Our favorite moments, portraits and animal photos of the year
There’s a lot going on in here (because there’s a lot going on out there).
Tea time at Simon Kaganov's and Alla Sheherbi's home at Windsor Gardens, Nov. 16, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Welcome back to year-in-review season, dearest Denverite readers. Let’s celebrate another revolution around the sun with this look back at the news, moments, faces and (crucially) animals we came across in the city. There’s a lot going on here, and that’s a pretty good reflection of Denver itself.
Moments we encountered:
Canada geese fill a temporary enclosure as USDA biologists cull them from City Park, July 1, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
A pho eating contest at the Little Saigon Night Market. Federal Boulevard, June 21, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Armando Peniche-Cruz's granddaughter, Athena, plays with a rubber-glove balloon as he undergoes radiation treatment down the hall. July 18, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Mike Coffman prepares to make a victory speech for his run at the Aurora mayor's office on the steps of the city's municipal building. Nov. 14, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Alexander Hamilton, aka FranziaMan, does his thing in the parking lot behind The Gin Mill before the Denver Cruiser Ride on July 31, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Aurora Police officers make a line in the street as immigration activists march on the home of Johnny Choate, warden of GEO Group's contract immigration jail in Aurora. Sept. 19, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
A protester who asked not to be named rips apart a flag with GEO's logo on it, the contractor operating Aurora's private immigration detention facility, June 14, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Autumn Lawrence speaks during a community meeting concerning violence in Montbello after her son was shot to death. Sept. 18, 2019. (Esteban L. Hernandez/Denverite)
Walt Collins speaks to a reporter along the South Platte River, June 6, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
A dress rehearsal of "Northside" by Bobby LeFebre at Su Teatro on Santa Fe Drive, June 10, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Someone hangs out near a fan and a window on a hot summer night inside the Newhouse Hotel on West Colfax Avenue, Aug. 4, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Pigeons on a cold Monday evening on Colfax Avenue. Nov. 25, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Cruz Ortega and Aryel Ramos fly off a jump at Ruby Hill Park on a small sled on a snow day, Oct. 29, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Danette Hollowell and the Old Souls play the Rossonian Hotel during the Five Points Jazz Festival, May 18, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Construction workers inside the Denver Art Museum's north building watch the 2019 Womxn's March, Jan. 19, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
City Council District 9 candidate Candi Cdebaca (right to left), Kerrie Joy, Elisabeth Epps and Jessica Campbell-Swanson pore over election results at her shared watch party with mayoral candidate Lisa Calderón, May 7, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Mayor Michael Hancock walks on stage as he claims victory in the Denver mayoral race and celebrates at his election night party. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Terry Knight, representing the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, smudges Jared Polis before he is inaugurated as Colorado's 43rd governor, Jan. 8, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Lemons tattooed by Amanda Wachob in her exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Feb. 15, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Rodrido Rodriguez and Juan Fernandez ride their mounts through a field in Aurora that's across the street from a recent housing development. Dec. 20, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
People we met:
Most of the people we met at Suave Fest, by the future site of Raices Brewing, Sept. 14, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Kim Ramos sits in a chair adorned with tulle before her quinceañera ceremony began. Ministerio Hispano Presbyterian Church, Dec 14, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Everyone we met on Brighton Boulevard in two hours. Oct. 3, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
"Accidental developer" Bernard Hurley shows a photo of what he looked like before he went to prison. Sept. 24, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Portraits of Chef Angela Ray of Taste the Love Catering (clockwise from top left), Chef Garret Simpson of Bella's Gourmet Sausage Company, Chef Lorrie Gonzalez of Two Feathers Native American Cuisine and Ahmed Hmoud of Marrakech Moroccan Cuisine, May 17, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Loring Wirbel poses for a portrait near his home in Colorado Springs, March 8, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Thomas "Detour" Evans speaks to a reporter during the installation of his "5 Pointers Museum" at the Redline Contemporary Art Center, Oct. 31, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Everyone we met at the Underground Music Showcase in two hours. July 28, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Raad Altaee speaks to a reporter inside his Montbello home as his kids – daughter Rasha, son Idrees and puppy Benji – hang out on the couch behind him. Nov. 21, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Kids roar for the camera inside the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, May 9, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Some of the items left inside Gary Johnson's home west of Washington Park, July 25, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Hedy Red Dexter gives a tour of her magical pink loft in City Park West, April 5, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
A sampling of the crowd at a meeting for Denver's East Area Plan at Johnson and Wales' campus in South Park Hill, Nov. 23, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Luis Sanchez walks part of his daily route in Denver's Goldsmith neighborhood during a "bomb cyclone" snowstorm, March 13, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Gertie Grant poses for a portrait in her home in Denver's Speer neighborhood, Jan. 11, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Animals we met:
Canelo's human William Hernandez holds him up to view a pho eating context during the Little Saigon Night Market. Federal Boulevard, June 21, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Luna Raine and her cat, Alexios, at her place in the Beloved Community tiny home village, March 21, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Annabelle (left) and Sven pose for a portrait inside Sen. Lois Court's Capitol office, April 30, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Billy hangs outside of Denver Elections Division headquarters on a rainy election day, May 7, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Some of the dogs we met at City Park Jazz, July 14, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Baby grackle cheep in a knit nest inside the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, June 29, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Samson, Barbara Dodge's foster-turned-full-time dog, in her Westminster home, April 23, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Denver Zoo's new baby lion is revealed to the public. Sept. 18, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Newly-adopted Archer and his human, Marlena Sacks, frolic in Civic Center Park. May 31, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Some pigeonoid residents of the Cherry Creek Trail, March 26, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Osho the dog meets a photographer at the Co-Op at 1st in Barnum West, Nov. 20, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Say hello to Gumbo, who lives at 2283 N. Ogden St., the old New Hope Baptist Church. Aug. 20, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Charlie the cat poses for a photo at an adoption event at the Governor's Mansion, March 9, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Developer Norbert Klebl's weed-eating goats on site at his Geos Neighborhood in Arvada, March 26, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Bully the bulldog poses for a portrait at Englewood's Cushing Park, Feb. 2, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Sub-zero temps could skew Denver’s Point in Time count of people experiencing homelessness
Outreach workers hit the streets at 4 a.m. on Jan. 31.
Denver City Council votes to decriminalize jaywalking
Advocates cited racial disparities in who gets tickets.
Denver nonprofit Urban Peak lost state grant due to “performance issues”
The $500,000 grant was used to fund clinical mental health support for youth experiencing homelessness.
Denver weather: It’s COLD out there
Snow is likely Monday.
Protesters demand justice for Tyre Nichols at Colorado State Capitol after footage released
“It’s unbearable to hear about another one.”
Denver’s McNichols building warming center is open now through Wednesday morning
It'll be very cold this weekend with a chance of snow Saturday and Sunday.
RTD wants to ban passengers from riding with nowhere to go
Some worry proposed rule changes to address security concerns would target homeless riders.
Here are the mayoral candidates who qualified for the ballot
Seventeen have qualified — making it the largest field in at least 40 years.
Rude Rec Center to reopen Monday after hosting emergency migrant shelter
Fewer migrants and asylum seekers have arrived in Denver this month.
Things to do in Denver this weekend, Jan. 27-29
A whiskey festival, Lunar New Year celebrations and more!
Calling all divers: Casa Bonita is hiring hundreds
The iconic restaurant is set to reopen in May.
Lisa Calderón’s 2019 Denver mayor campaign website is being held for ransom — and it’s messing with her 2023 race
"We have a beautiful new website. I love our website. But we can't get people directed to it in a way that is going to really help push us forward, at least on the internet.”
Leslie Herod’s community safety plan will be a hot topic in the Denver mayor’s race. Here’s where she stands on crime
At the Statehouse, she's been a proponent of criminal justice reform, law enforcement accountability and harm reduction. Denverites will be debating whether these are the right solutions to ensuring the city is safe.
Denverites have raised their own sales taxes more than 30 percent in the last few years
We rely pretty heavily on them to fund the budget!
Denver nonprofit that broke ground on a new $37 million youth shelter this week loses state funding
The $500,000 grant funds mental health services for youth experiencing homelessness.
Laura Brudzynski is Denver’s new chief housing officer
She comes to the role from her job as Deputy Director of Operations for the Department of Housing Stability.
Denver mayoral candidate Mike Johnston is a “fundraising machine”
Money isn't everything in a Denver mayoral race, but it is money.
Nearly half of Denver voters polled don’t have a mayor pick
A poll commissioned by candidate Debbie Ortega says voters would be likeliest to choose her, but no candidate reached even the 20% mark.
Kwame Spearman wants to be Denver’s neighborhood mayor. What does that mean?
The Tattered Cover CEO says Denver government needs to focus more on specific communities and less on umbrella solutions.