Hi! There's a big crush of development news today, and lots of other Denver stuff to catch up on. Let's make it quick.
Weather:
A high of 38 today as clouds clear out. It will be warmer this weekend, except for another chance of light snow on Saturday night.
Transportation & recreation:
Aurora now has more bike-share bikes than Denver, and they're showing strong ridership. (Streetsblog)
Package theft is up 41 percent in Denver in 2017, which is crummy holiday news. (Denverite)
Next Friday is the last day to comment on the significant fee hikes planned for Rocky Mountain National Park. Worries linger in Estes Park. (KUNC)
Tons of restaurants seem to be closing, but even more are coming. It's a tough but healthy market for restaurateurs, experts say. (5280)
Fun!
Our big list of things to do this week includes approximately 1,000,001 holiday events. (Denverite)
We took a walk-through of the under-construction Source Hotel to get a glimpse what's to come. Take a look. (Denverite)
Snarf's is opening two new shops -- a sandwich shop and also the kind of sandwich shop that specializes in ground beef patties between round buns. They'll both be on Federal Boulevard. (Denverite)
We've already received a lot of nominations for our coffee shop bracket. Don't let your favorite get left out. (Denverite)
The new Star Wars guy -- Rian Johnson, not the porg-- grew up in Denver. He reflects on the city life in an interview. (The Know)
Education:
School enrollment is declining in gentrifying neighborhoods. A committee of community leaders suggests creating a "clear and community-driven process" for dealing with that. (Denverite, Chalkbeat)
Development:
Councilman Paul Kashmann thinks that a plan to redevelop CDOT's old headquarters in southeastern Denver may end up disrupting the area. (Denverite)
The Kmart at Evans & Monaco has been empty for years now. Its parent company refuses to do anything with it. Could a city leader force action? (Denverite)
A new building in Stapleton takes the unusual step of including housing for homeless veterans alongside standard affordable housing. (Denverite)
Chipotle is moving its headquarters to downtown's new 40-story glass skyscraper. (DBJ)
Major developers are getting more cautious about new projects in Denver. Costs are high, credit is tight and there are too many luxury apartments. (DP)
Politics:
Gov. John Hickenlooper will announce his latest pick to fill an opening on the Colorado Supreme Court justice today. (AP)
