It's Monday, and it's colder than yesterday. That seems to be some kind of pattern this fall. We've got your Denver news round-up, with stories about Coloradans opening their wallets and Coloradans leaving the state in record numbers, stories about money and health and what rights we all have. Good stuff. Deep stuff.
Read on.
Demographics
We hear a lot about how many people are moving to Colorado, but what about the people who are leaving? That number is at a record high, according to new data from the American Community Survey. In 2016, 193,000 people left the state, while 223,000 moved here. Aldo Svaldi reports. The reasons they cited for leaving include -- hold onto your hats -- the high cost of housing, wages that haven't kept up and the terrible traffic. "I really miss the Colorado I had growing up," one person said. (DP)
Money
Colorado Gives Day is nigh upon us, and Coloradans really like to give. Last year, they gave nearly $34 million. Do you have your causes and organizations picked out? You have one more day to think. Andy has this story. (Denverite)
DIA has really good credit, which is good because the airport is taking on a ton of debt to finance renovations and expansions. At least the interest rates will be good. Cathy Proctor reports. (DBJ)
Rights
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this week in the case of the Lakewood baker who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple's wedding. Both sides agree it's about much more than cake. This case is about the rights of LGBTQ people to participate fully in public life and the role of religion in the public sphere. David Crary has this in-depth analysis of what's at stake. (AP)
Stuff
One of the big challenges of being homeless is hanging onto your important possessions. A network of storage sites is spreading around Denver to ease some of this burden. Andy reports. (Denverite)
Health
As cities and counties around Colorado have embraced harm-reduction strategies, conservative El Paso County has been a hold out. That could change, as the county Board of Health considers finally creating a needle-exchange program. Jakob Rodgers reports. (Gazette)
No one wants to think that young children take their own lives, but as the sad case of Aurora's Ashawnty Davis shows, it can and does happen. Some state lawmakers want to help schools do more to intervene while there's still time. Nic Garcia has that story. (Chalkbeat)
Congress failed to renew the Children's Health Insurance Program back in September. Colorado is one of the states where money is running out fast and parents are scrambling. Steve Karnowski and Jim Anderson report. (AP)
Food
Yellowbelly Chicken is expanding to Lakewood and Arvada. Yellowbelly is a fast-casual restaurant that pitches its fried and roasted chicken based on health. The chicken is hormone- and antibiotic-free, and the fried chicken is gluten-free. Everything is made from scratch from organic and locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Ashley has this tasty news. (Denverite)
Holidays
A program in Douglas County makes it possible for kids with sensory issues to enjoy a visit with Santa. Joel Hillan has that story. (4)
Animals
A llama that's been on the loose in Fort Collins for months has been found and captured. When it was roaming free, it spooked livestock, acted aggressively toward humans and repeatedly evaded capture. (RH)
A pack of puppies that was running around on a Weld County road is safe. (31)
Did you see the super moon?
A few folks stuck around for the skies to clear.
