Hello. Big news roundup today, so I've broken it up into a few categories, from the big plans brewing in Denver to politics news and mobility arguments. Read on, and say hi.
Big plans:
The city of Glendale has decided to once again try to make Glendale 180 happen. The idea is to attract $175 million worth of bars and restaurants and let people freely carry boozy drinks near Cherry Creek. They're in negotiations with a developer now, as John Aguilar reports. (DP)
Chipotle is the first big-name company to sign onto a plan with the city of Denver to find and provide affordable housing for workers, as Ashley reports.
The owner of the Park Hill Golf Club land is considering selling it or converting it to a new use. Affordable housing and public parkland are among the ideas.
Custom Corned Beef has left its building in River North. Looks like offices might take its place.
Eric Hiraga is moving from a leadership position at the airport to head up economic development for the city. (Denverite)
Cory Gardner:
A judge dismissed charges against protesters who were accused of trespassing in Sen. Cory Gardner's office in January. The reason: It was a mostly public place. That defense might not work in Gardner's new office, as Erica reports. (Denverite)
Health care screw-up:
Colorado has a new billing system that doctors use to get payments from Medicaid. Some medical professionals say it's a "nightmare" or even a "crisis" due to glitches. John Daley reports. (CPR)
Bikes, peds and transit:
Everything you need to know about the Colorado Classic this weekend and its related musical event, Velorama. The organizers hope that a simpler, audience-friendly race will survive where others failed. (CPR)
A deeper dive on the 5280 Loop, an ambitious and largely unfunded plan to make a hiking and biking loop around downtown, by Chris Meehan. (Confluence)
Council killed a plan to give $9.8 million from the bonds to a project that would have sped up buses on Federal. Instead, much of the money will go to improvements for pedestrians on the west side of Denver. Dave Sachs argues we could have both. (Streetsblog)
I-70 has literally never been busier in the mountains. What's the plan? (Denverite)
Nuclear war:
Un-fun fact: Colorado has long been part of the "nuclear sponge," an area of the West dotted with missile silos that were meant, in part, to force Soviet Russia to waste a ton of warheads obliterating the weapons (and the region).
There's no reason to believe North Korea would attempt that kind of attack, but the question of ICBM placement is newly relevant as the U.S. considers spending $85 billion to renew its missile arsenal. (Denverite)
Nuggets uniforms:
The basketball team's new outfits are made of plastic bottles and look a little different. Check 'em out. (Denverite)
Taylor Swift trial:
Not many people are showing up to watch the pop star's civil trial, which is related to her allegation that a former Denver radio DJ groped her. Danika Worthington reports. (DP)
Here's an update from the first day, for those of you following along. (AP)
Something to read:
I really love the original South Park -- the wonderful rolling plain surrounded by mountains southwest of Denver, beyond Kenosha Pass. I'm excited to read Ted Conover's love letter to the place. (5280)
