Denverite published more than 1,000 stories in 2025.
We think they were all pretty good, but that would make for an endless year-in-review list. So, we asked our reporters (and editor Andy) to pick their favorite stories to highlight.
From deep dives into Denver neighborhoods and underground music scenes to the lives of immigrants and families going through eviction, here's some of our favorite work this year.
Paolo's favorites
Business in Little Saigon is a family matter. What happens when the next generation moves on?
It seems like the entire city is changing except for Little Saigon, the unofficial commercial district along Federal Boulevard that was founded in the 1980s. But where many saw “authenticity,” I saw a neighborhood on the cusp of change. For all the decades of success in the neighborhood, business owners in the district, many of whom are immigrants, have a dilemma: Who will take over the family businesses that form the backbone of Little Saigon?
Send it! Denver embraces skate culture and opens new park in Barnum
Skateboarding culture has come a long way since cops would chase young punks out of makeshift skate spots in urban areas. These days, the sport is fully embraced by the city, as evidenced by the newest skatepark opening in Barnum. I got to meet some of the skaters in Denver’s scene and learned that the city even employs a “head of alternative sports.”
Inside one of Denver’s last independent pharmacies
Independent pharmacies used to be a dime a dozen, but the rise of omnipresent chain pharmacies, like CVS and Walgreens, has made them nearly extinct. I met Congress Park husband-and-wife team Kristin and Chris Holmes, who bought Capitol Heights Pharmacy in 2013. They generously let me spend a few hours with them to get to know the neighborhood pharmacy. And as Kristin told me, it was a first-hand look into the American healthcare system’s numerous flaws — and how pharmacists are on the front lines, dealing with growing distrust in the healthcare industry.
Kiara's favorites
Denver is at the center of a viral national fight over surveillance
Reporting on Flock Safety, the controversial surveillance company, has been interesting because it has so many moving parts. A backdoor deal with the mayor, people concerned about mass surveillance and, in this case, a really lively town hall. I spoke with an influential YouTuber and heard from lots of people about the city's use of a high-tech surveillance system. This town hall in particular brought people from all walks of life together, and I feel it’s an issue we’ll be covering for a long time.
Separately, Denverite broke the story of a Bow Mar police officer's use of Flock cameras to falsely accuse a woman of package theft, sparking international headlines.
The contestants on ‘Love is Blind’ are sick of dating in Denver. So are the viewers
I don’t think it would be a proper summary of my year without mentioning “Love is Blind.” I wrote at least three articles about it and even interviewed the cast. I'm highlighting this story, for which Kevin and I joined a watch party at a bar. All the people we spoke to were so funny and shared great insights about the Denver dating scene. All that said, I’m glad the show is over, and I hope reality TV leaves Denver alone.
Latest takeover trend pits skaters against metalheads in Denver
This article led to some intense backlash, but it was one of my favorites to report. Our take on the "teen takeover" trend this summer took us to an underground show at the downtown Denver skatepark. The metal people were not happy with me, saying it focused too much on the conflict over how to share public spaces, but the skaters loved it.
Kevin's favorites
Inside the very slow (and very intentional) reopening of an iconic Denver restaurant
I started off the year with the kind of story I love doing most: spending a lot of time with people and becoming a fly on their wall. Welton Street Cafe was an especially nice place to do that. I’d covered their departure from their old location and had been waiting patiently for the time to arrive when I could document their reopening. Fathima Dickerson, the owner and queen of Five Points, was gracious in letting me check in over the course of months. Her love for her customers, and their excitement to return, made this a delight to report.
How a weird little partridge ended up in Wash Park
I just love an archive dive on a random topic. When a chukar partridge ended up in Washington Park, I knew my latter requirement had been met. All I needed was historic materials on the little clucker, and boy was I delighted to find a bunch of it at the Denver Public Library. Drilling deep on something silly is one of the things Denverite does best.
What a Denver ambulance crew saw in a single shift — and what it says about the city
This was another one of those opportunities that I jump at: The chance to see inside a process that makes this city work. On one hand, riding around in a Denver Health ambulance let me humanize the necessary, hard work that EMTs perform each day. Equally interesting and timely was their lens into many of the city’s problems — homelessness, addiction, street safety and more all converge in their work.
They survived homelessness and addiction. Now, they’re changing Denver’s courts
This was another story that allowed me to observe how Denver works on its biggest issues, but it came with an opportunity for extra creativity. The story was about people who work in court, helping those arrested for low-level crimes to move beyond homelessness and addiction. But there are no cameras allowed in court, so this provided an opportunity to draw and sketch this story, something I don’t always have the space to pull off.
A Colorado man’s final days show how patients are using — and struggling with — the right to die
My work is best when it focuses on families who must come together in the face of existential pressures, and I was lucky in 2025 to have a lot of opportunities to document intimate moments like those. For this story, I got a call out of the blue, asking if I would document Tim Hartley’s experience with Colorado’s medical aid in dying provision. It would be a heavy story, I knew, but it would also be filled with love and caring. That was enough to accept the invite. But then, later, Tim’s story became newly relevant — a few weeks after he went through with it, disability rights activists filed a lawsuit to end the program, and suddenly this project carried even more gravity.
Kyle's favorites
A mother of 3 faced eviction. Denver’s safety net didn’t catch her
I’m always grateful for the people who are willing to share their stories for the public good. One of those, this year, was Tiara Coleman, a mother of three who reached out while dealing with eviction and homelessness, hoping her story would help other people. I met with her at a coffee shop in northeast Denver, and she told me about her struggles with the eviction prevention system – something record numbers of people were struggling with.
Before I finished writing, she was speaking at Denver City Council, asking for help for herself and other families facing homelessness. And though she found shelter, it was rough. Family homelessness continues to be a massive issue in the city, and moms like Coleman are trying to find purpose in their struggles by shining a light on their situation. That’s inspiring.
Rent is due but they’re afraid to leave the house: 3 months with an immigrant family
I met Yubisay Fonesca the night before her family was evicted, along with 300 others, from a dilapidated Aurora apartment at the center of the Venezuelan gang controversy. I wrote about that day more than a year ago and spent more time with in the following months. I was with her husband when police knocked on her door at the height of ICE-raid fears. I joined her at a food bank where she was helping bag food for others. I joined her as she walked kids to school. I’m grateful for the time she spent and the humanity she shared, as we covered what’s been a challenging year for new immigrant communities.
Denver jails are missing nearly a third of their staff. What went wrong?
When I received a letter, allegedly sent by a Denver Sheriff deputy about problems in the jail, I tried to reach out to him, but I never heard back. But I realized that if things were as bad as he wrote, more people would have filed complaints. So I filed an open records request for every termination letter from Denver sheriff staff. I reviewed them, interviewed the sheriff, the union and multiple deputies.
While there is always more reporting to do, I’m proud of this story that goes deep into why there are so many vacancies in the jails and the safety issues they cause. The coolest part of this story was the enormously positive response from deputies who said they finally felt heard. They are still struggling, but at least their story is out there.
Andy's favorites
Denver led Colorado in a 30-year journey to protect immigrants. Here’s how it happened
President Trump's inauguration thrust Denver into the middle of a huge national fight over immigration. One of our interviews with Mayor Mike Johnston — in which he talked about lining up with Denverites to block immigration agents — went viral in the national news ecosystem. It was all very present, and very important.
But we wanted to take a step back, because Denver and Colorado weren't always bastions for immigrants. Kyle spent weeks digging through the archives and interviewing people who remembered the 30-year story of this modern moment.
Welcome to Denver’s rave tunnel
When Kevin was invited to document a rave in a stormwater tunnel, he obviously had to attend, and he obviously brought back incredible photos. But the story also turned out to be about the local music economy. Local venues are getting tougher to book for small acts. Instead, they're trying to build up social-media clout, and there's no better way to do that than with vertical videos of a literally underground party.
Día de los Muertos was often ignored in Denver. That changed in 1983
Speaking of history: Kiara and Arlo landed a great story that showed how Día de los Muertos was transformed from an oft-ignored holiday into an autumnal centerpiece for Denver.
Natural Grocers blames crime for East Colfax closure. Here’s what the data (and the neighbors) say
Grocery stores stir people's passion. I'm not sure why, but that was especially true for the closure of the Natural Grocers on Colfax. The company blamed crime in the area, setting off a sprawling internet debate. Paolo brought data and a plethora of perspectives, and he may just have elevated the public discourse (about grocery stores.)
