Hi, Denver. Today's news roundup includes the story of how Miguel Lopez ended up at the center of possibly the nation's biggest 4/20 party, more marijuana analysis, an update on Jeanette Vizguerra, and more.
Wait, what are 50,000 people doing in the park?
Miguel Lopez is the man at the center of Denver's gigantic 4/20 rally. Let him and me tell you how this huge, weird party came together.
Certain industry leaders, however, are not a fan of 4/20's image, as Adrian reports.
Also, be aware that 4:20 might be kind of wet today. Rain! (Denverite)
Lastly, let the AP take you inside a Colorado pot club. More interesting than you would expect a room full of stoned people to be, for sure. (NYT)
Apartment demand keeping up:
I keep thinking all these new apartment units are going to bust the bubble, but vacancy rates are actually down this quarter compared to last year and the average rent crept up, as Molly Armbrister and Ben Miller report. (DBJ)
Meanwhile, Megan has this TOTALLY GREAT visualization of Denver's residential growth over the years. (Denverite)
TIME honors Jeanette Vizguerra:
Jeanette Vizguerra, an undocumented immigrant who has taken sanctuary from immigration authorities in a church in Denver, has been honored by Time Magazine and an Emmy-winning actor as one of the country’s most influential people. (Denverite)
Hick: “Oh, happy day!”
That's the governor's reaction to news that the legislature may have a compromise on construction defects. It essentially would slow down condo owners' lawsuits against builders over allegedly shoddy construction by requiring that a majority of homeowners in HOAs approve of such lawsuits, as Peter Marcus reports. The idea is that fewer lawsuits means less cost and more condos. (Colorado Politics)
Michael Marshall:
Three Denver jail staff will be suspended without pay between 10 and 16 days following the suffocation death of Michael Marshall, as Erica reports. (Denverite)
Aurora schools' big "whew:"
Looks like the Aurora Public Schools budget isn't so bad after all. They're stepping back from earlier suggestions that they might need to cut full-day kindergarten, sports and clubs, as Yesenia Robles reports. (Chalkbeat)
More Globeville profits:
The Railyard Marketplace stands under the Park Avenue viaduct, a hidden, inexpensive little shopping area just outside Lower Downtown, as Amy DiPierro reports. It just sold for $8 million. That does not include the part with La Quinta and Old West Pancake House. Again: whew. (BusinessDen)
