Hello, hello! I hope you all made it through those two cloudy days -- I know that's a lot in these parts.
Anyway, the sunshine is back and the air is warming up just in time for outdoor fun-having this weekend. Read up and get out there.
Not everyone is OK with Gov. Hickenlooper's recent pardon
Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, a candidate for governor, is questioning whether Hickenlooper followed state law when he pardoned Rene Lima-Marin in an effort to protect him from immigration authorities. Some of the victims of Lima-Marin's crimes aren't pleased, either. (Denverite)
A police officer and suspect were hospitalized after a shooting
The suspect was in crisis when police responded to his home in the South Harvey Park neighborhood. Non-lethal intervention was failing, the suspect shot an officer in the leg and police returned fire. (Denverite)
There won't be a special legislative session
After a week of will-he, won’t-he, Hickenlooper landed on the latter. He will not call lawmakers back to try to put together a transportation funding package.
What that means for you: Expect a ballot measure with some sort of tax. (Denverite)
15-year-old Five Points Jazz Fest and 2-year-old Project Pabst are both happening today, just blocks apart
And it turns out that's just fine.
“This is my third year planning the festival, and the first year planning would have been 2014, and we were the only thing going on that weekend,” said Brooke Dilling, Denver Arts & Venues’ special events coordinator and lead organizer of Five Points Jazz Fest. “Now there’s the Pabst fest down on Larimer and a couple other things going on, and I think that’s a testament to how much Denver is growing. I think it helps us because it drives more people to our festival.” (Denverite)
And that's not all that's going on today
See our guide to having a good time to, you know, have a good time. (Denverite)
The Rockies play an afternoon game today in Cincinnati
They won last night. Alexi Amarista hit a three-run homer and a run-scoring single during an eight-run rally. (AP)
Colorado's unemployment rate hit a record low
It's quite a record, too. This is only the fifth time in U.S. history that a state's unemployment has dropped to 2.3 percent. (DP)
Police are asking for help finding murder suspects
The DPD is looking for Dmarco Jaquise Blake and Zjiahnni Tarralle Lacour, two teens wanted in connection with a homicide in the 3900 block of S. Spruce St. on May 15. (9)
A judge blocked a land deal for development at Wolf Creek
The plan for an extensive residential and commercial complex near the southwestern Colorado ski area was squashed because, the judge said, the federal government had not carefully considered the impact or listened to public concerns. (AP)
How art is fueling the future for a town "built on coal"
Corey Jones profiles a small town in transition:
"A contemporary art museum might be the last thing you’d expect to find in Walsenburg, Colorado. But there is one, just two and a half hours south of Denver and nestled near the Spanish Peaks among vacant buildings and coal-mining memorials.
"This is "The City Built on Coal" -- an industry, along with its many workers and their families, that left town long ago. Now Walsenburg is struggling over its identity." (CPR)
