Denver news in 5 minutes: What you need to know today, May 3

4 min. read
Flood waters near the 23rd Street viaduct in Lower Downtown, Denver, in 1933. (Harry Mellon Rhoads/Western History and Genealogy Department/Denver Public Library

Hi! I spent too much time reading this morning, so, I'm sorry, but there's no introduction. Is this the introduction? Does this count? Whatever. We've got N Line delays, the flooding threat, a possible organic milk scam and much, much more. READ.

Flood waters near the 23rd Street viaduct in Lower Downtown, Denver, in 1933. (Harry Mellon Rhoads/Western History and Genealogy Department/Denver Public Library)
N Line delayed:

The N Line to Thornton was supposed to open early in 2018. Construction is underway, but now the opening has been delayed to an unannounced date. Apparently the main reason for the delay is the "completion of the overall design drawings and receiving final approval of those designs." OK. Let's see where this goes. (DP)

Meanwhile, RTD is promising the G Line to Wheat Ridge and Arvada will be done before the year's out. (ABC7)

The big one:

You may know there's a massive flood-control project under construction for northern Denver. I talked to city engineers and others about what, exactly, it's supposed to protect Elyria-Swansea from: the hundred-year storm. (Denverite)

Not so organic?

A Washington Post investigation finds that Aurora's High Plains dairy only had a small portion of its cows grazing on any given day. Grazing is a crucial component in the "organic" certification that the dairy holds. Testing of the milk also reportedly showed it matched conventional milk, not organic. It may be a sign of weakness for the organic certification system, which allows dairies to hire and pay their own inspectors. High Plains dismissed the Post's findings. (WP)

Arturo Hernandez Garcia sees sign of hope:

Hernandez Garcia, who came to the U.S. on a visa and then stayed without authorization, was temporarily released from ICE detention so he could see his daughter graduate high school. (DP)

Rejected Broncos logos:

I FINALLY GOT ANSWERS TO MY SMARTASS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BRONCOS HORSE. (Denverite)

Barbecue guide:

Yum. (5280)

Also, check out the newly remade Corner Office, near DPAC. Double yum. (Denverite)

Weed church:

Neighbors of the International Church of Cannabis seem to be organizing resistance against the consumption-oriented church, as Kate McKee Simmons reports. (Westword)

Arapahoe Square:

We've been wondering what will go in Arapahoe Square, east of downtown. One thing we now know: apartments for homeless people on a parking lot near St. Andrew's, as Adrian reports. (Denverite)

Disc golf's future:

I've seen my local disc course completely packed most times I've been -- but the odds of getting a new one in the metro area anytime soon are a bit slim, according to Paul Karolyi's fun new reporting on the topic. (Confluence)

Infinite harvest:

A startup in Golden produces 100,000 heads of lettuce per month in a wind- and solar-powered shipping container in Golden, as Kate Tracy reports. (BusinessDen)

Voting:

Soon, unaffiliated voters will be able to participate in the primary of their choice, giving them a voice in selecting one party or another's candidate.

Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams wants to make that participation public record -- in other words, to disclose whether unaffiliated voters took part in the Republican, Democratic or other primaries. That would seem to give away some information about a voter's preferences – just as party members' choice of parties is public. Corey Hutchins reports. (Independent)

Make my day:

A prison inmate, Eric Stewart, successfully used the "make my day" defense to reduce his sentence for fatally beating another inmate in his (Stewart's) cell. The law has since been changed to exclude inmates. (KDVR)

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