Denver news in 5 minutes: What you need to know today, July 14

3 min. read
Two military tanks parade through Arvada in 1927. (William L. Ford/Western History & Genealogy Dept./Denver Public Library)

Hi. It's Friday and I'm about to get the heck out of Denver. I'll be gone for a couple weeks, but my high-quality colleagues will do a high-quality job of delivering you the news. I know -- it will be hard for me too. Anyway, today's roundup features this super great podcast, plus some very interesting parks projects, sobering news on Denver real estate and, honestly, just a ton more things worth knowing.

Two military tanks parade through Arvada in 1927. Don't mess with Jeffco, I guess. (William L. Ford/Western History & Genealogy Dept./Denver Public Library)
Podcast time:

Paul had a great idea and executed it well for this week's podcast: He gathered up clips of Mayor Michael Hancock's state of the city address, then had us all comment on it. (Denverite)

Parks:

The RiNo river promenade is looking more likely this week with $5 million of potential city funding. Still, that won't go all the way.

A hidden-away camp near Red Rocks once housed hundreds of people who built the modern amphitheater. Now Denver's mayor wants to again turn it into a public amenity -- and a public service. Here's what it looks like now. (Denverite)

More hits to affordability:

Poverty is spreading to more areas of the metro. Twice as many people are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs. Read this by Adrian. (Denverite)

We'll find out today about the details of the new plans available on Colorado's individual insurance market. "State officials have been signaling for months that Coloradans should brace themselves for large premium increases," as John Ingold reports. (DP)

Composting and recycling:

Trying to figure out what to do with the compost in your apartment? Megan found a new bicycle-bound business that will take care of it for you. Interesting idea and interview. (Denverite)

Denver Water wants to save money by expanding the recycled water system, potentially allowing for grey water to be used for toilets in commercial buildings, cattle washing at National Western Stock Show and crop irrigation. State health officials are skeptical. Bruce Finley reports.(DP)

Wildfires:

The Resilient Federal Forests Act, a proposal in Congress, would make it easier to cut down trees on much larger plots of land, ostensibly to reduce the supply of fuel for fires. Democrats and environmentalists are concerned that it would fast-track logging projects and reduce environmental oversight, as Rebecca Worby reports. (High Country)

Voting:

More than 3,000 people have dropped their voter registrations in Colorado since Trump's election commission requested public records on voters. (Denverite)

RTD accessibility:

Following a lawsuit, RTD has agreed to retrofit 172 train vehicles to make more room for passengers using wheelchairs, and the agency also will do more training to make sure drivers understand accessibility issues. (Denverite)

DACA:

"A letter signed last month by a group of Republican state attorneys general might have set off a chain of events that could force Trump’s hand — or at least persuade him to cut the cord on DACA. And then all legislative hell could break loose." Dara Lind reports. (Vox)

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