local governments to extend bar closings past 2 a.m. It cleared the House and now it's on to the Senate, where Mothers Against Drunk Driving will make a stand against it, as Joey Bunch reports. (Colorado Politics)

Also, a House committee talks today about a plan to get rid of the time change in Colorado. The bill would put us on permanent daylight saving time, as Erica reports. (Denverite)

Photography at the margins:

"Down in Denver," a new photo exhibition, includes some compelling images of life in Denver. It's at the VFW Post on Santa Fe through April 7th. Put it on your art-walk agenda, and read this write-up by Rupert Jenkins. (OneGoodEye)

Why school taxes vary so much:

Local schools in Colorado are funded in large part by local property taxes. The highest-taxed districts, such as Jefferson County, are paying taxes 14 times higher than others. Some of those local taxes have gone high enough to hit the caps instituted by TABOR, and in some districts (like Adams 12), voters won't let them go any higher. The result: school funding differs greatly, the tax burden differs greatly and some districts, such as Aurora, are facing tough spending decisions, as Jenny Brundin explains. (CPR)

Cory Gardner ain't the only one:

At least nine Republican Senators have expressed concerns about the Republican health care plan. (Reuters via NYT)

Library upgrade:

Hadley Branch is one library benefiting from a "decade-long library renovation spree," Burl Rolett reports. (That's one of the best kinds of sprees, IMHO.) The upgrades include craft machines, a new children's area, a media production area and more. (BusinessDen)

Also, check out Megan's really fun charts on what we've all been taking from the library. Books are most popular category, but individual movies are the most popular single items. (Denverite)

Bummer for the Rockies:

Ian Desmond, the hot new recruit at first base, just broke his hand in a spring game. No word yet on his recovery time. (AP via Denverite)

Democrats get big town halls too:

An event with Rep. Jared Polis drew more than 1,000 constituents – and a mariachi band? (Boulder Daily Camera)

Freight train derailment cancels Winter Park Express:

A crash on I-70 might cost you a couple hours. A crash on the tracks to Winter Park will change your whole travel plan. That's what happened on Saturday, when a freight train reportedly left the rails, forcing the cancellation of the passenger train to the ski resort, as Danika Worthington reports. (DP)

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