Hi. I flew back home to Denver yesterday into this ethereal haze. It was especially weird to stand in the airport's endless parking lots amid the endless smoke. (Yes, I had to drive.) Anyway, the smoke is expected to clear today, but the news remains relentless. Here's what's happening, from DACA to rail service and the Broncos.
Transportation:
Is the idea of Front Range rail service alive again? Maybe. Government representatives from up and down the corridor are working on a new proposal to run commuter rail from Fort Collins to Pueblo. Such a plan might cost from $5 billion to $15 billion, and it's still a long shot. A shorter-term plan to reroute an existing Amtrak line to Pueblo and Walsenburg also is in play, as Rachel Riley reports. (Gazette)
Dave Sachs has a dispatch from Copenhagen, where a "heavily trafficked, six-lane central arterial, felt safer than a two-lane neighborhood street in Denver" for bicyclists. (Streetsblog)
Power:
Erica dove into the details of Xcel's sweeping plan to make renewables dominant in Colorado. Experts say it can be done without destabilizing the power grid. (Denverite)
Politics:
Denver's considering a proposal that would force "independent" groups who are trying to influence local elections to file public finance reports and clearly identify themselves in their advertising. The proposal headed for Denver City Council also would institute fines for missed deadlines and require more frequent reports, as Jon Murray reports. (DP)
President Donald Trump is expected to end the DACA program that protects young immigrants from deportation. He reportedly will set the end of the program for six months from now. Meanwhile, local Republican Rep. Mike Coffman's pushing Congress to protect the program with legislation that would extend its protections by three years. We also profiled a small sample of the DACA generation in Colorado. (Sentinel, Denverite)
Sporting:
The Broncos could be really bad this season -- or not. Here are five crucial questions that will determine their fate, by Christian. (Denverite)
Misc.:
ICYMI: Panera now delivers around Denver. I worked there as a kid, but I never successfully transitioned from cashier to sandwich-maker because I cared too much about my craft (I was too slow). (DBJ)
A Krisana Park mid-mod made The New York Times. It's asking $850,000. Congratulations? (NYT)
