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Friednash: Denver Public Schools leadership should resign

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

The sideshow has taken over the Denver Public School circus. The release of video footage from the board’s 5-hour illegal executive session in March provides yet another profound reason why this board and its leadership must resign and begin to restore the public’s trust and the institution’s integrity.After news outlets sued for recordings of the board’s crucial executive session, the trial judge held that the board violated the open meetings law by failing to notify the public about the topics school officials would discuss behind closed doors and then unlawfully crafting its public policy reinstating police officers to local schools.The board and its legal team fought for months to keep their unlawful shenanigans from the public. The board should have known on its own they were violating Colorado law in that executive session. But, it was malpractice for their counsel, Aaron Thompson, to repeatedly advise the board that they could have policymaking conversations behind closed doo...

Denver’s new City Council aims to slow, or even reverse, the trend of gentrification

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

Denver is a less diverse place than a decade ago. It’s a demographic shift that has played out in many of the city’s traditionally Black and Latino neighborhoods as tremendous population and economic growth has driven gentrification in previously marginalized corners of the city.But the makeup of the Denver City Council bucks that trend. Voters earlier this year elected perhaps the most diverse council in the city’s history, including six Latina members and two out-LGBTQ Black councilmembers. It’s a record amount of Latino representation on the Council regardless of gender, a near majority of that 13-member legislative body.Don’t expect those diverse leaders, hailing from districts spread all across the city, to agree on everything.But in interviews with councilmembers both new and returning, it’s clear there is substantial overlap on many priorities for the next four years. Denverites should expect a focus on efforts to stabilize low- and middle-...

The final ¡Viva! Streets cycling event is Sunday; organizers don’t know if it will return in 2024

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

Thousands of Denver cyclists got to traverse the city like cars do this year during events that shut down major streets to automobiles and turned them into bike-friendly pathways.Inspired by ciclovía events in Latin America, the ¡Viva! Streets series aimed to get residents out to engage with the Mile High City in a new way, increase foot traffic to local businesses and infuse some activity into downtown on Sunday mornings.By those metrics, Ellen Forthofer and Andrew Iltis of the Downtown Denver Partnership, which hosted the monthly series, consider ¡Viva! Streets to have been a success, even before the last event on Aug. 6.In May, about 10,000 people took to the roadways for ¡Viva! Streets and, in July, that tally was up to about 14,000, said Forthofer. The Downtown Denver Partnership decided to cancel the June event midway through because of the weather forecast and did not collect attendance estimates, she added.Cyclists ride down car-free Broadway near 12th Avenue in Denver, Colo...

Czech beer paradise, Cantonese delights, free concerts and more things to do in Denver this week

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

Czech beer paradiseFriday-Saturday. One of Denver’s newest and most unusual breweries, Cohesion Beer Co., celebrates its second anniversary on Friday, Aug. 4, and Saturday, Aug 5. On Friday, the brewery, which specializes in making Czech-style lagers, releases its anniversary beer, Dva. It will also be selling new glassware specifically for “milk shots,” made from thick foam. In the Czech Republic, pouring beer with a rich, almost latte-like foam, called mlíko, is an art form. Drinking them quickly is also an art form – and Cohesion is spreading the word.On Saturday, the brewery, at 3851 Steele St., takes over the small park across the street in the York Street Yards business park, where it will park a draft truck from noon to 8 p.m. DJ Schooley will be spinning vinyl from 4 to 8 p.m., and there will be mlíko contests from 3 to 4 p.m. Food trucks will be on hand both days. cohesionbeer.com — Jonathan ShikesFree concerts worth paying forFriday-Sunday. Levitt Pavilio...

After 20 years, the Budweiser Events Center is getting a new name, $5 million touch-up

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

Loveland’s Budweiser Events Center, which has had a local connection in Fort Collins’ Anheuser-Busch brewery for the past two decades, is changing its name to Blue ArenaRelated ArticlesEntertainment | AEG hands out thousands of free doses of anti-overdose drug Naloxone at Mission Ballroom, Fiddler’s Green, other venues Entertainment | Actor Keanu Reeves’ band Dogstar to make three stops in Colorado Entertainment | The UMS is short on pricey headliners — that’s what makes it special Entertainment | One part EDM nightclub, one part inflatable bounce house, this new hotspot in Lafayette is one of a kind Entertainment | Want to see Pat Benatar at the Colorado State Fair? Until today, you had to buy lottery tickets It’s titled after Blue Federal Credit Union, which has secured the naming rights starting in October 2023, according to a Wednesday announcement. The updat...

Lizzo responds to lawsuit alleging 'sexually charged' work environment

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

World-famous singer, songwriter and musician Lizzo responded Thursday to a lawsuit from a trio of dancers alleging they were "exposed to an overtly sexual atmosphere that permeated their workplace." The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday by dancers Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez and Crystal Williams, who said the abusive behavior took place while they were on tour with Lizzo, according to a report by the Hill.Lizzo attends the 2022 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)Among the charges, some of the plaintiffs complained they were pressured into taking part in a "severely uncomfortable" nude photo shoot. They were also allegedly forced into a "sexually charged and uncomfortable environment" with nude dancers at an Amsterdam nightclub, the Hill reported. Lizzo sued by trio of dancers who allege ‘hostile, abusive work environment’ Lizzo issued a statement on Instagram Thursday in respons...

Man treated for heat illness after getting lost and driving off-road in Death Valley

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

By Marnie Hunter | CNNTwo men driving in Death Valley National Park on July 4 got lost and illegally drove off-road, the US National Park Service alleges, sending one man to the hospital with heat-related illness.Charges and fines are pending, NPS said in a news release Tuesday.The car was removed using a skid steer that followed the same tracks to minimize additional damage.(NPS via CNN) “Death Valley is an awe-inspiring place that demands our utmost respect and preparedness,” Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in a statement. “We urge visitors to exercise caution and adhere to park rules. Don’t drive off established roads; this damages the environment and can turn deadly.”The pair were navigating by GPS and took a wrong turn in the park, NPS said in the release. After several hours of driving back and forth along a gravel road and becoming worried about running out of gas, they decided around midnight to try to drive directly across the salt flat.The men’s car got stuck in the...

California’s foster youth are struggling. Can $25 million for college change that?

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

Less than a year into community college, Elizabeth Clews felt like she had reached a breaking point. After five years in the foster care system, the 20-year-old felt like she was completely on her own, balancing a full course load, her 6-month-old son Ezra, and the retail job at Levi’s keeping them both afloat.Spending too much time at work meant she’d fail her classes. Spending too much time on classes meant she’d lose her job. By the time Clews decided to leave school, she and Ezra were living out of her car — and seven years passed before she felt ready to try again.This fall, the lives of those like Clews will get a little easier. A new state budget agreement will allocate $25 million a year toward the higher education of foster youth. Although it will not cover full freight — students attending four-year colleges will still have to pay up to $8,000 a year out of pocket — the grants can be used for both tuition and the essentials that are often costlier t...

In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder writes a book about the burger business

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

A book tracing the history of In-N-Out Burger by its president and owner promises to tell the inside story of the business. It says so in the title.“The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger,” by Lynsi Snyder, is due to be released on Oct. 17, just days before the fast food chain’s 75th anniversary. It is available for preorder from its publisher, Thomas Nelson, as well as Amazon and other booksellers.The price of the 256-page book is $29.99 hardcover, according to the publisher, $20.99 for an audio version, and $14.99 for an eBook.Snyder is the grandaugher of founders Harry and Esther Snyder, who opened the first In-N-Out drive-thru in Baldwin Park on Oct. 22, 1948. The company’s headquarters are now in Irvine.The book’s description says it tells the official story about how three generations of her family built a thriving business and why its fans are wildly loyal.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Steadier Silicon Valley economy helps drum up tenant interest R...

At 36 years old, Brandon Crawford is ‘doing young guy things’ like SF Giants need him to

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:40:32 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — More times than any other player, Brandon Crawford has rounded second base on a base hit at Oracle Park and set his sights on third.Until Wednesday night, however, Crawford had never done it as a 36-year-old. Battling age and the nagging injuries that accompany it, it had been more than a year since Crawford’s last triple. So it really was pretty outlandish when he texted Brandon Belt, the man closest to matching his experience on the local base paths, the night before.Fresh off an 11-day reset, Crawford launched a 420-feet homer Tuesday night. In Toronto, Belt went yard, too.“We both had homers on the same day, and Belt responded with, ‘Now we just need the Brandon cycle,'” Crawford said Wednesday after San Francisco’s 4-2 win. “I jokingly said, ‘Who’s getting the triple?’ It’s funny it happened the next day.”Crawford made the turn at second in the fifth inning Wednesday night and dove safely into thi...