Headlines – April 05, 2023

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Denver Local Election Results

Denver mayoral elections narrowed the field of 16 candidates down to two last night, Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston. 

Brough was the chief of staff during former Mayor John Hickenlooper’s term and led Denver’s Chamber of Commerce. 

Johnston championed education reform, affordable housing and was a state senator for eight years.

Neither of the candidates won outright by obtaining over half of the votes, so the two will head to a runoff election scheduled for June. 

Following the first round of elections, six city council incumbents will remain in their seats, and eight other candidates are headed to runoff elections as well.

We have more on the Denver Mayoral race later in the program. 

East High School Return With Power of Love Event

Students at East High School in Denver return to their classes today.

To welcome students back Denver East is hosting a Return with the Power of Love event. The school took a two week hiatus after a 17 year old student entered the school and shot two administrators. 

The most recent shooting occurred as East students mourned the death of  Luis Garcia who had been killed weeks earlier in a different shooting. 

While many return to class, according to The Denver Post others are protesting or not returning to school with concerns over safety. 

Last week’s shooting prompted Denver Public Schools to bring back police presence in schools or school resource officers. Denver East will implement new mental health resources, require students to display their student IDs, and all visitors to check-in before entering the school

School Walkouts Today Protesting Gun Violence

Local chapters of the national organization Students Demand Action are calling for national school walkouts today at noon to protest gun violence in schools. 

The Boulder Valley School District sent out a communication to parents yesterday afternoon to acknowledge that some BVSD students plan to participate in the walkout.

The school district notes that at a high school level, “school administrators work to encourage students to remain safe and orderly, whether they gather on campus or move to an offsite location.” 

BVSD notes that at the elementary and middle school levels, students may only organize events on campus.

US 36 Closure Following Apartment Shooting

Police activity closed US 36 this morning following a shooting involving police officers near Westminster.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Officer responded to a shooting at an apartment complex near West 76th Ave and Pecos Street around 11:00 PM. There, they found a female who had been shot. Emergency crews transported her to the hospital.

The suspects fled the scene, and officers followed in pursuit. The suspects fired shots at the deputies, and the deputies fired back in response. 

No suspects, deputies, or bystanders were injured.

Both northbound and southbound lanes were closed between Federal and Sheridan until just before 7am. 

Loveland Reforestation Project

Loveland’s Reforestation project is underway while new greenhouses pop up to compensate for the loss of crops from beetle kill and wildfires. 

Kevin Brinkman, a real estate agent, created The OneCanopy project to fill bare spots on Loveland’s mountainsides. The green-houses take up 7.5 acres and are worth just over $2 million. 

This operation plants trees that are adapted to the Rocky Mountains, starting with the most common species in Colorado. 

These “nursery trees” can reach the height of a two or 3-year-old tree in just over half a year plus, their survival rate is 15% higher when planted in private greenhouses.

One canopy sells trees for $2.50 per tree in lots of 25 trees minimum. 

John Elway Leaves the Broncos

Franchise executives at the Denver Broncos have not renewed beloved former Bronco, John Elway’s team consulting contract. 

The new Bronco owners, the Walton-Penner Family, told The Denver Post, Elway approached owners about ending his contract in mid March. They say Elway plans to continue being a presence for the team but will no longer continue on the team’s payroll.

Elway consulted for the football club for ten years. In 2021, Elway took on the president of football operations role, which he held for only a year. 

The Broncos Hall of Fame quarterback from 1983-1998 brought three Super Bowl wins to Denver, once as an executive and two times as a player.