The cool thing about working in news is that we get to learn a lot of interesting and weird things. Sometimes, you guys point us in a direction and other times it's our own curiosity that leads to stories.
And there was plenty to be curious about in 2023, including the miller moth invasion and subsequent green dangling worm attack. There were a ton of transportation questions, sidewalk questions and garbage questions. Oh, and also there was a huge mayoral election, which you know we covered with a passion.
Let's take a look back at what we learned this year, both the fun and serious things.
What was with all the bugs in Denver this year?
Miller moths are a species of moth that migrate west toward Colorado (on purpose!) from the Great Plains every spring and through the summer. This year, their migration was especially intense because of all the snow we had during the winter and the lush, wet spring and summer.
There was no escaping them.
Nor could we escape the tiny, green, wormlike creatures that would fall from the trees.
Those were leafrollers caterpillars. They're found across Colorado and they draw silk from a part of their body near their mouths called spinnerets. They produce the silk and climb up it. And we had enough of them.
Speaking of precipitation, why has Denver historically sucked at snow plowing?
The fast answer: The city doesn't need to be great at it because it just doesn't snow enough.
The long answer: Denver's urban core receives an average of about 60 inches of snow annually, with most storms in the trace to three-inch range. Big snowstorms are relatively rare, and sunny, warm days are common throughout the winter. So the city's snow removal system has historically not been as muscular or costly as those in snow-belt cities with grayer skies.
So, yes Denver will still rely on the sun to do the heavy lifting of clearing streets. We just have to be patient and try our best not to slip.
Denverites were very patient beyond the lingering snow. They also wondered about library openings and sidewalk repairs.
You may have noticed Denver Public Library's Central location on Broadway has been under construction for a while. Update: It's still under construction.
And in case you didn't know, property owners used to be responsible for maintaining their own sidewalks as needed, but now the city will collect money annually.
And when will the city begin collecting fees for sidewalk repairs? July 2024.
The thing we got the most questions about was the 2023 mayoral election.
And that makes sense because Denver had the same mayor for 12 years and city voters knew it was a big deal.
So we got asked, how much power does the mayor have? What does City Council do? How do City Council meetings work?
Also speaking of the election, Kevin created a whole bunch of maps that take a dip look into who voted in the April election and where.
Here's some other questions we looked into:
As Mayor Michael Hancock's third term came to an end, we took stock of his time in office. Here's a big, qualitative story that looks at Hancock's legacy through the people around him over the last 12 years and through a roundup of data that shows how things changed in a more quantitative way.
Rebecca gets asked a ton of transportation questions, such as is there a way to submit to the city for payment over pothole damages or does Denver's high levels of car theft affect insurance rates? If so, how? She's got answers for you.
She also dug into your composting needs. Like what can you compost? And when will those compost bins from the "pay-as-you-throw" trash program arrive? The answer... soon. Maybe.
Kevin and Rebecca learned that twice as many Denverites are protesting their property values this year. Here are the neighborhoods that had the most appeals.
Kevin looked into what neighborhoods are most affected by Xcel power outages. He also looked into how much Denverites have raised their own sales taxes via voter-bonds over the last few years.
Nathaniel Minor, our CPR pal, learned what would happen if the massive "cloverleaf" interchange at Federal Boulevard and Colfax Avenue was totally transformed? He also followed one woman's crusade against a dirty RTD bus shelter and what could be done to change that.
Keep those questions coming in 2024, Denver.
