For the second time this year, Denver Public Schools board members on Wednesday took John Youngquist to task for his behavior toward district staff, but the director was defiant in the face of his colleagues’ criticism as he reiterated his belief that district employees are retaliating against him.
Youngquist called the allegations of racism and creating a hostile work environment made by Superintendent Alex Marrero and other district staff in recent months an attempt to “intimidate and diminish me.”
“It has become clear certain members of the board and district leadership have attempted to impeach my credibility,” he said during Wednesday’s board meeting.
School board members called the meeting to discuss the results of a third-party investigation that found Youngquist displayed “belittling, dismissive and condescending behavior” toward DPS staff. As directors weighed in on the findings, which were released Monday, they called for a moment of reflection, but did not say what action they might take in response to the report.
John Youngquist, right, looks at Superintendent Alex Marrero as he speaks with the board during a special Denver Public Schools board meeting on Oct. 29, 2025. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
Directors are considering whether to censure — or formally rebuke — Youngquist and plan to continue the conversation during a Nov. 13 meeting, which could result in such a vote.
“There’s definitely something that’s not working well in board interactions with staff, so we would want to talk about what would be next steps,” board President Carrie Olson said. “…This is something we don’t want to rush.”
The investigation was conducted by attorneys with the Denver-based firm Garnett Powell Maximon Barlow and Farbes, which the board hired to look into Marrero’s allegations.
In the spring, Marrero accused Youngquist of hostile behavior toward DPS employees — especially staff of color — and of wanting his job, in an email sent to Olson. Marrero, in his email, requested that the board take the rare step of censuring Youngquist for his actions.
A censure is the strongest step the school board can take to formally reprimand a colleague. The board does not have the authority to remove a member.
A DPS board last censured a member in 2021 after a third-party investigation found former director Auon’tai Anderson flirted online with a teenage student and made intimidating social media posts.
Wednesday’s meeting was the second time in 10 months that school board members have publicly scolded Youngquist for his behavior toward staff. While recent DPS boards have become known for infighting in recent years, they rarely air grievances openly as they did during the meeting.
“This is concerning repetitive behavior that may or may not change,” board member Xóchitl Gaytán said of the investigation’s findings. “I’m still working through the findings of the report. Thinking about how I want to deconstruct the white privilege that I read in it and how it is playing out.”
Staff, most of whom are people of color, told investigators that Youngquist cuts them off in conversations, has refused to shake hands and declines to meet with them. Employees said Youngquist questions them to such an extent that it appears the director believes they are lying or incapable of doing their jobs, according to the report.
“We conclude it is more likely than not that Mr. Youngquist exhibited bias in interactions with some district leaders of color,” investigators wrote in their findings.
Director Michelle Quattlebaum, right, speaks during a special Denver Public Schools board meeting to discuss a third-party investigation into Superintendent Alex Marrero’s allegations against Director John Youngquist, in Denver on Oct. 29, 2025. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
In his statement to the board, Youngquist, a white man, emphasized the investigation did not determine his behavior was driven by overt racism — even as it also found that his actions were the result of biases, including when interacting with employees of color.
“I hold biases as each and every one of us,” Youngquist said. “Our biases may or may not be represented in our behavior.”
Youngquist’s comments fell short of the accountability that several of his colleagues said they were seeking from him, and spurred board member Michelle Quattlebaum, who is Black, to tears.
“I am heartbroken,” she said. “I have experienced racism, discrimination and oppression almost every single day of my life. Mr. Youngquist, as I listen to your statement, my heart broke.”
“What breaks my heart is that I didn’t hear accountability,” Quattlebaum added.
Gaytán and Marlene De La Rosa — the other two directors of color on the board — pressed Youngquist on what they also said was a lack of accountability in his statement.
“I feel disappointed,” De La Rosa told Youngquist. “…I thought I knew you to be a different person than that. If we don’t take accountability when we do things that harm people, that hurts their feelings, that make them feel a certain way, we cannot move forward to reach our goals as a collective board.”
Youngquist responded by saying that he has previously reached out individually to district staffers whom he has offended. “Blanket level of accountability is not something that makes sense to me,” he said.
It’s a Tuesday morning on East Colfax and there’s a rally outside a shop called Myxed Up Creations, which sells vapes, pipes and flavored tobacco products. About a dozen people are waving signs urging Denver voters to vote no on Referendum 310. The organizers of the rally want to repeal the ban on sales of flavored tobacco products.
They say a no vote will save jobs and keep millions of dollars in tax money in the city’s coffers, arguing it comes down to a matter of personal choice for adults — even if vaporizer flavors like strawberry, pink lemonade and menthol seem likely to appeal to youth.
“Adults have rights too. Yep. And this is one of the rights they’re trying to take away. And we all have rights. Adults like cotton candy, adults like flavored vapes. We all like a little bit of flavor,” said Kyle Manibusan, an assistant manager at Myxed Up Creations.
Opponents early this year started a petition drive to challenge the ban and successfully gathered nearly 11,000 valid signatures, enough to put the repeal on the ballot this year. A no vote on Referendum 310 would repeal the ban; yes would keep the ban in place.
Manibusan has worked in a vape shop for the last four years, and he said he believes in the products because they helped him quit cigarettes — menthol Marlboros, which he thinks are worse.
“Vaping is not tobacco, it is nicotine. It is a lot healthier and a lot healthier a choice to go ahead and consume,” Manibusan said.
The health impacts of vaping are much debated, including research showing it often leads to co-use, vaping and smoking. But the store’s manager, Rae Drennan, said vaping helped her quit smoking too.
“The sad part about it is if we don’t win, I don’t know what I would do because I like flavored vape and that’s what helped me get off of menthol cigarettes,” said Drennan, who features prominently in a campaign ad on Facebook.
She said she’s the mom of a pair of teenagers and that the shop and others diligently check IDs to prevent sales to minors.
“Even if you come in here and you want to buy a water, I still need to see your ID to show that you are at least 18 or older to enter the property,” Drennan said. “And then if you want to buy anything that has tobacco or nicotine related products, you do have to be 21.”
Awaiting the vote
Across Denver, about 600 businesses, including gas stations, convenience and grocery stores, have tobacco licenses, with perhaps a quarter being vape shops.
Drennan says each store has an economic impact that would be hard to replace.
“If we lose, then we’re losing a bunch of money that we help put into the communities,” she said.
Her boss, Phil Guerin, owns this shop on Colfax and four other Colorado locations. He’s been leading the charge to defeat the flavor ban and was rallying with his employees.
“I’m feeling really confident,” he said. “We are out today. This is a grassroots effort and we have more energy than ever.”
Vape products for sale in Myxed Up’s location on East Colfax Avenue in Denver. Nov. 19, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Guerin thinks by persuading libertarian-minded voters, including those who lean left, his side can prevail.
“These are the same people that legalized gay marriage. These are the same people that legalized marijuana. And so we’re really tapping into that libertarian streak that Denver really does have,” he said.
Guerin admits he’s worried about the future of his store and its four employees if the ban passes.
The repeal campaign — called “Citizen Power!” — estimates that keeping the flavor ban could cost the city almost $10 million in sales tax revenue, as well as about $2 million in early childhood education funds that come from nicotine sales. The repeal group also claims the city will lose almost $3 million in property taxes and licensing fees as businesses fail.
The other side disputes those figures as overstated and argues money lost to the city is far outpaced by long-term health costs from nicotine borne by consumers and health systems.
Opponents of the flavor ban also include multinational tobacco manufacturers. The repeal campaign received $75,000 so far from both the tobacco giant Altria and from Philip Morris International (PMI).
On the other side, the campaign in support of the flavor ban has received millions from former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg on the yes side, giving it a 6-1 edge on the eve of election. The billionaire and philanthropist has given more than $2.7 million to the “Denver Kids versus Big Tobacco” campaign, according to filings with the city. Its ads have been running frequently on TV for weeks.
“We don’t have millions of dollars like Michael Bloomberg to throw at it, so it’s definitely more a word-of-the-mouth type of deal,” Guerin said. “We hand out flyers, we educate our customers that come in and let them know that, you know, without them choosing, we could lose our right. And every vote counts.”
Businesses at stake
In the northwest part of the city, Rami Sawaged owns and operates a warehouse called CA Wholesale. He sells vape products to more than 100 of the city’s roughly 150 shops, he said. Many are small stores, and their owners are telling him they could go under if the ban goes into effect.
“One of their biggest comments was, ‘I can’t just pick up a 10-year business that I can go move it to Aurora or Lakewood…It’s not that easy. I have a customer base. We have our customers, we want to keep them,’” said Sawaged, who has given more than $40,000 to the Citizen Power! campaign, according to filings with the city clerk’s office. .
Sawaged said he and his family immigrated to the U.S. when he was 14, from Jordan, where everyone smokes.
He said vaping helped his whole family quit. He predicts he could lose more than a third of his business, hundreds of thousands in annual revenue, if the ban passes, and he said the city would lose money too.
“I just think Denver still needs this money. The businesses that are located in Denver, they’re mom-and-pop shops. They’re trying to make a living,” Sawaged said.
Denver voters have until 7 p.m. Tuesday, Election Day, to return their ballots.
Todd Lynn Washington, 42, was convicted of reckless endangerment in August, but the Denver jury could not reach a verdict on first-degree murder charges in the case.
Washington’s second trial was held this month, and on Monday, a Denver jury ruled he was guilty of two lesser counts of manslaughter and not guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, court records show.
He was sentenced to six years in the Colorado Department of Corrections by Denver District Court Judge Eric Johnson on Wednesday, with credit for nearly 2 years of time served while his case was ongoing.
Washington was also sentenced to 240 days in jail for two counts of reckless endangerment, both misdemeanors.
Washington’s attorney, Anna Geigle with the Denver law firm Geigle Morales, in a statement thanked the jury and court “for their professionalism and commitment to ensuring that justice was fairly administered.”
“The subject matter of this case was profoundly serious, and we deeply appreciate the time and care each juror devoted to hearing the evidence and reaching a verdict,” Geigle said.
In a statement, Denver District Attorney John Walsh said his office respects the jury’s decision and “are pleased that Todd Washington and Shon McPherson – who was sentenced in September to life in prison for his role in the murders — are being held accountable for their crimes.”
Washington and McPherson, 34, were arrested in November 2023 after police said the pair opened fire outside Hell’s Lovers Motorcycle Club, killing Michael David, 43, and Joshua Batts, 39, and injuring three others.
Washington and McPherson were accused of planning the shooting after a security guard put his hands on Washington’s daughter and she was kicked out of the club.
There will be no cliff divers entertaining guests at Casa Bonita on Halloween as the restaurant’s cast of performers initiates a three-day strike.
On Wednesday, the Actors’ Equity Association announced that Casa Bonita’s divers, magicians, roving actors and other unionized performers would picket outside the pink palace, at 6715 W. Colfax Ave. in Lakewood, following unsuccessful efforts to bargain their first contract. The strike is scheduled to take place on Oct. 30 through Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Casa Bonita serves thousands of diners each week and actors previously told The Denver Post there have been numerous incidents involving guests that had staff concerned for their safety.
The bargaining unit of 57 people has been engaged in negotiations since April, according to the Actors’ Equity Association, and last month, it filed an unfair labor practices charge after performers’ hours were cut to accommodate a Halloween pop-up event.
Now, the union says management failed to deliver responses to key proposals that would move toward a contract. A representative of Casa Bonita could not immediately be reached for comment.
“Casa management came to the table today offering an additional 11 cents over their last unfair wage offer, and very little for future layoff protections,” said lead negotiator Andrea Hoeschen, assistant executive director and general counsel for Actors’ Equity Association, in a statement. “Despite that insult, the negotiating team responded with major compromises to try to get a deal. And then Casa Bonita walked away from the table without responding.”
(Left to right) TikTok influencer Sam Rosenholtz and Instagram influencer Jeffrey Binney. Both published posts sponsored by the Vibrant Denver Bond campaign.
Screenshots
If you scroll past enough local TikToks, you might find yourself watching a mustachioed man with the handle “Good Trouble” holding a tiny microphone and talking about how confusing Denver’s upcoming ballot is.
“I’m a fairly recent Denver transplant and I wanted to participate in my local elections, and I’ve been seeing and hearing a lot of noise relating to certain initiatives,” said Sam Rosenholtz, known online as Good Trouble. “So I took it upon myself to do my own research and I wanted to share with you one of these things that I will be voting yes on.”
Rosenholtz, who has 2 million followers on TikTok and is popular among liberal and progressive audiences, goes on to explain that he’s voting to approve ballot measures 2A through 2E, the five Vibrant Denver bond initiatives. The proposals, if passed, would approve nearly $1 billion of debt for capital improvements across the city.
“Ultimately, this is a massive financial investment into Denver that’s going to benefit every resident in this city, including the unhoused,” Rosenholtz told his audience. “It seems like a (expletive) layup to me.”
Rosenholtz added one more fact in the caption: He was paid by the Vibrant Denver bond campaign to post the video.
“Paid partnership with Vibrant Denver Bond,” the description stated.
It’s part of a growing trend in the political world. Campaigns are paying influencers to carry their message, hoping for lower-cost and higher impact advertising that feels more authentic to young audiences.
Each video follows a similar format.
Denverite identified eight Tiktok and Instagram posts sponsored by the bond campaign. They were posted by a range of local creators who focus on everything from development to food or outdoor adventures.
Each video starts with a personal hook.
“I love how outdoorsy everybody is, but everybody is outdoorsy,” said Jeffrey Binney, who has amassed 189,000 followers on Instagram. “Cherry Creek Trail is rush hour traffic. City Park at 8 a.m. is like Coachella. So yeah, I’m literally running, walking to go drop off my ballot because there’s a fix on the ballot in Denver this November.”
Then, they talk about why they are supporting the bond package.
“With the money generated from the bond, they plan on building a new skate park in downtown Denver,” said ski and skateboard content creator Bailey Pine. In fact, the skate park is planned for southeast Denver’s Kennedy Park, where Pine was standing for the video.
They top it off with a familiar promise: the passage of the bond won’t result in increased taxes.
“All this can happen without raising taxes,” said Megan Zarcone, who posts about travel and parenthood for an Instagram audience of about 117,000. “Join me in voting yes and keeping Denver vibrant, connected, and strong this fall.”
Comments under each post mostly engaged with the content at face value, although some people did want to further engage with the issue at hand.
“I just don’t see the merit in setting aside $100+ million for the preferred site of the Walton’s and I don’t think our tax money should be funding the pet project of one of the richest families in the country,” one commenter under Rosenholtz’s video said. They are referring to the infrastructure improvements proposed around Burnham Yard on Measure 2A, which has been criticized by some for overriding greater community needs.
Several creators for comment did not immediately respond to Denverite’s request for comment.
Political campaigns are trying to tap the ‘creator economy.’
Mike Strott, the spokesperson for the Vibrant Denver bond campaign, said more than 10 creators are expected to make sponsored content about the bond. It’s an attempt to reach people who don’t get their news and information from traditional news outlets, he said.
“As a local campaign deploying an ad strategy to reach Denverites, we asked a wide range of local voices — urban enthusiasts, parents, athletes, book lovers, foodies, community development experts and others — to post educational-type focused content about Yes on 2A-2E and why voting yes matters from their perspective,” he told Denverite in an email.
Strott would not disclose the budget for the ad campaign, noting that the strategy is still being deployed so the figure isn’t immediately clear. The campaign contracted with an ad agency that commissioned the content creators.
“Most importantly, we prioritized partnering with folks who themselves wanted to be supportive of what the Vibrant Denver Bond was going to accomplish for Denver so they could speak authentically in their advocacy to their followers,” he said.
Megan Burns, a digital brand strategist who works in advocacy, said it’s part of an effort for politicians to better utilize the reach of social media.
“To me, it’s just paying for a TV spot — social media has essentially just become TV with DMs, right?” Burns said. In other words, social media isn’t just about connecting with friends anymore. It is another form of mass media, with local influencers speaking to growing audiences.
Tapping the creator economy has been increasingly popular, Burns said. She said Democrats are trying to play catch up to Republicans, who put President Donald Trump on numerous podcasts and livestreams in the lead up to the 2024 election.
More details of Vibrant Denver’s influencer spending could become clear with this week’s campaign finance reports. At least for now, it seems to be getting results.
Rosenholtz’s post has drawn more than 61,000 views and more than 500 comments — the vast majority of them positive.
Temperatures dropped to roughly 22 degrees in Denver early Wednesday, the coldest morning recorded in the city so far this season, according to the National Weather Service.
Weather stations at the Denver International Airport registered morning temperatures of 21.9 degrees just before 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to weather service records.
That’s the coldest Denver morning since April 19, when the daily temperature low was also 22 degrees, according to the weather service.
Denver’s Wednesday morning temperatures dropped about 10 degrees below average, but didn’t come close to the record low of -2 degrees set in 1917, weather service data shows.
According to weather stations around Colorado, other early Wednesday morning temperature lows that dropped below freezing included:
Most of the Front Range remains under a freeze warning Wednesday morning, which is set to expire at 10 a.m., according to weather service forecasters.
An armed man was shot and killed Monday night by Denver police officers while attempting to rob a gas station, according to the agency.
Denver officers responded to reports of an armed robbery at the Maverik convenience store in the 3200 block of South Parker Road at about 8:45 p.m. Monday, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said in a news briefing.
When officers arrived, a security guard told them the armed man had locked himself inside the store with two gas station employees, Thomas said. Officers were developing a tactical plan outside when, less than a minute later, they heard gunshots and forced their way inside.
Officers confronted and shot at the suspect, who was already firing at them. The suspect went down, and officers rendered medical aid until paramedics arrived.
Paramedics took the suspect to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries. He will be identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.
The two gas station employees were shot but are expected to survive, Thomas said. Whether they were shot by the suspect or by responding officers remains under investigation.
Six Denver officers responded to the reported robbery, and “a number of them” exchanged gunshots with the suspected robber, Thomas said. It’s unclear how many officers shot at the suspect.
One officer was injured during the gunfight with the suspect, who has not been publicly identified, Thomas said. The officer was shot in the leg and went into surgery Monday night. He was released from the hospital on Tuesday.
Paramedics took both gas station employees and the officer to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The suspect in a fatal hit-and-run on the edge of Denver’s 16th Street pedestrian mall abandoned his car and fled the scene on foot, according to court documents.
Milton McBride, 27, allegedly drove through the gate of a Denver parking garage early Sunday morning, hit another vehicle on Market Street and hopped the curb near the 16th Street intersection, according to his arrest affidavit.
When he drove onto the sidewalk, McBride struck a billboard-type sign and pushed it onto the victim, who died at the scene, police wrote in the affidavit.
McBride was arrested Sunday on suspicion of vehicular homicide. As of Tuesday morning, he had not yet been charged, and his next court date had not been set.
Denver officers responded to the fatal crash at 16th and Market streets shortly after 2:15 a.m. Sunday. When they arrived, they found the dead victim and the suspect vehicle, but the driver had fled the scene.
Witnesses told investigators that the driver got out of his vehicle after the crash and left on foot without calling 911 or rendering medical aid, police said.
Officers found McBride roughly 1/5 mile away, in the 1700 block of Wazee Street, at about 2:45 a.m. Sunday, according to court documents.
When they contacted McBride, officers noted his speech was slurred, his breath smelled like alcohol, he was staggering and stumbling and his eyes were bloodshot, according to the arrest affidavit.
McBride was not offered a voluntary field sobriety test because he was immediately detained and, after being positively identified by a witness as the suspect driver, arrested, police said in the document.
Paramedics took McBride to a nearby hospital for blood testing. During that time, he repeatedly told officers that he hadn’t hit anyone and no one had died, according to the affidavit.
The results of the blood test were not publicly available as of Tuesday.
McBride’s license was suspended at the time of the crash, and he had a warrant out for his arrest from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for a domestic violence and child abuse case, court records show.
McBride previously took a deal and pleaded guilty to DUI and assaulting a police officer in a separate El Paso County case in 2022, according to court records.
The deal dropped multiple drug and weapons charges, another count of assault and a charge for driving without a license, court records show. He was sentenced to 3 years in jail.
Denver City Council President Amanda Sandoval, who has attended hundreds of public comment sessions over the past decade, found herself overwhelmed Monday night.
“That was the most intense public hearing I can remember having ever,” she said after residents shared a litany of needs and requests for the city’s upcoming budget.
Speakers wanted more community-based crime prevention programs. Safer transportation infrastructure. Support for youth arts and workforce development, and more funding for the Clerk and Recorder’s election services.
The mayor has said there just isn’t enough money next year to pay for everything the community wants. The city has already laid off more than 170 workers and eliminated hundreds more positions. And Johnston says more layoffs or cuts could be necessary if the city council increases city spending.
City Council, which can amend the budget but not outright reject it, is in a bind: Should they push for amendments to the budget and risk prompting more cuts elsewhere? Or do they trust that Johnston’s budget strikes the right balance and potentially disappoint constituents?
Mouath Baesho speaks during Denver City Council’s regular public comment session. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Calls for a family homeless shelter
Homeless families spoke about the long wait times they’re experiencing with the Connection Center, a family crisis hotline that is funded by the city and run by The Salvation Army. They told stories of life on the streets with their children, fearing the city would separate them from their kids.
Some spoke English. Others spoke Spanish. All were suffering with children. They asked the city to spend $9 million to buy or rent a hotel for use as a family shelter.
The city is ending funding for two shelters for individuals in 2026, which will save the city $11 million, while keeping other shelters running.
Rae Cranmer speaks during a press conference urging Denver to fund family shelters, convened by Housekeys Action Network of Denver, before the Denver City Council’s public comment session on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
“No family should be punished for being poor or homeless,” said Rae Cranmer, a mother of seven, who said she lost her housing and was forced to send her children into an abusive household so they could stay sheltered and she would not have them taken from her by authorities.
Other parents told their stories of evictions, struggles to find work and deported spouses. Many described the long waitlist to come inside from their cars and the streets.
In its last report, The Salvation Army told the city there are 250 families on the shelter waitlist. As of Tuesday, it was 218.
“I hope that you guys realize that it is in your hands to decide if these kids get to have a warm, safe upbringing, a childhood,” said V Reeves with the Housekeys Action Network Denver.
Denver City Council member Chris Hinds listens during a public comment period on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Transportation drama
Transportation advocates said the city wasn’t doing enough to end traffic deaths.
Neighborhood advocate Joel Noble, a former Denver Planning Board member, expressed his frustration that the Johnston administration planned to “raid” the city’s dedicated Transportation and Mobility Special Revenue Fund for $575,000 to restore the positions of laid-off parking magistrates.
Housekeys Action Network of Denver advocate Terese Howard speaks as Denver City Council hears public comment on the city’s 2026 budget. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
The fund was established in 2022 from increased parking meter fees. The money was dedicated for improvements to multimodal transportation. But as DOTI’s budget has been cut in recent years, The Denver Streets Partnership argues in a statement that the special funds have been used to “backfill budget gaps.”
If that fund is tapped for the parking magistrate funding, Noble argued the city would be doing long-lasting damage to the public’s trust that special funds will be used for the purposes described.
“I’m here defending this fund because I know that we were all told what it was for, and I do not like being lied to,” Noble said.
Denver City Council President Amanda Sandoval listens during a public comment period on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
June Churchill, the budget chair of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Advisory Board, argued Johnston was treating the money as a “slush fund.”
Mayoral spokesperson Jon Ewing said the ability to dispute parking tickets without going to court is a priority for residents, the council and the administration. The Johnston administration recently agreed to create a new parking ticket appeal program after the city shut down an online appeals system.
“Understanding that the court system did not feel the program should live under them, we moved it to DOTI and utilized an existing funding source,” Ewing said. “This prevented other service or personnel cuts.”
Denver City Council listens to public comment on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Churchill described the city’s overall budget as “fundamentally flawed.” The city has more assets than revenue, and it’s impossible to care for it all. She pointed to more than 60 structurally deficient bridges, eroding pavement and a city vehicle fleet that is largely outdated.
“The system won’t fail tomorrow,” Churchill said. “But it will fall apart without serious intervention.”
Advocates also asked for additional funding for Vision Zero and Safe Routes to School, programs designed to prevent unsafe speeding and preventable traffic deaths and injuries.
People held signs that read “Fund Community Safety.”
They were part of a campaign to create a new $5 million program that would fund community-based violence prevention groups.
“When we invest in youth programs, victim services and conflict mediation, we are not just addressing crises, we are preventing them,” said Kym Rae, the campaign coordinator for the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. “We are saving lives, saving public resources, and building a safer, more connected Denver for everyone.”
Jessie Parris holds a sign reading “FUND COMMUNITY SAFETY” as Denver City Council hears public comment on the city’s 2026 budget. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Hassan Latif, who spent 17 years in prison and left to create the Second Chance Center, a program to help formerly incarcerated people reenter society, said investing in such programming would strengthen communities and prevent violence before it happens.
“Denver invests hundreds of millions every year in reactive systems, policing, courts and jails,” he said. “It’s time to show that same seriousness about prevention, intervention and victim support, the work that stops harm before it happens.”
Protecting election integrity
Community members, election judges, election workers and voter advocates asked City Council to give more funding to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
Clerk and Recorder Paul López had asked for an extra $4.5 million. But Johnston’s budget would slash the Clerk’s budget by 1.5 percent and offer less for elections than in 2022, during the last midterm election.
Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López listens as the City Council listens to public comment on the city’s 2026 budget. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
“Next year will be an especially critical and scrutinized election,” said Pearlanne Zelarney of the League of Women Voters. “An underfunded elections office risks undermining voter access and trust, precisely when we need it most.”
Susy Johnson, the president of Denver Republican Women and an on-again-off-again poll watcher, said the council should vote no on Johnston’s proposed budget until the mayor adequately funds polling places, ballot boxes, and the election staff voters depend on.
“These changes are not just inconvenient,” she said. “They represent a direct threat to the public’s trust in our elections.”
Slashing services for children
Johnston’s proposed budget reduces funding for the Office of Children Affairs, which funds after-school programs. The city laid off 10 people, and eliminated two open positions, out of a staff of 31. Johnston’s budget proposal reduces its funding by about 56 percent.
“We suggest you continue to fund the Office of Children’s Affairs and programs that allow us to express ourselves, that allow us to build a better future for our community and possibly our world,” said Julian Adam Martinez, who attends DSST College View and works as an intern at ArtLab.
He fears that without city funding, ArtLab will be shut down and youth like him will miss an opportunity to gain professional experience and skills.
“We must invest in young people — not cut resources that help young people grow, heal and lead,” said Stephen Smith Contreras of Youth on Record.
Next steps
Next week, the council will take what they learned from the public on Monday night and deliberate on adding new amendments. With a supermajority vote of nine members, they could also revive previously proposed amendments the mayor has already vetoed.
Then they will decide whether to pass his budget, though that’s largely a formality. Johnston’s draft, as amended by the council, will take effect. Council members have no power to outright block his proposal.
Denver City Council members Flor Alvidrez (from left), Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Jamie Torres listen during a public comment period on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Two council members expressed their frustration that the mayor provided insufficient staff to answer their questions. Some from the public were frustrated the mayor himself was not present.
“I wish he was here tonight to hear what you are listening to,” said Marilyn Ackerman, a member of Montview Presbyterian Church and Together Colorado. “When I voted for him, he said he was interested in co-governance.”
That, she said, hasn’t happened.
“Staff was present and we’re always happy to answer additional questions after the fact, as we have throughout the budget process,” Ewing said.
Editor’s note: This article was corrected to note that there are 250 families, not individuals, on the Connection Center waitlist.
Kids play in the hallway as Denver City Council hears public comment on the city’s 2026 budget. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
The Broncos are in the market for help at tight end.
Where, ultimately, Denver finds it at this point is an open question.
The Broncos, at the moment, are down to two healthy players on their 53-man roster in Evan Engram and Adam Trautman, and a pair of project-types on their practice squad in rookie Caleb Lohner and Patrick Murtagh.
Sean Payton’s offense has seen its depth dwindle quickly in recent days.
Lucas Krull originally hoped to return from injured reserve after the minimum four weeks due to a foot injury, but instead, he ended up having surgery Monday to repair a metatarsal fracture. He’s now expected to miss in the neighborhood of eight more weeks, a source told The Denver Post, which means most of the remaining regular season.
Nate Adkins, meanwhile, sustained a left knee injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win against Dallas. The injury appeared to happen without contact on a play that resulted in a touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Troy Franklin. The severity of Adkins’ injury has not been revealed.
The Broncos, though, attempted to address their depth at the position Monday when, multiple sources confirmed to The Post, they put in waiver claims for both Ben Sims and Brenden Bates.
Sims had been waived by Green Bay and Bates by Houston.
Denver, however, lost out on both because teams higher in the waiver priority — Minnesota and Cleveland, respectively — also put claims in and thus were awarded the players.
So now Denver is looking for other routes to fill the position. One part of the equation is that Trautman will likely see his playing time increase again.
The veteran played just 30.9% of Denver’s offensive snaps against the New York Giants in Week 7, tied for his lowest usage in two-plus seasons with the Broncos. He’d seen an overall decline in playing time as Adkins got up to speed after a training camp ankle injury that cost him the first two games of the season.
Adkins had been playing between 30-40% of Denver’s offensive snaps and provided some versatility — an ‘F’ tight end who could play out of the backfield, in the passing game and as a blocker.
“He’s too good of a football player for us. We’re going to need him,” Payton said at the outset of the season when Denver opted not to put him on injured reserve.
Now the Broncos may have to examine options externally.
They could look to a familiar face from training camp like Caden Prieskorn, who just recently signed with Cleveland’s practice squad.
Or they can try to work via the trade market with the NFL’s trading deadline just a week away.
Among tight ends around the league who have reportedly drawn interest, could be available or generally make sense as potential trade targets, is a list that includes Cleveland’s David Njoku, Baltimore’s Mark Andrews, Tennessee’s Chig Okonkwo, and New Orleans’ Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau. There are, of course, others around the league, including a pair Denver just faced in former Broncos veteran Chris Manhertz and Daniel Bellinger with the Giants. Bellinger is in the final year of his rookie deal and had the best game of his career against the Broncos.
Depth issues can force a team’s hand in making a move, but Payton has previously cautioned against the idea that a trade deadline acquisition can change a team’s fortunes.
There’s not much time to learn a system, and Payton, in particular, is protective of the locker room culture the Broncos have developed.
A year ago, before the deadline, he brought up similar points.
“My brother’s the worst at this,” he said then. “He’s the worst at free agency, and he’s the worst at the trade deadline. He just wants to see action. Then right after the action takes place, he never goes back and reflects and says, ‘Well, that was a bad signing,’ or, ‘That was a bad trade.’
“I kid him, but I think that there’s so much more that goes into it relative to whether you’re trading a player or acquiring a player.
“Contracts go into it, vision goes into it and the locker room goes into it. There are a lot of details that go into that.”
Police chases increased tenfold in the six months after Chief Todd Chamberlain broadened the Aurora Police Department’s policy to allow officers to pursue stolen vehicles and suspected drunk drivers, a move that made Aurora one of the most permissive large police agencies along the Front Range.
Aurora officers carried out more chases in the six months after the policy change than in the last five years combined, according to data provided by the police department in response to open records requests from The Denver Post.
The city’s officers conducted 148 pursuits between March 6 — the day after the policy change — and Sept. 2, the data shows. That’s up from just 14 police chases in that same timeframe in 2024, and well above Aurora officers’ 126 chases across five years between 2020 and 2024.
The number of people injured in pursuits more than quintupled, with about one in five chases resulting in injury after the policy change, the data shows. That 20% injury rate is lower than the rate over the last five years, when the agency saw 25% of pursuits end with injury.
Chamberlain, who declined to speak with The Post for this story, has heralded the department’s new approach to pursuits as an important tool for curbing crime. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman believes the change has already had a “dramatic impact” on crime in the city.
However, the effect of the increased pursuits on overall crime trends is difficult to gauge, with crime generally declining across the state, including in Denver, which has a more restrictive policy and many fewer police pursuits.
“You throw a big net out there, occasionally you do catch a few big fish,” said Justin Nix, a criminology professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha. “But you also end up with the pursuit policy causing more accidents and injuries.”
Of those 87 arrestees, 67 had a criminal history, 25 were wanted on active warrants, 18 were on probation and seven were on parole, the monitor found.
“What we find is that people who steal cars, it’s not a joyriding thing, it’s not a one-off, they tend to be career criminals who use these vehicles to commit other crimes,” Coffman said. “There seems to be a pattern that when we do apprehend a car thief, they tend to have warrants out for their arrest, and we do see the pattern of stealing vehicles to commit other crimes. So we are really catching repeat offenders when we apprehend the driver and/or passengers.”
The soaring number of pursuits was largely driven by stolen vehicle chases, which accounted for 103 of the 148 pursuits since the policy change, the data shows.
Auto theft in Aurora dropped 42% year-over-year between January and September, continuing a downward trend that began in 2023. In Denver, where officers do not chase stolen vehicles, auto theft has declined 36% so far in 2025 compared to 2024.
Denver police officers conducted just nine pursuits between March 6 and Sept. 2, and just 16 so far in 2025, data from the department shows. Four suspects and one officer were injured across those 16 chases.
“I think there are broader societal factors at work,” Nix said of the decline in crime, which has been seen across the nation and follows a dramatic pandemic-era spike. “When something goes up, it is bound to come down pretty drastically.”
Aurora officers apprehended fleeing drivers in 53% of all pursuits, and in 51% of pursuits for stolen vehicles between March and September, the police data shows.
Coffman said that shows officers and their supervisors are judiciously calling off pursuits that become too dangerous. He also noted that every pursuit is carefully reviewed by the police chain of command and called the new policy a “work in progress.”
“I get that it is not without controversy,” Coffman said. “There wouldn’t be the collateral accidents if not for the policy. So it is a tradeoff. It is not an easy decision and it is going to always be in flux.”
Thirty-three people were injured in Aurora police chases between March 6 and Sept. 2, up from six injured in that time frame last year. Those hurt included 24 suspects, five officers and four drivers in other vehicles.
One bystander and one suspect were seriously injured, according to the police data.
The independent monitor noted in its October report that it was “generally pleased” with officers’ judgments during pursuits, supervisors’ actions and the post-pursuit administrative review process, with “two notable exceptions” that have been “elevated for additional review and potential disciplinary action.”
The monitor also flagged an increase in failed Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT, maneuvers during pursuits, which it attributed to officer inexperience. The group recommended more training on the maneuvers, which are designed to end pursuits, and renewed its call for the department to install dash cameras in its patrol cars, which the agency has not done.
“It sounds reasonable,” Coffman said of the dash camera recommendation. “They are not cheap and we need to budget for it.”
‘No magic number’
It’s up to city leadership to determine if the benefits of police chases outweigh the predictable harms, and there is no “magic number,” Nix said.
“When you chase that much, bad outcomes are going to happen,” he said. “People are going to get hurt, sometimes innocent third parties that have nothing to do with the chase. You know that is going to be a collateral consequence of doing that many chases. So knowing that, you should really be able to point to the community safety benefit that doing this many chases bring.”
The majority of large Front Range law enforcement agencies limit pursuits to situations in which the driver is suspected of a violent felony or poses an immediate risk of injury or death to others if not quickly apprehended.
Among 18 law enforcement agencies reviewed by The Post this spring, only Aurora and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office explicitly allow pursuits of suspected drunk drivers. The sheriff’s office allows such pursuits only if the driver stays under the posted speed limit.
Aurora officers pursued suspected impaired drivers 13 times between March and September, the data shows, with five chases ending in injury.
Omar Montgomery, president of the Aurora NAACP, said he is a “cautious neutral” about the policy change, but would like Aurora police to meet with community members to explain the impact in more detail.
“People in the community do not want people on the streets who are causing harm to other individuals and who are committing crimes that makes our city unsafe,” he said. “We want them off the streets just as bad as anyone else. We also want to make sure that innocent people who are not part of the situation are not getting harmed.”
Topazz McBride, a community activist in Aurora, said she has been disappointed by what she sees as Chamberlain’s unwillingness to engage with community members who disagree with him.
“Do I trust them to use the process effectively and responsibly with all fairness and equity to everyone they pursue? No. I do not trust that,” she said. “And I don’t understand why he wouldn’t be willing to talk about it. Why not?”
Montgomery also wants police to track crashes that happen immediately after a police officer ends a pursuit, when an escaping suspect might still be speeding and driving recklessly.
“They are still going 80 or 90 mph and they end up hitting someone or running into a building,” he said. “And now you have this person who that has caused harm, believing that they are still being chased.”
The police department did not include the case of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield, who was shot and killed Aug. 30 by an officer after he sped away from an attempted traffic stop, among its pursuits this year. Video of the incident shows the officer followed Belt-Stubblefield’s vehicle with his lights and sirens on for just under a minute over about 7/10ths of a mile before Belt-Stubblefield crashed.
Police spokesman Matthew Longshore said the incident was not a pursuit.
“The officer was stationary, running radar when the vehicle sped past, and the officer was accelerating (with both lights and siren eventually) to catch up to the vehicle,” Longshore said. “The officer did not determine nor declare that he was in pursuit of the suspect’s vehicle before the suspect crashed into the two other vehicles.”
The officer, who has not been publicly identified, killed Belt-Stubblefield in an ensuing confrontation. Belt-Stubblefield, who was under the influence of alcohol, tossed a gun to the ground and was unarmed when he was shot.
Whether or not a pursuit preceded his death was one of several questions raised in the independent monitor’s Oct. 15 report, which characterized the shooting and the department’s response to the killing as a setback in otherwise improving community relations.
A pedestrian died early Sunday morning in a hit-and-run crash on the edge of Denver’s 16th Street pedestrian mall, blocks away from Union Station, police said.
Officers responded to the fatal crash at 16th and Market streets at 2:18 a.m. Sunday, according to the Denver Police Department. Information on the cause of the crash was not available.
Milton McBride, 27, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, police said in a 9:57 a.m. update. He is scheduled to appear Monday morning in Denver County Court.
The victim killed in the crash will be identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.
Dallas came to Empower Field on Sunday afternoon wielding some of the best weapons in the game, but riddled with holes from weapons they couldn’t stop.
This would be an old-fashioned mountain shootout between the Broncos and the Cowboys, the latter a franchise ranked dead-last in the NFL in total defense.
“We wanted,” Sean Payton reflected later Sunday, “to keep them last.”
On Saturday night, in the kind of film-review meeting that normally glazes eyes, Payton introduced a semi-surprise. Joe Harrington, the Broncos’ director of football video, stitched together tape of 11 plays they’d repped throughout the week that Payton felt could go for touchdowns. And Harrington, at Payton’s behest, overlayed the college fight song of the scoring recipient on each play.
Bryant’s eyes lit up when discussing the meeting. Franklin smiled that all the flair was “pretty funny.” Veteran receiver Trent Sherfield, who has played for six NFL franchises and seven head coaches, put it best.
“It’s Sean, bro,” the 29-year-old told The Denver Post. “Like, he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.”
Payton whipped them all out a day later, throwing every grain of magic dust he had at the Cowboys in a 44-24 win that steadied concerns about the Broncos’ offensive inconsistency.
After Bo Nix attacked the sidelines and middle of the field in a four-touchdown performance, and J.K. Dobbins stayed in rhythm in a 15-carry, 111-yard performance, Payton made one thing clear postgame: He didn’t think Dallas’ defense could keep up.
Thus, the head coach recounted, he started to goad on his defense through four smashmouth quarters: Can you guys keep up with us?
“He’s our head football coach,” Engram said postgame after he was asked if he felt urgency from Payton throughout the week. “I think after the three quarters we had last week, you’re gon’ feel some pressure.”
This was Payton at his best, a roaring flame for four quarters after weeks of flickers. This is the essence of a head coach who’s long operated with a distinct swagger, as former New Orleans players describe, and the teachings of mentor Bill Parcells. There are multitudes of ways to win a game, Parcells taught him. In Dallas, Parcells often tried to cut plays from his ambitious coordinator’s play-sheet — only to turn around before one anticipated shootout against the Chiefs and tell Payton to throw the kitchen sink at Kansas City.
Twenty years later, this was a kitchen-sink game. Payton knew it. His players sensed it. The fight-song tape, on Saturday night, was evidence.
“We ran just about all the ones we went over,” Bryant said. “So I mean, just going out there and just seeing the execution – man, just knowing we did what we needed to do to catch that dub was special.”
The Broncos have been stop-and-go offensively because of Payton’s inconsistent commitment to the run game and an emphasis on short dunks early in games. They have also been stop-and-go offensively because of a lack of execution in various phases — blocking, penalties and organization.
There was less of that on Sunday. There were still a handful of ineligible-man-downfield and offensive-pass-interference whistles. But they weren’t drive-killers. There was no visible confusion, and no offensive timeouts to review a play. This was a machine that’s now racked up 77 points and 721 total yards of offense in its last five quarters.
“Everybody got to really see the offense that we can be,” Sherfield said. “And I think we all experienced it as well, too.”
Denver’s skill players noticed a “difference of play-calling” for Payton, Franklin said Sunday.
The Broncos went three-and-out on their opening drives for five straight weeks, and Nix threw three straight incompletions to open last weekend’s game against the Giants.
Payton came out on Sunday in a smashmouth run package with Sherfield, Trautman and Bryant, handed the ball to Dobbins for 7 yards on the first play, and kept riding the two-back duo of Dobbins and RJ Harvey on early downs.
As Dobbins and Harvey got going — a combined 157 yards on 22 carries — a weak Cowboys secondary opened up for Payton and Nix, who connected on three deep balls to Franklin, Bryant and later Courtland Sutton. Nix entered Week 8 with just six such completions of throws longer than 20 yards.
“I just think he got a couple more passes in there for us,” Franklin said of Payton’s play-calling. “Just kind of evened up the run and pass calls.”
Payton’s approach found a balance between ruthless precision and trickery. Harvey had a direct-snap Wildcat touchdown in the second quarter on a play Payton’s had in rotation “for like five weeks.” And Franklin’s second TD grab of the game, in the fourth quarter, came on a play where the Broncos wanted to target Franklin’s matchup — former fellow Duck Trikweze Bridgers.
“That’s part of the game,” Payton said.
Payton did not want to beat Dallas. He wanted to bury them. He called five straight passes against a reeling Cowboys defense with eight minutes left, resulting in Nix’s fourth TD on a short flick to Harvey. Payton called a go-route for Engram while up 37-17 with seven minutes to play.
And his locker room felt his offense click in a way it hadn’t shown yet this season.
“That’s going to help us going forward to point to this game and – ‘Hey, this is how we need to play,’” Sherfield said. “‘No matter who’s out there.’”
The Broncos suffered a massive injury scare not five minutes into Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
On a second-and-1 from the Broncos’ 1-yard line, star cornerback Pat Surtain II went up high against the Cowboys’ George Pickens, knocking a pass from Dak Prescott away. After hitting the turf, Surtain popped up just fine in celebration — but after a couple steps, fell back to the turf and began clutching at his lower right leg.
Trainers came out to examine Surtain, who appeared in obvious pain on the turf at Empower Field. Eventually, two Broncos staffers helped Surtain limp gingerly off the field, the star cornerback seemingly unable to put much weight on his leg.
He went immediately to the Broncos’ sideline medical tent, and exited after a few minutes, appearing to test out his leg with some dropback work on the sidelines. After missing just the final couple plays of Denver’s first defensive drive, though, Surtain grabbed his helmet and walked back to the Broncos’ sideline, appearing to grab at his right ankle in a small conversation with safety Talanoa Hufanga.
He returned on Denver’s second defensive drive.
Surtain previously missed a chunk of the Broncos’ Week 2 matchup with the Colts after suffering a left-ankle injury, a performance that ended up standing as one of the worst single games of his career. Since, he’s authored a dominant follow-up to his 2024 Defensive Player of the Year campaign, holding a slew of star receivers — from the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase in Week 4 to the Jets’ Garrett Wilson in Week 6 — in check with each passing week.
Krull undergoes surgery on foot: Reserve tight end Lucas Krull, who suffered a Jones fracture in his foot and was placed on injured reserve in early October, appears set to miss more significant time. Krull is undergoing surgery to repair the fracture, a source confirmed to The Denver Post on Sunday. Krull has just two catches for 15 yards this season, but played a significant 30% of Denver’s snaps through three games before going down.
DENVER — It was the return of the good luck hats, jerseys, and bling as Nuggets Nation filled Ball Arena for the home opener game against the Phoenix Suns. After coming off a loss, the Nuggets redeemed themselves at home, beating the Suns 133 to 111.
“We have the best player in the world, so every year is a championship run. At the end of the day, you got Jamal Murray coming back and Jamal Murray is going to give you a solid 20 points a game,” Jose Silva said.
Building on the excitement, fans were eager to see new talent on the hardwood, including Cameron Johnson and Bruce Brown, whom the Nuggets picked up in the offseason.
“I like all the changes that they made,” said Jen McSween. “I like Cam Johnson, him coming, I think it’s going to be really good. Love MPJ, but he had to go, it was time, so I think it’s going to be good.”
Jacob Curtis
“I think trading MPJ, being able to pick up four players for his contract, I think, is going to make a huge difference. I think our biggest weakness last year was no depth on the bench,” Justin Sturgill said.
While fans were confident going into the game against the Suns, they also agreed that this year their team would win the championship.
“I think they have a really good shot. I think that they’ve made the right changes. I don’t think they made the right changes two years ago. I think they made the right changes this offseason to really support Jokic. He needs it. He needs that support,” McSween said.
Jacob Curtis
Before tipoff, Nuggets Nation filled Union Station with excitement as fans prepared for the game and bonded over the start of this new season.
“Well, I think Denver is just a really good fan city. We got Rockies, we got Broncos, we got Nuggets, and everybody always shows up and shows out for our teams, so you gotta love it. If there’s anything going on for the Nuggets, everybody is going to be here, you can count on it.” David Valdez said.
Up next, the Nuggets will play the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Nuggets Nation celebrates a win at home against the Phoenix Suns
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DENVER — When Denver voters hit the polls, they’ll have the final say on whether the city should keep or overturn its ban on flavored tobacco products.
Meanwhile, the fight intensifies as both sides ramp up Saturday morning voter outreach.
The ordinance to ban flavored tobacco products was first approved by the Denver City Council in an 11-1 vote last December.
But after pushback and petitions from business owners, the issue is now in voters’ hands.
A “yes” vote on Referendum 310 means you support keeping Denver’s ban on flavored tobacco products.
In September, Michael Bloomberg donated more than $1.5 million to the campaign Denver Kids vs. Big Tobacco to uphold the ban.
Backers of the ban gathered at New Hope Baptist Church on Saturday morning ahead of door-knocking efforts to ramp up voter outreach.
They said it all comes down to reducing access for Denver kids and teens.
“I think the more that youth understand the targeting that’s happened from the industry to themselves and their peers, I think it’s really motivated them to be a vocal advocate on behalf of this issue,” said Jodi Radke, regional director for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
Dozens of Denver high schoolers were part of Saturday’s door-knocking efforts, telling Denver7 they see the products their classmates use regularly.
“A lot of people are harmed by it, all the chemicals in there, and they don’t know how bad it is for them,” said Demba Dath, a senior at Regis Groff High School.
A few miles away, meanwhile, a different sort of voter outreach effort got underway — vape shop owners held signs on 16th Street to voice their side of the issue.
“I just really felt that it was a huge overreach from the city council to just push this ban through without taking reasonable considerations about small businesses, adult choice, the revenue that will be lost to other cities,” said Kristen Hensel, owner of Rusty’s Vape and Smoke Shop.
A “no” vote on Referendum 310 means you want to overturn the current ban on flavored tobacco products.
Hensel echoes the concerns of hundreds of other vape shop owners across the city who say the ban would negatively impact their small businesses and income.
Hensel said products for those 21 and over make up most sales, and the ban could close many shops.
That’s why they’re waving signs and making thousands of calls ahead of November 4.
“This is a fight between local people. So we only have our local money, and we’re not rich, so we are just calling people all day, every day,” said Mike Wing, owner of King Smoke and Vape Shop.
Final push: both sides of Referendum 310 rally Denver voters on flavored tobacco ban
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As former members of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, we have long respected the complexity and responsibility of serving on the board. It is a demanding and often thankless role. Yet, the gravity of our district’s challenges and the content of the Denver Post editorial from September 28, 2025, compel us to speak out.
The editorial referenced “some candidates running for the Denver Board of Education who would rather see the district’s world-class lottery system go away,” and accused them of wanting to “keep the best schools in Denver a secret.” Let’s be clear: the three incumbents — Scott Esserman, Xóchitl Gaytán, and Michelle Quattlebaum — have led efforts to dismantle school choice in Denver. They have also collaborated with the Superintendent to only publicize the positive results and limit public access to negative school performance data especially among low income students. The public deserves to see the disaggregated achievement by race, ethnicity, and income.
Despite campaigning on promises of transparency and accountability, the incumbents’ actions have too often produced the opposite. The current board has made critical decisions behind closed doors, minimized authentic community engagement, and failed to deliver measurable improvement for Denver’s students.
This November, Denver voters have the opportunity to elect four new board members who will restore integrity, transparency, and student-centered decision-making. These candidates–Mariana del Hierro (District 2), Caron Blanke (District 3), Timiya Jackson (District 4), and Alex Magaña (At-Large)—represent the best of Denver’s civic and educational leadership. Two are accomplished educators, and two bring executive management experience rooted in community service. Collectively, they are prepared to govern responsibly and help rebuild a system that prioritizes student success above all else.
The data tell a sobering story. While 75% of white students in DPS are proficient in reading, only 30% or fewer Black, Latino, and low-income students meet grade-level expectations–a gap that continues to widen. In mathematics, the disparities are even starker, with up to 80% of students from these groups performing below grade level.
Standardized scores are not the only indicator of educational health, but they are an important one. Denver Public Schools has not returned to pre-pandemic levels of achievement and, alarmingly, has no clear plan to get there. The current leadership has failed to set ambitious goals, measure progress transparently, or hold itself accountable for student outcomes.
It is deeply concerning that a board responsible for $1.5 billion in taxpayer funds, 90,000 students, and 15,000 employees demonstrates so little urgency or accountability. Under this leadership, Denver students have fallen even farther behind academically, socially, and emotionally.
This election offers a turning point. Denver voters can choose leaders who bring urgency, competence, and a clear sense of responsibility to public education. Blanke, del Hierro, Jackson, and Magaña are ready to collaborate with the Superintendent on an aggressive, student-centered plan to raise achievement and restore public confidence. The pandemic presented an opportunity to reimagine a district that works for every child. The current board–and the incumbents seeking reelection—failed that test. Denver cannot afford another generation of lost potential.
This November, we urge voters to support new leadership committed to transparency, accountability, and the belief that every Denver student deserves the opportunity to learn, thrive, and succeed.
Elaine Gantz Berman, Theresa Peña and Mary Seawell are all former elected directors of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education.
DENVER — Along what is arguably the most famous street in Denver lies a pervasive crime with a long history in the city. Now, law enforcement is trying out a new kind of operation meant to combat a crime that requires a nuanced approach.
On Aug. 27, the Denver Police Department (DPD) launched its three-part operation meant to curb sex work and sex trafficking on East Colfax. The distinct phases build upon decades of understanding how coercion and exploitation often accompany sex work.
“There’s a lot of sex workers that come into Denver that are not doing this because they want to, but because they’re either under pimp control or they’re being trafficked by a pimp,” explained Lieutenant Ryan Harris, who works with the Vice Narcotics Section in DPD. “We really come at it from a victim-centered approach. We work with a lot of non-government organizations, and our own victim services in-house, really trying to find services and options for those that are involved in sex work.”
Denver7 got an exclusive look at DPD’s three-pronged operation, something the department had never tried before this summer.
“While it is a brand new approach to do all three of those things at the same time on the same night, we’ve been doing a little bit of those things for a long time,” Harris said. “I’ve been involved in this type of work for the last 13 years, and really, even back 13 years ago, we started taking small baby steps towards that.”
First, police conducted an undercover investigation, looking to see who was trying to buy sex in the area of East Colfax. Then, sex workers were offered support and resources from the organizations and victim advocates on scene. Finally, law enforcement conducted strategic enforcement in the area.
That night, Harris said eight people were arrested in connection with accusations of soliciting sex. Their cars were also impounded as a result.
“It’s very important that people understand that if you’re buying sex in Denver, we’re going to find you, you’re going to get arrested, and we’re going to impound your vehicle,” said Harris.
Denver Police Department
As part of DPD’s first three-tiered operation on Aug. 27, eight people who allegedly tried to purchase sex along East Colfax were arrested.
Meanwhile, Harris said in an operation like that, the sex workers are not penalized. Still, sex work is not decriminalized in Denver, and he acknowledged there are times when sex workers are cited.
“But we do that from an empathetic perspective, and we first triage to see if there’s any trafficking,” Harris said.
Chris Richardson, the director of the Crisis Service Bureau at DPD, was on scene alongside officers that night. As a social worker, Richardson has a deep understanding of mental health struggles.
“We’ve grown a lot, just in general, in our knowledge of what this population needs, what they look like, how they present,” Richardson said. “[In the past] a lot of it was blaming the individual for putting themselves out there. And I think what we’ve really come to realize is that a lot of these individuals are forced. They’re coerced. They are manipulated into doing this kind of work.”
Richardson said the focus is on the perpetrators — people purchasing sex — and not on the sex workers attached to it, who are often victimized.
“From my standpoint, it was a double-edged approach. It was getting the bad guys off the street and being able to actually support the individuals that may not want to be in this lifestyle, or maybe are tired of it and just want a way out, and they just don’t know who to reach out to,” said Richardson. “That’s what I love the most about it, is trying to make an impact on someone, and not really having an agenda other than kindness and caring and showing support.”
Denver Police Department
When Denver police arrest someone accused of soliciting sex, their car is impounded.
Also on the ground on the first night of this three-part operation was Jenelle Goodrich, the founder and executive director of the non-governmental organization From Silenced to Saved (FSTS). The group supports survivors of human trafficking.
As Goodrich looked around the area of East Colfax where the enforcement was conducted, she called it “The Blade.”
“The Blade is a stretch of street or real estate in certain cities that are on the circuit — major cities in the nation, where commercial sex workers are put out by their pimps and traffickers to work The Blade and engage in sexual acts,” Goodrich explained. “When we’re only seeing one side of the problem, which is what historically it has been, then we tend to go after girls and penalize them for being victimized.”
Goodrich described the shift in DPD’s approach to sex work and trafficking victims as “drastic,” saying the department understands the nuances of the crime.
“I trust DPD implicitly, especially their human trafficking unit, when it comes time to speak to a potential victim, survivor, that they will be trauma-informed, that they will be non-judgmental, and that they will really give them the care and focus that’s needed for their case,” Goodrich said.
While Goodrich was out on East Colfax with DPD, she informed sex workers about their rights to report the crime.
“We were able to get a lot of amazing feedback that night from girls being shocked that that was their right,” said Goodrich. “From girls taking resource cards, from one individual giving us a hug, that she thought it was so great that we were out here, to a minor that came forward days later to get off of the street — and to be able for the victim services to assist and help with that, to get her home.”
Still, the psychological cycle behind sex work and trafficking can be incredibly difficult to break.
“When there’s a trauma bond with these individuals and these victims, survivors, then it’s really hard to get them out,” Goodrich said. “We have to consistently be going back, be doing this, showing up and telling them that we’re here, and hopefully at some point they will take it and be able to live a better life outside of the control of another individual.”
Crime
Understanding human trafficking and its prevalence in Colorado
According to Goodrich, the issue stretches beyond just the immediate surroundings of East Colfax.
“The spider web that it has affects every single person in the state of Colorado,” Goodrich said. “Statistically, especially with this type of operation — which is going after the demand in one of the pieces of that operation — statistically, buyers are middle-aged Caucasian men, married with two children, with pretty high income, or at least decent income. And so most of that type of man does not necessarily live in this block. He lives all over the Denver metro area.”
Goodrich sent a handful of people who were formerly sex trafficked a few questions from Denver7 related to this story.
One of the women said, “I can not personally call it sex work. It was not consensual, and I had no choice in what was happening to me. I was 17 and still in high school, and a man in his 40s began grooming and coercing me, eventually taking me across the country away from my family and trafficked me. It seemed to be in a blink of an eye. Things were okay, and then suddenly I was trapped in this world, being taken advantage of, and I could not escape it.”
Another woman explained what ultimately broke the cycle for her.
“Well-trained officers, investigators and my advocates rescued me,” she said. “They took me at my lowest moment and supported and guided me through the initial rescue, reuniting with my family through the whole legal process and beyond. I’m grateful to From Silenced to Saved and everyone and their knowledge and training for saving my life.”
When asked how important support and resources were while being sex trafficked, one woman emphasized how difficult the situation is to escape.
“Having the knowledge that there are people out there who can and will help others stuck in the same situation is comforting,” she said. “Education and training for law enforcement on the subject is so crucial for getting people out of these situations. It is a much more common issue than people realize. Everyone who helped me knew exactly what to do, and I am now thriving and have a better life than I ever thought possible. From Silenced to Saved and everyone involved in my case saved my life and continues to help me thrive.”
Denver PD said there are plans for more three-part operations to combat sex work and trafficking in the future, alongside other enforcement practices.
If you or someone you know needs help, you are not alone. You can call Colorado’s Human Trafficking Hotline at 866-455-5075 or text 720-999-9724.
Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Colette Bordelon
Denver7’s Colette Bordelon covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on crime, justice and issues impacting our climate and environment. If you’d like to get in touch with Colette, fill out the form below to send her an email.
Are dead leaves piling up in your yard? Have squirrels already eaten your Halloween pumpkins?
Denverite reader Niña R. used a city program to dump her leaves last year, and she wanted to know: “Would you be able to find out and share when and where Denver is recycling/composting leaves?”
You can also use a lawnmower to turn leaves into mulch for a grass lawn. Many authoritative sources agree that this is unlikely to harm your grass. More on that later.
As a reminder: Many cities prohibit or discourage people from blowing leaves into the streets.
First, if you have a compost bin, you can throw your leaves and pumpkins in there. Denver offers compost bins to all solid waste customers. The city’s compost program also accepts paper leaf bags.
Ace Hardware is providing free compostable paper leaf bags. If you want a free five-pack, you can download a coupon at the Be a Smart Ash website.
But if your compost bin is full, you have other options.
Denver residents can use LeafDrop sites:
On weekdays from Oct. 6 – Nov. 21, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Denver residents can go to the following locations.
Cherry Creek Transfer Station (the only place that accepts hitched trailers that are 6 feet in length or less), 7301 E. Jewell Ave. (Enter on Jewell.)
Havana Nursery: 10450 Smith Rd. (Enter on Smith.)
Central Platte Campus, 1271 W. Bayaud Ave. (Enter through the gates at Bayaud and Navajo, go past the Denver Animal Shelter to dumpsters in front of Building 2 on the right.)
The only weekend dates available are Nov. 8 and 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bruce Randolph High School, E. 40th Avenue and Steele Street.
Cherry Creek Transfer Station, 7301 E. Jewell Ave. Enter on Jewell. (This is the only Denver location to accept trailers up to 6 feet in length.)
Kennedy High School, Newland St. and Brown Pl.
Sloan’s Lake Northwest Parking Lot, W. Byron Pl. and Yates St.
Veterans Park, S. Vine St. and E. Iowa Ave.
All leaves must be in paper bags.
What about other cities?
Some of Denver’s suburbs also offer free leaf recycling. Keep in mind that these sites are generally limited to local residents and may require proof of residency
Arvada will accept residents’ leaves at Stegner Sports Complex,11200 W. 58th Ave. The program is running Nov. 8-22, except Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Broomfield accepted residents’ leaves and other yard waste at its Tree Branch Recycling Facility. It’s open Wednesdays 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Golden will collect yard waste curbside from Nov. 3-7. It must be uncontaminated in certified compostable bags, or in bundles or in your organics cart.
Douglas County accepts residents’ leaves on Saturdays from Oct. 25 through Nov. 15 at 1400 Capice Dr. in Castle Rock. Leaves, slash and grass clippings will be accepted Oct. 25; only leaves will be accepted after that.
Highlands Ranchwill accept residents’ yard waste on Nov. 15 at Redstone Park, 3280 Redstone Park Cir.
Westminster will accept residents’ leaves and pumpkins at 10001 Alkire St. on Saturday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Dec. 6, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Some cities, such as Aurora, don’t advertise a free disposal option. Aurora instead encourages people to sign up for a paid service.
Do I have to do this at all?
No. If you are able, you could compost the leaves yourself,or just use a lawnmower to turn them into mulch for a grass lawn.
A study from Cornell University found that a site in New York was actually healthier with leaf mulch. An article from Purdue University warns that leaving a thick layer of leaves can kill grass and invite mold, but mulching can improve the soil condition.
“It is important not to mulch in thick layers of leaves all at once, but instead shred them a little at a time,” the Purdue article stated. But “[a]side from saving time and money in removing foliage from the grass, mulching also saves time and money in the spring by keeping grass healthy.”
Local sources agree. “The best thing to do with the leaves on your lawn is to mow right over them and leave them on the surface. It’s much easier than raking them, plus it’s good for your lawn!” reads an article from the Pueblo County Extension office.
“Grass clippings and leaves make good mulch when applied dry or when applied gradually in thin layers and allowed to dry between applications,” states another extension office.
Denverite editor Andy Kenney got tired of bagging his leaves years ago and has mulched them instead. It doesn’t seem to hurt anything.
Denverite editor Andrew Kenney contributed to this article. See if you can find where.
NEW YORK — Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested Thursday along with more than 30 other people accused of participating in schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by the Mafia, authorities said.
Rozier is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information, officials said. Billups, a Denver native who starred for the Nuggets during a long playing career, is charged in a separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families, authorities said.
Both men face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges and were expected to make initial court appearances later Thursday.
In the first case, six defendants are accused of participating in an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential information about NBA athletes and teams, said Joseph Nocella, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He called it “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”
The second case involves 31 defendants in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games, Nocella said. The defendants include former professional athletes accused of using technology to steal millions of dollars in underground poker games in the New York area that were backed by Mafia families, he said.
“My message to the defendants who’ve been rounded up today is this: Your winning streak has ended. Your luck has run out,” Nocella said.
A message seeking comment was left Thursday morning with Billups. A message was also left with Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty. Trusty previously told ESPN that Rozier was told that an initial investigation determined he did nothing wrong after he met with NBA and FBI officials in 2023, the sports network reported.
In the sports betting scheme, players sometimes altered their performance or took themselves out of games early, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. In one instance, Rozier, while playing for the Hornets, told people he was planning to leave the game early with a “supposed injury,” allowing them to place wagers that raked in thousands of dollars, Tisch said.
The indictment of Rozier and others says there are nine unnamed co-conspirators, including a Florida resident who was an NBA player, an Oregon resident who was an NBA player from about 1997 to 2014 and an NBA coach since at least 2021, as well as a relative of Rozier. Billups played in the NBA from 1997 to 2014 and currently resides in Portland as the Trail Blazers’ head coach.
Rozier and other defendants “had access to private information known by NBA players or NBA coaches” that was likely to affect the outcome of games or players’ performances and provided that information to other co-conspirators in exchange for either a flat fee or a share of betting profits, the indictment says.
The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on immediate leave Thursday and released a statement: “We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
Rozier was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic on Wednesday evening in Orlando, Florida, in the season opener for both teams, though he did not play in the game. He was taken into custody in Orlando early Thursday morning. The team did not immediately comment on the arrest.
The case was brought by the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn that previously prosecuted ex-NBA player Jontay Porter. The former Toronto Raptors center pleaded guilty to charges that he withdrew early from games, claiming illness or injury, so that those in the know could win big by betting on him to underperform expectations.
Billups was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year. The five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA point guard led the Detroit Pistons to their third league title in 2004 as NBA Finals MVP.
The Denver-born phenom graduated from George Washington High School and played basketball at CU before being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. Known as Mr. Big Shot nationally and the King of Park Hill locally in Denver, Billups also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers. Billups won the Joe Dumars Trophy, the NBA’s sportsmanship award, in 2009 while playing for his hometown Nuggets.
The 49-year-old Billups is in his fifth season as Portland’s coach, compiling a 117-212 record. The Trail Blazers opened the season Wednesday night at home with a 118-114 loss to Minnesota. Billups’ brother, Rodney, is currently the Nuggets’ director of player development and an assistant coach on David Adelman’s staff.
A game involving Rozier that has been in question was a matchup between the Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans on March 23, 2023. Rozier played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of that game — and not only did not return that night, citing a foot issue, but did not play again that season. Charlotte had eight games remaining and was not in playoff contention, so it did not seem particularly unusual that Rozier was shut down for the season’s final games.
In that game, Rozier finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists in that opening period — a productive quarter but well below his usual total output for a full game.
Posts still online from March 23, 2023, show that some bettors were furious with sportsbooks that evening when it became evident that Rozier was not going to return to the Charlotte-New Orleans game after the first quarter, with many turning to social media to say that something “shady” had gone on regarding the prop bets involving his stats for that night.
A prop is a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistical number, such as whether the player will finish over or under a certain total of points, rebounds or assists.
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Durkin Richer reported from Washington, and Reynolds reported from Miami. Associated Press writers David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report.
