Denver news in 5 minutes: What you need to know today, Feb. 6

3 min. read
Civic Center, Denver, Colorado; view southwest across Sea Lion Fountain, Main Library, the Greek Theater and Colonnade of Benefactors; scene includes dirt walkways, lampposts, sea lion and baby bronzes in pool, Bucking Bronco and Indian Scout monuments. (Louis Charles McClure/Denver Public Library/Western History Collection/MCC-2840) capitol hill; civic center; historic; denver public library; dpl; archive; archival; denverite

Hello. Your news roundup today includes another awful shooting, updates on bills that could reshape Denver and more.

Civic Center. (Louis Charles McClure/Denver Public Library/Western History Collection/MCC-2840)
Law enforcement:

"For the third time since Dec. 31, a Colorado sheriff’s deputy has been killed in a shooting while taking a suspect into custody." The latest is in El Paso County. Two other deputies, plus a civilian and a Colorado Springs officer, were injured, too. Noelle Phillips reports. (DP)

Stephanie O’Malley, the Denver Department of Public Safety’s executive director, is stepping down from her role to become a special assistant to Mayor Michael Hancock. (Denverite)

Development:

You know there aren't enough houses available. But there are some interesting explanations here: There's not enough qualified labor to build new houses, and sellers are afraid they won't be able to find another house. (CPR)

CityLab ruminates on WeWork, the coworking giant that manifests "the millennial id." Its future may lie not with scrappy startups but with renting space to companies like Microsoft and Bank of America. (CityLab)

Big boxes are out. "Modern farmhouse" is the latest style for new houses in Denver. Kate Tracy reports. (BusinessDen)

Politics:

Republican Senate President Kevin Grantham would not promise to publicize the results of a sexual harassment investigation into Sen. Randy Baumgardner. Bente Birkland reports. (KUNC)

Rep. Leslie Herod says a proposal to allow for the creation of supervised injection sites, where people could inject narcotics in the presence of medical professionals, still has a chance with some changes. (Denverite)

The city is on track to ban slot homes in May— but that’s not fast enough for some. (Denverite)

Cannabis:

Gov. Hickenlooper says the state is looking at dismissing non-violent marijuana convictions — about 40 of them. (Cheddar)

A Girl Scout troop convinced Aurora to make it illegal to smoke or vape in a car with a kid. (Aurora Sentinel)

Transportation & environment:

As families begin submitting their school choices for next year, one of the most persistent local critics has offered a set of recommendations to improve what it calls the district’s "antiquated transportation policies." (Chalkbeat)

Xcel's ambitious (and apparently cheap!) renewable plans are getting national attention. (NYT)

There will be a hearing about the long-delayed G Line on Feb. 15-16. Then an administrative law judge will look over the facts and decide whether to get this stupid train rolling already. John Aguilar reports. (DP)

Immigration:

Eliseo Jurado Fernandez, whose wife Ingrid Encalada is now living in sanctuary in Boulder, has posted bond after being detained for weeks by immigration officials. (Denverite, DP)

Fun?

A man named Enver had a layover in Denver. He conscripted the internet to help him get pictures of himself standing in front of signs that say Denver so it looks like they say Enver. We at Enverite applaud his efforts. (Denverite)

River otters are making a comeback in Colorado. They weren't seen here for decades before they were first reintroduced in 1976. I saw one in Ralston Creek the other day, myself. Very exciting! (Daily Camera)

Velorama returns this year for another three-day festival stint in RiNo. They'll try to be better this time. (The Know)

Here's a list of notable February film screenings. (5280)

Recent Stories