BROOKLYN, N.Y. — To get their first win of the season, the Nuggets almost had to sacrifice their second.
Michael Malone knew the risk he was taking. It narrowly paid off Monday night in Toronto with an overtime breakthrough. But the physical strain on his starters was visible 24 hours later as they instantly struggled to defend the perimeter against a team widely projected to be the worst in the NBA.
The Nuggets allowed 40 first-quarter points and fell behind by as many as 17 in the second before they revived themselves again for a 144-139 win over the Nets on Tuesday — again, in overtime.
Nikola Jokic lifted his team with another masterpiece: 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists on 9-of-16 shooting. In a deja vu sequence down by three at the end of regulation, the Nuggets opted to go for two points with 33.8 seconds left. Malone called for a Jokic post-up, like Monday, which Jokic easily executed, like Monday. Then, like Monday, the Nuggets’ opponent missed a free throw, allowing them a chance to tie it in the final seconds without needing a three. Again, Denver dialed up a Jokic post-up.
“We are trying to get there to see, are they gonna double?” the center said.
Brooklyn didn’t. The three-time MVP backed his way to an effortless baby hook with nine ticks left.
“They doubled him a lot tonight,” Malone said. “This was more, they waited for him to dribble the ball and then the double came. I’m so happy I get to coach Nikola because I can’t imagine game-planning for guarding that guy.”
The only difference between their back-to-back magic acts: This time, the Nuggets left enough time to give up a wide-open corner three as time expired. Dorian Finney-Smith clanked it.
And again, the starting lineup found itself logging extra hours at the office. Malone had already gone to an eight-man rotation in the second half of the Toronto game.
“Obviously we found ourselves in a game last night that we kind of shortened our rotation up a little bit in the second half, feeling the pressure of trying to get the first win of the season,” he said before opening tip at Barclays Center. “And when you look at the box score after the game, especially going into the second night of a back-to-back in Brooklyn, you have your starters all at or near 40 minutes. And that’s not sustainable. We can’t do that. Game three, it was cool, man. Let’s get our first win, kind of take a deep breath. But that’s not sustainable.”
His foresight was probably more immediate than he hoped. The Nets shot 12 of 24 from beyond the arc in the first half. When they weren’t launching, Denver’s defenders took the bait anyway, allowing drivers to get behind them and playing catch-up on rotations. After another rough bench stint, Brooklyn led 47-30 with 9:42 remaining in the half.
The Nuggets’ collective redemption arrived in the form of a snarling, sharpshooting Russell Westbrook about an hour later. He had already been the best version of himself in the first half, zipping brilliant entry passes to Jokic and bullying his way to the foul line with the second unit (then converting the free throws). But on the last possession of the third quarter, with Denver trailing 99-93, he stepped into just his second 3-point make of the season. On the first possession of the fourth, he drove and kicked to Peyton Watson for a corner three. Tie game.
His next pull-up 3-point attempt, ill-advised or not, gave him 22 points on 12 shots and capped a 13-2 run. It was 106-101, Denver.
Russ giveth and Russ taketh. He shanked an uncontested dunk with his left hand during a quick 5-0 answer from Brooklyn, setting the stage for Denver’s second consecutive suspenseful finish.
“It’s hard to win in this league,” the backup point guard said. “People think it’s easy, man. It’s hard. Especially when you’re a team that’s won year after year and always been in the running for NBA championships. It’s hard. We’ll get everybody’s best shot. We’ve gotta be prepared for it. However we’ve gotta get wins right now, we’ll take them.”
Michael Porter Jr. bounced back from his inefficient first week of the season, shooting 4 for 7 from 3-point range. Jamal Murray added 24 points. Aaron Gordon contributed 22. Denver quickly pulled away in the extra period after Jokic scored or assisted on its first six points.
“I’m glad we had the momentum going in, and I think we controlled the overtime, so that is a good thing,” Jokic said. “We found baskets when we needed it.”
The Avalanche has desperately needed Ross Colton’s goal-scoring surge to start the 2024-25 season with so many top forwards missing from the lineup.
Now the Avs need someone to step up and replace Colton.
The second-year Colorado forward took a shot off his right foot Monday night against the Chicago Blackhawks and did not play in the third period of an eventual 5-2 loss. He left the Avs locker room in a walking boot.
“He’s out,” Bednar said. “He took that shot … he’s going to miss some time. We’ll get a better feel on how long it’s going to be (Tuesday) or by Wednesday morning.”
Colton leads the Avalanche with eight goals in 10 games. He’s been the club’s go-to first-line left wing next to Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen since Jonathan Drouin was injured in the opening game of the season.
Colton and Drouin are joined on the unavailable list by Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder), Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) and Gabe Landeskog (knee). That’s nearly $25 million in forwards.
Lehkonen has a checkup scheduled for Tuesday on his shoulder, which required offseason surgery. He’s been practicing with the team and could play soon if that meeting with the doctor goes well. Drouin has been skating with the team in a red, no-contact jersey and could be getting closer to returning as well.
Nichushkin is not eligible to be reinstated from his suspension while in Stage 3 of the NHL-NHLPA Players Assistance Program until the middle of next month, but he is skating and working out on his own in Denver.
The Avs began Monday on a five-game winning streak and some light at the end of this dark availability tunnel, but Colton’s injury adds another bit of uncertainty for the club.
Westbound Interstate 70 ropened Monday morning near Frisco after a crash, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The westbound interstate was closed between Exit 203 for Colorado 9 and East Frisco and Exit 201 for Frisco, about 3 miles west of Silverthorne, CDOT officials said in an 11:18 a.m. post on X.
That trade for Casey Mittelstadt looks pretty good so far.
Mittelstadt had three assists, including setting up the go-ahead goal with 6:31 left, and the Colorado Avalanche shook off a few minutes of lackluster hockey in the third period Sunday night to defeat the Ottawa Senators, 5-4, at Ball Arena.
It’s the Avs’ fifth straight win since starting the season 0-4. It’s also back-to-back three-point games for Mittelstadt, who joined the club before the trade deadline last season from Buffalo and signed a three-year contract this offseason.
“Just to have him last year, and then see the work he put in this summer, we knew there was another gear this guy could find,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Another step he can take in his game, like his complete game, but what’s going to follow is the production. He’s a super-talented guy. He sees things other guys can’t see, and he makes plays other guys can’t make.”
Mittelstadt earned the primary assist on all three goals. He’s up to five goals and 12 points in nine games, and hasn’t played a minute yet this season with the two guys who could eventually be his wings — Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin.
He found O’Connor in front of the net to make it a 3-2 game. Ross Colton continued his scoring tear to start the season with his eighth of the season 90 seconds later. Nathan MacKinnon added an empty-netter with 1:15 left to seal the win.
“(Mittelstadt) will find you anywhere. It’s insane,” O’Connor said. “You just get open and … forehand, backhand, three guys on him, no space, he’s still going to find you. It’s pretty remarkable. He’s honestly one of the best puck players I’ve ever played with.”
After Colorado had bottled up Ottawa for nearly 50 minutes, the Senators scored twice in 2:08 to even the score at 2-2. Brady Tkachuk had the first one, after a Tyler Kleven shot from the right point went wide. The rebound off the boards behind Justus Annunen came right to Tkachuk at the left post for a tap-in with 10:45 left in the third.
Ottawa kept pushing and found another similar goal with 8:37 left. Nick Cousins put home the rebound of a shot from the left point after getting position on Colton near the right post.
Annunen ended up allowing four goals in the final 11 minutes after yielding just four in his previous 11 periods combined, but the shorthanded Avs remain in “two points, anyway possible” mode.
“I would say it was one of those games where we found a way,” O’Connor said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say it was how we wanted to win, but we’ll take those ones any day of the week.”
Nikolai Kovalenko’s first NHL goal came with 7.8 seconds left in the first period to give the Avs the lead. Kovalenko found a spot in the slot to post up during a 6-on-5 because of a delayed Ottawa penalty, and Mittelstadt found him for a one-timer.
MacKinnon had the secondary assist on Kovalenko’s goal. He thought he had scored a goal earlier in the period, but it was waved off for goaltender interference after Mikko Rantanen bumped Anton Forsberg as he was falling down near the left post.
Forsberg was at the center of some quirky drama in the second period. He needed repairs done to his skate, but the first time it took so long that the officials made Ottawa put Linus Ullmark in until the next stoppage in play. Forsberg came back in, but then had to exit a second time for more skate repairs. He eventually returned, so the Senators made four goalie changes during the period.
The Avs closed the second the same way they did the first — with a goal in the final minute. Josh Manson skated from the right point toward the middle of the ice and flung a harmless-looking backhanded shot at the net. Forsberg didn’t track it well, and had no idea where it was as it trickled behind him and into the net.
It was an odd night. Bednar split up MacKinnon and Rantanen at one point, then put them back together near the end. He also split up Cale Makar and Devon Toews.
The top players didn’t have a typically dominant night, but the Avs still scored five goals and remain one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
“When you’re losing and you feel like you’re not playing well, you start digging in to start playing better,” Bednar said. “It’s the attention to detail, the buy-in, the commitment it takes to win — just doing everything harder and cleaner.
“When you develop those habits and it comes around for you to get a little confidence, it tends to go that way.”
Two dogs are among the newest government employees of Boulder County.
Ares, a 1½-year-old German Shepherd, is the newest K-9 recruit of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and Marlow, a 2-year-old golden retriever lab mix, is the most recent furry friend to be hired by the District Attorney’s office to help in victim services.
While the two dogs could not be more different in their jobs, they reflect the continued presence of K-9 support in law enforcement agencies.
‘He’s very good at comforting people’
Ares, who is currently going through the academy, is being trained for certification in patrol and narcotics detection. Meanwhile, Marlow helps victims and children feel more comfortable during trial proceedings.
“This building is a scary place, it’s got people a victim or witness don’t know, and people in suits who are going to be asking all these really tough questions about stuff they really don’t want to talk about if they had a choice, ” said Chris Merkle, a senior investigator at the DA’s Office. “Just to see the impact, these dogs can just take that edge off.”
Merkle’s work involves investigating cases in preparation for trial. Each investigation includes interviewing witnesses, victims and responders as to what they saw during the incident.
“We meet with them right before trial, kind of give them the logistics of trial and where and when they should show up. That’s often when Marlow is involved,” Merkle said. “A lot of times when you’re talking about the crime again and in the court, it brings up a lot of anxiety. He’s very good at comforting people.”
Investigator Chris Merkle and his dog Marlow have been working at the DA’s Office to provide support to victims, witnesses, and staff.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)
Marlow, who has been with the office since April, is from the Canine Companion For Independence organization which provides “service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities and facility dogs to professionals working in healthcare, criminal justice and educational settings,” according to its website. Their dogs are of no cost to the clients.
Merkle said Marlow was trained when they began working. But to ensure Marlow stays up to date on his training, they spend about five-to-10 minutes a day, reviewing.
Marlow’s responsibilities involve calming people down, bringing smiles to people’s faces and even dropping a tissue box in their laps if they need it.
The pup is trained to respond to both English and Spanish, and has the ability to open drawers, “boop” people to alert them, and rest his upper body or chin on someone to calm them. Marlow can also jump on furniture if needed, only barks on command and only goes to the bathroom when told to.
Ares will work on the other side of the system, by being used to track suspects, reprimand suspects through bites and find narcotics.
Ares first met his handler, Boulder County Deputy Richard Hart, in early August after being picked up from Vohne Liche Kennels, based in Indiana.
Since then, the two have bonded in training sessions prior to starting the academy in October. Hart’s plan in that they will graduate and become certified in patrol and narcotics detection.
“We’ve had a couple months now to really build a foundation of obedience. So we’ve been going to weekly trainings with our unit, our internal unit here at the sheriff’s office,” Hart said. “I’ve learned a lot of obedience and other basic commands, I’ve gotten a lot of exposure, environmental exposure, and that really gave us a good foundation to start the academy. So even though we’ve only been there a week, we’re pretty far along.”
Given that a number of other agencies within the county don’t have K-9 units themselves, Hart said he and Ares will be called to assist other agencies on scene. Hart is also a part of the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force which tracks “violent fugitives.” Ares will be used there, as well.
The two will also need to remain on call, as they could be needed at any time.
‘if I were to send him on a bite, I have to be able to recall him.’
Boulder County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Hart, with K-9, Ares.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)
The two K-9s also have very different home lives. At home, Ares sleeps outside in an insulated kennel, provided by the sheriff’s office, to keep him from confusing his work life and home life.
“I can’t bring him inside really, and there’s reasons,” Hart said. “When we do our training exercises and we go into an empty building or something and we’ll have a decoy suspect, I need him to be comfortable jumping over furniture, jumping on the counters, pushing doors open — things you don’t want him to do in your own home. If I were to bring him in my house and tell him no or correct him for doing that, then that can pour over into training.”
Despite Ares not sharing a home with his handler, the pair share the rest of their time together. Hart feeds, walks, plays and trains Ares to ensure they build a bond that will transfer into the workplace.
“He has to really only understand me,” Hart said. “He takes orders from me, he gets his food from me, his water, I’m the provider of everything. He tends to ignore other people, including my family. He is hyper-focused on me — which is good for the training bonding.”
Hart said while on scene he is the one to decide whether to release Ares for a bite and has to ensure that if he lets Ares go, he will bite the correct person. Hart added that if Ares were to be released and then the suspect were to start complying, Hart has to be able to stop Ares from pursuing.
“You have to be able to demonstrate verbal recall and a verbal out with your dog,” Hart said. “Right now, I have control of him on the leash, but if I were to send him on a bite, I have to be able to recall him.”
Meanwhile, Marlow has a similar home life to most dogs but still does everything with Merkle, including walking a mile-and-a-half each morning at 4 a.m. before eating breakfast, getting dressed for work and making the commute, in.
“He’s spoiled like any other dog because he’s so well-behaved,” Merkle said. “He is just such a good boy and he loves to lay in the sun.”
‘He’s the most popular employee’
In the DA’s Office, Marlow is always near one of his many balls or toys that he treasures and often plays within the courtyard. When indoors, he can be found resting in his dog bed in Merkle’s office, where people often stop by to visit.
“Marlow has no shortage of visitors that come by and want to say hi,” Merkle said. “He’s the most popular employee.”
In contrast, Ares hangs out in the spacious kennel in the back of Hart’s patrol car, which stays running throughout the day. Ares always has a bed and water in the kennel and gets taken out for walks and training during the day.
Boulder County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Hart, with K-9, Ares.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)
Hart explained that if the patrol car’s air somehow gets turned off, the car will automatically roll the windows down and turn on fans inside the vehicle. Hart also has a device that will tell him the temperature inside the vehicle.
The manufacturer also considered the possibility of someone attempting to steal the running vehicle. Hart explained that if someone without the key tries to open the door, the patrol car will turn off immediately.
The sheriff’s office hopes to get another K-9 toward the start of next year.
A screenshot of Michael Gardner’s Instagram account.
A Colorado mountain climber fell to his death while descending the Jannu East peak in Nepal this month, during a third attempt at establishing a route on the peak’s north face.
A tribute to Michael Gardner published by the American Alpine Club said the 32-year-old was widely respected among his fellow alpinists for his “empathy, enthusiasm, dedication to the craft of climbing, pure motivations and lack of ego.”
“His quiet pursuit of the mountains on his own terms means his legacy is not flashy but found in traces and in the background — he was climbing and skiing for the sake of the craft, not for recognition,” the organization wrote.
Gardner was born in Ridgway and spent his childhood shadowing his father, George, on climbing expeditions around the world, according to Arc’teryx, an outdoor clothing brand that sponsored Gardner and announced his death on social media Oct. 8.
The company’s post described Gardner as a consummate outdoorsman and athlete who enjoyed skateboarding and skiing in addition to his lifelong passion of mountain climbing.
On Oct. 7, Gardner and Hennessey were attempting the north face of Jannu East, also known as Kumbhakarna East, when Gardner fell during their descent. Hennessey returned from the climb.
Gardner’s surviving family includes his mother, Colleen, and sister, Megan, according to Climbing Magazine. The magazine said the October climb marked Gardner and Hennessey’s fourth time visiting Jannu East and was their third try at the north face.
I read Doug Friednash’s op-ed, again highlighting rising antisemitism as a result of the media bias and escalating retaliatory acts between Israel and Hamas.
As a descendant of Lebanese heritage, I find it insulting and remiss that Friednash can’t seem to acknowledge the toll this conflict is exacting upon innocent Lebanese civilians caught in the middle of this conflict. By his logic, failing to mention the collateral damage to the Lebanese people is actually anti-Lebanese.
Please, readers and the American public, appreciate and disavow the unintended consequences of these unending aggressions on Lebanese soil.
Peter Murr, Denver
I liked the piece in Sunday’s paper by Doug Friednash. It’s about time somebody said something. I was surprised to see it in The Post, as the paper is becoming known as the New York Times West!
The question that is never answered is why? Why is our media doing this? These are established American news companies, supposedly staffed by patriotic Americans, yet they slant their coverage to favor the terrorists.
Ralph H. McClure, Greeley
In his attempt to blame the media for presenting a false picture of Israel, Doug Friednash seems to assume that Americans are unable to understand the multiple layers that exist in that region of the world.
I am pro-Israel, but only within its pre-1967 borders. Since Israeli policy denies the right of return with full civil rights to the descendants of the indigenous people who lived there before Israel was established, I am also in favor of a fully sovereign Palestinian state in all of the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital, which makes me pro-Palestine.
I have many Jewish friends — but that does not blind me to the fact that AIPAC’s lobbyists wield an effective veto over U.S. policy in the Middle East. That said, antisemitism is as stupid as racism or being anti-Chinese or anti-immigrant.
Because Zionism is a colonial project that continues to seize Palestinian land, I am an anti-Zionist. I am also vehemently anti-Netanyahu because his policies have killed many more non-Israeli civilians for each Israeli civilian who was killed on Oct. 7.
Friednash seems to expect unquestioning support for all elements of Israeli policy. If not, by some twisted calculus, one is antisemitic. This is nonsense. His real complaint is that for the first time in over 75 years, the American public is finally getting factual reporting on the Middle East instead of the steady diet of pro-Zionist “news” that had been common in the past.
The current policies of the Netanyahu government have covered Israel with shame. What is worse is that they are providing the fodder that has fueled the rise of antisemitism — worldwide. Since it is impossible to kill the idea of Palestinian nationalism with a bomb, this is surely a lose-lose situation for both Israel and the Jewish people.
The letter writer apparently is a bit befuddled; he starts with “all these ballot issues would otherwise violate the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR),” then admits that “TABOR requires that government ask voters for such approval.”
Ideologically, doesn’t the reality of TABOR go against what conservatives always say: “Let the people decide?” That should apply at the get-go of our gross earnings because, personally, I don’t need or want the state to be an annual savings account for me.
His ending, “don’t mess with my TABOR refund,” is reminiscent of the protest signs in a past presidential election that said, “Keep your government hands off my Medicare.”
The Nuggets have a new court for their in-season tournament home games this year, and it’s a bit more modest.
Unlike the predominantly royal blue court that was rolled out at Ball Arena for the inaugural tournament in 2023, Denver’s floor will be yellow in the second edition of the event, now called the Emirates NBA Cup. It’s one of four courts around the league that will be painted yellow or gold, a somewhat more natural hue for hardwood.
The baselines and sidelines surrounding the Nuggets’ court will be painted a dark shade of red. The words “MILE HIGH CITY” will be superimposed across the court in a faded yellow, while the tournament’s trophy will be featured at center-court and from the foul lines to each basket, like last year.
The Nuggets host the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 22 and the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 3 in their two home games during the group stage of the NBA Cup. Their road games within the group are at New Orleans (Nov. 15) and Memphis (Nov. 19). Eight teams will advance from six groups to the knockout stage.
Metro Denver developers pushed out more than 5,000 new apartments in the third quarter, and rents barely moved despite that high volume, according to a quarterly update from the Apartment Association of Metro Denver.
For the past several quarters, developers have added as many apartments in three months as they would average across an entire year before 2011.
“I have been concerned about this for some time that we would flood the market with lots of apartments and vacancies would shoot up,” said Cary Bruteig, author of the quarterly report during a press call Wednesday.
Rising vacancies would in turn force landlords to slash rents. So far, that hasn’t happened.
Average rents in the region rose $8 last quarter to $1,911 and are up 1.2% over the past year, below the 1.4% rate of inflation measured in September.
The overall vacancy rate fell 0.3% to 5.3% and moved lower in 18 out of 33 submarkets. Denver, which has seen a high concentration of new multifamily projects, had the highest county vacancy rate at 5.8%. The Central Business District had the highest submarket rate at 6.6%.
Fueled by strong migration to the state, the 1970s was a boom era for apartment construction. But after an oil bust and then a real estate bust, things calmed down in the following decades. The region averaged about 5,000 new apartments a year until 2011, when the average kicked up to around 10,000 a year, Bruteig said.
Over the past 12 months, developers have added 21,158 new apartments. That is double the pace seen last decade and equivalent to about 5% of all the existing apartments built in the past 100 years, Bruteig said.
Even though fewer people are moving to metro Denver from other states this decade compared to last, Bruteig said, “We see no softening in terms of people moving into new apartments in the metro area.”
Renters signed leases to take on 20,935 of those units in the third quarter, or about 96% of the new supply.
And while the construction pipeline has shrunk some as projects are built, it remains huge, with 34,000 units currently under construction and another 57,000 in the planning stages, Bruteig said.
“We are seeing fewer units planned for the future because builders and operators can’t comply with the new restrictions being enforced. Fewer units will eventually destabilize rent prices,” warned Drew Hamrick, senior vice president of government affairs for AAMD.
Last meeting: Chatfield 42, at Arvada West 0, Sept. 29, 2023
A league title may be a bit of a longshot for Arvada West and Chatfield, but both programs still have a real chance to earn a first-round bye in the 5A state playoffs. And a win here would go a long way toward securing that. A-West picked off Denver East three times en route to a gritty 29-21 win over the Angels last week. That sort of defensive effort will be required against Chatfield, which has a quarterback who can sling it in sophomore Cash Williams (1,125 yards, 12 TDs) and plenty of weapons for him to spread the ball around to.
Fossil Ridge (5-3) vs. No. 10 Fairview (8-0)
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Christian Recht Field
Last meeting: Fairview 55, at Fossil Ridge 28, Oct. 20, 2023
Fairview has claimed five league titles in the past six seasons. If this year’s Knights are to meet that standard, they’ll have to beat Fossil Ridge to do it. Throw out a 68-49 shootout win over Fort Collins, and Fairview has been dominant on both sides of the ball. Yet the Knights have beaten only one 5A program (Arvada West) that currently sports a winning record. Consider a matchup against senior QB Nick Kubat (1,881 yards, 25 TDs passing), San Diego State commit Marcus Mozer (40 catches, 631 yards) and Co., a proper test.
Eaglecrest (5-3) vs. Grandview (4-4)
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Legacy Stadium
Last meeting: Grandview 39, vs. Eaglecrest 32, Sept. 29, 2023
Could this be a must-win for Grandview’s playoff hopes? With the Wolves sitting at No. 22 on the CHSAA RPI, that just might be the case. A fourth-quarter touchdown staved off a potential upset bid from Cherokee Trail in a 14-13 win last week. Oddly enough, the Raptors lost to the Cougars by the same one-point score. That was the first of two straight losses for Eaglecrest, which could use a win with a matchup against Arapahoe looming in Week 10.
No. 8 Regis Jesuit (5-3) vs. No. 7 Pine Creek (5-3)
When/where: 1 p.m. Saturday at D20 Stadium South
Last meeting: Pine Creek 21, at Regis Jesuit 17, Oct. 6, 2023
Regis Jesuit took its lumps with a freshman quarterback taking snaps to start the season, dropping three straight to a murderer’s row of Valor Christian, Brophy Prep (Ariz.) and Cherry Creek. The Raiders and wunderkind signal-caller Luke Rubley is now reaping the benefits. Regis has ripped off five straight wins, scoring an average of 38.8 points per game as Rubley’s racked up 1,020 yards and nine TDs on 62.7% passing. A trip to the Springs to take on Pine Creek will reveal just how far they’ve come.
CLASS 4A
No. 7 Riverdale Ridge (8-0) vs. No. 4 Broomfield (7-1)
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium
Last meeting: N/A
Just how much of a threat is Riverdale Ridge in Class 4A? This is the week we find out. The Ravens have bulldozed everything in their path en route to a program-best 8-0 start, outscoring opponents 332-22. The problem? Not a single one of those eight teams currently have a winning record. Now comes a date with 4A blue blood Broomfield, which has outscored its last three opponents 162-0 and is unbeaten against 4A competition. The Ravens defense, led by senior Colton Lancaster (37 tackles, 10 for loss), hasn’t given up a point in 14 quarters. Something’s got to give.
Monarch (6-2) vs. No. 9 Frederick (6-2)
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Frederick High
Last meeting: Monarch 30, at Frederick 23, Aug. 31, 2023
A league title and potentially a first-round bye will be up for grabs when the Coyotes head to Frederick on Friday night. The latter has won six straight since starting the season with losses to Broomfield and Mead, topping 40 points in all six victories. Dual-threat senior QB Gavin Ishmael (2,180 total yards, 32 TDs) has been electric for the Golden Eagles, who are eyeing their first unbeaten run through league play in 12 years. A Monarch defense that’s allowed just 19 points over its last three games awaits.
CLASS 3A
Holy Family (4-3) vs. No. 5 Lutheran (7-1)
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Lutheran High
Last meeting: Holy Family 33, vs. Lutheran 8, Dec. 2, 2023
Nearly 11 months after meeting in the 3A championship, Holy Family and Lutheran renew their budding rivalry with the 3A Metro League title at stake. Holy Family beat Lutheran twice on its way to the 3A state title last fall, but now the Lions have the upper hand. Lutheran has won four straight since falling to 4A Pueblo West, with the combination of QB Eli Abramson (1,474 yards, 20 TDs passing) and RB Sawyer Wald (1,058 yards, 14 TDs rushing) piling up astronomical numbers in the process. Can Holy Family, which has played and lost to three ranked teams this fall, summon the defensive effort to slow them down?
No. 3 Pomona (5-2) vs. Mountain View (5-2)
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Ray Patterson Stadium
Last meeting: N/A
Panther pride has returned to the Pomona football program in its first season at the 3A level. After suffering through a 3-17 stretch in its final two seasons at 5A, Pomona has transformed into a title contender behind dual-threat junior QB Emmitt Munson (1,781 total yards, 10 TDs) and a defense allowing just 8.0 points per game vs. 3A competition. Survive this trip to Mountain View, which saw a four-game win streak ended by No. 4 Thompson Valley last Friday, and the Panthers will move a win away from a winner-take-all Week 11 league showdown with those same T.V. Eagles.
AVIGNON, France — They are, on the face of it, the most ordinary of men. Yet they’re all on trial charged with rape. Fathers, grandfathers, husbands, workers and retirees — 50 in all — accused of taking turns on the drugged and inert body of Gisèle Pelicot while her husband recorded the horror for his swelling private video library.
Among the nearly two dozen defendants who testified during the trial’s first seven weeks was Ahmed T. — French defendants’ full last names are generally withheld until conviction. The married plumber with three kids and five grandchildren said he wasn’t particularly alarmed that Pelicot wasn’t moving when he visited her and her now-ex-husband’s house in the small Provence town of Mazan in 2019.
It reminded him of porn he had watched featuring women who “pretend to be asleep and don’t react,” he said.
Like him, many other defendants told the court that they couldn’t have imagined that Dominique Pelicot was drugging his wife, and that they were told she was a willing participant acting out a kinky fantasy. Dominique Pelicot denied this, telling the court his co-defendants knew exactly what the situation was.
Céline Piques, a spokesperson of the feminist group Osez le Féminisme!, or Dare Feminism! said she’s convinced that many of the men on trial were inspired or perverted by porn, including videos found on popular websites. Although some sites have started cracking down on search terms such as “unconscious,” hundreds of videos of men having sex with seemingly passed out women can be found online, she said.
Piques was particularly struck by the testimony of a tech expert at the trial who had found the search terms “asleep porn” on Dominique Pelicot’s computer.
Last year, French authorities registered 114,000 victims of sexual violence, including more than 25,000 reported rapes. But experts say most rapes go unreported due to a lack of tangible evidence: About 80% of women don’t press charges, and 80% of the ones who do see their case dropped before it is investigated.
In stark contrast, the trial of Dominique Pelicot and his 50 co-defendants has been unique in its scope, nature and openness to the public at the victim’s insistence.
After a store security guard caught Pelicot shooting video up unsuspecting women’s skirts in 2020, police searched his home and found thousands of pornographic photos and videos on his phone, laptop and USB stick. Dominique Pelicot later said he had recorded and stored the sexual encounters of each of his guests, and neatly organized them in separate files.
Among those he had over was Mahdi D., who testified that when he left home on the night of Oct. 5, 2018, he didn’t intend to rape anyone.
“I thought she was asleep,” the 36-year-old transportation worker told the panel of five judges, referring to Gisèle Pelicot, who has attended nearly every day of the trial and has become a hero to many sexual abuse victims for insisting that it be public.
“I grant you that you did not leave with the intention of raping anyone,” the prosecutor told him. “But there in the room, it was you.”
Like a few of the other men accused of raping Pelicot between 2011 and 2020, Mahdi D. acknowledged almost all of the facts presented against him. And he expressed remorse, telling the judges, “She is a victim. We can’t imagine what she went through. She was destroyed.”
But he wouldn’t call it rape, even if admitting that it was might get him a lighter sentence. That led prosecutors to ask the court to screen the graphic videos of Mahdi D.’s visit to the Pelicot home.
In June, authorities took down the chatroom where they say Dominique Pelicot and his co-defendants met. Since the trial started on Sept. 2, it has resonated far beyond the Avignon courtroom’s walls, sparking protests in French cities big and small and inspiring a steady flow of opinion pieces and open letters penned by journalists, philosophers and activists.
It has also drawn curious visitors to the city in southeastern France, such as Florence Nack, her husband and 23-year-old daughter, who made the trip from Switzerland to witness the “historical trial.”
Nack, who noted that she, too, was a victim of sexual violence, said she was disturbed by the testimony of 43-year-old trucker Cyprien C., a defendant who spoke that day in court.
Asked by the head judge, Roger Arata, whether he recognized the facts, Cyprien C. answered that he “did not contest the sexual act.”
“And the rape?” Arata pressed. The defendant stood silently before eventually responding, “I can’t answer.”
Arata then began to describe what was on the videos implicating him. They are only shown as a last resource and on a case-by-case basis. But for many in the courtroom, such detailed descriptions can last several minutes and be just as heavy as watching them. Gisèle Pelicot, who is in her early 70s, has chosen to remain in the courtroom while the videos are shown. Unable to watch, she usually closes her eyes, stares at the floor, or buries her face in her hands.
Experts and groups working to combat sexual violence say the defendants’ unwillingness or inability to admit to rape speaks loudly to taboos and stereotypes that persist in French society.
For Magali Lafourcade, a judge and general secretary of the National Consultative Commission of Human Rights who isn’t involved in the trial, popular culture has given people the wrong idea about what rapists look like and how they operate.
“It’s the idea of a hooded man with a knife whom you don’t know and is waiting for you in a place that is not a private place,” she said, noting that this “is miles away from the sociological, criminological reality of rape.”
Two-thirds of rapes take place at private homes, and in a vast majority of cases, victims know their rapists, Lafourcade said.
It can be difficult at times to reconcile the facts with the personalities of the accused — described by loved ones as loving, generous and considerate companions, brothers and fathers.
Cyril B.’s tearful older sister told the court: “It’s my brother, I love him. He’s not a mean person.” His partner described him as “kind, his heart on his sleeve and full of attention.” She insisted that he isn’t “macho” and that he had never forced her to do anything sexually that she wasn’t comfortable with.
Although Lafourcade does not believe “all men are rapists,” as some have concluded the trial shows, she said that unlike the #MeToo accusations that have ensnared French celebrities, the Pelicot case “makes us understand that in fact rapists could be everyone.”
“For once, they’re not monsters — they’re not serial killers on the margin of society. They are men who resemble those we love,” she said. “In this sense, there is something revolutionary.”
The Denver City Council on Monday cleared the way for Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke to build new skyscrapers on the expanse of parking lots around Ball Arena where those teams play.
They also ensured the teams will stay on Kroenke-owned land in central Denver for another quarter century.
The ability to construct buildings as tall as 30 or 40 stories around the arena is a critical component of plans to greatly expand downtown Denver. That density will provide room for up to 6,000 new apartments and condos in a city desperate for more housing, according to Matt Mahoney, senior vice president for development at Kroenke Sports and Entertainment.
“We are committed to downtown. Our company offices downtown. Our teams win championships downtown,” Mahoney told council members Monday night. “Our plan is a pedestrian-focused development, placing a priority on open space and people, not cars.”
View protections pierced
The first in a series of six bills related to the future of the 70-acre Ball property that the council voted on Monday amended the city code to provide an exemption to the Old City Hall view plane.
That view plane is essentially an invisible triangle the caps building heights on the properties that fall within it. It’s a legal mechanism to protect westward views from a specific point on the ground at the intersection of 14th and Larimer streets where the city’s original city hall once stood.
City planning and legal staff informed council members that the view plane is already largely defunct. The Auraria Higher Education Center campus buildings along Speer Boulevard — built by a state agency exempt from city rules — have already blocked it out.
That was reason enough for some council members to vote for the exemption Kroenke and company were seeking even if they had concerns about the broader impact on mountain views.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that I am going to vote yes on this exemption … because of the fact that this view plane no longer exists,” Councilman Kevin Flynn said. “I would have actually preferred the (Community Planning and Development) had come to us and just said repeal this view plane.”
Flynn voted with the majority in a 10-1 decision to allow properties with a specialized zoning to pierce the plane.
The council also approved rezoning the arena property. The land was already zoned for buildings as tall as eight stories in places, according to city planning staff, but the specialty zoning that the council unanimously signed off on Monday allows for buildings that are much taller in exchange for the inclusion of more affordable housing on site.
While the view plane vote allows Kroenke Sports and Entertainment and its namesake billionaire owner to move closer to its goals, some neighbors from the Lower Downtown neighborhood had their hopes of preserving their largely unobstructed views of the Rocky Mountains dashed.
Casey Pitinga was among the residents of the Larimer Place condo tower at 1551 Larimer St. that urged council members to vote no on the view plane changes. She argued that it was not just her building that would be impacted by the appearance of new skyscrapers west of downtown. Businesses that tout rooftop views — including the recently expanded Colorado Convention Center which added a terrace as part of its $233 million expansion completed last year — could also be hurt, she said.
“Most importantly, the unique beauty of Denver will be compromised forever,” Pitinga said.
Amanda Sawyer was the one council member who sided with those neighbors. She noted that residents of her eastern Denver district benefit from a view plane that protects westward views from Cranmer Park.
“It’s not a precedent I am willing to set,” she said of amending those legal protections even for a development she acknowledged may be something that could benefit the city.
Benefit agreements inked with community group and the city
An overwhelming majority of speakers who testified during a public hearing covering the rezoning spoke in favor of allowing dense development on the land and the new housing that it is expected to bring.
“It’s exactly the type of project we need as a city,” Denver resident Matthew Larsen said. “It’s dense. It’s infill development. We need projects like this to meet our greenhouse gas goals in the state.”
KSE last week signed a detailed community benefits agreement with a committee representing nearby neighborhoods and community organizations. That agreement, which was created with support from city leaders but independent of the authority of the city, includes a bundle of specific obligations that KSE must fulfill.
Those include dedicating $3 million to programs, internships, and scholarships for young people who are from surrounding neighborhoods, are Indigenous or are from families that were displaced from the historic Auraria neighborhood that is now home to the arena and the neighboring higher education campus.
La Alma-Lincoln Park resident Simon Tafoya co-chaired the committee that brokered that deal with KSE. In comments Monday night, he delved into some of the specifics including a guranteed that 50 housing units built in the forthcoming neighborhood will be reserved for people making 30% of the area median income. That’s $27,000 per year for a single person and $39,100 for a family of four.
Councilwoman Jamie Torres is a descendant of people displaced from the Auraria neighborhood. She noted how important that agreement was to her constituents and her comfortability in supporting the package of bills.
“The city did not dipalce 900 residents in the 1970s for us to build a shiny neighborhood that was inaccessible to them,” she said. “I could not be a part of something like that.”
The council also approved a bill cementing the city’s own development agreement with KSE.
That sets requirements including mandating that 18% of all new housing built on the Ball lots been reserved as income-restricted affordable housing. That figure exceeds the city’s existing affordable housing requirements by at least 3% and could result in 1,080 new units of affordable housing, according to city planners and KSE officials.
The city ensured the agreement mandates that the affordable units be spread across the property instead of concentrated in one area, according to senior city planner Tony Lechuga.
Property tax plan leaves some council members uneasy
The council approved three other measures related to Kroenke’s ball arena plans before calling it a night on Monday.
The very last of those bills amend an existing arena agreement between the city and KSE tying the Nuggets and Avalanche to the property until 2050.
The chamber, largely filled with KSE staff members as the final was cast after 10 p.m., enrupted in applause when that passed unanimously.
Another bill approved at the meeting extended the timelines for a development agreement governing the neighboring River Mile property, also owned in part by Kroenke. That agreement also now runs until the middle of 2050, matching with the Ball Arena timeline.
The city agreed to vesting language that provides some zoning certainly for both properties for the next 26 years. Manhoney emphasized that KSE is approaching the combined 130 acres as one interconnected neighborhood.
He acknowledged that Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park will be moved as part of the company’s long-term development plans though a landing place for the park has not yet been determined.
Only one bill drew multiple no votes. That measure established five metro districts, special property-specific taxing entities with the power to take on $1.2 billion in debt to pay for the construction and upkeep of infrastructure around the arena. That included essential items like roads, sewers, parking structures and parks.
While the residents of affordable housing on the property would be shielded from some of associated taxes needed to pay back that debt, KSE estimates that the mill levy rate associated with those cost for market-rate residential and commercial property owners could reach as high as 70 mills.
Thatt was too steep for Councilwoman Sawyer. She voted no, as did council members Sarah Parady and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez.
Council president Amanda Sandoval acknowledged those future taxes could be a burden on residents but metro districts are the mechanism the city relies on to build new infrastructure in many cases. She was the eight members who voted yes.
“We don’t have any other tools right now,” she said.
The Elon Musk–backed America PAC has spent thousands of dollars advertising on the Elon Musk–owned social media platform X to support former president Donald Trump’s campaign. According to X’s political ad disclosure data, between July 8 and October 1 the America PAC ran 59 ads, costing more than $166,000 and yielding, per X’s metrics, 32,058,424 impressions. All of the ads targeted swing states: Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin.
Musk first endorsed Trump immediately following the attempted assassination against the former president in July in Butler, Pennsylvania. Since then, Musk has said he is “all in” on his support for Trump, and appeared at a second rally in Butler earlier this month. “This election is the most important election of our lifetime,” said Musk at the time. “This is no ordinary election.” It was one part of Musk’s—and the America PAC’s—efforts to turn out voters for Trump in swing states.
The America PAC has been a driving force behind voter mobilization for the Trump campaign, developing an app to help canvassers target likely voters. (The effectiveness of this strategy remains to be seen, with canvassers reportedly faking voter contacts at scale.) The PAC has offered $47 to any swing state voters who would agree to sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. Musk has also said he will give out $1 million a day to voters who sign the petition, in a move election law expert Rick Hasen described as “clearly illegal.”
Federal Election Commission filings released last week revealed that Musk has funneled $75 million into the PAC since July, dwarfing other Silicon Valley donors who back the former president. Musk has also donated to the Building America’s Future PAC, which has run anti–Kamala Harris ads aiming to dissuade Black and Muslim voters, particularly in swing states.
Musk has also used his ownership of X to further promote Trump. In August, Musk sat down with Trump for an interview hosted on X Spaces. He has also promoted and reshared conspiracy theories pedaled by the Trump campaign, including by alleging that the Democratic Party would allow undocumented immigrants to vote in order to win the election.
In one ad that ran between September 27 and October 1, the post read, “Georgia is filling up with illegal immigrants: In just 3 years, Kamala released more illegal immigrants into our country than almost 3x the population of Atlanta. End Kamala’s Border Chaos and request your ballot for President Trump today.” The ad links to the website votesafe.org, which is paid for by the America PAC and where voters can look up their voter registration status and request ballots.
All of the PAC’s ads are linked to the @theamericapac X account, which links to the PAC’s website. Before his appearance at Trump’s October rally in Butler, Musk had appropriated the @america handle for the America PAC.
The America PAC has also invested heavily in ads on Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, running more than 250 ads in October alone.
A representative from X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Plan D” is working out A-OK for the Colorado Avalanche.
When Jared Bednar looks for a player to slot in next to Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, he has a list of traits in mind. They include being a trusted defensive player, being able to play a lot of minutes at a high energy level, playing with ruggedness and a desire to forecheck, and being a hard, competitive player at the front of the opposing team’s net.
The first three players who come to mind are captain Gabe Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen. None of them are available right now.
Enter Ross Colton.
“(Colton) does all of those things,” Bednar said. “He may be the fourth guy down the list, but he’s played really well when he’s done it.”
Technically, Colton might even be fifth, because Jonathan Drouin has also spent a lot of time next to MacKinnon and Rantanen … and he’s also not available. Colton has been a breakout star for the Avalanche to start this season.
Six games, six goals — including a pair in each of the club’s two victories.
“Being able to play with Nate and Mikko has just been a pleasure,” Colton said. “That’s two of the best players in the world. For me, I’m just trying to play my game, try to get open for them. You just find the smallest bit of area on the ice and they find you. It’s been fun.
“My favorite thing about playing with them is just coming back to the bench and the little things they tell you. It makes a big difference. It goes a long way, knowing that those guys believe in me and we’ve formed a little bit of chemistry.”
The Avs traded for Colton at the 2023 NHL draft, then signed him to a four-year contract. The plan was make to him the club’s new No. 3 center. He had played there at times, but Colton spent most of his time with Tampa Bay on the wing.
It wasn’t an easy transition early on last year, but by the end of the year he was a solid player in that spot. With all of those wings out of the lineup this year, Bednar needed him back on the wing.
And he has delivered, in a huge way. Colton was tied for second in the NHL with his six goals before the games on Monday night.
“He’s shooting the puck well,” Bednar said. “He’s getting himself into scoring areas. He’s been patient in those areas. He’s been moving in and out, especially in the middle. When he’s getting the opportunities, he’s burying them.
“I just think he’s playing with a ton of confidence. He’s skating really well. He’s just playing well and he’s fitting in with those guys.”
Both MacKinnon and Rantanen have praised Colton for his physical play. He isn’t the biggest guy, but he’s fearless when it comes to crashing into defensemen along the walls and behind the net.
His ability to shoot, particularly on one-timers, has been a revelation. The Avs have scored eight power-play goals, and Colton has three of them. He had three all of last season, in nearly 114 minutes of power-play time.
Two of his three even-strength goals have looked like the power-play tallies — one-timers from the middle of the ice.
“I’m just trying to get open for them,” Colton said. “Almost trying not to get in the way. They’re flying around out there, playing with so much speed and pace. For me, I’m just trying to get to the little areas where they can find me.”
Colton’s goal-scoring surge could present an interesting bit of roster flexibility in the months to come. His career high for goals in a season is 22 with the Lightning, which clearly looks like it could be in jeopardy.
But what will the Avs do when all of these wings are ready to return? Given the salary cap situation, it probably means Colton has to go back to center. That said, if some cap space does become available, it could give Colorado the ability to pursue a No. 3 center before the trade deadline and keep Colton firing away and flying around on the wing.
Either way, his level-up has been critical for the shorthanded Avs in his second year with the club.
“I know my game is there and I can play at this level,” Colton said. “Playing center last year was a little bit of an adjustment. Playing the wing, the game kinda slows down a little bit. I can get in on the forecheck, play physical, stuff like that.
“Last year, I was feeling it out, trying to learn the system. Yeah, way more comfortable this year.”
SAN JOSE — The high-flying, supercharged Colorado Avalanche did not show up Sunday at SAP Center, but Justus Annunen made sure that version of the club wasn’t needed.
Annunen made 25 saves, including a few key ones while the Avs were clearly on the back foot, and Colorado defeated a plucky San Jose Sharks outfit, 4-1. Given the roster limitations — Colorado was again without five of its 10 best players — the Avs need to scratch out as many points as possible.
“It was huge to get a solid goaltending performance,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Wasn’t a lot of work but he made key saves at key times. We did a nice job of blocking shots in front of him. He looked solid in there. He looked big in there.
“He lets the one squeak through him on the power play, and from then on he looked better and better as the game went on.”
After beginning the season with four straight losses, the Avalanche has now won back-to-back contests. Colorado’s next four contests are all against teams that, like Anaheim two nights ago and San Jose, did not make the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Ross Colton scored twice early, then Joel Kiviranta provided a critical insurance goal early in the third period after the Sharks controlled play at times in the middle of this penalty-filled affair. Cale Makar added an empty-net goal as part of a three-point night.
Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen combined for six points in this game. They have 34 in six games — Makar has 12, which is tied for the NHL lead, while MacKinnon and Rantanen have 11 each.
“It’s been huge to have them going, because the bulk of our offense is coming from those guys as we’d expect it to, at this point,” Bednar said. “It’s a lot of pressure on them. We talked a little about making sure we’re still focusing on the defense side of it, which they really have in the last (few) games. It’s really paid off, and everyone else is sort of following suit and doing what they can.”
The first period went exactly as the Avs might have planned, save for the final couple of minutes. Colton gave Colorado a 2-0 lead with his fifth and sixth goals of the season.
Colton’s first game at 6:23 on the power play. He’s become a fixture in the bumper spot for the top power-play unit with Jonathan Drouin, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen not available. MacKinnon fed him for a one-timer in the slot. Colton’s first five goals of the season came on one-timers.
He did not need a one-timer to make it a two-goal advantage. Rantanen feathered a perfect pass to Colton as he got behind the San Jose defense for a goal at 16:37 of the period.
“(Colton) plays hard. He plays with the edge,” Rantanen said. “On the power play, he’s good in little spots, good at finishing plays like we’ve seen this year. (Jonathan Drouin) is obviously a big part of the power play, but (Colton) has been stepping up.”
Josh Manson took exception to a hit on John Ludvig and ended up with two roughing penalties instead of a fighting major. The Sharks scored 18 seconds into the power play when William Eklund was left open to the left of Annunen and roofed a shot from in tight with 1:35 left in the period.
The first period might have been one of Colorado’s best of the season to date, but the second was probably the worst outside of the loss against the New York Islanders. The Avs failed to take advantage of a 5-on-3 early in the period, then took four minor penalties themselves.
Annunen stopped all 13 shots he faced to keep it a 2-1 advantage.
This was Annunen’s first start of the season, and it came the day after Kaapo Kahkonen finally joined the club. Colorado claimed Kahkonen on waivers Oct. 11 from the Winnipeg Jets, but it took a week to resolve immigration issues before he could fly to Denver.
Alexandar Georgiev started the first five games of the season, and has improved his play after two duds to start the season. Annunen replaced him in both of those games, but quickly yielded a pair of goals in each of them, and entered this contest with a .765 save percentage (13 saves on 17 shots).
“I thought he looked really calmed,” Rantanen said of his fellow Finn in net. “It’s probably easier mentally, I’ve never been a goalie, than being put in mid-game when we are down and pushing. Now he got the start and I’m happy for him. He played well.”
Initial observations from the CU Buffs’ 34-7 win over the Arizona Wildcats in Big 12 play at Arizona Stadium.
Paging Sean Payton: An onside kick attempt to start the game? Did Arizona head coach Brent Brennan consult the Broncos’ Sean Payton earlier this week? Bold move, to say the least — if not a very bright one. It was almost as if Brennan knew exactly what was coming down the pike. There was no way the Wildcats’ leaky secondary was coming up with enough stops to win this game … unless special teams could steal an extra possession or two. A weird message to send your team before a ball is even snapped. But at least Brennan is a realist.
Weapons to spare: Who needs a run game when you have Shedeur Sanders and an endless stream of pass-catchers? Certainly not CU against a defense like Arizona’s. Can’t rush the passer? Have problems covering receivers one-on-one or tackling in space? Shedeur and the Buffs will eat you alive, whether it’s third-and-long, third-and-short, or, in the case of the QB’s 14-yard strike to Travis Hunter in the first half, fourth-and-10. So even if the Buffs average 2.3 yards on 22 attempts, as they did in the first half, it’s plenty. They still converted 8 of 11 third downs and put 28 points on the board. By the time everything was said and done, LaJohntay Wester had eight catches for 127 yards. And he’s, what, CU’s third- or fourth-best receiver? Yikes!
Livingston’s stock on rise: Stats may not be kind to the Buffs defense — CU entered Saturday 94th in FBS in yards allowed and 73rd in points allowed — but the eye test says Robert Livingston’s unit is trending up. And it’s happening at the line of scrimmage — an area that was a notable issue last season. In two of the last three games, CU has bottled up one of the nation’s top rushing attacks (UCF, 177 yards) and harassed one of its most productive passers (Arizona’s Noah Fifita) to the tune of seven sacks, CU’s most since posting eight against Iowa State in 2010. The Buffs now have 16 sacks in their last three games.
Heisman watch: This was not a day to worry about Travis Hunter’s Heisman Trophy campaign. With CU’s two-way star clearly not 100% after getting dinged in the Kansas State loss last week, Coach Prime did the smart thing, holding Hunter out over the final two quarters as “preventative measures.” CU already had a 28-7 lead, and Hunter’s mortal stat line (54 snaps, two receptions for 15 yards, one tackle) will soon be a mere footnote as long as he delivers a few more superhuman performances down the stretch. (Spoiler alert: He probably will.)
Extra point
Road warriors: The Buffs have now gone on the road twice in conference and delivered easily the two most complete performances of the Deion Sanders Era. The combined score in those wins at UCF at Arizona? 82-28. Not. Too. Shabby. This is what title contenders do against inferior opponents: They take the crowd out of the game early and never let up. Sure, there were mistakes, including a botched snap in Wildcats territory and a Shedeur Sanders pick inside Arizona’s 20. But unlike last year’s Buffs, those turnovers didn’t even come close to sinking them. A B.J. Green strip-sack erased the former, and a Wildcats three-and-out the latter. With five very winnable games left on the schedule — Cincinnati, at Texas Tech, Utah, at Kansas and Oklahoma State — there is a very real path to the College Football Playoff.
Colorado’s reinsurance program will save people who buy their health insurance on the individual market an estimated $493 million next year, compared to how much premiums would have risen without it, according to the Polis administration.
Statewide, premiums on the individual market will rise by an average of 5.6%, while they will increase about 7.1% for small-group plans.
Reinsurance is a backstop that limits how much insurance companies have to pay out for the relatively small number of people who have highly expensive medical needs each year. Since they aren’t on the hook to pay out as much, the companies charge lower premiums, which in turn means the federal government doesn’t have to spend as much on tax credits to people buying insurance on the marketplace. Colorado got permission from the federal government to use those federal savings to further lower monthly premiums.
A news release from Gov. Jared Polis’ office estimated that premiums in 2025 will be about 24% lower than they would have been without a reinsurance program. The amount any customer would save depends on where they live, their age and how many people in their family need coverage.
A 40-year-old buying individual coverage would have an average savings of $1,500 over the course of a year. People living on the Western Slope would save more, while the change was smaller near the Front Range.
Open enrollment on the marketplace begins Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15.
Charlie Blackmon, who retired last month after a 14-year career with the Colorado Rockies, has moved back to Georgia and listed his home in Denver’s Belcaro neighborhood.
Blackmon lives full time in Atlanta with his wife, Ashley, and their two young children, so he’s selling his home in a gated community near Cherry Creek.
He listed the 5,500-square-foot, four-bedroom, five-bath home with a three-car tandem garage on Sept. 11 for $4.3 million. Justin Joseph and Deviree Vallejo with LIV Sotheby’s International Realty have the listing.
Blackmon purchased the home, constructed in 2014, for $2.8 million in June 2018.
“We’ve loved the outdoor living space and think it’s among the best features of our home. The home gets great sunlight which lends itself to a dip in the pool or just enjoying the patio,” said Blackmon, who answered questions about the home in writing.
“We’ve also enjoyed many cool Denver evenings hanging around the custom gas firepit with friends. When the weather is great, we also open the sliding doors that merge the outdoor TV area with the living room,” he said. “We’ve loved it all.”
The home features a chef’s kitchen with Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, a built-in Miele coffee maker, and a large marble island and ample storage. The second floor includes three large bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom.
Joseph called the home a peaceful enclave in the city’s heart and an entertainer’s paradise.
After Blackmon purchased the home, he improved the outdoor space by adding performance tile and inlaid turf that extends around the home’s side for a dog run, Joseph said.
Living in a gated community was helpful for a local celebrity.
“When we purchased the home, we really liked how the community is a protected enclave,” Blackmon said.
Blackmon, a second-round draft pick, overcame an injury-plagued start to finish his career hitting .293 with 227 home runs and 1,805 hits. He trails only Rockies first baseman Todd Helton in games played, runs, hits, doubles, extra-base hits and total bases, and leads the Rockies with 68 triples.
X users may be migrating to bluer skies after a major change.
Bluesky is an open, ad-free social network that grew out of Twitter, now X, in 2019. The platform announced on Thursday that half a million new users signed up within a day of X announcing that it would be changing up its blocking feature “soon.” Blocked users on X will be able to see public posts but not like, reply or engage with them in any other way.
Although X said the change was to prevent people blocking others from sharing sensitive information about people they have blocked, X users stated that the move would support stalking, render the Block function useless and violate Google Play Store and Apple App Store requirements.
Meta’s Threads also appears to be experiencing a surge in users; it is currently first under the top free apps for iPhone list, with Bluesky coming in fifth. Threads surpassed 175 million users in July.
