TheDenverGazette_January2025 by Colorado Springs Gazette, LLC

Learn more about exclusive offers to access The Denver Gazette. A2

BARREL MAN

Broncos legend’s ashes spread at Empower Field. D6

DOWNTOWN

Tragedy hits 16th Street Mall as businesses wait for relief. A8

Aurora home invasion

Police suspect Venezuelan TdA gang in kidnapping, torture, stabbing

BY NICOLE C. BRAMBILA The Denver Gazette

Two Venezuelans were kidnapped Monday night from their Aurora apartment and then bound, pistol-whipped and tortured for hours before being released, the Aurora police said on Tuesday.

Police suspect the Venezuelan prison gang known as Tren de Aragua, or TdA, was involved in the armed invasion of a unit at The Edge at Lowry, one of three troubled apartment complexes that the owners have claimed were taken over by the gang.

The incident — which involved a male and female victim — also included a stabbing.

“It’s 100% gang related,” said Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain.

Chamberlain added: “We’re not going to tolerate it.”

Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky, who attended the news conference Tuesday, said gang members had ripped out the woman’s fingernails.

Members of the Aurora Police Department’s gang unit in December investigate a home invasion the night before in which 14 people were detained.

STEPHEN SWOFFORD, THE DENVER GAZETTE

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

You’re holding the future of journalism in your hands.

You’re holding the future of journalism in your hands. The Denver Gazette is a new kind of newspaper, a nextgeneration fully interactive digital publication that is built just like a hard-copy print publication, with pages to flip through, ads to help guide your purchases, photos, opinions, news, sports and features. Like print newspapers, it’s fully edited with a beginning, middle and end so you know when you’re done catching up on the day’s most important news.

The Denver Gazette is a new kind of newspaper, a next-generation fully interactive digital publication that is built just like a hard-copy print publication, with pages to flip through, ads to help guide your purchases, photos, opinions, news, sports and features. Like print newspapers, it’s fully edited with a beginning, middle and end so you know when you’re done catching up on the day’s most important news.

is vetted, professionally researched, and rigorously edited for balance and fairness. That’s hard to find in the swamp of information online anymore. Journalism that prioritizes accuracy and accountability is more important now than ever.

Gazette is vetted, professionally researched, and rigorously edited for balance and fairness. That’s hard to find in the swamp of information online anymore. Journalism that prioritizes accuracy and accountability is more important now than ever.

The internet has unbundled the news, making you go hunting in a sea of media for what’s most relevant and important. We’ve brought the full daily news package ritual back, this time with videos, photo galleries, interactive ads, podcasts, and even stories that will read themselves to you aloud, delivered digitally every day to your inbox by 5 a.m.

The Denver Gazette is like a personalized supermarket, or an Amazon of news just for you, where you can find everything you need each day in one tidy package.

Our news is presented in easy-to-use sections, so that if you’re just interested in sports, you can go directly to the Sports section. Businessperson? Go directly to Business. You’ll know exactly where to find “things to do” and new restaurants every day. Our curated national and international news section gives you a daily roadmap to what’s going on in the world, digestible in a couple minutes.

The product you’re holding is not the actual digital newspaper, it’s more like a movie trailer to tell you what’s in our digital newspaper. This is a promotional sample: a curated collection of content from the last month that shows the breadth and depth of information you would receive daily if you subscribed to the Denver Gazette.

What you get is local journalism that has won over 400 awards since the paper launched four years ago, the most of any media company in Colorado.

What you get is the richest Sports report in Denver, with three of the city’s best-known columnists, Mark Kiszla, Woody Paige and Paul Klee. What you get is a nationally recognized investigative team watchdogging local politicians, and the widest range of opinions from the most important thought leaders in the state. And an arts writer, John Moore, who has been named one of the top 100 cultural influencers in the country.

And what you get more than anything is news. Just-the facts news, without a point of view, delivered straight, so you decide how to use it.

News that is reliable, not a mix of junk news, disinformation, bot-posts and internet gossip like you find on social media. The information within the pages of The Denver

News that is reliable, not a mix of junk news, disinformation, bot-posts and internet gossip like you find on social media. The information within the pages of The Denver Gazette

In addition, you can get the latest breaking news on our web site and our mobile app. And we’ll even bring the news to you every day via 15 niche newsletters, so you don’t even have to leave your inbox.

Most important of all, The Denver Gazette is locally owned and operated by people who are as vested in Colorado’s future as you are.

Most important of all, the Denver Gazette is locally owned and operated by people who are as vested in Denver’s future as you are.

So here’s your chance to support local journalism, and by extension support your community. After you‘ve sampled this newspaper, try interacting with today’s fully digital newspaper for the day’s freshest news at denvergazette.com/trynow. If you like what you see, we invite you to make it a habit and subscribe to The Denver Gazette by clicking on the QR code.

So here’s your chance to support local journalism, and by extension support your community. After you ‘ve sampled this newspaper, try interacting with today’s fully digital newspaper for the day’s freshest news by clicking on the QR code. If you like what you see, we invite you to make it a habit and subscribe to the Denver Gazette.

So come on, Denver, be part of something big. Help us build the future of news right here in your own backyard.

Our aspirations, just like yours, are a mile high.

So come on, Denver, be part of something big. Help us build the future of news right here in your own backyard. Our aspirations, just like yours, are a mile high.

Executive Editor

OPENERS

THIS MONTH IN THE GAZETTE

DENVER & STATE

A flawed system: How Army Special Forces mental health care is failing elite soldiers. A9

COLORADO POLITICS

Gov. Jared Polis criticized for blaming wolf reintroduction program costs on ranchers. A13

Denver Gazette Guide

Welcome to The Denver Gazette! Learn how to navigate and interact with the E-Edition using your internet browser or The Denver Gazette App: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEtP4j2LP6M

Our Commitment

At The Denver Gazette, we believe good journalism is the lifeblood of a good community, and public enlightenment is essential to a healthy government. When local journalism thrives, democracy thrives.

As journalists, it’s our duty to report, as completely and fairly as possible, all the verifiable facts. Our team leads with authenticity and impartiality, empowering our readers to form their own opinions and make their own decisions.

We’re committed to Denver: to serving the Denver community with accurate information, to making Denver readers better informed, and to offering Denver news customers a bond they can rely on.

The principles below serve as the moral and value-driven backbone of The Denver Gazette.

WE AIM TO INFORM; NOT LECTURE OR DIVIDE

We don’t take your trust for granted. We know it’s something we must earn, which is why authenticity and impartiality are at the foundation of our journalism.

We believe readers must decide the truth for themselves. We do not believe journalism should try to direct our readers to a certain viewpoint or political position.

FAIRNESS IS OUR GUIDING LIGHT

Fairness means an open-minded pursuit of the truth, a willingness to genuinely listen to all relevant parties and a commitment to thorough research of the facts, following them wherever they take us. It means ensuring that our reporting is rooted in evidence, expertise, and experience.

Publisher: Christopher P. Reen

303-569-5804 • chris.reen@gazette.com

President/Chief Operating Officer: Rich Williams 719-636-0273 • rich.williams@gazette.com 555 17th St., Suite 425, Denver, CO 80202

Executive Editor/VP of Content: Vince Bzdek

303-569-5802 • vince.bzdek@gazette.com

Editor: Luige Del Puerto 303-299-1501 • luige.delpuerto@gazette.com

PHOTO REPRINTS: Buy reprints for noncommercial, private use at gazette.com/photos.

Once we have done that, we tell our readers what we’ve learned honestly, straightforwardly, and fearlessly, without personal opinion or bias.

WE DISTINCTLY SEPARATE NEWS AND OPINION

The Denver Gazette delivers both news and opinion. We believe in keeping a bright sharp line between the two. Opinion will appear on opinion pages, and news on news.

We include opinions in our daily report because we believe the broader the range of voices in our paper, the more representative our coverage will be. At their best, daily newspapers are the tent poles for the city tent, a tent where everyone can gather and be heard, a tent big enough for us to hash out our differences with respect for one another.

WE SERVE THE DENVER COMMUNITY AND COLORADO

Quality journalism means being grounded in truth and recognizing the responsibility we have to the community we serve. We believe that by bringing together the community’s voices, commentary, and our journalism in a daily package, we provide an irreplaceable public service.

By partnering with us through a subscription, our readers help us sustain local journalism’s essential mission of shining light on our community and ensuring the public’s right to know.

We know ourselves better when we see our own stories told. We know better where the problems are, and how to fix them. We believe the daily light of local journalism makes us a better city, a better state, and a better democracy.

LOTTERIES (Originally published on Jan. 8)

Powerball: Est. jackpot: $240 million; 17, 34, 46, 66, 67

Powerball 14 — Powerplay 2

Powerball Double Play: 41, 44, 54, 57, 64; Powerball x

Mega Millions: Est. jackpot: $62 million; 20, 24, 33, 39, 48

Megaball 18 — Megaplier 2

Lucky for Life: $1,000 a day for life; 16, 24, 30, 32, 44 Lucky Ball 02

Colorado Lotto: Est. jackpot: $3.4 million; 1, 18, 24, 28, 31, 34

Colorado Lotto Plus: 3, 5, 6, 7, 22, 39

Cash 5: 3, 11, 13, 17, 27 — Drawing held daily.

Pick 3: Midday: 9, 7, 3; Evening: 3, 4, 8; — Drawings held daily.

SOURCE: COLORADOLOTTERY.COM

CORRECTIONS

The Denver Gazette corrects errors of fact in this space. If you find mistakes, please call 303-569-5810 during business hours.

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DENVER&STATE

Castle Rock backs deportation plans

NOAH FESTENSTEIN

The Denver Gazette

A Colorado town is backing President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans and setting up a sharp contrast with Denver, its neighbor to the north, whose mayor has vowed to resist federal immigration agents coming into his city.

Officials of Castle Rock, a town 25 miles south of Denver, on Tuesday night approved a resolution expressing “strong support” for the Trump administration’s mass planned deportation campaign.

Trump earlier identified Colorado as the launching pad for what he dubbed “Operation Aurora,” the start of what he promised to be the largest mass deportation in American history.

In adopting the resolution, Castle Rock’s officials pointed to a study saying the nearly 43,000 immigrants who arrived in Denver over the past two years after illegally crossing the southern border have cost $356 million.

“The Town Council further wishes to express its willingness to take whatever actions may be necessary within the bounds of federal, state, and local law to cooperate with federal immigration officials in this vitally important effort,” the town’s resolution states.

The resolution cites studies saying illegal immigration has been a “significant net fiscal drain” on public funds, and adds that the influx has “overwhelmed many communities by consuming already limited affordable housing, crowding classrooms, and increasing the strain on food banks, transit, and social services.”

Trump’s mass deportation plan will likely run into barriers along state lines, particularly in Colorado, where Democrats hold the levers at the state Capitol. And it’s not immediately clear how or to what extent local governments, such as Castle Rock, can aid Trump in his campaign.

Castle Rock’s would-be cooperation with federal immigration agents is potentially impacted by two specific state laws:

A 2023 statute that went into effect in Colorado in January restricts the ability of state and local governments to make agreements with federal immigration officials over the detention of immigrants who are unlawfully staying

in the country.

In 2019, lawmakers also passed legislation that expressly forbids a law enforcement officer from arresting or detaining an individual based upon a “detainer request.” The law also prohibits a probation officer from providing information about an individual to federal immigration authorities.

An immigration “detainer” is a notice issued to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies informing the latter that ICE intends to assume custody of an individual who is no longer subject to the former’s detention.

Castle Rock’s support for mass deportation is not surprising. The town of 80,000 people is located within Douglas County, a Republican stronghold where Trump won by seven points.

This week, a Denver district court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Douglas County against the state of Colorado over its “sanctuary” laws. The county had argued that they are “illegal and unconstitutional” because they violate the Colorado Constitution’s provisions on intergovernmental relationships and distribution of powers, and they are also preempted by federal immigration laws and regulations, the lawsuit added.

Then-candidate Donald Trump pauses for applause and cheers as he discusses immigration during a political rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora on Oct. 11.

In dismissing the case, District Court Judge David Goldberg concluded that Douglas County does not not have any standing to sue the state. In particular, the judge rejected the county’s argument that it suffered an injury because its sheriff is unable to comply with what’s called a federal immigration detainer request.

The judge noted that the federal government is, in fact, prohibited from mandating that any state comply with a detainer request.

Castle Rock and Denver could quickly become the focal points of the country’s debate over illegal immigration under a second Trump term.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston kicked off a firestorm last month after vowing to defy any mass deportation campaign in his city, saying he is mulling over “options” to protect the immigrants unlawfully staying in America.

In an interview with Denver Gazette news partner 9News, Johnston said he would protest himself to resist Trump’s deportation plans and that he is “not afraid” of jail time, though he added he is also “not seeking it.”

In response, Castle Rock Councilmember Max Brooks, a Republican who was elected to the state House last

month, called Johnston’s position “insurrectionist rhetoric.”

Not everybody on the town council backed the pro-deportation resolution.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Councilmember Ryan Hollingshead, who was recently reelected to a second term, abstained from voting.

“It’s silly we need to pass resolutions every time Denver says something,” Hollingshead said. “I don’t think they care about us that much.”

Hollingshead said the issue is solely meant to create headlines, and that the council rushed the vote “without a lot of thought.”

Residents who showed up to Tuesday’s meeting were divided.

One resident, who supported the resolution, said the town should coordinate with Douglas County when taking steps to confront illegal immigration. Some defended immigrants illegally staying in the U.S. but who have been working.

“To me as a resident,” said Carolyn Upton, “a ‘yes’ vote is an unnecessary vote for division in the town I love.”

Reporters Nico Brambila, Editor Luige del Puerto and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

STEPHEN SWOFFORD, THE DENVER GAZETTE

Colorado loses spot as destination state for U-Haul

BY BERNADETTE BERDYCHOWSKI

The Denver Gazette

Colorado is quickly falling as a destination people want to move to in the U.S., according to moving truck and storage company U-Haul.

The state has been ranked among the top 10 growth states by U-Haul four times over the last decade. In 2023, it was the company’s ninth-best growth state, according to a news release.

But for 2024, U-Haul found Colorado dropped down to the bottom 10 — falling 31 places to No. 40 and marking the largest ranking drop of any state this year. The trend was similar in other Mountain West states, as Nevada, Wyoming and New Mexico found themselves placed about 20 positions lower than they were last year.

U-Haul ranks every state annually for its Growth Index to determine the hottest destinations people are moving to by analyzing one-way rentals of its trucks, trailers and moving containers throughout the year. The analysis doesn’t include other moving services and isn’t a complete picture of migration trends.

Overall, people moving across states slowed down last year.

The top states for 2024 were South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee, according to U-Haul. California was ranked last for the fifth year in a row.

“Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families gauge their cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors that go into relocating to a new state,” said John Taylor, U-Haul International president, in a news release.

“Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West

Coast — and particularly California,” he added.

Colorado also saw more departures of U-Haul rentals going one-way last year than arrivals, the company said.

Arrivals into Colorado fell more than 4% and accounted for about 49.7% of U-Haul’s traffic in and out of the state. Departures also fell 2% as traffic slowed in 2024, the storage and moving company said, making up 50.3%.

The moving company said the rankings may not correlate with population and economic growth trends and that it uses the index to gauge how states are keeping and attracting residents.

The U-Haul index is in line with several state-based economic reports warning Colorado is losing its luster to other states, especially to states in the Sun Belt.

The University of Colorado Boulder projected Colorado’s economy will continue to grow in 2025 but detailed how slower growth may be a “new reality” for the state due to the slowdown in population growth.

Economists at CU Boulder found Colorado fell from the top of several economic rankings in 2024, including gross domestic product, home price growth, personal income and unemployment.

The state has begun performing near the U.S. average or in the bottom half, according to the economists, though they added many states are catching up to Colorado’s population boom in the 2010s.

“The rapid shift and the direction we’re going in a lot of those rankings we see as alarm bells going off,” said Carly West, vice president of government affairs for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Colorado isn’t in a “bad place,” she said, but added it’s a reminder to tackle these shifting trends and re-

verse them to become more competitive again, especially by addressing affordability.

“Affordability continues to be a major point of conversation in Colorado and a factor in what we’re seeing in terms of some of those trends,” West said.

Within Colorado, West said population growth is stronger in Northern Colorado, where the cost of living is cheaper, compared to the Denver metro area.

State policies on businesses — such as those on construction defects that have prevented developers from building more condos for entry-level homeowners — have compounded the state’s affordability issues and kept single-family home prices high, she added.

“We’ve seen some pretty big policies come into place at the legislative level that ultimately have a cumulative effect,” West said.

Colorado fell out of the top 10 for domestic migration to No. 16, based on findings from the Common Sense Institute published in October. Birth rates are also dropping, according to the economic and fiscal research think tank based in Greenwood Village.

But the state is making gains in attracting international immigrants, as Denver has seen a wave of immigrants from South and Central America.

International immigration outpaced domestic immigration in 2022 and 2023, the report analyzing U.S. Census data found. Colorado gained nearly 12,000 international immigrants, three times the amount in 2021.

According to U-Haul, the state’s leading cities for attracting new residents in 2024 were Boulder, Broomfield, Centennial, Dacono, Durango, Fort Collins, Greeley, Lafayette, Longmont, Loveland, Pagosa Springs, Parker, Pueblo West, Salida, Steamboat Springs, Telluride and Thornton.

COURTESY OF U-HAUL

I-25, I-70 corridors made Denver target for car theft ring

BY SAGE KELLEY

The Denver Gazette

The intersection of Interstate 25 and Interstate 70 put Denver in the cross hairs of a car theft ring linked to the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico.

Denver’s highly populated metro area is a natural target for cartels but it’s the freeway corridors that draw criminal activity, according to David Olesky, assistant special agent in charge at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division.

Cartels use the freeways to transport stolen vehicles and drugs, leaving traces of their activity behind in nearby Colorado cities.

“Do they pick Colorado out and say they want to be here specifically? No. But they do operate everywhere, and Colorado is not immune to that,” Olesky said.

The Denver District Attorney’s office has linked a group allegedly behind the theft of nearly 200 cars to the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Some of those vehicles — notably pickup trucks — were exchanged in Mexico for illegal drugs that were then smuggled into the United States, according to officials.

The district attorney’s office indicted 17 people allegedly involved in the elaborate car theft ring.

Prior to the indictment, members of various law enforcement agencies had been meeting over the past year to discuss an epidemic of stolen vehicles in the region.

There were 32,976 reported stolen vehicles in 2023 and 41,656 in 2022, according to Colorado’s Auto Theft Annual Report.

In one meeting, the Department of Justice asked federal agencies to commit resources to address the threat to public safety of the ongoing car thefts, according to Olesky.

That work between various departments and agencies eventually led to the indictment and involved a taskforce including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA and local police departments and sheriff’s offices.

Olesky called the car theft ring indictment — which stemmed from investigations starting in September 2022 — a perfect example of the collaborative work local police departments and federal agencies do in order to disrupt cartels.

“This is something that the public can see. They might not think that their stolen vehicle they use to get to work every day is showing up in the hands of the Mexican cartel,” Olesky said.

The operation

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann and members of the Colorado

SAGE KELLEY, THE DENVER GAZETTE DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division’s acting special agent in charge, David Olesky, gave a presentation to The Denver Gazette regarding the cartel’s presence and sale of fentanyl in the state in March. “Since the cartels already had their tentacles on Colorado and their systems in place, they just added a new product to their menu and distribution routes,” Olesky said of the introduction of fentanyl to the state around 2019.

Metro Auto Theft Task Force, including the DEA, met on the 53rd floor of the district attorney’s office on Dec. 9, to announce the indictment of 17 suspects involved in a car theft ring that had stolen $9.5 million worth of property in Denver and at least 190 vehicles.

The two-year operation saw members steal vehicles and drive them down to the El Paso border to meet with cartel members. The suspects would then exchange the vehicles for illegal drugs to smuggle back into Colorado, according to investigators.

While the drugs mostly included cocaine and methamphetamine, fentanyl was also found.

The “sophisticated” operation would target vehicles, deactivate key fobs and use counter surveillance to make sure no police were in the region, according to Olesky. Sometimes the members used methamphetamine to keep themselves energized for a night of thefts. They became so good at it that cars would be stolen in a flash and taken to Mexico within 24 hours.

The majority of car thefts occurred near the Denver International Airport and included large pickup trucks — a request by the Sinaloa cartel, which wanted to use the trucks to transport

armor and weapons throughout Mexico, according to Olesky.

The indictment shows the 17 suspects are facing 222 counts of vehicle theft, menacing, drug smuggling and identity theft and it details countless charges in which both vehicle theft and drug running were occurring.

Not all of the 17 suspects are in custody. Eleven are, but six remain on the loose, according to the DA’s office.

Officials said some of the suspects were caught. Others are at-large either in Texas or Mexico.

The suspected ringleader, Joaquin Orozco-Ponce — known as “Adrian Trocas” — remains at-large. He faces a $10 million bond once arrested on the felony charges, according to officials.

Regarding why the DEA was involved even though the investigation started as a car theft operation, Olesky noted a correlation with drug smuggling and distribution.

While the cause of drugs being involved in criminal enterprises can be debated, the connection is obvious.

“There is no doubt a correlation between illegal drugs, violent crime and organized crime and how often times illegal drugs are the source of revenue for these criminal groups,” Olesky said.

After hearing about the large quantity of cars being stolen, DEA officials knew that they needed to have a role in the CMAT investigation.

“We can use our investigative tools to have a bigger and more impactful result,” Olesky said.

Cartel presence in Denver

“When you hear Mexican cartel, you think of that as an organization happening somewhere else. The criminal activity that f uels the enterprise is within the United States,” Olesky said.

“This particular operation showed that the stolen car enterprise was just another line for them to profit from.”

In an interview earlier this year, Rocky Mountain Field Division Field Intelligence Manager Scott Rowan said that every bit of fentanyl distribution in Colorado is linked to two major Mexican cartels, the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation.

“You might be focusing on a single distributor here, but if it’s elicit fentanyl it will trace back to one of them,” Rowan said of the cartels. “You may have to go back a few levels. An operation here may stem back to California and Arizona before Mexico, but it will go back there.”

VIOLENCE ON 16TH STREET MALL

Tragedy hits downtown as businesses wait for relief

BY BERNADETTE BERDYCHOWSKI

The Denver Gazette

Moments after a woman was stabbed at 16th Street Mall and California Street, Peter Prasilik, Giordano’s director of operations, said he noticed something on the street corner was happening, as paramedics rushed and whisked a person away.

He saw blood splattered on the ground, Prasilik said.

“I could tell it was pretty bad,” he said. When he found out there were more stabbings along downtown Denver’s 16th Street Mall, the restaurant employees’ safety quickly became top of mind for him.

“Somebody just walking around just stabbing four different people, it could have easily been me or any of my employees,” Prasilik said.

Denver police officers arrested Elijah Caudill, 24, on Sunday night in connection to the four stabbings on the 16th Street Mall, in which two people died and two others were injured. A family member who spoke to 9News sister station KPNX in Arizona identified the woman who died as a Phoenix-area flight attendant staying in downtown Denver during a layover.

Police have not publicly identified any of the victims yet.

The suspect’s motivation remains unclear. The police said they believe it’s random and there’s no known connection between the suspect and the victims.

The string of stabbings over the weekend is another addition to a long list of grievances by 16th Street Mall businesses, which endured restrictions and disruptions during the pandemic, not to mention the ongoing construction.

Still, there was growing hope, as businesses reported signs of rebounding sales in areas of the mall that have started to reopen.

This year is meant to be the year downtown Denver’s famous street fully reopens — but it’s already begun with tragedy.

“The safest downtown is not one that we avoid, but one with us in it,” according to a letter that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston wrote to city employees posted online Monday. The Denver Gazette confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

“In just a few months, 16th Street will reopen after years of delays, frustration, and now tragedy,” Johnston wrote. “The loudest message we can send is not with platitudes but with our presence.”

Most of the attacks happened in areas where the heaviest construction of 16th

Street Mall is still ongoing and businesses are awaiting relief from the construction. The exception was Wynkoop Street, where the last attack on Sunday took place, one of the first few blocks that fully reopened.

“It’s a mess,” said one business owner on the mall who did not want to be named, pointing to the construction outside and expressing frustration that not much is changing in the area to turn things around.

16th Street Mall is considered the spine of downtown Denver. The famous thoroughfare has struggled since the pandemic, as many office workers stopped coming into work and the buildings once home to its weekday customers became increasingly empty.

The construction project to rehabilitate 16th Street Mall added to the problems businesses were facing.

The major project is expected to finish by this summer; yet many businesses have already left. At its peak, more than a third of 16th Street Mall’s ground floor shops sat empty.

The emptier street has made the area seem less safe, according to a study cited in Denver’s downtown plan of development.

The intersections of 16th Street Mall with Champa Street and California Street, where the woman was stabbed,

were labeled “hotspots” for unsafe conditions because of assaults and public use of drugs, based on Downtown Denver Partnership’s security team database from 2023.

The California Street intersection was singled out for its proximity to an urgent care facility and a large parking lot on the block as reasons behind the safety issues.

“We are horrified by the events that took place in downtown Denver over the weekend and our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all of those who have been impacted,” Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of Downtown Denver Partnership, said in an emailed statement to The Denver Gazette.

Garrett commended Denver Police for apprehending the suspect and said work will continue to change perceptions of the 16th Street Mall.

“A safe environment is of the highest importance to all of us at the Downtown Denver Partnership, and we — together with our partners at DPD and the City — remain wholly focused on both the perception and reality of safety in our center city,” Garrett said.

The Downtown Denver Partnership did not answer questions about how its 24/7 private security team on 16th Street Mall responded to the attacks, referring to Denver Police for questions on the

case.

In the areas where the first attacks took place, some of the construction is starting to show signs of completion on the block of California Street and 16th Street Mall where the woman was stabbed.

A newly-paved road peeked out of the mall’s main street on the block, though it was surrounded by a maze of barriers decorated in colorful signs pointing pedestrians to businesses blocked by the construction.

Prasilik said Giordano’s staff had to deal with a series of violent incidents on the 16th Street Mall since it opened in 2018.

One time, a 16-year-old employee was pushed by a homeless person trying to grab food off the table. During another incident, Prasilik said he had to get between a man who threatened to pull out a gun in the restaurant and then locked himself in the bathroom. When the police came, they didn’t find a gun on him, the restaurant manager said, but a knife.

Still, Prasilik is hopeful public safety will improve when construction wraps up. He urges people to still visit.

And once the work is done, Prasilik said he wants to see the city invest more in making sure visitors come back to 16th Street Mall.

“We just hope that Denver treats it like a brand new car,” he said.

BERNADETTE BERDYCHOWSKI, THE DENVER GAZETTE

A worker cleans tables at Giordano’s, a restaurant on the corner of 16th Street Mall and California Street where one woman died after being stabbed on Saturday.

DENVER & STATE

Expert decries military mental health care flaws

Veteran Special Forces operator points to commanders’ interference

BY MARY SHINN

The Denver Gazette

Numerous combat deployments, a cultural reluctance to seek help and a structure that allows commanders to pressure mental health professionals have led to mental health care failings within U.S. Army Special Forces, according to an expert and advocate of the troops.

Retired Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class Greg Walker, who also advocated for the care of Special Forces troops as a civilian case manager with Special Operations Command’s Care Coalition, detailed what he described as the dynamics of those problems following the high-profile suicide of Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, a Green Beret who traveled from Colorado Springs to Las Vegas and blew up a Tesla Cybertruck in front of President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel on New Year’s Day.

Problems with Special Forces mental health care have also been highlighted in government reports that found these elite troops died by suicide at higher rates than the broader armed forces and the general population. A Defense Suicide Prevention Office presentation showed that suicide deaths have increased among Army Special Operations Command troops with 18 deaths in 2022, up from six in 2017 and 12 in 2018.

A 2020 report on suicides within the Special Forces community found elite troops did not seek help because they feared “being separated from their unit or singled out for problems.” The report called for reforms, including better suicide prevention, saying online training was seen as just a check in the box.

In addition to a cultural reluctance to come forward among Special Forces soldiers, Special Forces Group commanders have also directed their embedded mental health professionals to minimize conditions to ensure more soldiers can continue to deploy, Walker charged. Mental health providers might overlook drinking too much, or swap out medications to ensure troops could still deploy, he said.

Walker said the attitude became this: “Anything you can do to make sure a guy stays in the fight is OK with us.”

“It’s had hideous results,” he said.

There are strong hints that Livelsberger’s death and the explosion that injured seven people can now be

counted among those failings. Writings found on Livelsberger’s phone and observations from a former girlfriend that he was in touch with in his final days also underscored his poor mental state of mind.

“There was not a time during my two years in Afghanistan where I had a clear understanding or rational feeling in my heart of why my brothers were fighting and dying. We failed and the credibility of military and political leadership was shredded and no one was held accountable,” he said in a note on his phone released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

At the time, Livelsberger planned to kill himself at the Grand Canyon, he wrote.

Army Special Operations Command did not respond to questions about whether the suicide prevention training had changed or about the problems with group commanders overseeing providers.

The first significant emphasis on behavioral health and substance abuse in Special Forces started in 2005 after multiple deployments started to take a significant toll on frontline troops and they began to act out in serious ways, such as committing domestic violence and getting DUIs.

Special Forces was not designed to assume the operational tempo expe-

rienced during the War on Terror, a frequency that has continued to this day, Walker said. In one case, he served as case manager and advocate for an Army Ranger who was deployed to combat 14 times, he said. A 2020 independent study found that it’s not unusual for an operator in Special Forces to have 15 deployments over 10 years.

To address the problem, Army Special Operations Command and its parent group Special Operations Command, which oversees the joint force, started embedding mental health and substance dependency programs so that soldiers could talk about the classified events they had been a part of with professionals who also had clearance. It also functioned as an incentive for Special Forces soldiers to seek help within their own unit.

As Special Forces started to address the problem, more troops needed to be moved into support roles or to receive longer-term care, Walker said, and it created a shortage of people to carry out missions.

Starting in 2011, the high number of combat deployments to fight the War on Terror caused increased behavioral health and substance dependency issues among the troops, Walker said, reducing the number of people available to carry out missions.

“It’s a conundrum,” he said.

We’re

like flashlight batteries. They just put a new battery in once the old one is drained dry and it includes officers as well as enlisted service members.

Greg Walker, retired Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class

That’s when the pressure to start minimizing mental health and substance dependency issues on the individual level started, he said.

Walker said that the traumatic brain injury (TBI) symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder that Livelsberger’s ex-girlfriend said he experienced are hallmark “invisible wounds” within Special Forces.

When it comes to Livelsberger, Walker said he believes the medical professionals at his unit in Germany could have taken preventive steps, such as not allowing him to leave his base in Germany for Christmas break if his true behavioral health issues urged caution over compassion.

“If he was well enough to return to Fort Carson, did his mental health provider in Germany conduct a warm handoff with the embedded behavioral health clinicians at Fort Carson to include the group surgeon?” asked Walker. “Where was the clinical safety net for Matt Livelsberger, who’d been in the Preservation of the Force and Family Program in Germany?”

The Army released a statement last week that said Livelsberger did not display concerning behaviors while using the Preservation of the Force and Family programs. But the Army declined to say how long he received care through the program, citing privacy concerns. Since he was on leave when he died, he would not have necessarily been connected to mental health services.

“As Matt’s ex-girlfriend has pointed out since his death,” offered Walker, “the Army does not ‘fix’ its soldiers per se. And especially in our Special Forces units. It uses them up until they break or become nonessential and then moves them out of the ranks and into the Department of Veterans Affairs medical system.

“We’re like flashlight batteries. They just put a new battery in once the old one is drained dry and it includes officers as well as enlisted service members.”

LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

This undated photo provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows an ID belonging to Matthew Livelsberger, found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.

COVER STORY

TDA

FROM PAGE 1

“So, while, yes, we’ve always had gang issues in Aurora, it’s not often we hear stories like this,” Jurinsky said. “This is a transnational gang unlike we have ever seen before. The Aurora police officers have made it clear that they are more dangerous, more violent and more organized than MS-13, and this is what we’re dealing with.”

Jurinsky has played a key role in bringing the gang’s activities in Aurora to light.

Mara Salvatrucha — commonly known as MS-13 — is perhaps the most notorious street gang in the West. While the gang originated in the 1980s in Los Angeles’ poor refugee neighborhoods, it now has tentacles that stretch from Central America to Europe.

Authorities would not definitively say that the people arrested are TdA members, but the police noted the victims and suspects were all Venezuelan nationals. As such, there’s a “high probability it’s TdA,” Chamberlain said.

Having boarded up one apartment complex overrun by the TdA gang and seeking to shutter a second, Chamberlain confirmed Tuesday that the city’s tactic for combating the Venezuelan gang involves shutting down CBZ’s apartment complexes.

“It’s definitely a strategy because, again, the problem is complex in that particular complex that I think it has to be broken up,” Chamberlain said.

‘Owning the problem’

Aurora Police detained 14 people in the alleged home invasion at The Edge at Lowry Apartments, one of the complexes at the center of the national storm on illegal immigration.

The owner, CBZ Management, has claimed the complex has been taken over by TdA, the Venezuelan gang.

According to the police, just before 2:30 a.m., patrol officers responded to a report of an armed home invasion involving a stabbing and kidnapping at an apartment in the 1200 block of Dallas Street.

Preliminary investigations suggested that several suspects entered an apartment occupied by two people, the police said.

The suspects moved the victims to an adjacent apartment on the property, where they were threatened and bound. An adult male sustained a non-life-threatening stab wound during the incident.

Both were hospitalized on Tuesday morning, Chamberlain said.

After promising not to go to the police, the suspects released the victims, who then called 911, according to the police.

More than two dozen gangs are operating in the city of Aurora, Chamberlain said. The issue, he said, is not just at The Edge at Lowry.

“It’s 100% an issue,” the police chief said.

Chamberlain added: “We are not shying away from this problem, we are owning the problem.”

Shannon Peterson, a homeowner who lives near the complex, said she noticed an appreciable difference beginning two years ago with mounting trash, late-night parties and gunfire.

She fears for her safety, she said.

“We’re not in a position to move right now,” Peterson said. “We really want to see the place closed down.”

Peterson added: “It’s scary when you hear what they’re capable of.”

‘If people don’t see it, they don’t believe it’

Initially, Aurora officials downplayed — and in some instances denied — the extent of the TdA gang’s activities in their city. State officials also downplayed the gang’s presence.

But a trove of documents obtained by The Denver Gazette showed the Aurora Police Department had been aware for at least a year, and officers had grown wary of the gang’s presence.

The Denver Gazette also learned that the international law firm Perkins Coie investigated the alleged criminal activities at Whispering Pines apartments, a 54-unit complex in Aurora, and outlined an operation that included the gang establishing a “lower-level” presence last year, which then escalated into violence and intimidation, the apparent goal of which was to turn the

complex into a steady source of income.

The law firm said once the gang was entrenched at the complex, it used the units for illegal activities, including the prostitution of minors.

The gang, the law firm added, “operated in the open,” patrolled the area and “terrorized the community.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman lauded the suspects’ arrests.

“Today’s swift and decisive action to apprehend the 14 probable gang suspects, and maybe more, demonstrates precisely why we brought the chief here and why he has my full support,” Coffman said.

The mayor added: “We have and will continue to protect members of our community and aggressively pursue anyone who tries to victimize them no matter who they are or where they come from. As Chief Chamberlain said, Aurora, like every other major city across the country, must tackle crime — especially concentrated pockets of crime — aggressively. But as I have said repeatedly, specific bad actors and problematic properties do not reflect on this city as a whole.”

TDA gang members have been involved in a myriad of criminal activities that include drug trafficking; kidnapping; extortion; human trafficking — particularly immigrant women and girls; and, money laundering, according to authorities.

Originally a prison gang in Aragua Venezuela, TdA has recently expanded into the western hemisphere, including the Denver metro region, where local law enforcement has already arrested gang members on various charges.

City officials already boarded up one of

Chief of Police for the Aurora Police Department Todd Chamberlain addresses the media regarding a home invasion last night on Dec. 17. Fourteen people have been detained by Aurora police after officers responded to a report of a home invasion with weapons at The Edge at Lowry Apartments according to a press release from the department.

CBZ Management’s three properties in Aurora, Aspen Grove, and they are working to shutter The Edge at Lowry. In Aurora Municipal Court earlier this month, Aurora City Attorney Pete Schulte argued the criminal nuisance complaint against Five Dallas Partners, the limited liability company that owns five of the six buildings comprising the Edge at Lowry, justified its closure.

Five Dallas Partners is a subsidiary of CBZ Management, a Brooklyn-based company that owns 11 properties in Colorado.

The owners — according to city officials — have agreed The Edge should be closed, as they did with Aspen Grove, a 99-unit complex on Nome Street. The closure of Aspen Grove left about 300 people, mostly immigrants, homeless.

On Tuesday, a musty stench of rotting food and decay emanated from The Edge property, which consists of 72 units in six buildings built in the 1970s. Located near Lowry Park, the property is littered with unregistered vehicles and trash, as well as broken and boarded-up windows.

The TdA gang’s operation in Colorado’s third-most populous city has nabbed national headlines, with President-elect Donald Trump promising to conduct a mass deportation effort, beginning with a crackdown on the gang members in Aurora.

“This is our most pressing issue,” said Stephen Elkins, a member of the Mabry Safety Collective.

Formed over the summer, the Mabry Safety Collective is a neighborhood group that seeks to address the city’s safety issues in northwest Aurora, with The Edge as a focus.

“Unfortunately in 2024, we live in a time where if people don’t see it, they don’t believe it,” Elkins said.

STEPHEN SWOFFORD, THE DENVER GAZETTE

Coffman blames Johnston for gang in Aurora

BY KYLA PEARCE

The Denver Gazette

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman effectively blamed Denver Mayor Mike Johnston for the “national embarrassment” that his city suffered following reports of violence by a Venezuelan gang amid the national debate over how best to confront America’s illegal immigration crisis.

In an opinion piece that ran in The Denver Gazette on Monday, Coffman said the Johnston administration “placed” immigrants in Aurora, refused to tell him where they were housed and how many — and drew up contracts with nonprofits that gave the Denver mayor plausible deniability.

“It gives Johnston cover, should it become public, by allowing him to say that it wasn’t his decision to put them in Aurora; it was the nonprofits who made the decision,” Coffman wrote. The Aurora mayor also disclosed that Aurora sought records from Denver via a channel typically employed by journalists to obtain documents from a government entity — the Colorado Open Records Act.

Johnston rejected Coffman’s assertions. “I simply don’t know what he’s referring to,” Johnston told The Gazette when asked about Coffman’s column, which accused the Denver mayor of being less than transparent on the movement of immigrants from Denver to Aurora. “It’s simply not accurate that we haven’t been transparent about what our process is,” Johnston said. Coffman’s charge against Johnston is

not new. Months ago, he claimed that Johnston “placed” immigrants into Aurora without his consent, a move that he said also played a role in Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua’s violence that pushed Aurora into the national spotlight.

Since December 2022, roughly 43,000 immigrants — mostly from South and Central America who crossed the southern border illegally — have come to Denver, according to previous Gazette reporting. Many of them are from Venezuela, which has been in the throes of economic and political chaos since President Nicolás Maduro took power.

In Venezuela, “criminality is rampant” due to the role of law enforcement in protecting the Maduro regime rather than the people, Coffman said in his column. He blamed this for the TdA violence in Aurora, writing, “Where there is a concentration of Venezuelans here, the criminal elements sometimes follows and superimposes itself on the Venezuelans to exploit them.”

The conflict between the mayors on the matter goes back to November 2023, according to Coffman. At the time, Johnston asked for permission to use an extended-stay Quality Inn hotel in Aurora to temporarily house some of the busloads of immigrants coming into Denver. “I initially said yes, but it soon became apparent that beyond giving the newly arrived migrants a 30day hotel voucher, he had no plan for them other than leaving them homeless in Aurora,” Coffman wrote.

Moving the immigrants into the extended-stay hotel also forced the current residents out, Coffman said. When he found out about this, he said, he demanded that Johnston take the immigrants back to Denver as soon as their vouchers expired. Johnston did as Coffman asked, and Coffman turned down requests for further assistance, the Aurora mayor said.

Then in September, Coffman read a news article from the City Journal saying Johnston “moved migrants from Denver to Aurora” via the cover of two nonprofit organizations, ViVe Wellness and Papagayo, he said. Coffman said the article noted that Papagayo “worked with a landlord called CBZ Management, a property management company that operates the three apartment buildings at the center of the current controversy: Edge of Lowry, Whispering Pines, and Fitzsimons Place, also known as Aspen Grove.”

When he confronted Johnston about it, Johnston “affirmed that Denver had contracts with nonprofits that ‘have’ placed migrants from Denver to Aurora,” Coffman said in his column.

But Johnston would not say how many, where the immigrants were housed or what resources they were given, “defensively” saying that information wasn’t available, Coffman wrote.

In October, Aurora councilmembers approved a resolution launching an investigation into claims thzt the Colorado government and Denver “placed” immigrants into Aurora without the

city’s consent.

Aurora City Attorney Pete Schulte obtained the contracts between Denver and the nonprofits via the Colorado Open Records Act. Coffman said the clause “in Denver or the surrounding communities” was “quietly inserted into these contracts to allow these nonprofits to put the migrants in Aurora without notifying us.”

Aurora also learned, Coffman said, that the records “contradicted” Johnston’s statement that the information wasn’t available because the compliance provision in the contracts “required the nonprofit organizations to provide the information about how many migrants were sent to Aurora and where they were housed.”

When Schulte followed up with a CORA request for information about the number of immigrants and where they were housed, a Denver city attorney replied that records could not be released since they contained personal identifiers, such as names, Coffman wrote. “Then, Denver should redact the names and send us the information,” the Aurora mayor wrote.

In an interview on Monday, Johnston said the city of Denver has been transparent about its process.

“In the city, we have nonprofit partners that we partner with to do mental health support, workforce support, do housing support and those nonprofits help identify and place these folks into housing and they report directly to

THE DENVER GAZETTE FILE

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman poses for a portrait Sept. 21, 2023, at Banh & Butter Bakery Café off East Colfax Avenue in Aurora.

TOM HELLAUER, THE DENVER GAZETTE

Mayor Mike Johnston addresses members of the media gathered to discuss his administration’s ongoing efforts on Jan. 6.

DOUGLAS COUNTY

Douglas County to appeal dismissal of lawsuit

The Denver Gazette

Douglas County officials said they plan to appeal a Denver district court’s dismissal of a lawsuit against the state of Colorado over its “sanctuary” statutes that restrict local law enforcement officials from working with federal authorities on illegal immigration.

The county’s lawsuit targeted a 2023 law that restricts the ability of state and local governments from making agreements with federal immigration officials over the detention of immigrants who are unlawfully staying in the country, as well as a 2019 statute that blocks local law enforcers from arresting or detaining an immigrant solely on the basis of a federal immigration detainer.

“The bottom line is, the judge got it wrong,” Commissioner George Teal said in a statement. “We want to cooperate with the federal government on matters of public safety and immigration. We pay taxes, too, to the feds. These (state) laws that we are suing on prohibit us from accessing those federal services.”

“We are required by these state laws to conceal the identity of those who committed a crime and are here in our country illegally,” added Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle. “We cannot stand idly by, barred by the state from cooperating with federal agencies, when public safety is at risk.

The judge noted that the federal government is, in fact, prohibited from mandating a state to comply with a detainer request. As a result, the judge said, Colorado is “free to determine the extent, if at all, the state will comply with civil immigration detainer requests and whether the state will enter into or renew immigration detainment agreements.”

Douglas County’s lawsuit had argued Colorado’s laws are “illegal and unconstitutional” because they violate the Colorado Constitution’s provisions on intergovernmental relationships and distribution of powers. They are also preempted by federal immigration laws and regulations, the lawsuit added.

TIMOTHY HURST, THE DENVER GAZETTE FILE Immigrants stage outside of buses with their belongings in large bags during an encampment sweep along West 27th Avenue, between Zuni and Alcott streets, on Jan. 3, 2024, in Denver. El Paso and Douglas counties Monday filed a lawsuit against the state of Colorado attacking recent laws that prevent communication and cooperation between local law enforcement and federal authorities over illegal immigration.

In pushing for the 2019 law, sponsors said any requirement that public safety agencies “play a role in enforcing federal civil immigration laws can undermine public trust.” Sponsors also said Coloradans have “constitutional rights to due process and protection against unlawful detainment and seizures.”

And in passing the 2023 law, lawmakers said it is an “inappropriate exercise of a state’s police powers to detain individuals for federal immigration purposes given its implication on foreign relations.” Lawmakers also declared that “phasing out” state and local officials’ involvement in civil immigration detention is warranted.

Roughly 43,000 immigrants have arrived in Denver after illegally crossing America’s southern border

sure for some reason.”

FROM PAGE 11

those cities if they want information on who gets houses and where,” the Denver mayor said.

“The city doesn’t place people in housing, the nonprofit partners do,” Johnston said, adding, “None of that has changed other than maybe Mayor Coffman feels increased political pres-

Johnston also said he was “surprised” by Coffman’s article in The Denver Gazette, adding that he considers Coffman a “confidant and friend.”

“We’re colleagues working together closely and we reach out regularly on the phone if he has concerns,” Johnston said. “I’m surprised he didn’t reach out to me, but I understand that he has a lot to try and manage in his city.”

Johnston said any of the data Coffman wants “has always been available

over the past two years or so. City officials in Denver do not know exactly how many have remained here, though bus, plane and train tickets purchased for immigrants traveling elsewhere suggest that fewer than half have left.

Douglas County — and several other jurisdictions — have distanced themselves from Denver, which also has adopted “sanctuary” laws. No legal definition of a “sanctuary” city or state exists, but, broadly speaking, it refers to a community that expressly refuses to cooperate with federal authorities on enforcing immigration laws.

through those nonprofit partners.”

Denver has built a method of responding to immigrants that has been “very successful for us,” Johnston said.

“We provided a combination of services and accountability, and that’s meant we have people at work and supporting themselves and we don’t see increased levels of crime, so we are very happy for how this has turned out for Denver,” he said. “But we’re always happy to talk to others that are seeing different challenges.”

In his column, Coffman sought to tie Denver’s actions to the TdA gang’s tentacles in Aurora. “Aurora has suffered from a national embarrassment that has harmed the image of our city in a way that could have lasting economic consequences. As the mayor of Aurora, I’m asking that Mayor Mike Johnston be transparent and tell the truth about what he did,” he wrote.

Denver Gazette reporters Nico Brambila and Deborah Grigsby contributed to this article.

Reporters Nico Brambila and Noah Festenstein, and Editor Luige del Puerto contributed to this article.

Audit: DIA’s Great Hall at risk for overspending

BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY

The Denver Gazette

Denver International Airport’s Great Hall renovation project may exceed $2 billion, and auditors are worried the city could face even higher costs due to potential overspending on future construction.

During a review last year, city auditors made 10 recommendations to airport officials after determining that DIA lacked sufficient management and oversight of its three-phased Great Hall construction project.

The follow-up report, published on Jan. 2, said the airport still is not following procurement procedures, proper document decision-making processes, or requiring contractors to submit documentation of actual costs.

“This deficiency in oversight, particularly concerning multi-tiered subcontracting, limits the city’s assurance of quality construction and reasonable costs and creates a heightened risk of overpayments due to insufficient monitoring of contract compliance,” Denver Auditor O’Brien said in a news release. Of the 10 recommendations made by O’Brien’s office in 2023, DIA officials fully implemented two, partially implemented one, and did not agree to implement the remaining seven, the audit said.

“Although the airport has made significant progress in implementing the recommendations it agreed to, it did not fully address all the risks associated with our original findings,” O’Brien said.

In response to a request for comment from The Denver Gazette, airport officials emailed this statement: “We appreciate the auditor’s follow-up report from the audit of April 2023 and look forward to working with the auditor and his team as we continually improve our processes. The airport remains confident that it has adequate controls in place to ensure proper oversight of its projects.”

The airport’s Great Hall project began in 2018 to help prepare the airport for future needs and increase the capacity of the Jeppesen Terminal to accommodate 100 million passengers. The airport anticipates that passenger volume in the near future.

Just over a year later, the airport and Great Hall Partners, the project’s original builders, went through a very messy, public breakup that cost the airport time and millions of dollars after disagreeing over soaring costs and weak concrete erupted.

Airport officials expedited the procurement process to hire Hensel Phelps Construction Co. as the new contractor

A follow-up report by the city auditor, published Thursday, revealed that Denver International Airport still isn’t following procurement procedures, proper document decision-making processes or requiring contractors to submit documentation of actual costs.

for the re-envisioned three-phase construction project, which resumed in early 2020. According to the city auditor’s follow-up report, the airport now expects work on the Great Hall to finish in 2028 at a cost of $2.1 billion.

The final phase of the project, known as the Great Hall Completion, is now underway. Denver City Council approved the completion phase, also known as “Phase Three,” in January 2022.

Subsequent to the 2023 audit, two projects were designated as “fasttracked.” Auditors who reviewed those projects said that one continued to lack essential supporting documentation, “indicating that the recommended improvements have not been effectively implemented.”

Auditors pointed out that the contin-

ued absence of documentation increases the risk of noncompliance with city requirements and airport standards.

The audit said another unresolved finding is the airport has yet to require contractors to submit invoices and timesheets necessary for reconciling with project allowances, impeding the airport’s ability to ensure costs are reasonable and allowable.

“It is critical that Denver International Airport manage its construction work costs for a project of this size and scope,” O’Brien said. “With so much work yet to complete, the airport needs better oversight to prevent spending more than what is necessary.”

The Denver Department of Aviation oversees the airport’s management and operation and has been designated an

“enterprise” as defined by the Colorado Constitution. According to the airport’s website’s governance page, it receives no direct general fund tax support from Denver taxpayers and may issue revenue bonds and other financial obligations in the city’s name.

The airport is one of the most significant economic engines for the state of Colorado, generating more than $33 billion in economic impact for the region each year, as reported in 2020 Aviation Economic Impact Study prepared by the Colorado Division of Aeronautics.

O’Brien said given the importance and public interest in airport renovations, if risks continue to be identified, future audits may be conducted “to ensure the city takes appropriate corrective action.”

ARINAHABICH VIA ISTOCK

COLORADO POLITICS

Polis blasted for blaming cost of wolf program on ranchers

BY MARIANNE GOODLAND Colorado Politics

Gov. Jared Polis is facing backlash for comments he made during the winter conference of Colorado counties, when he blamed ranchers for the cost of the wolf reintroduction program this year.

The topic of wolves at the Colorado Counties, Inc. conference arose in response to Polis’ comments about an ever-tightening state budget. The association represents 63 of the state’s 64 counties.

State economists have estimated that the 2025-26 state budget will be short about $1 billion due to lowering inflation and the end of billions in one-time federal money tied to the pandemic.

“I’ve tried to bite my tongue and sit on my hands, but I can’t do it,” began Grand County Commissioner Merrit Linke. He noted that every question from the audience was about funding, whether for roads, schools or child welfare, but that the state has spent $5 million for 10 wolves from Oregon — and only seven are still alive. The state plans to bring in 10 or 15 more from Canada, and Linke questioned whether that is cost-effective.

“Why couldn’t we take a pause, figure out what’s the most cost-effective way to do that before we do it? I’m just asking why can’t we take a pause?” he asked, which drew a strong applause from the audience.

A coalition of 26 largely agricultural organizations, joined by the counties association, has asked the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for a rulemaking hearing to pause the next reintroduction of wolves and sent a similar request to the Canadian government, where the next batch of the apex predators is expected to come from. The Colorado Conservation Alliance also made that request last week.

“It’s the law,” Polis responded. The livestock growers earlier note that Proposition 114, adopted by a narrow margin in 2020, only mandated the state to reintroduce wolves by the end of 2023, which already happened, and it did not require anything more than that. Additional wolves are tied to the state’s wolf management plan, adopted by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission.

“We’ll be successful with wolf restoration,” Polis told the audience. “Until the law changes, that’s what we do, and we’re going to get it done.”

He added: “Once the law is done, you just got to get on board and make it successful.”

SCOTT WEISER, THE DENVER GAZETTE Middle Park rancher Conway Farrell herds 300 yearling Angus cattle to new pasture May 25. The Farrells are among the three families raising cattle in the area that have been hit hard by the wolves. So far, Farrell says he has lost three yearlings and three calves.

He said the cost would have been much less if ranchers had not said, “‘Don’t get them from Wyoming, don’t get them from Idaho.’”

“We probably could have done it for a quarter of that cost,” Polis said.

He added that if ranchers, such as those from the Middle Park Stockgrowers in Grand County, had asked Wyoming for wolves, the state probably would have given them to Colorado.

The governor’s office said through a spokesperson on Wednesday that the Polis administration is “committed to successfully implementing the will of Colorado voters and at the same time supporting our agriculture industry.”

The statement pointed to Polis’ efforts to expand agricultural exports, new laws on ag-related bipartisan tax credits, a “nation-leading right-to-repair law,” and opposition to President-elect Trump’s tariff proposal that he said “would harm our economy and ag sector.” Polis urged lawmakers to join him in voicing opposition to the plan that he said would increase costs.

As for his claims that ranchers drove up the costs of the wolf program, the governor’s office said: “The reality is the state initially attempted to source wolves from Wyoming, Montana, and

Idaho but these commonsense requests were denied following special interest, lobbying, and political games by certain organizations.”

“As a result,” the governor’s office said, “CPW sourced wolves from Oregon to continue to implement the Colorado voter-approved wolf introduction plan.”

The statement also noted that the Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Parks and Wildlife just released more information about how “they are effectively managing the mandated wolf reintroduction, including grant funding, site assessments, conflict specialist efforts, range rider initiatives, carcass management, and depredation response” and the governor is “proud of the work the CDA and CPW are doing to implement the will of the voters in a way that addresses the concerns of ranchers.”

Rural Republican lawmakers in the state House and Senate blasted Polis on Tuesday for blaming ranchers for the program’s cost.

“The governor’s comments to Colorado Counties deflect responsibility for mismanagement and misrepresentation of costs onto hardworking ranchers, whose livelihoods are already at risk due to these policies,” eight rural Republican

lawmakers said in a statement.

Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter of Trinidad Polis’ remarks “demonstrate a clear misunderstanding of the challenges faced by ranchers. Colorado ranchers are vital to our communities and economy. Instead of vilifying them, the governor should address the escalating costs of a program he has supported, despite its growing burden on taxpayers.”

Over the last year, virtually every western state with wolves has refused to send more to Colorado, prompting Colorado Parks and Wildlife to reach out to British Columbia, which is culling wolves because of their impacts on caribou herds. It’s coming at a cost — an increase in cases of chronic wasting disease in game animals, which can be risky for people who consume those animals.

Rep. Matt Soper of Delta added the wolf initiative was pushed forward with misleading cost estimates and “has since ballooned into a multi-million-dollar program.”

“Ranchers have already endured livestock losses and the threat of harassment, yet they remain committed to feeding Colorado. It is disgraceful to see them targeted for political scapegoating,” Soper said.

COLORADO POLITICS

Polis criticizes Trump’s deportation, tariff plans

BY MARIANNE GOODLAND The Denver Gazette

Even as he vowed to pursue solutions to longstanding woes that Colorado faces, Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday devoted a portion of his annual address to the legislature lambasting President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs and enact the largest deportation program in American history.

Polis delivered his seventh State of the State address as Colorado finds itself in a string of not-so-flattering news recently. Notably, Colorado has fallen as a destination people want to move to in the U.S., a new study says it is now the sixthmost regulated state in the country and it has found itself at the center of the country’s illegal immigration firestorm. Domestically, Polis sought to set the tone for this year’s legislative session by focusing on housing, education, public safety, and energy.

‘The free State of Colorado’

In an apparent attempt to juxtapose Colorado against the incoming Republican-dominated U.S. Congress and the Trump administration, the governor mentioned the word “freedom” seven times, saying that, in the “free State of Colorado, we understand what government is and is not here to do.”

The government’s job, he said, is “not to dictate who you love, who you marry, or if, when and how you choose to start a family.”

He expounded on those familiar Democratic themes later, noting Colorado voters enshrined the right to an abortion in the Colorado constitution struck a constitutional provision prohibiting same-sex marriage.

He used the same framing to talk about illegal immigration, hinting at objections to Trump’s plan for a mass deportation, saying immigrants “want nothing more than to contribute to our society.” Still, Polis said he welcomes federal help to “detain and deport dangerous criminals.”

Since December 2022, roughly 43,000 immigrants — mainly from South and Central America who crossed the southern border illegally — have come to Denver. Early in the crisis, Denver officials decided city taxpayers would assume the cost of temporary housing and feeding the immigrants. The city’s costs have so far exceeded $75 million.

What Trump’s “Operation Aurora” and mass deportations would look like remains to be seen, as the Trump administration faces potential legal hurdles —

the ACLU and other groups have been preparing for protracted court battles in anticipation of a second Trump presidency — and logistical ones, particularly since such a campaign would need the cooperation of local governments to be effective. The latter is unlikely in Colorado, a “sanctuary” state.

Polis to unions and businesses: Avoid any rancorous fight

Polis also hinted of his position on what will likely be the hottest topic in the legislature in 2025 — efforts by the unions to eliminate an election among workers that is required before “representation” fees can be imposed. The latter are union dues imposed on nonunion members. That election requires a 75% yes vote from workers in a unionized company.

Polis said he does want to see another “rancorous fight” and added that, if there are any efforts to change Colorado’s 80-year-old Labor Peace Act, it should have the support of both unions and businesses.

“Just because you can pursue a costly and divisive fight doesn’t mean you should,” he told policymakers.

An ‘outlier’ on school funding

Last year, lawmakers overhauled the state’s 30-year-old school finance formula, but Polis said the state is still an “outlier” on school funding.

He called for changes in how the student count is done to ensure the financing of actual students, rather than “empty chairs.” He also dropped a previous request to stretch out the timeline for implementing the new formula. In his Nov. 1 budget request, he suggested going from six to seven years, but he backed off on that proposal in a revised request last week.

Notably, Polis said the state needs to start funding students “where they are in their schools today in ways tailored to individual needs” and, in a clear nod to “school choice,” he added that the state needs to make it easier for “innovative schools to start and operate in Colorado.” The state, he said, needs to support students “whether in a traditional district or a charter school, and (give) parents the ability to choose the best option for their kids.”

Governor wants to go after cattle theft

The governor touted the work of Democratic lawmakers, largely on gun control, but added there’s more work to do.

He called for boosting the state’s emergency dispatch system, revisiting a 2024 bill on gun theft, and expanding resources for youth in the juvenile system, notably including more beds in the Division of Youth Services.

Polis noted the problems ranchers on both the Eastern Plains and Western Slope have had with livestock theft in

Gov. Jared Polis delivers his 2025 State Of The State address Jan. 9 at the state Capitol, with Senate President James Coleman, D-Denver, and House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon.

the past year. He said he is committed to holding cattle rustlers accountable through working with local sheriffs and the state’s brand board.

Polis pushes changes to ‘construction defects’ law

Last year, the state Capitol saw a bitter battle trial lawyers and realtors and builders. Three bills failed to get out of the legislature.

While Polis did not address that issue last year, he expressed full support for a fix to the state’s “construction defects” law, which sets up a process for how homeowners may sue builders when they find defects. That can range from serious issues, such as cracks in the foundation or HVAC problems, to smaller problems, such as defective cabinetry and leaks. Critics have argued that the law has blocked developers from building condos, which are considered the entry point for young families and the place where seniors can downsize from single-family homes.

Polis called for meaningful conversation — one that, he said, would protect homeowners while making it less expensive for builders to deliver housing. Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, and Senate President James Coleman, D-Denver, are sponsoring the main bill on this issue. Bird carried the construction defects bill in 2024; this year’s bill is expected to be quite different

JOHN LEYBA, SPECIAL TO THE DENVER GAZETTE

NATIONAL POLITICS

Hegseth fights back against ‘smear campaign’

BY MIKE BREST AND SAMANTHA-JO ROTH Washington Examiner

WASHINGTON • Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Defense Department, on Tuesday fought back against allegations of personal misconduct, sexual assault and excessive drinking, and responded to questions over his lack of qualifications to lead the Pentagon.

For more than four hours, Hegseth was grilled by Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, while Republicans came to his defense and praised his “warrior mentality” as they look to shepherd him over the finish line as Trump’s secretary of defense.

During the hearing, the first for Trump’s Cabinet picks, Hegseth fought back against what he classed as a media “smear campaign.”

“A small handful of anonymous sources were allowed to drive a smear campaign, an agenda about me, because our left-wing media in America today, sadly, doesn’t care about the truth,” he said. “I’m willing to endure these attacks, but what I will do is stand up for the truth and for my reputation.”

Hegseth, the 44-year-old former Fox News host, slammed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military, and, in his latest book, questioned whether the top U.S. general has the job because he’s Black.

Asked if he would fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C.Q. Brown, if he takes over the military, a possibility first reported by Reuters, Hegseth declined to rule it out, saying he would be carrying out a broad review.

“Every single senior officer will be reviewed based on meritocracy, standards, lethality and commitment to lawful orders they will be given,” Hegseth said. Prior to his nomination, Hegseth strongly opposed women in combat roles but walked back that stance during the most contentious confirmation hearing in memory for a U.S. defense secretary.

“Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job,” said Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Reed criticized an FBI investigation into Hegseth’s past, saying it failed to sufficiently investigate extensive allegations against him. The FBI declined comment.

A number of episodes have sparked concern among lawmakers, including a 2017 sexual assault allegation against Hegseth that did not result in charges and which he denies. He has also been accused of excessive drinking and financial mismanagement at veterans’ organizations. Hegseth has vowed to abstain from alcohol if confirmed and said he made some financial errors but denies any wrongdoing.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., slammed Hegseth’s past remarks about women in the U.S. military, saying he would have to fundamentally change how he sees women who constitute 18% of the U.S. military.

“We have hundreds — hundreds — of women who serve in the infantry, lethal members of our military ... But you degrade them,” Gillibrand said, raising her voice in a heated exchange. “Please explain

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pete Hegseth, center, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, arrives to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.

these types of statements because they’re brutal, and they’re mean.”

Despite strong support from Trump’s Republicans, Hegseth’s confirmation may depend on his performance before the committee.

He did not appear to make any major gaffes that could alienate Republican lawmakers in what could be a razor thin vote along party lines.

Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican who leads the committee, endorsed Hegseth, saying, “Admittedly, this nomination is unconventional. The nominee is unconventional.”

“Regarding his personal conduct, Mr. Hegseth has admitted to falling short, as we all do from time to time,” Wicker said.

Republican senators, including Markwayne Mullin and Tim Sheehy, strongly backed Hegseth. Mullin dismissed Democratic concerns about him, particularly his personal life, as political theater.

“It’s all for show,” Mullen said.

Hegseth’s opening remarks to the committee, praising Trump, were repeatedly interrupted by protesters. He vowed to bring back a “warrior culture” to the U.S. military and said accountability was coming for those who fall short.

“(Trump) believes, and I humbly agree, that it’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm. A change agent,” Hegseth said. “Everyone from the top, from the most senior general to the most lowly private, (we) will ensure that they’re treated fairly.”

When asked about his remarks opposing women in combat, Hegseth cited the need to eliminate quotas for frontline roles. Gillibrand fired back that no such quotas exist.

She added: “You will have to change how you see women to do this job.”

And Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who lost both legs when the Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting was shot down, displayed the Soldier’s Creed she said hung at her hospital bed and by which all Army service members are expected to live. She told the nominee the troops “cannot be led by someone who is not competent.”

Many senators have not yet met with Hegseth and most do not have access to his FBI background check, as only committee leaders were briefed on its findings. Reed called the background check “insufficient.”

Republican senators took turns shoring up the nominee, with Sen. Markewayne Mullin, R-Okla., saying “we’ve all made mistakes” and coaxing Hegseth to say something nice about his wife and children.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., called Hegseth a “breath of fresh air,” after he spoke about the need to tear diversity and critical race initiatives “root and branch from institutions.”

And when GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a military veteran and sexual assault survivor, questioned Hegseth, he told her it would be the “privilege of a lifetime” to be the defense secretary for men and women in uniform.

A former co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend,” he had been a contributor with the network since 2014. Hegseth attended Princeton University and served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. He lacks senior military and national security experience.

NATION&WORLD

Polar vortex keeps U.S. in icy grip

The Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, MD. • A huge swath of the U.S. was blasted with ice, snow and wind on Monday as the polar vortex that dipped south over the weekend kept much of the country east of the Rockies in its frigid grip, making many roads treacherous, forcing school closures, and causing widespread power outages and flight cancellations.

The immense storm system brought disruption to areas of the country that usually escape winter’s wrath, downing trees in some Southern states, threatening a freeze in Florida and causing people in Dallas to dip deep into their wardrobes for warm hats and gloves.

Washington, D.C., received heavy snow as President-elect Donald Trump’s victory was certified. Taking advantage of the rare snowstorm in the nation’s capital, revelers engaged in a snowball fight in front of the Washington Monument as flags flew at halfstaff in memory of former President Jimmy Carter.

In Kentucky’s biggest city, Louisville, Hugh Ross used his shovel Monday to break sheets of ice that were covering his driveway. Frozen rain fell atop snow that arrived Sunday, which he said “couldn’t have been worse.”

“You’ve got to break it up first,” Ross explained. “If you don’t do that, you’re wasting your time. I did a couple of layers yesterday, so I had to make sure I wasn’t in too bad of shape today.”

Ice and snow blanketed major roads in Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, where blizzard conditions brought wind gusts of up to 45 mph (72 kph). The warnings extended to New Jersey into early Tuesday.

At the storied Calumet Farm in central Kentucky, the thoroughbreds were led to their stalls Sunday afternoon before freezing rain turned their pastures into a slick glaze of snow and ice.

“The ice is the worst part,” Eddie Kane, the farm manager, said Monday. “I still haven’t turned them out because it’s still a little bit too dangerous. It’s like an ice-skating rink out there in the fields.”

In his central Missouri apartment complex’s parking lot, Gary Wright wore a parka as he and his husband chipped away at the ice coating his SUV. Wright, a 33-year-old North Carolina native, said he would work remotely on Monday but wanted to scrape off his vehicle as an excuse to spend time in the snow.

The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole, but it sometimes plunges southward into the U.S., Europe and Asia. Studies show that a fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its grip.

Temperatures plunge

Starting Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. dealt with bone-chilling cold and wind chills, said forecasters, predicting that temperatures could range from 12 to 25 degrees below normal in many areas.

The Northeast, which has had a relatively mild start to winter, was expected to get several cold days, said Jon Palmer, a weather service meteorologist based in Gray, Maine.

The cold air was expected to grip the Eastern Seaboard as far south as Georgia, with temperatures dropping into the low single digits in some coastal areas, Palmer said.

Classes canceled

School closings were widespread, with districts in Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas canceling or delaying the start of classes Monday. Among them was Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools, which canceled classes and other school activities for its nearly 100,000 students.

Classes were also canceled in Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Sunday and announced that state government offices would also be closed Monday.

More snow and ice are expected

In Indiana, snow covered stretches of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, leading authorities to plead with people to stay home.

“It’s snowing so hard, the snow plows go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,” State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle said.

Topeka, Kansas, reported 14.5 inches by about 8 p.m. Sunday, according to the weather service.

Kansas City International Airport received of 11 inches of snow on Sunday, breaking the previous record for the day of 10.1 inches set in 1962, according to the weather service’s office in Kansas City, Missouri. In Kentucky, Louisville recorded 7.7 inches of snow on Sunday, shattering the date’s previous record of 3 inches set in 1910.

Air and rail travel are also snarled

More than 2,500 flights were canceled and at least 6,500 more were delayed nationwide as of Monday morning, according to tracking platform FlightAware. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reported that about 58% of arrivals and 70% of departures had been canceled.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A pedestrian makes their way though a tunnel along the snow-covered Monon Trail in Carmel, Ind., on Monday.

Israel, Hamas reach cease-fire deal

BY ANDREW MILLS, NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI AND MAAYAN LUBELL Reuters

Israel and Hamas reached a deal for a cease-fire in Gaza that mediators said would take effect on Sunday and include a release of hostages held there during 15 months of war that inflamed the Middle East.

The complex phased accord outlines a six-week initial cease-fire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Hostages taken by militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

At a news conference in Doha, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the cease-fire would take effect on Sunday. Negotiators are working with Israel and Hamas on steps implementing the deal, he said.

“This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” President Joe Biden said in Washington.

Residents said Israeli airstrikes continued on Wednesday evening in Gaza, where more than 46,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. Strikes on Gaza City and northern Gaza killed at least 32 people, medics said.

The ministry has claimed that more than half of those killed were women and children. It did not provide figures for how many were fighters or civilians. The Israeli military said it has killed more than 17,000 militants. In the Oct. 7 attack that caused the war, Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 people hostages. The latter included seven Americans.

A Palestinian official close to the talks said mediators were trying to get both sides to stop hostilities before the truce starts on Sunday.

Palestinians responded to news of the deal by celebrating in the streets of Gaza, where they have faced severe shortages of food, water, shelter and fuel. In Khan Younis, throngs clogged the streets amid the sounds of horns as they cheered, waved Palestinian flags and danced.

“I am happy. Yes, I am crying, but those are tears of joy,” said Ghada, a displaced mother of five.

In Tel Aviv, families of Israeli hostages and their friends rejoiced at the news, saying in a statement they felt “overwhelming joy and relief (about) the agreement to bring our loved ones home.”

Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country’s security cabinet and government, with votes slated for Thursday, an Israeli official said.

The accord was expected to win approval despite opposition from some hardliners in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who repeated his condemnation of the agreement on Wednesday.

Netanyahu called Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to thank them and said he would visit Washington soon, his office said.

In a social media statement announcing the ceasefire, Hamas called the pact “an achievement for our

Relatives and friends of people killed or abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza take part in a demonstration Wednesday in Tel Aviv, Israel.

people” and “a turning point.”

Defusing regional tensions

If successful, the cease-fire will halt fighting that has razed much Gaza and displaced most of the tiny enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million.

That in turn could defuse tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has stoked conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and raised fears of all-out war between arch regional foes Israel and Iran.

Phase one of the deal entails the release of 33 Israeli hostages, including all women, children and men over 50. Two American hostages, Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen, were among those to be released in the first phase, a source said.

The agreement calls for a surge in humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

Both the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross said they are preparing to massively scale up their aid operations.

The pact follows months of tortuous, on-off negotiations conducted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the backing of the United States, and comes just ahead of Trump’s presidential inauguration on Monday.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi welcomed the agreement in a post on X, as did leaders and officials from Turkey, Britain, the United Nations, Jordan, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

On his Truth Social media site, Trump said the deal would not have happened if he had not won the U.S. election in November.

Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff was in Qatar along with White House envoys for the talks, and a senior Biden administration official said Witkoff’s presence was critical to reaching a deal after 96 hours of intense negotiations.

Biden said that the two teams had “been speaking as one,” though Trump’s administration will largely handle implementation of the accord.

Perilous path ahead

The road ahead is complex, with political minefields likely. Israeli hostage families expressed concern that the accord may not be fully implemented and some hostages may be left behind in Gaza.

Negotiations on implementing the second phase of the deal will begin by the 16th day of phase one, and this stage was expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent cease-fire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The third stage is expected to address the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.

Trump said he would use the cease-fire deal as momentum to expand the Abraham Accords — the U.S.backed agreements struck during his first presidency in 2017-2021 that normalized Israel’s relations with several Arab countries.

If all goes smoothly, the Palestinians, Arab states and Israel must still agree on a vision for post-war Gaza, a formidable challenge involving security guarantees for Israel and many billions of dollars in investment for reconstruction.

EDITORIAL

GaZETTE EDITOrIaL

Castle Rock calls Denver back down to Earth

You might have found yourself wincing when Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recently declared he would defy any attempt by the incoming Trump administration to carry out its promised, large-scale deportations in his city.

Perhaps you’d hoped the ambitious first-term mayor and all-around political animal was only posturing. Because if he really meant what he said — something about meeting federal law enforcement at the gates of Denver with local police and 50,000 Highland moms — he’d be certifiable. Even after he later walked back some of the bravado, it still seemed weird. Which is why you might have found yourself chuckling last week when a Castle Rock Town Council member and incoming member of the GOP minority at the state Legislature, as reported by The Gazette, called Johnston’s rhetoric “insurrectionist” and “laughable.” Because, well, it is.

“He defunded law enforcement to fund the asylum-seekers (and) illegal migrants, and yet he thinks (Denver police were) going to turn around and stand shoulder to shoulder with him

The ripple effects of Denver’s immigration deluge don’t stop at the city’s municipal boundaries.

at the Denver county line defending against federal authorities that are coming in towards illegal migrants,” said council member Max Brooks.

Elected to the Colorado House in November, the Republican Brooks will represent House District 45 starting next month when he is sworn in.

On Tuesday, Brooks and the rest of the Castle Rock council unanimously directed their staff to prepare a declaration supporting the Trump administration’s deportation plans. The council is expected to adopt the declaration in the next couple of weeks.

Since Johnston took office in July 2023, Denver has welcomed nearly 43,000 immigrants, mostly Venezuelans — at a cost to local taxpayers of at least $74 million. Johnston took the money from the city’s programs and agencies, resulting in cuts to municipal services, from parks and rec to DMV offices. Also among the conse-

quences — the mayor froze hiring for some positions in public safety. In a city already slammed by a crime wave. What concern is it to Castle Rock?

The ripple effects of Denver’s immigration deluge don’t stop at the city’s municipal boundaries. Probably most municipalities in the sprawling Denver metro area and, to varying degrees, along the Front Range, have been reeling from the ill effects. And Denver’s stiff-necked, taxpayers-be-damned adherence to sanctuary policies plays a key role.

Sanctuary status by one city draws illegal immigration to our state and upends surrounding communities along the way. Their law enforcement and human services agencies as well as schools — and ultimately, their taxpayers — also must pick up some of the tab.

Meanwhile, law officers in those communities have been hobbled by law in responding to the influx. A 2023

law passed by the Democratic majority at the Legislature restricts the ability of state and local governments to make agreements with federal immigration officials over the detention of immigrants who unlawfully entered the country. A 2019 statute blocks local law enforcement from arresting immigrants who are wanted under federal law for illegal entry.

Laudably, as also reported by The Gazette, Brooks said once he enters the Legislature, he plans to reintroduce an unsuccessful Republican proposal from last session to reverse an even older policy enacted by legislative Democrats. It prevents local law enforcement from reporting criminal suspects’ illegal immigration status to federal authorities.

Brooks’ common sense on immigration, of course, faces an uphill battle in a Democratic Legislature long devoted to sanctuary status. But with the regime change in Washington and a whole new federal approach to illegal immigration now imminent, the case for change at the state level is stronger than ever.

THE GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”

Colin Powell, American secretary of state

EDITORIAL BOARD

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Priority goes to letters 250 words or less. Letters should have the author’s full name, address and phone number. The Gazette reserves the right to edit submissions. All submissions become exclusive property of The Gazette.

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Letters: Send letters to the editor to opinion@gazette.com.

Ryan McKibben, Chairman

Christian Anschutz, Vice Chairman Christopher P. Reen, Publisher

Dan Njegomir, Editorial Page Editor Wayne Laugesen, Editorial Page Editor Pula Davis, Newsroom Operations Director

LISA BENSON, COUNTERPOINT MEDIA

More views and letters online at denvergazette.com/opinion/editorials.

Biden’s disgraceful exit

It would be hard to pick two figures that better personified the Democratic Party’s contempt for average Americans than failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. It would be hard to think of anyone who has done more recent damage to them than billionaire financier George Soros. But President Joe Biden chose as one of his parting shots to the nation and people he serves to honor both of them with Presidential Medals of Freedom, the highest honor a civilian can be awarded by the United States government. Soros’ selection is arguably the bigger slap in the face to Americans, especially those who live in jurisdictions where Soros funded district attorneys who refuse to prosecute most property and even violent crimes, encouraging crime waves that have pushed previously Democratic strongholds toward Republicans. In Los Angeles, for example, under Soros-funded DA George Gascon’s softon-crime policies, violent crimes rose 12%, robberies climbed 16%, property crimes jumped 20%, auto theft spiked 23%, and shoplifting soared 133%, according to data from the California Department of Justice.

The Soros-Gascon crime wave was so bad that a Republican district attorney beat Gascon at the ballot box by 30

points in November in a county where more than 70% of voters voted for Biden in 2020.

The damage Soros has caused to communities goes beyond higher crime. He also bankrolled marijuana legalization groups, which helped spread the damage from the drug in 11 states, unleashing a surge of addiction, death, and mental health problems across the country.

Clinton has caused less damage to the country than Soros has, but only because President Donald Trump beat her to the White House in 2016. What Clinton lacks in policy accomplishments, she makes up for in unbridled arrogance. On her way to losing to Trump in 2016, Clinton famously called Trump supporters a “basket of deplorables” who were “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamopho-

bic.” That Biden is honoring the author of these words puts into sharp focus his utter dishonesty when he spoke of unifying the country.

Biden’s Medal of Freedom awards to Clinton on Soros come just days after he bestowed the nation’s second highest civilian honor, the Presidential Citizens Medal, to the man and woman who headed the propaganda spectacle that was the House Jan. 6 Committee, Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

The selection of Thompson is on face ridiculous since before he chaired the Jan. 6 Committee, his only real claim to public attention was that he refused to certify President George W. Bush’s election in 2004. Whatever accomplishments Cheney may have had before her work on the Jan. 6 Committee, have since been overshadowed by

her dishonest and hyperbolic work in that last role.

Cheney not only leaked completely out-of-context texts to the media for partisan reasons, but also tampered with witnesses before the committee, and oversaw the massive destruction of committee data, preventing a more thorough oversight of Jan. 6 Committee deceptions.

President Biden’s effort to sell himself as a unifying political figure was exposed as a fraud years ago. But now, just weeks before he slithers off the public stage and becomes completely irrelevant, he seems intent on solidifying his claim to be one of the most divisive and clueless presidents ever. From the Soros, Clinton, and Cheney awards, to his selective commutation of death row inmates, there can surely never have been a more cynical and shameful finalé to a presidency. He is piling insult on top of the injury that his presidency has inflicted on America.

Rejected first by his party this June and then by country this November, Biden’s last month in office is an insult, apparently a deliberate one, to a nation Biden believes failed him. The reality is the reverse — it elected him, and then he failed us all.

WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Citizens of the new 23rd choose law and order

On Jan. 14, every district attorney in Colorado will take the oath of office and begin a four-year term of seeking justice and public safety consistent with the values of their individual jurisdiction and within the limitations of Colorado’s ever-weakening laws. For the first time in more than 60 years in Colorado, a new judicial district will come into existence, and with it, a brand new district attorney’s office. I am honored to have the opportunity and obligation to be the first DA to lead the new 23rd Judicial District.

This jurisdiction — comprising Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties — begins at a unique time and place in Colorado’s history.

Colorado is far from a “top 10 safest state,” as pledged by Gov. Jared Polis in 2022. Colorado has the 8th highest violent crime rate in America. After dipping to their lowest levels in 2013, violent crime rates now rival those of 1994 and 1995, shortly after Denver’s notorious “Summer of Violence.” After several years as our nation’s No. 1 state for auto theft, Colorado has improved — to the fourth worst. Overall, Colorado is the 4th worst state nationally for combined violent and property crime rates per the FBI.

The growing perception of our Queen City by the surrounding metro area suburbs is that its streets are increasingly unsafe, littered by drug-addicted and mentally ill homeless people, and filled with tens of thousands of “newcomers,” or whatever synonym we are using these days. When soft-on-crime policies fail — as they always do — the results don’t stay within the borders of the city that adopts them; they spread into the surrounding counties.

Arapahoe County, the reduced version of the old 18th Judicial District, is the buffer between Denver and the 23rd. Eighty-five-ish percent of the population of Colorado’s third largest city lives within its borders. Arapahoe is on its own to absorb all the normal amount of violent crime generated in Aurora, but with the added complication of an undeniable Venezuelan gang problem (aka Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination figment).

The counties of the new 23rd intend

Our community takes pride in and supports our law enforcement officers and first responders. Our sheriffs and district attorneys are the highest vote-getters of anyone on their ballots. Our residents choose to live here because they want their businesses and families to be safe, they expect the laws to be enforced, and they know that fear strangles freedom.

to set themselves apart from the trends of the metro area to its north.

There is an unprecedented unity of purpose — a cohesion of interests — in keeping our counties safe and just. Every level of government: local, state and federal are committed to working together to make this a community upon a hill. Our community takes pride in and supports our law enforcement officers and first responders. Our sheriffs and district attorneys are the highest vote-getters of anyone on their ballots. Our residents choose to live here because they want their businesses and families to be safe, they expect the laws to be enforced, and they know that fear strangles freedom.

Our approach will be to resist the spread of the criminal element em-

boldened by laws and policies that favor offenders over victims, lawlessness over law and order. We intend to do something radical by focusing on choices: we choose to enforce the law. The message to the public, here and elsewhere, is this: if you come here and choose to steal from us, if you come here and choose to victimize us, you should expect us to choose to incarcerate you.

Thieves get locked up. Shoplifters, car thieves, burglars — all will have the opportunity to experience our jail. Drunk drivers get removed from the road and their homes. And those who run from, or harm our law enforcement officers — well, we will seek to take away even more of their freedom on top of any other crime they committed.

When it comes to illegal immigration, it is important to remember that no local law enforcement agency, including the district attorney, is responsible for enforcing federal law. We are not extensions of the federal government, and we will not be forcibly “deputized” to do their jobs. Enforcement of immigration laws is the exclusive province of the feds. However, no district attorney should craft exceptional case dispositions or plea bargains to prevent the enforcement of those same immigration laws. All should expect to be treated equally under our laws. The only advice for a law-abiding society to give to the “undocumented” is to choose to get documented. Barring that appropriate choice, they should choose to be on their best behavior and follow all of our other laws. Finally, if they have chosen to be undocumented and chosen to violate more of our laws, they should expect us to choose to incarcerate them.

Our prison sentencing system has been broken for many years. Our left-leaning Legislature has passed several laws making things better — for offenders. Recent laws have made it easier to avoid prison and easier to get less time behind bars for criminal conduct. The results are undeniable. Despite our significant increase in crime, our prison population continues to dwindle.

The answer is to de-emphasize the Department of Corrections. A twoyear jail sentence — which is much harder to achieve since the legislature reduced maximum sentences for misdemeanors to an immigration-pleasing 364 days — results in more time behind bars in the county jail, than in prison.

Beginning in 2025, communities have the opportunity to choose to distance themselves from the failed policies of Colorado and Denver and focus on how local government can make life better for their constituents. The good people of the 23rd Judicial District have already made their choice, and that is for law and order.

George Brauchler is district attorney-elect for the 23rd Judicial District and former district attorney for the 18th Judicial District. He has served as an Owens Early Criminal Justice Fellow at the Common Sense Institute. Follow him on Twitter(X): @GeorgeBrauchler

GETTY IMAGES

GEORGE BRAUCHLER

Western Stock Show made Denver a cowtown

The show now known as the National Western Stock Show began in a tent in the stock yards with the purpose of influencing and equipping livestock producers in the region to improve the breeding and feeding of livestock. It was – and is – one of the factors that made Denver a Cowtown, built by the livestock industry.

The 2025 National Western Stock Show will mark the last year of Stadium Arena (originally known as the National Amphitheater) and livestock shows on “The Hill.” After the final champion slaps are delivered on the green carpet later in January, the NWSS will move forward and into a new era and into the Yards, where it all began.

In 1906, the Western Stock Show took place in Floto Shows Company’s largest tent, located near the newly constructed Exchange Building.

Thomas Cross judged the individual fat cattle, selecting a 2-year-old red Shorthorn shown by Colorado A & M. The champion steer sold to Denver butcher J.D. Miller for .33 per pound. The champion carload of fat steers was purchased by United Packing Company for .10 per pound. Until the 1970s, fat cattle were shown by breed and age and the grand champion was selected from the breed champions.

Students from Colorado A & M in Fort Collins arrived by train and spent the day, as reported in the Record Stockman, “practicing judging and practical-look studying od the animals.” The Stockman reported on the huge crowd, including how “broad white sombreros crown the heads of the men from the staked plains of Texas, and the natty derby the craniums of Omaha, Chicago and Kansas City commission men, while one or two of the eastern beef barons appeared with a silk hat.”

The Western Stock Show Association was incorporated “to hold exhibitions of livestock, and of the products thereof, and of products and appliances necessary or useful in the breeding, feeding, care, and fattening and improving of livestock…to promote and encourage the improvement and better breeding of livestock and the feeding and care thereof.” A week later, the second show was scheduled for

The 2025 National Western Stock Show will mark the last year of Stadium Arena (originally known as the National Amphitheater) and livestock shows on “The Hill.”

January 24-29, 1907.

Gleaming prize cups and hefty premiums aside, the real news was the “monster” tent that was erected shortly after the new year on the weedy hill, overlooking the Yards. The tent was made by Shafer Tent and Awning Company in Denver and, at 150 by 175 feet, it was the largest sewn together by a Denver company. The tent required, according to Simms, 2 ½ miles of rope, 1,400 yards of ducking, and 114 poles. The sections were hauled in the snow from downtown using six horse-drawn wagons. Inside, a show ring was built that was large enough for four-horse hitches with seating for thousands.

Just days after the tent was complete, winter winds battered the hill and left the tent “in a heap.” Repairs were completed the day before the show opened. The number of exhibitors ready to show “on the hill” were four times the number of the original show. The fights for top honors began

with a 10-round boxing match featuring Frank Miller and H.L. Barnes, and carried into the ring with Roundup crowned as the champion steer. The steer was exhibited by Western Breeding Farm of Colorado Springs and fetched .31 per pound – the Denver market was topped by a price of .05 per pound — to the General Market Company.

Construction on a structure atop the hill overlooking the yards began in May 1908. The National Amphitheater opened on January 18, 1909, and it was an enormous structure that cost a reported $200,000 paid by the Denver Union Stock Yard Company. The Daily Record Stockman was on hand to photograph the building and to detail its steam heating system, flaming arc lamps lighting, and enormous skylights and windows. With the steel and bricks in place, the Western National Stock Show became a permanent event.

In 1918, despite wartime troubles, a record for livestock entries was set at

the show. It was also that year that the Brown Palace Hotel first purchased the Grand Champion Steer. That year, the Brown Palace paid a record $5 per pound for the champion, a 2-yearold Hereford shown by G.C. Baker of Littleton.

In 1941, Simms said the cattle winning in the showring were beginning to look fancy. It was in 1941 that 12-year-old Kenny Monfort won Grand Champion steer honors with a 1,080-pound Hereford steer purchased out of the 1940 National Western grand champion carload exhibited by T O Ranch in Raton, N.M. The champion steer was purchased for $1 per pound by Melnick Market in Denver.

In 1945, 600 junior steer exhibitors showed their steers in the National Amphitheater. That year, a pair of Hereford bulls made history when they were sold for $50,000 each and were displayed in the Brown Palace Hotel lobby. The hotel, due to some “indiscretions” involved with the two initial bulls, insisted that future bovine guests be steers. The tradition of displaying the champion steer in the lobby of the grand hotel remains alive today.

Rachel Gabel writes about agriculture and rural issues. She is assistant editor of The Fence Post Magazine, the region’s preeminent agriculture publication.

COURTESY OF NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW

The National Amphitheater is pictured in 1908. The final year it stands will be 2025.

Good news on economy is bad for Wall Street

Good news on the U.S. economy is back to being bad for Wall Street.

While the strong reports on the U.S. job market and business activity were good news for anyone worried about a possible recession, they could also make it less likely the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates.

Treasury yields jumped after the reports, and Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks took some of the heaviest hits.

BRIEFLY

U.S. consumer watchdog sues Experian

The top U.S. watchdog agency for consumer finance on Tuesday sued credit rating giant Experian, saying the company failed American consumers who challenge the accuracy of consumer credit files.

Through a California subsidiary, the Ireland-based global data broker maintains crucial files on most American families but allegedly mishandles their complaints, damaging household finances in the process, the agency said in a statement.

Experian conducts “sham investigations” into consumer disputes and allows deleted false information to be reinserted into credit files, according to the CFPB.

DENVER GAZETTE

Business leaders more confident of national economy

BY BERNADETTE BERDYCHOWSKI

The Denver Gazette

Business leaders across Colorado are mixed about how the economy will look as President-elect Donald Trump is set to start his presidency, a new report released Tuesday finds.

And one statistic shows business leaders are more confident about the national economy than Colorado’s for the first time in 15 years.

The Leeds Business Confidence Index, a quarterly report published by the University of Colorado Boulder measuring economic sentiment in the state, recorded a “neutral” sentiment for the first quarter of 2025.

It’s the first comprehensive look at how business leaders across Colorado’s largest industries feel about the incoming Trump administration since he won the election.

Confidence improved from the last quarter — though it was more positive earlier in 2024 — and the index hit 50, the neutral baseline for the confidence.

But feelings were more neutral than they appeared, according to the CU Boulder economists, as sentiments varied across different segments of the economy.

SEE TORN • PAGE 4

Meta shelves fact-checking in major policy reversal

Reuters

Social media giant Meta Platforms on Tuesday scrapped its U.S. fact-checking program and reduced curbs on discussions around contentious topics like immigration and gender identity, bowing to criticism from conservatives as Donald Trump prepares to take office as president for a second time.

The move is Meta’s biggest overhaul of its approach to managing political content on its services in recent memory and comes as CEO Mark Zuckerberg has signaled a desire to mend fences with the incoming administration.

The changes will affect Facebook, Instagram and Threads, three of the world’s biggest social media platforms with more

than 3 billion users globally.

“We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship. It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression,” Zuckerberg said in a video.

He acknowledged the role of the recent U.S. elections in his thinking, saying they “feel like a cultural tipping point, towards once again prioritizing speech.”

In place of a formal fact-checking program to address dubious claims posted on Meta’s platforms, Zuckerberg instead plans to implement a system of “community notes” similar to that used on Elon Muskowned X, previously known as Twitter. Meta also will focus its automated systems on removing “high-severity viola-

tions” and illegal content like terrorism and illicit drugs, Zuckerberg said. It will stop proactively scanning for other types of rules-breaking like hate speech and review such posts only in response to user reports. The company will move safety teams overseeing content policies and review out of California, including to Texas, he added. A Meta spokesperson declined to say which specific teams would be moving.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday, in Palm Beach, Fla. Many Colorado business leaders are mixed on how the national and state economies will perform under Trump’s administration, a recent study shows.

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Colorado lags other states in economic strength

BY BERNADETTE BERDYCHOWSKI

The Denver Gazette

As Colorado slips behind other states in terms of economic strength, its economy is projected to grow — albeit slower in 2025, according to a new report.

The Business Research Division at the University of Colorado Boulder released its 60th annual outlook Dec. 9 detailing forecasts of Colorado’s economy and various industries for 2025 based on the analysis from 140 statewide government, business and academic experts.

The report found Colorado’s economy is growing, but falling behind in several areas.

In fact, over the last 15 years, Colorado has been among the strongest economies in the U.S.

Not anymore.

“Slower growth, though, may be the new reality for Colorado as population growth, especially through net migration, remains slow, creating headwinds for labor force and job growth,” the report said.

Between 2008 and 2023, Colorado topped the country across major economic indicators. The state had the 5th fastest-growing gross domestic product (GDP) and employment growth, as well as the 3rd-fastest personal income growth rates in the country over the 15year span. It also had the fastest-growing home appreciation.

But in 2024, the state’s growth slipped in the rankings.

At times, Colorado performed near the national average or in the bottom half. Researchers for the economic outlook said while Colorado is among the top states over the “medium-term,” its economy has slowed over the short-term.

Colorado has dropped to the bottom 10 states for real GDP (No. 41) and home price growth over 2024 (No. 49). And it was among the bottom 20 for personal income and unemployment.

Colorado was a leader in the U.S. economy following the 2008 financial crisis and so, some surmised, it could also be leading in a national slowdown. Still, Colorado is outperforming the national average across jobs (No. 9), population (No. 17) and pay (No. 18).

The outlook projected Colorado’s economy will see 1.2% job growth next year, adding approximately 36,700 jobs.

Report: Office market show signs of life

BY BERNADETTE BERDYCHOWSKI

The Denver Gazette

Denver’s office market is showing signs of recovery heading into 2025, according to a new report from commercial real estate firm CBRE.

The office market has struggled since the pandemic due to the rise of remote and hybrid work and vacancies rapidly rose since 2020, especially in downtown.

While the Denver metro’s vacancy rates stayed about the same at 25%, other aspects of the market saw improvements at the end of 2024 as more companies are starting to bring their employees back into the office.

“Overall, the market’s outlook remains cautiously optimistic with signs of positive economic momentum in 2025,” according to the quarterly CBRE report released Friday.

Companies leased more office space in the metro Denver area than vacated it in the fourth quarter of 2024 for the second time in the last two years. Total net absorption — which measures whether companies are wanting more real estate than getting rid of it — was positive with 167,000 square feet absorbed, “a considerable turnaround” after many negative quarters.

The action in the last quarter was driven by several large deals. Apple delivered its 125,000-square-foot project by Boulder’s FlatIron Parkway and Central Avenue. The River North Arts District (RiNo) scored a 77,000-square-foot lease from law firm

Davis Graham & Stubbs – to the cost of downtown Denver where the firm downsized to RiNo from its downtown office of 111,000 square feet.

Leasing activity was up nearly 5% year-over-year, according to the quarterly report. The technology industry was the main contributor to leasing in the Denver metro area.

Though the average vacancy rate barely budged, the report said the rise in vacancies is slowing down — and that’s a good sign, too.

“More occupancy and leasing in new construction, coupled with slowing deliveries, will bring some relief as the market begins to shift toward declining vacancy in 2025,” according to the report.

Some neighborhoods have seen va-

cancies start to drop. RiNo – which has the highest vacancy rate in the region due to the recent surge of new office construction — fell from nearly 50% earlier in the year to 46%. Boulder’s fell 2% in the last quarter.

Downtown Denver’s vacancy rate increased nearly 1% at the end of the year.

Though it seems the office markets problems are stabilizing, the report said it’s not completely out of the water yet.

Many office building owners could still potentially face loan defaults and foreclosures — especially those already struggling with low occupancies. And there’s more buyer activity now, but deals are happening at lower values.

“What we saw was a pretty wide distribution of positive and negative expectations, but a plurality of responses depending on the question,” said Brian Lewandowski, executive director of the Business Research Division at the Leeds School of Business, in a Tuesday news conference.

“It’s sort of indicating a wait-and-see approach where people are really sort of uncertain,” Lewandowski said. Election seasons typically drive a drop in confidence as businesses are uncertain over who will win the presidency and can jump up after industry leaders have a better sense of how the results affect their futures.

In 2017, the Leeds Business Confidence Index spiked after Trump won

the election. But his current victory didn’t incite the same amount of optimism for Colorado business leaders as it did after his first win.

“While we saw an increase in optimism for the national economy headed into Q1 2025, we’re not seeing the same levels that we saw in 2017,” Lewandowski said.

Colorado business leaders cited a positive outlook over Trump’s regulatory and energy policy changes. Yet they expressed concerns over how his tariffs, immigration policy, foreign policy and health care changes could impact their business.

About 50% of respondents said Trump’s trade policies like tariffs would have a negative impact on their business. Nearly 30% said it would be neutral and about 15% answered positive.

For regulatory policy, about 50% said it would be positive for their business,

30% said neutral and 30% said it would have negative effects.

The confidence index also found business leaders feel more optimistic about the national economy than Colorado’s economy — the first time since 2005.

“We’ve hardly ever seen that,” said Richard Wobbekind, CU Boulder senior economist.

Wobbekind explained it could mean that business leaders are far more uncertain about the local effects of Trump’s policies than they do at the national level, citing the state’s aerospace and climate industries.

Building Colorado’s economic case to keep Space Command begins Trump’s victory mounted fears amidst both Democrat and Republican leaders that when elected, he’d reverse President Joe Biden’s decision to keep the Space Command in Colorado Springs and move it to Alabama.

TOM HELLAUER, THE DENVER GAZETTE

The Denver skyline is seen from the LoHi neighborhood.

FACEOFF

BUSINESS

Sanders cashes in with incentives-laced contract at CU Boulder. D4

JERILEE BENNETT, THE DENVER GAZETTE

Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian pumps up the crowd during a game against the Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High on Oct. 6.

BRONCOS • FRIDAY FACEOFF

Is it safe to purchase a Bo Nix jersey already?

Answer: No!

Who else is old enough to remember the long, painful near-decade of Broncos quarterbacks?

But here’s why I can’t hate on purchasing a Bo Nix jersey that goes for $150 (goodness gracious!) at the Broncos Park team store: the rookie quarterback is the best option right now.

Nix should be QB1 at Seattle on Sept. 8. But I appreciate Sean Payton’s belief the top priority in Broncos training camp needs to be a mosh pit of competition. As one Broncos executive put it, the quarterback drought since Peyton Manning “has been a nightmare” on the football front.

It’s only right to make every single starter earn his coveted spot. That includes the No. 12 pick.

So why will I wait to reserve a seat on the BoWagon?

Knowing the cost of living is about to get much worse and wallets are going to get much thinner, I humbly suggest playing it safe when it comes to $150 jerseys with an iffy shelf life.

Or $150 anything for that matter.

May I offer 11 words to counter Mr. Fredrickson’s argument that Bo be that dude?

Trevor. Paxton. Brock. Case. Joe. Brandon. Drew. Jeff. Brett. Teddy. Russ. What looks like a big boy band is not even the whole lineup of starting QBs since Manning. And none were good enough in Denver to earn the firstname status of John, Jake or Peyton. Under Payton’s expert tutelage, Bo eventually could be known as Bo. He has the brain.

We’ll learn soon if he has the game. But $150 for a shirt that could be folded under Paxton’s No. 12 and Drew’s No. 3 by January?

Save your hard-earned cash for now. If Bo can go, you’ll have a decade to find a better deal.

Answer: Yes!

Sean Payton hides excitement over Bo Nix to the same degree as a young kid on Christmas Eve.

Go ahead and unwrap that No. 10 jersey under the tree.

I don’t need to watch any more preseason snaps to know Nix will be the starter in Week 1, and if you need purchase assurance beyond that, just consider the variables.

Sure, the Broncos failed QB track record is Browns-esque at this point with miss after miss after miss. But all those names Mr. Klee listed off were square pegs being jammed into round holes. Finally, the Broncos aren’t fooling them-selves into thinking they’re one quarterback away from playoff contention.

Time to rebuild. Nix is the focal point. Give him time to lead a Broncos renaissance.

This is the first chance for Payton to develop a first-round quarter-back that he handpicked. Nix will get every opportunity to prove he’s worth the hype (and the jersey purchase). Who cares if he mostly struggles as a rookie?

This Broncos team won’t sniff the playoffs in an ultra-competitive AFC West, even if Nix plays above board in Year 1. He deserves multiple

seasons to grow in Payton’s offense before judging his true potential. There’s no sense in delay-ing that process by naming Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson the starter.

One more reason to pony up $150? The new Broncos uniforms look even better in person. The orange, blue and white versions all pop with thoughtful design ele-ments. But the throwback edition is certain to be a fan favorite.

I can’t blame anyone who opts to buy a Patrick Surtain jersey instead. His status among today’s best NFL players is unquestioned (with a contract extension likely following this season). There’s also no shame in hopping aboard the BoWagon. No. 10 is here to stay.

Kyle Fredrickson is a sports reporter for The Denver Gazette.

PAUL KLEE

The Denver Gazette

Paul Klee is the sports editor for The Denver Gazette.

CHRIS TOMASSON, THE DENVER GAZETTE

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix’s jersey hangs at the team store at Empower Field at Mile High. It was announced on Thursday that Nix will wear No. 10.

BRONCOS

Bo Nix showed why he’s man for the job with Broncos

COMMENTARY

On a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for Bo Nix, the rookie quarterback demonstrated why he’s the man the Broncos have been missing for years.

In one of the wackier football victories ever witnessed by anyone in this dusty old cowtown, the Broncos beat Indianapolis 31-13 Sunday despite Nix’s best efforts to throw away the game and flush a prime opportunity for Denver down the chute.

And I would say it was one of his finest moments in 14 games as an NFL quarterback.

On a December afternoon when he threw for a measly 130 yards, not to mention three head-scratching, miserable interceptions, Nix stunk.

“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “It’s tough.”

Nix refused to wallow in the stench and didn’t let his mistakes defeat him.

That’s not only a major reason why the Broncos will enjoy a winning season for the first time since 2016, it demonstrates why teammates Bo-lieve in him through thick and thin. Let Denver offensive tackle and locker-room philosopher Mike McGlinchey explain.

“I wouldn’t say it was (Nix’s) night, but he got it done when needed to get it done,” McGlinchey said. “It just shows how tough he is, how much of a competitor he is. It takes a lot of mental strength to play in this league when you’re struggling.”

The Broncos dug out of an early 10-0 hole against Indianapolis for at least a dozen more important reasons than the QB wearing No. 10 in Denver’s offensive huddle.

During the second half, the Broncos scored 24 straight points because linebacker and defensive player of the year candidate Nik Bonitto did Von Miller things, snatching a turnover out of thin air and taking a fumble to the casa for a 50-yard touchdown.

Marvin Mims Jr. brilliantly returned punts from here to a Pro Bowl spot in Orlando.

Craziest of all, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor casually dropped a touchdown and Indy’s playoff hopes in

the dumpster with a move so stupid a half stride shy of the goal line that he should’ve just kept running to the parking lot and waited to be cut.

The untold story of this victory, however, was how Nix sat himself down on the Denver bench after each of his interceptions and with the voice inside his head, gave himself a licking but kept on ticking.

I asked Nix what thoughts bounced around the dark corners of his noggin after the tough situations he repeatedly put himself in with not one, not two, but three infuriating picks.

“That’s a great question,” Nix said. “A very deep question.”

In a sport that revolves around the quarterback, after each mistake, the internal churn can spin further out of control.

“It gets to where you feel like: ‘Every time I throw it, is it going to be picked?’ You start having those mental thoughts,” Nix said.

“It’s probably the toughest part of our position, because you know what you’re capable of. You know the read. You know your footwork, how to go through it. Then you just have to keep from being gun-shy. Don’t let one (mistake)

turn into another false vision and see things that aren’t actually there. I felt like I saw the game well today, but that didn’t keep me from turning the ball over. So what is it? I have to get back to the sideline and regroup.”

With a 9-5 record, the Broncos currently have a claim to the No. 6 playoff seed in the AFC. According to most fearless forecasts based on football analytics, Denver now owns better than a 90 percent chance of ending a proud franchise’s eight-year postseason drought.

It is too early to declare Nix as the Broncos forever quarterback. His footwork can be sloppy and his ability to drive the ball down the field can be more circumspect than consistent.

Nix, however, is not afraid to fail.

Barely a month into his tenure as the team’s starting quarterback, during a heated sideline exchange with Sean Payton during a victory against the Raiders, Bo showed he won’t be bullied by anything or anyone on the field.

Football eats QBs for breakfast.

Only the strong survive until the next snap, much less sundown.

That’s why this victory just might

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) gives an audible during the second quarter of a game against the Colts. The Broncos defeated the Colts 31-13 at Empower Field at Mile High on, Dec. 15.

prove to be more valuable to Nix than all the rest that came before this no good, very bad day.

“You start getting a little bit in your head and you start questioning: ‘Am I actually seeing it? What was that?’ So it’s tough, but I feel like everybody goes through it,” Nix said.

“The ones that can get out of it and finish the game and win and not let it dictate the outcome … that’s usually when you find some maturity and you find some growth.”

He doesn’t have the best arm talent or best statistics in the league.

“It’s not the first time I’ve thrown three interceptions in a game,” Nix said. “Hopefully it’s the last, but football probably will tell you it’s not going to be.”

He isn’t John Elway or Peyton Manning and never will be.

But he’s got something priceless in a cruel game that dares a quarterback to fail and fall on the scrap heap where so many first-round draft picks go to rust. It’s more than what’s between his ears or in his heart.

He’s got chutzpah. And I mean that in the best sense of the word.

Nix is a tough nut to crack.

JERILEE BENNETT, THE DENVER GAZETTE

MARK KISZLA

The Denver Gazette

SPORTS BUSINESS INSIDER

Coach Prime is cashing in on a resurgent Colorado Buffaloes football season.

Deion Sanders earned at least $600,000 in performance bonuses — according to the employment contract he signed with CU in December 2022 — after the Buffs went 9-3 in his second year as head coach.

No. 23 CU faces No. 17 BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Sanders inked a five-year, $29.5-million deal to lead the Buffaloes with “incentive salary related to competitive success,” per the contract.

He hit the following milestones in 2024:

• If the football team wins six games in the regular season: $150,000

• For each additional win after six wins in the regular season: $100,000 (3x)

• If the football team is invited to a non-New Year’s Day bowl game: $150,000

Last year, with a 4-8 season, Sanders reportedly earned $250,000 not listed in his contract for an “employee recognition bonus,” according to USA Today. It is plausible Sanders earns more than $600,000 this year after leading CU to its first bowl game appearance since 2020.

Below is further analysis of Sanders’ contract and what it says about his future in Boulder.

Unknown total

Sanders entered the 2024 season with the school as reportedly the 38th-highest paid head coach in Division I football with a university salary of $5.7 million. But his total compensation is unclear.

The Denver Gazette Sports Business Insider is a reader’s guide to understanding the influence of money, politics and power behind their favorite leagues, teams and players.

Colorado’s Deion Sanders earns $600K in contract bonuses

The NCAA requires that athletic department staff members must report their annual earnings from “athletically related income or benefits from a source outside the institution ... to the president or chancellor on an annual basis.” That includes endorsement deals not listed in the employment contract.

Sanders is featured prominently in national TV advertising campaigns for brands such as Aflac Insurance and California Almonds. He is not required to provide written documentation of such income, per his CU contract. Sanders is only responsible for a “detailed verbal accounting” that is not subject to the

Colorado Open Records Act.

Extension talks

Sanders and CU agreed to “meet and confer in good faith at the conclusion of the 2025 season to discuss any potential extension” of their contract that runs through 2027. Those discussions must address “base, supplemental and incentive salary.” They will also negotiate the financial penalty if Sanders does not fulfill his contract or if the school terminates it without cause. However, it’s possible extension talks are accelerated.

National sports analysts have speculat-

ed that Sanders would be a head coaching candidate at Florida State and with the Dallas Cowboys. Sanders has not wavered in his public desire to remain in Boulder — “I’m happy where I am, man,” he said recently — but CU athletic director Rick George likely can’t wait until 2025 to extend Sanders’ contract. George addressed that topic on Dec. 6 in an interview with Buffzone.com “Everybody talks about all these rumors and all these other things, and I kind of tune out that noise,” George told The Boulder Daily Camera. “I know who Deion is, and I know what he represents, and I believe he wants to be here for the long haul. We’ve supported all the initiatives that he’s embraced, and we’ll continue to do that. My expectation is that he’ll be here, and he can write some of our record books moving forward.”

Liquidated damages

If Sanders leaves CU for another coaching job, while still under contract, he will owe the university “liquidated damages” based on when he terminates the deal.

• On or before Dec. 31, 2024: $10 million

• On or before Dec. 31, 2025: $8 million

• On or before Dec. 31, 2026: $5 million

• On or before Dec. 31, 2027: $2 million

Sanders must notify George if he is offered another position or before “any discussions that could reasonably lead to a job offer.” Sanders is also required to give three days written notice if he negotiates or accepts employment before the end of his contract term.

Sanders will voluntarily terminate his contract if he accepts “another Division I or National Football League coaching position” before 2028.

KYLE FREDRICKSON

The Denver Gazette

STEPHEN SWOFFORD, THE DENVER GAZETTE Colorado coach Deion Sanders runs onto the field with the team before the start of a game against Oklahoma State at Folsom Field on Nov. 29.

NFL

COACH’S CORNER

Run it! Why Payton must commit to ground game in ’25

COMMENTARY

MIKE SANFORD

If Sean Payton wanted to see what makes a championship-caliber offense, he needed only to to look across the field at Highmark Stadium and watch his former protégé, Joe Brady. Brady, at 30 years old, parlayed two seasons of tutelage under Payton in New Orleans into the offensive coordinator job with the 2019 LSU Tigers, the national champs. He then lasted only one-plus seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers.

“I don’t think you’re ever going to out-genius (an opponent). I got let go from my last job (in Carolina) trying to think like that,” Brady said last year, his first season of coaching rehab with the Buffalo Bills.

Out-genius? Fired because of that type of thinking?

It is almost as if Payton could learn a thing or two from his former grunt. The mentee became the mentor.

Here is how you saw evidence of Brady’s growth after learning from his self-described failings in Carolina. Brady has a leader in the clubhouse with likely NFL MVP Josh Allen, who is built like a Greek god with the arm talent of the best to play the position.

For Brady, the temptation to throw the ball almost every snap is real. Yet here was Brady’s plan in the wild card round against the Broncos, who owned the best pressure defense in the NFL: 26 pass attempts, 44 rush attempts.

That decision, combined with the Broncos’ inability to stay on the field on offense, led to a wipeout in time of possession — 41:43 for Bills, only 18:17 for the Broncos.

Brady did something Payton failed to do this season. He stayed committed to the run game for four quarters. It also provided a great blueprint for Payton and the Broncos in 2025.

The Bills didn’t just run the ball nearly twice as often as they threw it; they got medieval with a smaller, more active Broncos defensive front. According to NFL NextGen Stats, the Bills utilized six or more offensive

linemen on a whopping 22.2% of their offensive snaps, their third-highest rate of the season. The Bills ran the ball on 12 of the 16 snaps using a “jumbo” offensive package. They also ran the ball toward the strong side of the formation in eight of the 12 carries.

The Bills wore down that defensive front with body blow after body blow. The knockout punch came in the fourth quarter when the home team opened up a 28-7 lead.

Brady called 23 run plays for James Cook — with twenty of those carries coming from under center. The result? Cooks had 110 of his 120 rushing yards from under center. He became the first Buffalo running back to eclipse the 100-yard mark in a playoff game since Pro Football Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas in 1995.

Was Sunday’s commitment to the ground game an outlier for Brady and the Bills?

Far from it.

Going into the playoffs, the Bills were fifth in the NFL in run rate with 47.9% of their total offensive snaps being called run plays. More impressive, the Bills were third in team rushing expected points allowed (EPA) with 42.9 points added to their scoring output due to their efficient run game. Their peers in the top five of that rushing EPA stat?

Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Detroit.

Those five teams, including the Bills, are five of the eight teams still alive in the playoffs.

The Broncos, on the other hand, ranked 14th in both run rate and rushing EPA.

My theory as to why Payton never fully committed to the run game over the 18-game season is because his focus was elsewhere — and justifiably so.

With a shiny new toy in rookie quarterback Bo Nix, Payton built the Broncos’ offense to acclimate Nix to the Sunday game. Much of their production relied on screen game and short passing to get his 24-year-old quarterback confident and competent.

To be fair, it worked. There is no question at quarterback after the rookie led the franchise to its first postseason berth since the 2015 season. In football, the path of growth is not always linear — especially for the second year of NFL starting quarterbacks. The phenomenon is known as the dreaded sophomore slump.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton walks off the field following the game against the Bengals in Cincinnati on Dec. 28.

This year’s victims of the Year Two blues? The Texans’ CJ Stroud and the Packers’ Jordan Love.

How can Payton buck the trend? He must put the same level of commitment into the running game that he put into developing and nurturing his rookie quarterback.

Developing a punishing running attack isn’t a decision you make as a play-caller on a Sunday afternoon in a January playoff game.

It’s akin to hygiene. Don’t brush your teeth every day and your breath will stink.

The run game is the same level of daily commitment. It starts with the formation of your personnel. Drafting a franchise-altering running back and a haul of tight ends in the 2025 draft would go a long way toward develop-

ing a physical identity.

In playoff football, the more physical team wins. Sunday, there was no question about the more physical team.

Payton and the Broncos want to win these January contests. It’s time to start getting physical, and the time is now.

Your next right step, Broncos Country, is to find your next Terrell Davis, Shannon Sharpe or Julius Thomas. We all know those three won plenty of January matchups.

(Mike Sanford coached at Stanford, Notre Dame, Boise State, Western Kentucky, Minnesota and served as the interim head coach at Colorado in 2022. The Erie resident is a regular on Altitude Sports Radio. His weekly “Coach’s Corner” runs in The Denver Gazette after Broncos games.)

The Denver Gazette

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

GAMEDAY

NFL INSIDER

CHRIS TOMASSON

WHAT I’M HEARING

• Broncos defensive end John Franklin-Myers shrugged off that Kansas City will rest its top players Sunday, including star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs (15-1) have locked up the AFC’s top playoff seed, and Carson Wentz will step in for Mahomes. “I can’t control what they put on my plate,” Franklin-Myers said. “I just got to eat. That’s kind of my mindset going into it. It’s football and it’s any another opportunity, and if you put us against anybody, I’m going to choose us.” With a win or tie, the Broncos (9-7) would clinch their first playoff berth since 2015.

• Former star kick returner Rick Upchurch loves how the Broncos are wearing throwback uniforms twice this season to honor their first Super Bowl team of the 1977 season.

“That’s good stuff,” said Upchurch, who played for Denver from 1975-83 and was on hand Oct. 6 when the Broncos wore the throwbacks against the Raiders. “It’s showing the fans what those jerseys looked like and giving them a chance to buy different jerseys. I’m definitely for old school.”

WHAT I’M THINKING

• How big is Sunday night’s Minnesota at Detroit game to close the regular season? The teams are both 14-2 and the winner will claim the NFC North title and the top seed in NFL playoffs,

Denver Gazette

beat writer Chris Tomasson

takes you around the NFL and inside the Broncos locker

room

Broncos legend Barrel Man’s ashes spread at Empower Field

He was an icon.”

The Barrel Man got his start when his brother Scott offered him $10 in a dare to wear a barrel to get on television during an early-season 1977 game. It was soon mission accomplished for Tim McKernan, who had worked throughout his career as a mechanic for United Airlines and had used a barrel that was filled with airline parts and had painted on it a Broncos logo.

“He thought it was going to be a one-game deal,” said Becky McKernan, 76, who was married to the Barrel Man from 2002 until his death. “It was hunting season, and he came back to another game in October wearing an orange hunting outfit, and everybody was like, ‘Where’s the barrel?”’

He then continued to attend games for the next three decades wearing his famous barrel. Becky McKernan said he wore running shorts under the barrel at first but later was fully nude.

After the Barrel Man died, the Broncos won 44-13 at Kansas City the next day. The Broncos then provided a game ball to the family.

The Broncos were set to play the Chiefs the following month in the regular-season finale, when Becky McKernan set a plan into place. She said her husband had wanted after his death for his ashes to be spread on the field in addition to at some wilderness sites in Colorado the outdoorsman had long visited.

McKernan delivered a film cannister with her husband’s ashes in it to

Tim “Barrel Man” McKernan attended Broncos games for

30 years. He died in 2009.

a credentialed camera person. That individual after the game spread the ashes on the south end of the field in front of the goalpost. A photo was taken of the act, which McKernan

has in a frame at her residence.

“It was all hush-hush,” McKernan said. “They waited until everybody

The Denver Gazette

GAMEDAY

WEEK 18 VS. CHIEFS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown plays during the first half Monday against the 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif.

TOMASSON

FROM PAGE 6

which means a first-round bye. So, the victor will have to win home games to make the Super Bowl and the loser, as the No. 5 seed, will likely need to win three road games to get there.

Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown brought up a good point, saying NFL seeding is “one of the craziest rules ever” and it needs to be changed.

He’s right. The NFL should seed playoff teams in each conference by record but at least guarantee all di-

vision winners will earn berths.

• Running back Saquon Barkley doesn’t seem too bothered that he will be rested for Philadelphia’s finale Sunday against the New York Giants, denying him a chance to break the single-season rushing record. Perhaps that’s not a surprise. Barkley has 2,005 yards in 16 games, and the NFL now plays a 17game season.

Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams set the mark of 2,105 in a 16game season in 1984.

The NFL should determine the record holder based on average yards per game, which would make Buffalo’s O.J. Simpson, who had 2,003 yards in a 14-game season in 1973, the real record holder.

INSIDER

FROM PAGE 6

He was an icon.”

“He thought it was going to be a onegame deal,” said Becky McKernan, 76, who was married to the Barrel Man from 2002 until his death. “It was hunting season, and he came back to another game in October wearing an orange hunting outfit, and everybody was like, ‘Where’s the barrel?”’

He then continued to attend games for the next three decades wearing his famous barrel. Becky McKernan said he wore running shorts under the barrel at first but later was fully nude.

After the Barrel Man died, the Broncos won 44-13 at Kansas City the next day. The Broncos then provided a game ball to the family.

McKernan delivered a film cannister with her husband’s ashes in it to a credentialed camera person. That individual after the game spread the ashes on the south end of the field in front of the goalpost. A photo was taken of the act, which McKernan has in a frame at her residence.

“It was all hush-hush,” McKernan said. “They waited until everybody had left before they spread them.”

McKernan said at the time she didn’t want to publicize the Barrel Man’s ashes having been placed on the field.

“It was kind of an illegal thing,” she said. “Or else I would have been shouting it out.”

McKernan figures now, though, the statute of limitations has passed.

“It was a way to honor him,” she said. “He is still there (at the stadium).”

Told that the Barrel Man’s ashes were spread on the field, Foley called it “deservedly so.” Former Denver defensive tackle Rubin Carter agreed.

“That was a great gesture,” said Carter, who played for the Broncos from 1975-86. “He was quite an inspiration. He was just a wonderful true, dedicated Broncos fan.”

The Barrel Man inspired many. Keith Kunzig, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers super fan who is a fellow enshrinee in the Hall of Fans, told Denver Gazette sports editor Paul Klee in September that Tim McKernan was “like a father figure” to him and he learned plenty from him. That included doing work in the community since the Barrel Man would auction off some his barrels and have the money donated to charities.

Outside of Empower Field, there is a statue of the Barrel Man next to the Mile High Monument, a miniature replica of Mile High Stadium in the north parking lot. It reads that the statue “symbolizes the Denver Broncos fan base known as Broncos Country, an intensely passionate group that bleeds orange and blue.”

And inside of Empower Field there is another reminder of the Barrel Man that Becky McKernan cherishes.

Wright calls Surtain the best

Pat Surtain II has played just four NFL seasons, but former Broncos star Louis Wright called him already the best cornerback in team history.

Yes, Wright has him ranked ahead of Hall of Famer Champ Bailey and himself.

“He’s incredible,” said Wright, who made five Pro Bowls while playing for Denver from 1975-86. “I put him number one without a doubt. It’s a different era on defense. You used to play on one side of the field and you didn’t travel with receivers. What he’s doing now, I don’t know if I could have done it. His technique is impeccable, his ball skills are fantastic. He just has the whole package. I put him ahead of everybody, (Bailey), Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, you name it. They’re all great players, and I was decent, too, but Pat Surtain is better than all of us.”

After Surtain was named AFC defensive player of the week on Oct. 10, Broncos coach Sean Payton said it was too early to talk about his candidacy for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“I can’t stand talking about those type of awards in the early part of October,” he said then.

It’s not too early now. Payton is touting Surtain for the award.

“When you look at the receivers he’s defended and the impact he’s had for us, and how we’ve played defensively and all those other things, it’s an easy case to make,” Payton said. “Certainly, he’s deserving of that type of award. He’s that good.”

Remembering Salaam’s Heisman-winning season

BY TYLER KING

The Denver Gazette

NEW YORK • Rashaan Salaam, the Colorado star who famously did not want to win the Heisman, suddenly found the giant, 45-pound bronze trophy sitting next to him — under a big, blue blanket — in first class on a United flight back to Denver in December 1994.

The Buffaloes’ running back had just become the first player in program history to win the most prestigious award in college football. CU two-way star Travis Hunter is one of four finalists on hand for the Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday, hoping to join Salaam. Over the previous few months, Salaam must’ve done one interviews with news outlets across the country. In every one of them, he wanted to talk about anything but himself.

The late Salaam, whose death in 2016 was ruled a suicide, loved his offensive line. Shoot, everyone on that ‘94 Buffs team did. Kordell Stewart and Michael Westbrook still mention each lineman by name — Tony Berti, Heath Irwin, Bryan Stoltenberg, Chris Naeole, Derek West, even tight end Christian Fauria — every time you ask about Salaam.

When the plane landed back on the Front Range after the weekend in New York, Salaam had a surprise waiting for him. It was a different era of air travel and security wasn’t as strict, so waiting for CU’s Heisman winner at the bottom of the jetway — just as he stepped off the plane — was Salaam’s entire offensive line.

“I thought he was going to cry,” David Plati, the longtime CU sports information director, told The Denver Gazette.

“But that’s how much Rashaan loved his offensive line and surely, the offensive line loved him.”

In that moment, it was all worth it.

While that 1994 Heisman victory stuck with Salaam for the rest of his life, he was forever a somewhat-unlikely member of college football’s most elite group of players.

Entering his record-setting season, Salaam was on no one’s radar. He had rushed for a modest 1,002 yards and nine touchdowns across his first two seasons in Boulder.

In fact, after the “Miracle at Michigan” Plati was told by many he should be starting the Heisman campaign... for Stewart. But to Plati, he had three

Heisman candidates on his hands — Salaam, Stewart and Westbrook — after all three of them starred at the Big House.

“I can’t break these guys up now,” Plati recalls thinking.

Everything took care of itself a week later.

On a scorching hot October day, No. 5 Colorado faced No. 16 Texas in Austin.

Despite needing two IVs at halftime, Salaam ran for 317 yards and added another 45 receiving yards for a program-record 362 all-purpose yards.

That was the moment everyone knew.

“Rashaan was a monster,” Stewart told The Denver Gazette. “He just let it be known around the world — not with his conversation, but with his work ethic — that he was the best guy to ever do it.”

But he was still missing an iconic Heisman moment.

Even though the Buffs’ national championship hopes were dashed in a No. 2-vs.-No. 3 matchup against Nebraska in Lincoln, Salaam was still putting up big numbers on a weekly basis as he approached the rare air that is the 2,000-yard rushing mark.

In the 11th game — on Nov. 19th against Iowa State — Salaam took care of both.

RASHAAN SALAAM’S 1994 SEASON

Attempts: 298

Yards: 2,055

Yards per carry: 6.9

TDs: 24

Accolades: Won Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award and Doak Walker Award

With CU leading 27-13 early in the fourth quarter, Salaam was 13 yards shy of 2,000. He took a handoff from Stewart, broke free to the right and raced down the sideline for a 67-yard touchdown as 10,000 golden placards that read “2,000” — an idea from coach Bill McCartney — went up in the air from the Folsom Field crowd. When Salaam reached the end zone, Westbrook got to him first.

“It was always so funny because I would always sprint to him when he scored a touchdown,” Westbrook told The Denver Gazette. “It wasn’t as if I was trying to be on the film when he rushed the 2,000 yards, it was just that we were like brothers. It was just one of those things where he scored a touchdown and I’m running and the next thing I know I look up, everybody’s holding up the (signs) and I’m like, ‘Oh, he did it.’ And so I grab him and drag him back down to the ground and start slapping him up and we were so proud. It was just one of the proudest moments of all time.

“We knew that was it. He was gonna win the Heisman.”

Stewart had a different perspective as he soaked in the scene, watching from behind as Salaam raced toward the end zone. But the feeling from that moment will never be forgotten.

“It was just crazy. I didn’t know how to add it up,” Stewart said. “I just knew he was doing it. To see the offensive linemen go down there and hoist him up in there and seeing the fans going crazy, it was a heartfelt moment.

“I didn’t get in the middle of it. I just sat back and watched it and I was like, ‘Man, look at this.’”

As Plati said, the late Larry Zimmer summed it up best on the Buffs’ radio broadcast.

“What a golden moment,” Zimmer said. It’s one that Buff Nation will never forget, especially as the group of CU Heisman winners could grow on Saturday night.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

Colorado’s Rashaan Salaam poses Dec. 10, 1994, with his Heisman Trophy at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York.

NHL

AVALANCHE • EVAN’S MAILBAG

What’s going on with that Mikko Rantanen extension?

COMMENTARY

NEXT Panthers at Avalanche,

7 p.m. Monday, ESPN+/Altitude

Welcome to Evan’s mailbag, where each week Avalanche reporter Evan Rawal answers all your Avalanche- and hockey-related questions. Mailbag questions can be sent to evan.rawal@gazette.com.

What’s going on with Miles Wood?

It might be a while before we see Wood again. It sounds like that was a long-term injury that may take a while to rehab. I saw Wood after the game the other day, so he’s around, but I don’t expect to see him anytime soon. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s out until at least the trade deadline.

Who do you think is goalie number 1 right now (obviously when both are healthy)? Is there an obvious choice for who will play the most in the playoffs?

It’ll be Mackenzie Blackwood, barring something strange happening over the next few months. He’s the #1 and there’s not really any debate about it.

What do the Avs even have left to trade away at the deadline?

Not a whole lot. They love trading away second-round picks, and they’ve got one left in this year’s draft. No first rounder this summer, but they still hold their first round picks in 2026 and 2027. The player I always come back to is 2023 first round pick, defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev. I’ve watched him a lot and think he’s going to be a real solid NHL defenseman, but he’s not coming to North America until the Fall of 2026 at the earliest. That doesn’t do the Avalanche a whole lot of good right now, so he could be someone they move to acquire immediate help.

Since the Stanley Cup run, why does this team struggle to “get up” for less talented teams? If they had won half the losses to lesser opponents this year, they’d be in 1st place in the division.

I think the reality is that it’s a long season with 82 games and you aren’t going to be at your best every night. It’s human nature to gear down a little bit when you know you’re playing a weaker opponent, especially over the course of such a long season. These types of games happen every December and January when it feels like the season really starts to drag on.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen, front, collects the puck as Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa, left, and goaltender Scott Wedgewood watch during the third period Nov. 26, 2022, in Denver.

Rantanen is so important for the franchise, this season and beyond. Is he going to free agency, or is a deal still possible before then?

A lot of Mikko Rantanen contract questions every week. Like, a lot, and I get why. It’s January and the deal still isn’t done. My understanding is that the two parties seemed close over the summer on a deal, but something changed. That something might have been the Leon Draisaitl contract in Edmonton, as the Oilers center will become the highest paid player in the league next season with a cap hit of $14 million. Draisaitl and Rantanen share the same agent. Rantanen has not wanted to talk about the situation and that’s understandable. Agents do a lot of the heavy lifting in situations like this and he’s using whatever leverage he has at the moment. Chris MacFarland doesn’t speak publicly on contract negotiations as well.

This is just my theory here, but there has been a lot of talk over the last year about goalies wanting to reset the market for what the top players at their position get paid. That kind of happened. Jeremy Swayman held out for big money and Igor Shesterkin got a massive contract recently from the Rangers. I wonder if wingers are thinking it’s their turn. Seventeen players are set to have a cap hit of $10 million starting next season, and only four of them are wingers. The highest paid winger is Artemi Panarin at a little over $11.5 million, which Rantanen will almost certainly surpass, but by how much is the question. There could be some pressure

CITY OF CHAMPIONS

The city of Denver will host three reigning champs:

Sunday: Kansas City Chiefs at Broncos

Monday: Florida Panthers at Avalanche

Tuesday: Boston Celtics at Nuggets PAUL KLEE, THE DENVER GAZETTE

on Rantanen (and Mitch Marner) to reset the market for wingers.

It makes sense that Avalanche fans don’t want to see Rantanen make more than Nathan MacKinnon. You have to take into account that by the time Rantanen’s new contract kicks in, the salary cap will have gone up significantly since MacKinnon signed his deal. When MacKinnon’s deal started, the salary cap was $83.5 million. The expectation is that the cap next year will rise all the way to $92.5 million, and perhaps even higher. When that happens, contracts just start to get more expensive.

That doesn’t mean the Avalanche will pay Rantanen more than MacKinnon, but you can bet that’s a big piece of this negotiation. I still believe it gets done, but we might not hear anything about it for a while. Keep in mind that Gabriel Landeskog was minutes away from hitting free agency before the Avalanche got that deal done prior to Colorado’s Cup season. Sometimes these things go down to the last second.

EVAN RAWAL

The Denver Gazette

Big (fresh)man on campus

Is 7-foot Dylan Betts a future Colorado Player of the Year — like sisters Lauren and Sienna?

VINNY BENEDETTO The Denver Gazette

GREENWOOD VILLAGE • The next big thing in Colorado basketball is still growing.

“All I know is that my growth plates are still open,” Cherry Creek freshman Dylan Betts told The Denver Gazette on Monday. “I think I’ll end up around 7-foot-3 or 7-foot-4.”

The 7-foot threshold was surpassed well before Betts will play in his first high school basketball game. He said he was measured at just over 7-feet at a USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp in Colorado Springs earlier this month. Another event measured the freshman at 7-foot-2. All his dad, Andy Betts, knows is his son is already the tallest in the family.

“I’m 7-(foot) even without shoes, and he towers over me,” Andy said.

“I can’t believe he went past me at 14. I figured he would probably get me some time, but I didn’t think he would do it this early.”

Basketball is the Betts’ family business

Andy, born in England, was a 14-year professional in Europe after finishing his college career at Long Beach State University. That’s where he met Michelle, a former volleyball player at LBSU, and they went on to have three children together. The oldest, Lauren, is a 6-foot-7 center who averaged 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds as a sophomore last year at UCLA. Younger sister Sienna, listed at 6-foot-4, is a five-star recruit at Grandview High School and is committed to join Lauren in Westwood, Calif., next year.

Lauren was Colorado’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. Sienna was Colorado’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024.

“They know what it takes. (Playing) one-vs.-one with them was definitely a harsh time,” Dylan said of years past. “It would just be bad, but they gave me lots of tips, because they’ve been through it all.”

Those games ended about a year ago, according to the bigger/little brother who has grown in height and confidence while expanding his game.

“It’s bad for them now,” Dylan said. “They would just cook me really bad, but it’s the opposite now.”

USA Basketball invited 21 players from across the country in the class of 2028 to the minicamp. Multiple reports listed Dylan as one of the standouts.

“There was a lot of good competition. It really just like humbles you, because of how good people are,” Dylan said.

“USA (Basketball) just teaches you about having a good motor and working hard on both ends, no matter what.”

Then, it was off to Chicago for the Pangos All-Midwest Camp for the top freshmen and sophomores from the region. Dylan was one of three players to earn Most Valuable Player honors at the event.

It’s still too early for colleges to offer scholarships, but programs are beginning to show interest.

“The last month or so, it kind of real-

ly got crazy since the USA (Basketball) minicamp and the Pangos camp,” Andy said.

“It’s exciting. I’ve already been through it with my daughters. It’s his turn now.”

The Cherry Creek basketball season starts in early December.

Between his last name, height and growing resume, there’s the chance for Dylan to become something of a target for opposing teams and student sections from the start of his high school career. While off the court Dylan fits the gentle giant mold, he showed his dad some fire over the summer.

“There was a kid in the Pangos camp who was obviously just trying to be overly physical and push him

and elbow him. You could see the little switch,” Andy said. “Like inside he switched, and you could see he was really being super aggressive. I think (Dylan) had one really good dunk over the top of him, and I could see it in his face a little bit. It was good to see, though. He’s going to need that. I think he’ll find this year that he could end up being a little bit of a marked man.”

Andy said the daughters developed an ability to thrive in hostile environments over their high school careers. There’s confidence Dylan can do the same, even if there are some freshman moments to come.

“If you talk trash to me, I’m going to talk trash,” Dylan said. “But off the court, I’m just nice and humble.”

Like most elite youth players, Dylan has plans of playing Division I basketball before achieving the dream of playing in the NBA. Unlike most elite high school freshman, Dylan already has NBA height. When asked if there were any players he models his game after, the freshman named two big men with very different games.

“Victor Wembanyama, because I think I’m like the same type of build as him, but he’s not in the paint much,” Dylan said.

“Nikola Jokic is obviously one, if you want to learn paint stuff.”

For now, father and son agree the right approach is to establish an interior presence before stepping out and showing off his left-handed jumper. Where they disagree is the ideal height. Dylan said he’d be happy to stop growing at his current height. Dad wouldn’t mind seeing one more spurt with one condition.

“An inch or two more would probably be enough, but I mean as long as he keeps moving like he does, I would be fine with a few more,” Andy said. If it all comes together, there’s no telling the heights Dylan Betts could reach.

“He’s seen how amazing his sisters are doing and have done and will continue to do. I think he’s trying to make sure he’s up there, doing the same,” Andy said.

“He’s young, so he’s got a long way to go yet, but he definitely has some potential to pretty much do whatever he wants in this game.”

STEPHEN SWOFFORD, THE DENVER GAZETTE

At 7-foot-2, Cherry Creek High School freshman Dylan Betts is already the tallest in the family.

NBA INSIDER

VINNY BENEDETTO

The Denver Gazette

WHAT I’M THINKING

Julian Strawther has the right approach to be a player the Nuggets can depend on when it matters most.

After an injury disrupted his rookie season, Strawther’s been an every-night option for the first time this season.

“I’ve definitely got to see some ups and downs, but just trying to grow with every opportunity that I have,” Strawther said. “The staff is throwing me in the fire each and every night regardless if I’m playing well or not, so just being able to grow, learn and understand that everything won’t go just how I thought or planned. It’s an opportunity to get better each and every day.”

After playing a little more than 10 minutes per game over 50 contests as a rookie, Strawther has played in every game this season. His minutes have jumped to 21 minutes per game. The increased playing time has allowed Strawther to learn he can lean on his ability to get to the rim or his floater when his 3-point shot isn’t falling. Defensively, he’s trying to do a better job contesting shots without fouling, something that limited his minutes early in the season. The defensive side is still where he feels like he has the most room to grow early in his career.

“(It’s) trial and error. I feel like each and every day, I’m getting a bit better at it. You’ve got to just guard in the games. Yeah, you’ll get beat every now and then, but it’s an opportunity to learn and grow. I be trying to tell myself that I’m 22 years old and things aren’t going to be just perfect every time I step on the floor,” Strawther said.

“I’m working.”

That’s a good foundation for a young player who looks likely to be a part of Denver’s playoff rotation.

Denver

Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets

Russell Westbrook’s effective energy comes from mentality

BY VINNY BENEDETTO The Denver Gazette

Days like Monday are why Russell Westbrook has been worth every penny the Denver Nuggets have paid him this season.

“I’ve been in the league a long time, and the toughest practices are after an off day,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

“So, now you’re trying to herd cats to get these guys to understand the urgency and importance. When you have a guy like Russ, who’s going to lead with his voice, but also he’s your hardest worker in practice, and

he’s doing everything with detail and holding other guys accountable when they’re not, you can’t put a dollar sign on that. That’s so invaluable for a team with as many young players and impressionable players as we

have. (I’m) constantly grateful and thankful for everything that Russ is doing for us on and off the court.” At 36, Westbrook credited his ability to bring it on a daily basis more to the mental side of the game.

“It’s just appreciating the value of the game of basketball. It’s something I try to teach to my AAU kids, my own kids, understanding not taking the game for granted, a practice, a game for granted. My mentality every night is to leave it on the floor. The next game is not promised

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook and Spurs forward Harrison Barnes scramble for the ball during the second half in San Antonio on Saturday.

WESTBROOK

FROM PAGE 11

to you by any means. That’s the mark I want to leave on the game. Missing and making shots is all a part of the game,” Westbrook said.

“My energy and my effort always has to be there, and I pride myself on doing that now for 17 years. I’m grateful and blessed to be able to be able to do that. Yes, I do take care of my body. Yes, I do do the things to prepare myself, but mentally I start my mentality from when I wake up for game time to make sure my mind is right to be able to give that to my teammates. I feel as a professional athlete and as a player on the team, you have a duty to be able to show up every night, and I want to be able to give coach Malone somebody he can always count on and know exactly what he’s going to get from me. As player, I want to be able to do that for my teammates as well.”

That mindset coupled with his averages of 12 points, 6.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals is making his $3.3 million cap hit quite the bargain for the Nuggets. Westbrook has played in all 34 games to start the season and has added value as a spot starter when Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon have missed games. While the shot has come and gone in his first season with the Nuggets, the energy has been constant.

“He gets the respect of the officials. He has a high IQ, and he’s going to leave it on the floor,” Malone said.

“I want competitors. I want guys that are going to give a second effort, a third effort, a fourth effort, whatever it takes. Here he is, 17 years in, still playing just as a hard as he did when he was a rookie, which is just truly incredible.”

The extra minutes have helped Westbrook better understand what the team needs from him daily.

BENEDETTO

FROM PAGE 11

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Malone put his hand up prior to Saturday’s game in San Antonio. The Nuggets’ coach took sole responsibility for not calling a timeout when he had one available in the final seconds of Friday’s loss to the Spurs.

“Ultimately not calling that timeout falls only on one person,” Malone said prior to Saturday’s win. “That’s my job as a head coach. … Call the timeout, advance it, and you never know what’s going to happen. You score, you get fouled, you try to extend the game as much as you can, and, obviously, we missed an opportunity last night to do that.”

Monday, Malone was more concerned with limiting the quality of Boston’s looks from 3-point range. The Celtics are taking more 3s than any other team this season.

“They’re going to get 50 up. That’s just how they’re wired. But I think it’s the quality of the 3 that they get up,” Malone said. “You cannot be down the floor, inside the 3-point line in transition. In pick-and-rolls, you cannot be down the floor.”

“Now I know where I can be helpful, beneficial, (offer) more help where guys or what we need more at. I think now is just the start of it, at least for me,” Westbrook said. “Whatever it is that’s needed from me, I do that.”

WHAT I’M FOLLOWING

• Calvin Booth had a gift for Malone after Monday’s practice. After most of the players had exited the gym, Booth and Stan and Josh Kroenke presented Malone with a framed jersey with “433” on the back, a celebration of Malone breaking Doug Moe’s franchise record for coaching wins.

• Aaron Gordon won’t play in Tuesday’s game against Boston, but Malone said his starting power forward was able to participate in portions of Monday’s practice. Denver’s coach said it was too early to tell whether Gordon could be available for Wednesday of Friday’s games. Gordon hasn’t played since straining his right calf in the Nuggets’ loss to Phoenix on Christmas Day.

• Nikola Jokic was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season. Boston’s Jayson Tatum won the Eastern Conference honor.

• It looks like Dallas will be without its two best players when Denver comes to town for a couple of games. Luka Don-

NBA SCHEDULE

• Rockets at Wizards, 5 p.m.

• Suns at Hornets, 5 p.m.

• Lakers at Mavericks, 5:30 p.m.

• Timberwolves at Pelicans, 6 p.m.

• Hawks at Jazz, 7 p.m.

• Celtics at Nuggets, 8 p.m.

• Heat at Warriors, 8 p.m.

cic is expected to miss both contests with a calf strain, while Kyrie Irving is expected to miss a week or two with a bulging disc in his back that’s expected to sideline him for a week or two. Denver plays two games against the Mavericks in three days, starting Sunday.

• The Heat handed Jimmy Butler a seven-game suspension for multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team. Butler served the first game of the suspension Saturday against the Jazz. He’s eligible to return for Miami’s game in Denver on Jan. 17.

THE LIST

At least one sportsbook thinks Jimmy Butler could end up in Denver. BetOnline had the Nuggets with the fourthbest odds of being Butler’s next team. Here are the top five potential landing spots for Butler, per the book.

1. Golden State

Warriors (1/2, -200)

2. Houston Rockets (4/1)

3. Dallas Mavericks (5/1) 4. Denver Nuggets (7/1) 5. Oklahoma City Thunder (8/1)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Nuggets head coach Michael Malone in the first half of a game on Wednesday in Denver.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Nuggets guard Julian Strawther looks to pass the ball as Hawks center Clint Capela defends in the first half at Ball Arena on Wednesday.

THE PLAYOFFS

WILDCARD • BRONCOS AT BILLS

The Dark Horse will prevail as Broncos shock the Bills

COMMENTARY

In the 1830s a stranger traveled to small American towns with a team of pack horses. He would unbridle the mysteriously black stallion and enter it in a local race. The dark horse always won.

The Broncos are Dark Horses again on the road in the first round of the NFL playoffs.

Unlike the black stallion, they have lost all seven of the previous times. However, Sunday’s game will be different.

Kickoff is at 11 a.m. Rocky Mountain Time, and it is time for the Rocky Mountains.

The Broncos will win over Buffalo 27-24. Niagara falls.

Sean Payton defeats Sean McDermott. Bo Nix beats the Bills defense, and the Broncos defense beats Josh Allen.

It is well to remember the seven setbacks in the first round I witnessed.

1978 in Pittsburgh: Half the field at Three Rivers Stadium was frozen, and the temperature was 30 degrees as the Broncos, reigning AFC champions, played the Steelers in successive seasons in the playoffs. The Orange Crush had defeated the Steel Curtain for its first postseason victory on Christmas Eve 1977. “Tell everybody here to enjoy this one,” quarterback Terry Bradshaw said to me afterward. “It will never be the same.” Bradshaw was back with practically the same cast of Steelers. Nine players and head coach Chuck Noll would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Broncos still had most of their starters, including quarterback Craig Morton, returning. But only one, Randy Gradishar, would get into the Hallowed Hall. The Steelers led 6-3 in the first quarter and only 19-10 after the third quarter, but they scored twice in the final 12 minutes on John Stallworth and Lynn Swann catches of 45 and 38 yards. Pittsburgh would win the Super Bowl. 1979 in Houston: The Broncos had

HOW TO WATCH BRONCOS AT BILLS,

AFC WILD CARD GAME

TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, play-by-play; Tony Romo, analyst; Tracy Wolfson, sideline)

Kickoff: 11 a.m. Sunday

Radio: 94.1 FM and 850 AM KOA (Dave Logan, play-by-play; Rick Lewis, analyst; Susie Wargin, sideline)

Betting line: Bills (-8.5)

blowout of the 49. Yet, because Griese was hurt again, backup Gus Frerotte started against the Ravens. The Broncos managed just one field goal while being outscored by their former tight end and future Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who scored a decisive 58-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The Broncos lost 21-3.

2003 in Indianapolis: Colts quarterback Peyton Manning passed for five touchdowns and 377 yards in a 41-10 nolo contendere over Jake Plummer and the Broncos.

2004 in Indianapolis. Nolo contendere sequel. Manning passed for four touchdowns and 458 yards in the 49-24 debacle vs. Plummer and the Broncos.

In those seven first-round embarrassments the Broncos totaled only 86 points while surrendering 230. Forget about then, though; this is now.

the advantage 7-3 in the opening quarter against the Houston Oilers and shut down running back Earl Campbell (who finished with only 50 yards). But Dan Pastorini threw for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Broncos didn’t scratch an itch and succumbed 13-7.

1983 in Seattle: Rookie John Elway started the final four games, but was demoted for the playoffs with the Seahawks as coach Dan Reeves oddly elevated journeyman Steve DeBerg. The teams were 7-7 at the first break, but the Steelers scored 24 more points and the Broncos, who brought in El-

way when DeBerg struggled, were shut down 31-7.

1993 in Los Angeles: The wild-card Broncos under Wade Phillips in the first of only two seasons as head coach had to play their final regular-season game and playoff game in the L.A. Coliseum against the Raiders. The Broncos were squeezed 33-30 in the first and smothered in the second 42-24.

2000 in Baltimore: In the second year of the post-Elway era Brian Griese was the starting quarterback, but he missed five consecutive late-season games with an injury before he was in the starting lineup of a last-game

The Broncos avenge those early exits and the 1991 season AFC Championship 10-7 defeat in Buffalo when the Bills’ offense didn’t score a touchdown, but Elway was the victim of an 11-yard pick 6, then later left because of injury His replacement Gary Kubiak scored on a 4-yard dash, but Broncos kicker David Treadwell missed three field goals.

OROY candidate Nix will out-perform MVP contender Allen, The Man Who Coulda Been the Broncos Quarterback, because of the Bills’ leaky secondary. Nik Bonitto will out-sack Von Miller, and the Denver dynamite defense will intercept a pass and recover a fumble. Nix drives the Broncos in the waning moments, and Will Lutz kicks the triumphant field goal.

The Horse Force crosses from the dark side into the light.

WOODY PAIGE

The Denver Gazette

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE DENVER GAZETTE Broncos quarterback Bo Nix celebrates with fans after the win over the Chiefs on Jan. 5 at Empower Field at Mile High.

Hamline 63, St. Olaf 57

Hanover 78, Rose-Hulman 50

Hiram 60, Oberlin 56

Hope 81, Kalamazoo 71

Ill.-Chicago 97, Murray St. 93, 2OT

Illinois Wesleyan 77, Millikin 60

Iowa St. 74, Kansas 57

John Crroll 77, Heidelberg 70 Lakeland 84, Marian 72

Loyola Chicago 81, Rhode Island 77

Martin Luther 82, Northwestern (Minn.) 72

Michigan St. 90, Penn St. 85

Milwaukee Engineering 111, Concordia (Ill.) 92 Mount St. Joseph 84, Berea 77 Muskingum 82, Marietta 77 North Central 78, Minn.-Morris 56 Oakland 72, IU Indianapolis 59 Olivet 69, Albion 66

Otterbein 56, Ohio Northern 53

Pittsburg St. 86, Rogers St. 73

Rockford 78, Illinois Tech 67 S. Illinois 73, Missouri St. 51 Trine 77, Alma 48 Wabash 78, Ohio Wesleyan 70 Washburn 83, Emporia St. 72

Wis.-Platteville 79, Wis.-Eau Claire 68 Wis.-Stevens Pt. 55, Wis.-River Falls 53 Wis.-Superior 76, Northland 58 Wis.-Whitewater 59, Wis.-Oshkosh 56 Wittenberg 65, Kenyon 62

SOUTHWEST

Houston 70, West Virginia 54

Palm Beach Atlantic 88, Embry-Riddle (AZ) 73 Texas St. 94, Georgia St. 80 Utah 73, TCU 65

FAR WEST Cincinnati 68, Colorado 62 Mount Union 94, Baldwin Wallace 64

Omaha 80, Denver 62 Purdue 69, Washington 58

WOMEN’S COLLEGE

BASKETBALL SCORES

Wednesday, Jan. 15

EAST Army 74, Lafayette 65 Cleveland St. 74, Robert Morris 53

Colgate 62, Navy 54 Dayton 80, Duquesne 71

Holy Cross 63, Bucknell 37 James Madison 93, Marshall 65

Lehigh 80, Boston U. 54

Michigan St. 70, Rutgers 60 Providence 51, Xavier 45 Saint Joseph’s 72, Fordham 65

UConn 71, St. John’s 45

UMass 82, La Salle 66 Villanova 66, DePaul 55 West Virginia 73, Colorado 46

SOUTH Charleston Southern 78, Winthrop 50 East Carolina 72, Charlotte 65

George Mason 69, Loyola Chicago 39

Georgia Southern 69, Texas St. 62 Longwood 72, High Point 68 Old Dominion 78, Appalachian St. 71

Radford 71, Gardner-Webb 70 Rhode Island 64, VCU 50

Richmond 98, St. Bonaventure 60 SC-Upstate 60, UNC-Asheville 57 UTSA 70, Memphis 68

MIDWEST

Ball St. 66, Kent St. 57

Bowling Green 74, Ohio 53

Buffalo 77, E. Michigan 55

Cent. Michigan 75, Akron 55 IUPUI 75, Wright St. 63 Miami (Ohio) 73, N. Illinois 52 Michigan 82, Washington 69 North Dakota 80, South Dakota 54 Saint Louis 64, George Washington 63 Seton Hall 58, Marquette 52 Tulane 66, Wichita St. 62

UMKC 73, Denver 66, OT W. Michigan 41, Toledo 38 Youngstown St. 75, N. Kentucky 66

SOUTHWEST

Arkansas St. 67, Louisiana-Lafayette 65, OT North Texas 61, Rice 53 Tulsa 79, FAU 64

FAR WEST

Boise St. 93, San Jose St. 64

Colorado St. 62, San Diego St. 58 Fresno St. 74, Utah St. 54 Oregon 69, Purdue 53 UCLA 83, Penn St. 67 UNLV 84, Air Force 51 Wyoming 66, Nevada 61

21.

22.

27.

Macintyre 69 $312,387

28. Denny McCarthy 64 $194,675

29. Jesper Svensson 64 $195,025

29. Paul Peterson 64 $195,025

29. Lee Hodges 64 $195,025

32. Aaron Rai 63 $292,000

32. Patrick Cantlay 63 $292,000

32. Adam Scott 63 $292,000

32. Tony Finau 63 $292,000

32. Austin Eckroat 63 $292,000

32. Wyndham Clark 63 $292,000

38. Alex Smalley 49 $132,675

38. Gary Woodland

38.

41.

42.

44.

45.

50.

Los Angeles at Vancouver, 8 p.m.

Friday’s Games

Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 5 p.m.

Vegas at Carolina, 5 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Philadelphia at New Jersey, 10:30 a.m.

Boston at Ottawa, 1 p.m.

Dallas at Colorado, 2 p.m.

Anaheim at Florida, 4 p.m.

Calgary at Winnipeg, 5 p.m.

Columbus at N.Y. Rangers, 5 p.m.

Detroit at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Washington, 5 p.m.

Toronto at Montreal, 5 p.m.

San Jose at N.Y. Islanders, 5:30 p.m.

Minnesota at Nashville, 6 p.m.

Vegas at Chicago, 6 p.m.

St. Louis at Utah, 7 p.m.

Edmonton at Vancouver, 8 p.m.

Los Angeles at Seattle, 8 p.m.

NHL BOX SCORES

OILERS 5, WILD 3

Edmonton 2 1 2 5

Minnesota 2 1 0 3

First Period--1, Minnesota, Boldy 17 (Eriksson Ek, Zuccarello), 3:02 (pp). 2, Minnesota, Rossi 17 (Boldy, Zuccarello), 16:11 (pp). 3, Edmonton, Hyman 15 (Draisaitl, McDavid), 16:32. 4, Edmonton, McDavid 18 (Bouchard, Nugent-Hopkins), 18:28 (pp).

Second Period--5, Minnesota, Hartman 7, 4:09. 6, Edmonton, Nugent-Hopkins 12 (Kulak, Emberson), 14:15.

Third Period--7, Edmonton, Podkolzin 6 (J.Brown, Arvidsson), 1:28. 8, Edmonton, McDavid 19, 12:49. Shots on Goal--Edmonton 14-11-11--36. Minnesota 12-10-12--34.

Power-play opportunities--Edmonton 1 of 1; Minnesota 2 of 3.

Goalies--Edmonton, Pickard 10-4-0 (34 shots-32 saves). Minnesota, Gustavsson 18-8-3 (36-31).

A--18,212 (18,064). T--2:30.

Referees--Chris Lee, Dan O’Rourke. Linesmen--Brandon Gawryletz, Bryan Pancich.

SABRES 4, HURRICANES 2

Carolina 0 0 2 2 Buffalo 1 2 1 4

First Period--1 Buffalo, McLeod 8 (Malenstyn, Clifton), 0:43.

nus pool space. Designated RHP Chase Shugart for assignment.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with RHPs Nathanael Valerio, Yobal Rodríguez, Jhonny Morao, Cesar Familia, Albert Munoz and Felix Doroteo, OFs Jeremias Aponte, Orlando Patino, Frank Mieses and Alan Escobar, 3B Alejandro Cruz, Cs Jose Mendoza and Diego Natera, INFs Yordani Soto, Igor Escobar and Jelfrank Silva.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with SSs Heins Brito, Luis Garcia and Luis Galan.

DETROIT TIGERS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with SSs Angel De Los Santos, Sterling Bazli, LHP Anderson Diaz, C Carlos Benavides and OF Cris Rodriguez.

HOUSTON ASTROS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with RHPs Adrian Ruiz, Dayerson Cova, Emilio Payro, Ismael Obregon, Jesus Sosa, Juan Fraide, Omar Damian and Ronald De Los Santos, INFs Pablo Martenez, Juan Rojas, Jose De La Cruz, Anderson Areinamo, Santiago Martinez and Eric Mota, OFs Anthony Millan Puerto, Freddy Ramos and Kevin Alvarez, Cs Emilio Gonzalez, Esteban Castro and Ire Garcia.

MINNESOTA TWINS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with RHPs Santiago Castellanos, Rainier Marin, Eliezer Lucena, Eli Urena and Rainer Marin, 3B Jamesson Val, OFs Telion Serrano, Cristian Bonifacio, Cs Daniel De La Valle, Aaron Salazar, Pablo Castillo and SSs Haritzon Castillo, Jose Barrios, Santiago Leon and Darwin Almanzar.

SAMPLE

Second Period--2, Buffalo, Cozens 10 (Tuch), 8:18. 3, Buffalo, McLeod 9 (Zucker), 19:56. Third Period--4, Carolina, Slavin 3 (Kotkaniemi, Burns), 3:45. 5, Carolina, Necas 16 (Gostisbehere, Burns), 16:50.

Shots on Goal--Carolina 11-18-7--36. Buffalo 1113-0--24.

Power-play opportunities--Carolina 0 of 3; Buffalo 0 of 1.

Goalies--Carolina, Tokarski 4-1-0 (24 shots-21 saves). Buffalo, Luukkonen 13-13-4 (36-34). A--0 (19,070). T--2:21. Referees--Ghislain Hebert, Pierre Lambert. Linesmen--Scott Cherrey, Kyle Flemington.

TENNIS

AUSTRALIA OPEN RESULTS

What Happened Wednesday At The Australian Open? Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, last year’s runner-up in Australia, was upset by No. 97 Laura Siegemund 7-6 (3), 6-3. Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka extended her run to 16 wins at Melbourne Park by winning the last five games to beat No. 54 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5. Naomi Osaka, another two-time Australian Open champion, reached the third round of a major for the first time since 2022 with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over No. 20 Karolina Muchova. Novak Djokovic, seeking a record 25th major trophy, played in his record 430th Grand Slam singles match and won it, 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 over Jaime Faria. Carlos Alcaraz advanced 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 over Yoshihito Nishioka.

TRANSACTIONS

BASEBALL

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

American League

ATHLETICS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with SS/RHP Shotaro Morii, RHPs Ricardo Osorio, Edwin Mendoza and Jesus Delgado, OFs Carlos Salmeron and Breyson Guedez, and C Aiverson Barazarte.

New

San

Calgary at

Chicago at

Montreal at

Seattle at

N.Y.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Traded C Blake Hunt to Seattle in exchange for cash considerations. Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with C Yeison Acosta, SSs Meykel Baro, Jorge Drullard, Jose Luis Pena and Ronald Terrero, Cs Ricardo Chirinos, Jose Flores, Victor Saez and Manuel Vasquez, OFs Fabian Cordero, Johanse Gomez, Rayner Herrera and Lisandro Sanchez, RHPs Alexander Diaz, Enmanuel Pena, Laurens Sosa, Samuel Teran and Benjamin Vasquez, LHPs Darlin Valencio, Yunior Villavicencio and Kelvin Zapata and 3B Frandy Guillen.

BOSTON RED SOX — Acquired C Blake Sabol from San Francisco in exchange for international bo-

and Yeferson Portolatin, RHPs Juan Carlos Garcia, and Daniel Gomez, CFs Kenly Hunter, Royelny Strop, and Yordy Valdez, OF Yostin Pena, INF Jesus Perez and C Juan Rujano.

SAN DIEGO PADRES — Agreed to terms with SS Santiago Vargas to a minor league contract. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Traded RHP William Kempner to Miami in exchange for future considerations. International Bonus Pool Money. Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with CF DJean Macares, RHPs Jose Gonzalez, Yesid Mendoza, Ebduar Loina, Jeremiah Jones and Abraham Utrera, LHP Winkel Del Rosario, SSs Josuar Gonzaelz, Yulian Barreto, Alexander Camacaro and Yeison Oviedo, Cs Diego Alambarrio, Carlos Martinez and Miguel Caraballo and LF Rainer Espinoza. WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Assigned RHP Joan Adon outright to Rochester (IL). Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with Ronny Bello 2B, Cs Junior Castillo, Edgardo Figueroa and Daniel Hernandez, SSs Rony Bello, Marconi German, Adrian Tusen and Brayan Cortesia, RHPs Juan Lopez, Jesus Carrasco, Manuel Ruiz, Jhondel Salas and Hernan Mejia, OFs Esnaider Vargas and Jonierbis Garces.

BASKETBALL

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

CHARLOTTE HORNETS — Acquired G Josh Okogie and three second-round draft picks from Phoenix in exchange for C Nick Richards and a second-round draft pick.

NEW YORK YANKEES — Acquired minor league RHP Michael Arias from Chicago in exchange for cash considerations.

SEATTLE MARINERS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with SS Kendry Martinez, C Manuel Almeida, OFs Elias Perez, Yorger Bautista and Maikol Rodriguez, RHPs Ismanuel Pina, Christopher Quiroz, Darwin Ramos, Cesar Farias, Wisler Infante, Randal Munoz and Henry Alcantara. Designated 2B Samad Taylor for assignment.

TAMPA BAY RAYS — Agreed to terms on minor league contacts with OFs Emile Torres and Maykel Coret, LHP Jensey Duran, SSs Raymer Medina and Warel Solano and 2B Emmanuel Cedeno.

TOLEDO BLUE JAYS — Traded RHP Brett de Geus to Pittsburgh for cash considerations.

National League

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with Cs Ismael Mejia, Jeshua Mendez, Santiago Gil, OFs Jose Pitre, Mayki De La Rosa, Elian De La Cruz, Ronny Suarez and Albert Medina, 3B Victor Santana, Feliz Genao, SSs Daonil Mnntero, Angel Sanchez, Rodrigo Gonzalez, Juan Brima, Alam Bruno and Eybert Sanchez, LHPs Keivan Vasquez, Miguel Valdez and RHP Malvin Baez, Yaury Jimenez and Johan Calcano.

ATLANTA BRAVES — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with RHPs Yangel Martinez and Lionel Prevosti and SSs Juan Elejandro and Yassel Garcia.

CINCINNATI REDS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with RHPs Starlin Alberto, Cesar Maiz, Ramces Camargo, Ramces Camargo and Oscar Ramirez, INFs Liberts Aponte, Juan Caricipe, Sandor Feliciano, Jealmy Frias, Omar Guadamuz, Angel Salio and Deinis Chourio, INF/ OF Wanderly De La Cruz, OFs Isaac Garcia, Jose Martinez, Diego Munoz and Rey Reyes, C/1B Abel Pena and C Enry Torres. MIAMI MARLINS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with SSs Anthony Abreu, Steven Herrera, Johan Machado, Andrew Salas and Luis Arana, OFs Jesus Perez and Sandy Presbot, RHPs Edelson Canelon, Kevin DeFrank, Santiago Linares, Pedro Montero, Adrian Pena and Isaac Prince, LHPs Keyner Cedeno and Diego Godoy, Cs Diego Martinez and Moises Morales. NEW YORK METS — Claimed RHP Austin Warren off waivers from San Francisco. Agreed to terms on minor league contacts with INFs Elian Pena, Giomar Ubiera, Jose Padilla, Yorber Semprun and Roni Garcia, RHPs Yobanny Sanchez, Kleber Gamez, Jose Vielma, Darling Perez and Olmedo Barria, LHP Pablo Medina, Cs Adrian Silva and Jose Serracin and OFs Aiberson Blanco and Jhonael Cuello.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with SS Romeli Expinosa, OF Daber Cruceta, INF Rafael Oropeza, C Nelson Prieto, RHPs Deiry Gonzalez, Filippo Sabatini, Geremy Villoria and LHP Reyner Zambrano.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Acquired RHP Brett de Geus from Toronto in exchange for cash considerations. Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with INF Luis Cruz, 2B Fredderick Ovalle, C Victor Familia, LHPs Yoslaniel Hernandez, Yhosneiber Torres, OFs Edgar Walker, Gabriel Rodriguez and Limanol Payero, RHPs Hamlet Santos, Jose Sequera, Alejandro Rondon, Claudio Estelie, Eydan Fermin, Fernando Figuera, Jose Sequera, Justino Francisco, Leudy Reyes and Robinson Smith and SSs Armstrong Muhoozi, Darell Morel, Hyun Seung Lee, Johan De Los Santos and Yoander Santana.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with 3B Michael Cordero, SSs Sebastian Dos Santos, Miguel Hernandez,

LOS ANGELES LAKERS — Waived G Quincy Olivari. NEW YORK KNICKS — Recalled C Ariel Hukporti and G Tyler Kolek from the Westchester Knicks of the G League.

TORONTO RAPTORS — Assigned Fs Jonathan Mogbo, Eugene Omoruyi and Ja’Kobe Walter to the Raptors 905 of the G League.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS — Assigned G Patrick Baldwin, Jr. to the Capital City Go-Go of the G League.

FOOTBALL

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

BALTIMORE RAVENS — Claimed WR Diontae Johnson off waivers from Houston.

BUFFALO BILLS — Signed QB Anthony Brown to the practice squad. Released DT Eli Ankou from the practice squad.

CLEVELAND BROWNS — Named Tommy Rees offensive coordinator.

DENVER BRONCOS — Signed WR Michael Bandy to a reserve/futures contract.

GREEN BAY PACKERS — Signed DL Leonard Payne to a reserve/futures contract.

HOUSTON TEXANS — Elevated WR Jared Wayne from the practice squad to the active roster. Signed WR Alex Erickson to the taxi squad.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Signed OT Luke Tenuta to a reserve/futures contract.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS — Signed WR Jason Brownlee to the practice squad. Released TE Robert Tonyan from the practice squad.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Signed QB Brett Rypien, RB Zavier Scott, LB Max Tooley, OLB Gabriel Murphy, G Henry Byrd, OTs Marcellus Johnson and Leroy Watson, WRs Lucky Jackson and Thayer Thomas, DL Jonathan Harris and Travis Bell, CBs Kahlef Hailassie and Reddy Steward to reserve/ futures contracts.

NEW YORK GIANTS — Fired defensive back coach Jerome Henderson and safeties coach Michael Treier.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Signed LB Deion Jennings to a reserve/futures contract.

HOCKEY

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

DALLAS STARS — Sent Arttu Hyry to Texas (AHL). LOS ANGELES KINGS — Recalled Samuel Helenius from Ontario (AHL).

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS — Placed G Tristan Jarry on waivers.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Sent F Jack Finley to Syracuse (AHL).

VANCOUVER CANUCKS — Sent Jonathan Lekkerimaki to Abbotsford (AHL).

WINNIPEG JETS — Acquired D Isaak Phillips from Chicago in exchange for D Dmitri Kuzmin. SOCCER

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER D.C. UNITED — Signed D Kyle Rowles to a two-year contract.

FC CINCINNATI — Re-signed D Nick Hagglund to a two-year contract.

LA GALAXY — Signed D Mathias Jorgensen to a two-year contract.

LAS VEGAS FC — Transferred F Khori Bennett to Kuwait club Al-Nasr SC.

NASHVILLE SC — Signed D Chris Applewhite to a two-year contract.

ORLANDO CITY SC — Acquired $50,000 in 2025 general allocation money (GAM) from Real Salt Lake in exchange for G Mason Stajduhar.

PORTLAND TIMBERS — Acquired $100,000 in 2025 general allocation money (GAM) from Charlotte FC in exchange for M Eryk Williamson. Signed M Joao Ortiz to a two-year contract.

NWSL CHICAGO STARS FC — Signed M Manaka Hayashi to a three-year contract.

KANSAS CITY CURRENT — Released F Opeyemu Ajakaye per mutual agreement.

LIFE

2024 TRUE WEST AWARDS: DAY 31

Ragan & Robblee: Two leaders who truly give a damn

When Mark Ragan stepped in to extend the life of the Butterfly Effect Theatre of Colorado in March 2023, he introduced a new economic model that would quickly ripple out to the benefit of neighboring arts organizations like, well, the Butterfly Effect.

Ironically, the first thing Ragan and creative partner Jessica Robblee did was revert the name back to what the company had been lovingly known for 17 years: The Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. Still BETC. Still called “Betsy,” for short. But, bye-bye butterfly.

This new financial approach can only be called “Raganomics.”

First, you have to know that Ragan is an ebullient man and a wildly successful businessman who hides his innermost feelings like a skywriter.

To put it simply: Dude loves theater and theatermakers. So much so, he says: “That could be written on my gravestone.

“I really adore artists. I put them on a pedestal. I admire them. I try to be like them,” said Ragan, BETC’s managing director. “But in our society, it’s nearly impossible to make it as an artist. I think artists are simply not given the support that they deserve, and that obviously starts with money.”

Anyone who runs any arts organization anywhere is on the constant lookout for that elusive, big-time benefactor who can solve all your financial challenges with one fat check. Almost never does that fat-checker also turn out to be your company’s primary administrator. That would be like part-owner Condoleezza Rice playing

quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

And in no universe does that benefactor portion out that wealth to neighboring (some might say competing) nonprofit arts organizations. That. Just. Never. Happens.

But Ragan is that unicorn. No, that does not go far enough. He’s that rainbow-colored leprechaun with a unicorn horn and a pot of gold – that he shares freely.

Regan gave away about $1 million of his own money to local arts organizations in 2024. In 2025, he estimates that number will grow to $1.3 million. That starts with about $450,000 toward BETC’s $1.2 million budget for last season. He also gave the Boulder Ballet $100,000, and he is now creating a scholarship there for 50 underprivileged youth.

But here’s the mind-blowing (and completely unprecedented) part: He’s also made BETC, itself a small nonprofit theater company, the primary season sponsor of both the much bigger Colorado Shakespeare Festival

in Boulder ($25,000), and the Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden ($30,000). He’s also supporting Boulder’s Dairy Arts Center ($30,000), which hosts many of BETC’s shows, and he’s just decided to underwrite Local Theater Company of Boulder’s upcoming world-premiere production of a play called “Chasing Breadcrumbs” for $10,000. He’s given similar amounts this year to Boulder’s The Catamounts, Stories on Stage, the Boulder Philharmonic and Tara School for the Performing Arts.

“I’m really pleased with all of that because it kind of continues my mission of trying to get these arts organizations in Boulder to work together,” said Ragan, who is quick to point out that this is his money, not BETC’s. So, he is careful to say that these gifts are from Ragan “on behalf of Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company.”

When Ragan first called Colorado Shakespeare Festival Producing Artistic Director Timothy Orr to say he’d like BETC to be his premier 2024

season sponsor, Orr’s first thought was, “He’s nuts,” he said. “And then immediately, I thought, ‘Oh, damn … that is so smart.’”

To Ragan, this would be an act of philanthropy, sure. An example of community-building, no doubt. A nice thing to do, certainly. But he also saw it as Marketing 101 for BETC, given that the festival is a summer-only company and BETC performs yearround, giving Boulder-area festival theatergoers somewhere else to go for an off-season fix.

“We truly couldn’t do what we do without his support and the support of BETC as a season sponsor,” said Miners Alley Producing Artistic Director Len Matheo. “Mark walks the walk, and he truly cares about all of the Colorado theater community.”

Meanwhile Robblee, the company’s artistic director, is primarily focused on programming, and she has been spinning those creative plates nonstop. In 2024, BETC staged five plays, including “An Enemy of the People” –an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic written by Ragan and directed by Robblee that was just honored by the Denver Gazette as one of the high-impact plays of the Colorado theater year.

Robblee also performed a (mostly) one-woman play and directed another, culminating this month with her own adaptation of “Little Women” to end the year.

But the creative highlight of BETC’s year was its new performance model it calls “the two-city stop,” which has vastly extended the life of every BETC creative offering. Now, instead of choosing one venue in Boulder or Denver for its productions, BETC now routinely stages most every show in both cities. And sometimes in vastly different venues, which poses additional creative challenges and opportunities for its performers and designers alike.

Audiences are responding. At a

JOHN MOORE

The Denver Gazette

TRUE WEST

time when most other companies are struggling to solve how to get fannies fully back from the pandemic, BETC essentially sold out the full run of “An Enemy of the People” before it opened at either the Savoy Denver or the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder. “Little Women” was similarly popular.

Next up: The Michael Hollinger comedy “Hope & Gravity” plays Jan. 23Feb. 16 at the Savoy Denver, then Feb. 21-23 at Boulder’s Nomad Playhouse.

Ragan is particularly proud that over the course of the year, BETC employed about 80 artists – and paid them well – a $600 minimum for a four-show week – which makes him giddy.

For those reasons and more, The Denver Gazette has today named Ragan and Robblee Colorado’s 2024 Theatre Persons of the Year, an annual honor that dates back to 2002.

Ragan would like to say that this most remarkable of years was part of some vast, eternal plan but … no.

“We’re so busy doing what we’re doing that I’m not sure our vision is more than a few feet ahead of us,” Ragan said.

Where did he come from?

Talking with Mark Ragan is a little like studying an endangered species. So I turned to Robblee and asked: Who is this unicorn, really?

“I can’t wait to hear this,” Ragan said with a laugh.

The two were cast to perform together in a 2021 Colorado Shakes production of “The Odyssey.” They were backstage chatting and snacking when Ragan, to that point a stranger to Robblee, and himself a 15-year journalist in a previous life, sought with a reporter’s curiosity to know Robblee’s story.

She told him about her many creative efforts over the years to develop children’s theater programs in Denver. How she garnered crowds and adoration from audiences and critics. But not so much money.

“I was telling Mark how much fundraising all-ages theater really required, and how hard I had struggled with that part, and how I just needed to take a break from asking my friends and family for money.”

Then Ragan said the six words that changed the direction of Robblee’s professional life:

“Next time, just come to me.” He wasn’t kidding.

“I was floored,” said Robblee, who was soon to learn that the passion Ragan has for theater, ballet and music –“for the catharsis, and the excitement and the joy and the connection that

it gives people” – is genuine. “I don’t know if I know anyone who understands the value of that and invests in it like Mark Ragan does,” she said.

“He’s like a fish in water. He just loves it.”

But the biggest revelation into Ragan’s true character did not come out of this interview. That happened a few weeks before, when Ragan randomly noticed on social media that an actor who is considered part of BETC’s 22-member artist ensemble – a largely symbolic designation – had just been through a lumpectomy, and the Denver Actors Fund had paid off more than $8,000 of her medical expenses. He felt spontaneously compelled to replenish the nonprofit’s coffers with a $10,000 donation in the actor’s name. When he found out another former BETC artist is on a cancer journey, he spontaneously sent the family $5,000. Ragan does that a lot, Robblee said –act in the moment, his heart not on his sleeve but rather the onesie covering his entire body.

Ragan can afford to make such grand gestures because his company, he said, “is going to be doing roughly $23 million this year.”

Ragan Communications was a family business founded in 1986 and run by Mark’s father until Lawrence Ragan was diagnosed with ALS in 1993. Mark has since grown the company – which essentially serves the needs of communications and P.R. professionals – into the largest of its kind in North America.

“So as long as my company continues to do well,” Ragan said, “then I can continue to increase my contribution to the arts.”

They’re an odd couple, Ragan and Robblee, separated in age by more than

two decades but both childlike in their playful ways. “I think it works because we’re actually polar opposite people,” Ragan said. “Jess is kind and charitable and sweet and wonderful and intelligent and the hardest worker I know.

“But if I have one gift, it’s that I know intuitively how to hire people. I was so impressed by a server at a coffee shop that I hired her on the spot to be one of our directors of customer service. I hired a young kid out of college to be a reporter for our daily PR news site 10 minutes into the interview. I had this feeling about him, and today he is the executive editor of Esquire. Jess is another prime example of this.”

Robblee, for her part, says, “No one would’ve hired me to be the artistic director at BETC but Mark Ragan. I had zero experience.” But Ragan found her to be capable nonetheless.

“When I observed Jess working at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, I thought, ‘Gosh, there’s nobody more dedicated, nobody who works harder, nobody who plays around less backstage,’” Ragan said. “I thought, ‘This is the person I want as a partner.’”

They started Clover and Bee Productions two years ago, about a blink of an eye before married BETC co-founders Stephen Weitz and Rebecca Remaly decided to wind down the company after 17 successful years. Instead, they turned it over to Ragan and Robblee.

“Eighteen months later, I am still saying every day that hiring Jess was one of the greatest decisions I ever made, because Jess is like five employees in one,” said Ragan, citing both her organizational and “unbelievable” artistic skills. “So, she can direct a play. She can star in a play and win awards for it. Meanwhile, she can make a

budget and organize an entire season of actors. Really, my only job is to back her up with whatever she needs.

“That’s because I am ultimately an artistic entrepreneur. And I just happen to be lucky because I’m an artistic entrepreneur with financial resources.” Robblee calls you-know-what on that. Ragan, she said, is a playwright, as he showed with his masterful adaptation of “An Enemy of the People.” “What Mark does is expand possibilities of thinking and creativity,” she said.

BETC had both a strong and innovative creative year. But what made its co-leaders the 2024 Colorado Theater Persons of the Year was their decision to proactively help so many other companies with razor-thin financial margins.

For Ragan, the strategy is simple: “The world needs theater more than ever,” he said.

“When I sit in the theater and I watch ‘Little Women,’ and all around me, kids are giggling and later others are sobbing, I’m thinking, ‘This is what’s missing from our world today. We increasingly don’t have this. We have a lot of dopamine addiction that comes from algorithms produced by TikTok and Facebook. We don’t have good, healthy connections with our fellow humans.’

“But then you look around a theater and there’s that stunned silence as people see their humanity on stage being portrayed. You can see that revelation in their eyes. The connection with their fellow human beings. I truly believe theater is really the healthiest thing you can do for yourself. There’s nothing healthier than sensing the empathy between humans sitting in a dark theater.

COURTESY OF BILL HAHN

A recent “King Penny” cast, from left: Lauren Bahlman, Tom Van Ness, Marc Shonsey, Adrian Holguin, Matt Zambrano, Libby Zambrano, Mitch Slevic and Brian McManus.

MUST SEE MUST DO

BY LINDA NAVARRO

DAILY THROUGH JAN. 19

Come meet the Animals of the Rainforest and learn all about those amphibians, sloths, reptiles and more and learn how they are being saved. A Denver Museum of Nature & Science temporary exhibit, 2001 Colorado Blvd., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission. dmns.org

Last-minute changes possible. Check websites before attending any events.

JANUARY 2

THURSDAY-FRIDAY

Don’t miss the last two days of the Denver Art Museum’s youth showcase Indomitably Indigenous which has offered Indigenous metro area artists an opportunity to celebrate and share their voice, culture and identities. It is part of DAM’s 100 years collecting Native American art, part of the museum’s Wonderscape Spotlight space in the Martin Building and part of the Spirit of the Sun’s Youth Media Hub. denverartmuseum.org

THURSDAY-JAN. 12

Each Thursday, explore Denver’s essential weekend events curated by The Denver Gazette. Dive into cultural experiences and entertainment delights across the city. Whether you enjoy cocktail experiences, swing dancing, or car shows, there’s something for everyone in Denver’s vibrant cultural scene.

To submit an event for consideration, email listings@gazette.com.

Denver remains a city of holiday lights for another several weeks and it’s a longtime tradition leading into National Western Stock Show time opening with a downtown parade of longhorns and cowboys Jan. 9. Through Jan. 12, the beautiful LED Blossoms of Light lines mile-long pathways through Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St. Timed entries.botanicgardens.org/events/special-events/ blossoms-light. Also through Jan. 12, Hudson Holidays, 6115 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton, still sparkles with its lighted trees, a light maze, large, themed exhibits and pathways. 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets: hudsongardens.org. The always impressive City and County Building sparkles with Light the Lights through Jan. 26, welcoming rodeo guests to the metro area at Civic Center Park, 101 W. 14th Ave. Choreographed light and music shows each evening. denvergov.org

DAILY

Design work master plan updates have been unveiled by Denver Parks and Recreation for the next 100 years of historic Civic Center Park downtown. The community is invited to submit revitalization or future plan suggestions as well as how to preserve the area’s long history. First plans include adapting the Greek Theater for contemporary programming. Also focusing on the Central Promenade. Groundbreaking planned in 2025.To receive project updates: lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/4EjSnNd/outdoordowntown

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Time for final trips aboard the Georgetown Loop Winter Holiday Trains for the season, through Sunday. The post-Christmas trips travel through the lighted forest at night and all trips have a Victorian Holiday Celebration theme. georgetownlooprr.com/events

FRIDAY

The first Friday in January kicks off a monthly PayWhat-You-Wish Day for admission to Clyfford Still Museum, 1250 Bannock St., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Hands-on mini tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The museum has a collection of 3,125 works by the abstract expressionist. clyffordstillmuseum.org

DAVID LUGASI VIA GETTY IMAGES

A frozen palace rose in Colorado nearly 130 years ago Ice and grit

OUT THERE

By now in Colorado, we know of the Ice Castles. The frozen attraction has once again opened to great fanfare in Cripple Creek, just as the Utah-based company has debuted another colorful complex of towers, arches and tunnels in Eagle.

Lest we forget, a more grand castle of ice rose in this state 128 years ago.It was not called a castle then, but rather a palace.

Wrote historian Edward Blair many decades later: “As far as existing records show, the Leadville Ice Palace was the largest ice structure ever constructed in North America, possibly the world.”

This is the tale of the Ice Palace’s brief, glorious life — brief indeed and yet far from forgotten in one small, remote town high in the Rockies.

“For me, it’s another tale of our resiliency,” says Aj Brokaw, local history and cataloguing coordinator at the Lake County Public Library in Leadville. “It’s another stepping stone in the way Leadville has tried to keep itself going.”

The Ice Palace was a big, bold step in 1896.

Remarked one newspaper of the day: “The World moves, Leadville takes a leap.”

The Ice Palace was said to measure 450 feet long and 320 feet wide, significantly larger than a football field. Towers were noted up to 90 feet flanking the main entrance, which led straight to a huge skating rink. On either side were dining rooms and ballrooms for dancing.

The band’s music from a balcony supposedly carried throughout the space, through the multicolored beams of light, which streamed down from the roof that was “like a bed of sparkling diamonds,” reads a history by Marian (Poppy) Smith.

Another account calls the Ice Palace “a Colossus in the Colorado Rockies,”

A view of a part of the exterior of the Leadville Ice Palace, which was built for the 1896 Winter Crystal Carnival. The site was on Capitol Hill between West Seventh and West Eighth streets from Spruce to Leiter.

complete with various exhibits and sculptures. One sculpture was Lady Leadville, stationed out front, pointing to the hills responsible for the town’s former wealth.

Leadville “wasn’t a town to be satisfied with doing things halfway,” Smith wrote. “Whether it was mining or dining, working or drinking, it tackled the business at hand with lusty frontier vigor.”

So it was with the Ice Palace. The acclaim was near and far upon the opening around the turn of the new year.

The opening followed a parade of a cowboy band, uniformed officers and costumed dignitaries. The streets were “lined with hundreds of eager-faced children and adults,” Blair wrote in his book, “Palace of Ice.”

Wrote a reporter in the local Herald Democrat: “It was the people in its mightiest and most stupendous capacity rising as one man to attest his loyalty to the public enterprise that has nowhere had its equal in modern history.”

The months had seen local entrepreneurs organize construction, handymen cut blocks of ice from lakes and rivers, and townspeople pitch in

whatever few dollars they had.

These were exciting months in an era that had been anything but.

The town had boomed in the 1860s after gold was discovered and boomed again after the silver discovery of 1877. Tens of thousands of people flocked to the mines, including Horace Tabor, the magnate who would be considered the richest man in one of America’s richest cities.

But the Sherman Silver Purchase Act’s repeal in 1893 would deplete Tabor’s fortunes — and bring Leadville to its knees.

This was the gloomy setting in which that glorious palace rose, the backdrop of a tale enticing Colorado historians like Jan MacKell Collins.

Along came a real estate man named Edwin Senior. He is credited with the idea of a tourist attraction that would spark the local economy.

It seems Senior was inspired by ice palaces built in Canada and Minnesota in the 1890s. He wanted one bigger, clearly “not afraid to dream big,” Collins says.

But perhaps not big enough. Senior fell out of favor among fellow organizers as funds were slow to build.

“His backers were enthusiastic talkers and had accomplished a great deal,” Blair wrote, “but without the town’s bankers and big mine and smelter men, the Ice Palace remained a dream.”

Tingley Wood had such connections, himself a mining executive. He was picked by popular demand to take over the effort, no matter his intimidating stipulation that $20,000 be raised.

Accounts recall a meeting between well-to-do men, including the husband of famed socialite Molly Brown. James Brown is popularly quoted from the meeting: “Gentlemen, it is useless to talk longer until we see some money in sight. I subscribe $500.”

Funds reportedly came fast. “Wood lost no time in the driver’s seat,” Blair wrote. “He wired C.E. Joy, the architect, to come immediately.”

Joy was the brains behind Minnesota’s ice palace. Leadville’s would indeed be bigger — true to the big thinking that would be matched by physical willpower.

A local wood and steel specialist “worked like a beaver” while others got busy cutting blocks of ice that were pulled by four-horse teams. Around Leadville and beyond to Palmer Lake, “the ice blocks were cut and hewn by stone cutters, but it was found they worked too slowly,” Blair wrote, “so a group of Canadian wood choppers were called in.”

The newspapers told of 250 to 350 men taking fewer than 40 days to stack up 5,000 tons of ice. It was stacked and sprayed with water that acted as mortar. “I wore two coats most of the time,” one worker said. But sunny days and chinook winds hampered hopes of opening by Christmas. To keep the icy monolith from melting, men rushed to cover it with canvas. They marked victory with a parade — “a transformation scene,” Blair wrote. “Leadville, for once, abandoned its strain and stress and struggle.”

The pictures amaze historians today. Brokaw, for one, struggles to imagine the structure being replicated even with our technological advances nearly 130 years later. “It was just amazing,” she says. It’s unclear how many tickets were sold, but apparently it wasn’t enough to thrill investors. Local shopkeepers also weren’t seeing desired returns, Collins says. “And then in March they had a warm spell.”

The palace was melting.

DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, Z-12041

SETH BOSTER

The Denver Gazette

OUT THERE COLORADO

New Year’s skiing resolutions

And a message from Colorado weather as well

OUT

THERE

If Jack Handey was a skier he’d ski at Winter Park, I’m certain of it.

The American humorist and author of the best-selling “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey” would appreciate the serenity.

But as for New Year’s resolutions go, let’s start off with what Colorado weather’s resolution should be:

“I resolve to unwack my mood swings and indecisiveness of late when bringing snow for you skiers and riders in the new year,” the state might be saying.

“After all, you weren’t able to ski Arapahoe Basin’s ‘Ribbon of Joy’ until nearly Halloween because I didn’t bring measurable snow to the state’s ski areas until Oct. 17.

“Furthermore, in this so called ‘La Niña’ year, I wanted southwestern Colorado to receive the brunt of the early-season accumulations, allowing Wolf Creek to open first yet have nobody show up to ski because it is out in the middle of nowhere, lol!

And to confuse y’all even more, I made November’s snow patterns mimic October’s, with happy and snowy for a couple of days then windy and dry for long periods of time.

But I did change, remember? Thanksgiving week was nice. It was powder for all ... four runs open at your favorite ski hill. At least the snowpack average topped 134% by Dec. 1!

Anyway, I’ll try to change for y’all in 2025. Quit bringing up December.”

And now, New Year’s skiing resolutions, by

Jonathan Ingraham

As for human resolutions go, I’m feeling like my resolution is to show my son skiing’s soul more.

At 8-years-old, Landon’s old enough now to know the difference between

COURTESY OF LUCAS HERBERT, ARAPAHOE BASIN SKI AREA

A skier plows through fresh snow Nov. 27 at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Dillon.

going out to “just” ski versus going out to ski, but come back loving it.

I’m positive most snowsport riders who’ve been in Colorado long enough have seen the snowsports landscape change over time.

But has the soul changed with it?

My resolution is to show him skiing’s

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

KATSUMI KASAHARA VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, FILE

Actress Olivia Hussey smiles as she appears at the Japan premiere of her latest ﬁlm “Mother Teresa of Calcutta” in Tokyo on June 15, 2005.

Olivia Hussey, star of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ dies

LONDON • Olivia Hussey, who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film

“Romeo and Juliet,” has died, her family said on social media Saturday. She was 73.

Hussey died on Friday, “peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones,” a statement posted to her Instagram account said.

Hussey was 15 when director Franco Zeffirelli cast her in his adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy after spotting her onstage in the play “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” which also starred Vanessa Redgrave.

“Romeo and Juliet” won two Oscars and Hussey won a Golden Globe for best new actress for her part as Juliet, opposite British actor Leonard Whiting, who was 16 at the time.

Decades later Hussey and Whiting brought a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud over nude scenes in the film.

They alleged that they were initially told they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in a bedroom scene, but on the day of the shoot Zeffirelli told the pair they would wear only body makeup and that the camera would be positioned in a way that would not show nudity. They alleged they were filmed in the nude without their knowledge.

The case was dismissed by a Los Angeles County judge in 2023, who found their depiction could not be considered child pornography and the pair filed their claim too late.

Whiting was among those paying tribute to Hussey on Saturday. “Rest now my beautiful Juliet no injustices can hurt you now. And the world will remember your beauty inside and out forever,” he wrote.

WEATHER

FORECAST

AT A GLANCE

There will be mild and dry conditions for Denver and the eastern plains, where highs will climb into the 50s both today and tomorrow. It will also be windy at times, especially during the afternoon hours. A few rain or snow showers will be possible overnight into tomorrow but nothing significant is anticipated. If you need to do some mountain travel today, the earlier the better. The snow won’t become wide-spread and steady again until this after-noon. We’ll get a brief break from the mountain snow during the day before a third round arrives and lasts through the night into early tomorrow.

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPH

A beaver suns itself at Keystone Resort. Have you taken a Colorado weather photo or video lately? Send it to photos@denvergazette.com; include your name and information about the photo or video.

This weather chart was originally published on Dec. 29.

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DOWNTOWN

Aurora home invasion

Police suspect Venezuelan TdA gang in kidnapping, torture, stabbing

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

OPENERS

THIS MONTH IN THE GAZETTE

Denver Gazette Guide

Our Commitment

WE AIM TO INFORM; NOT LECTURE OR DIVIDE

FAIRNESS IS OUR GUIDING LIGHT

WE DISTINCTLY SEPARATE NEWS AND OPINION

WE SERVE THE DENVER COMMUNITY AND COLORADO

CORRECTIONS

DENVER&STATE

DENVER&STATE

Castle Rock backs deportation plans

Colorado loses spot as destination state for U-Haul

I-25, I-70 corridors made Denver target for car theft ring

The operation

Cartel presence in Denver

VIOLENCE ON 16TH STREET MALL

Tragedy hits downtown as businesses wait for relief

DENVER & STATE

Expert decries military mental health care flaws

Veteran Special Forces operator points to commanders’ interference

COVER STORY

TDA

‘Owning the problem’

Coffman blames Johnston for gang in Aurora

DOUGLAS COUNTY

Douglas County to appeal dismissal of lawsuit

Audit: DIA’s Great Hall at risk for overspending

COLORADO POLITICS

Polis blasted for blaming cost of wolf program on ranchers

COLORADO POLITICS

Polis criticizes Trump’s deportation, tariff plans

Polis to unions and businesses: Avoid any rancorous fight

An ‘outlier’ on school funding

Governor wants to go after cattle theft

Polis pushes changes to ‘construction defects’ law

NATIONAL POLITICS

Hegseth fights back against ‘smear campaign’

NATION&WORLD

NATION&WORLD

Polar vortex keeps U.S. in icy grip

Temperatures plunge

Classes canceled

More snow and ice are expected

Air and rail travel are also snarled

Israel, Hamas reach cease-fire deal

Defusing regional tensions

Perilous path ahead

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL

GaZETTE EDITOrIaL

Castle Rock calls Denver back down to Earth

EDITORIAL BOARD

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUIDELINES

Biden’s disgraceful exit

Citizens of the new 23rd choose law and order

Western Stock Show made Denver a cowtown

Good news on economy is bad for Wall Street

BRIEFLY

U.S. consumer watchdog sues Experian

Business leaders more confident of national economy

Meta shelves fact-checking in major policy reversal

YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR

Colorado lags other states in economic strength

Report: Office market show signs of life

FACEOFF

BUSINESS

BRONCOS • FRIDAY FACEOFF

Is it safe to purchase a Bo Nix jersey already?

BRONCOS

Bo Nix showed why he’s man for the job with Broncos

COMMENTARY

SPORTS BUSINESS INSIDER