Hi. Today's news roundup will get you ready for the weekend, but it will also help you understand the Republican health plan's impact on Colorado, the worsening food desert in Elyria-Swansea and more. Also, check out our podcast.
Do something this weekend:
It'll be in the mid 70s through the weekend, with a slight chance of high-country storms. There's a taco bonanza, a comic-book drag production and soooo much more. Ashley's the best. (Denverite)
Medicaid:
Republicans in the Senate released their draft health care bill. It would leave Colorado the choice of cutting coverage for 450,000 people who got insurance through the Medicaid expansion or paying $15 billion over 10 years to keep them covered. Erica has a really good explanation that will get your head around the new bill. (Denverite)
Food desert worsens:
Elyria-Swansea is losing the 7-Eleven that many people use for groceries. The city is taking over the property as part of the National Western Center project. Good reporting here by Adrian. (Denverite)
Homelessness trend:
A one-night survey found 3,336 people living without housing in Denver this January. That's about 300 people fewer than last year, but the data's kind of shaky. (Denverite)
Wages:
Federal statistics show that the average weekly paycheck shrank in Colorado's major counties. However, a new survey shows that metro Denver employers expect to award average pay raises of 3.1 percent next year, as Aldo Svaldi reports. (DBJ, DP)
Weed and driving:
While an insurance research group claims to have found elevated crash claims in marijuana states, another study by the American Journal of Public Health found no significant increase in fatalities in Colorado or Washington. Bottom line: We may not know for a while. (Reuters via NYT)
Art experiment:
Local artists will be selling their work at a fraction of their normal prices through a new experiment that eliminates middlemen. Read this by Ray Rinaldi, and check out Leon Gallery on 7th Avenue in Uptown. (The Know)
Toll changes:
Toll rates on the express lanes of Interstate 25 are U.S. 36 are... well, a change is proposed, and it's complicated, as Cathy Proctor reports. (DBJ)
NBA:
The Nuggets did not exactly get what Christian thinks they needed in the draft. (Denverite)
