Hi there, Denver! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Artist Reception for "A Stitch in Time," fabric art exhibition by Terise Harrington Phillips and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: What is full of holes but still holds water? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Denver Bets $100 Million On Downtown's Next Chapter (glendalecherrycreek.com) — Denver is committing $100 million through its Denver Jobs Agenda and related incentives to revive a struggling downtown still reeling from hybrid work and high office vacancies. The plan mixes job creation, business recruitment, and office‑to‑housing conversions like High Fidelity Plaza, while sparking debate over how much public money should support private development and whether these projects will truly benefit residents citywide.
2. Denver nonprofit distributes free AC units and air purifiers to heat-vulnerable families (denver7.com) — A Denver nonprofit is giving free portable AC units and air purifiers to heat-vulnerable families in Northeast Denver's Globeville-Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods, funded by city climate grants. The program, part of Denver's Cool Homes initiative, targets households with kids or older adults, addressing both extreme heat and air pollution while offering installation help and discounted equipment.
3. Denver police letting ShotSpotter contract expire after more than a decade of gunshot detection (denver7.com) — Denver police will let their ShotSpotter gunshot-detection contract expire at the end of 2026, ending more than a decade of sensor-based alerts to the city's 911 center. Community leaders are split, with some worried about losing a policing tool and others raising equity and surveillance concerns as DPD explores alternative vendors and phases out coverage in Sun Valley and Park Hill.
4. Paying $800 an hour for four lawyers sends Denver legal bills soaring (cbsnews.com) — As Denver grapples with a $200 million budget deficit, the city has paid a private law firm about $852,000 in four months, with some lawyers billing $800 an hour to defend two employee lawsuits. Critics, including former and neighboring city attorneys, question why work wasn't kept in‑house or competitively bid, while city officials argue the firm's expertise could ultimately save taxpayers money.
5. More transparency needed after brick sewer discovered under 16th Street: Auditor (kdvr.com) — Denver's auditor says the 16th Street Improvement Project ran more than 300 days long and $18 million over because planners didn't account for an old brick sewer discovered near Lawrence Street. He criticizes how city staff communicated delays and contract changes to Denver City Council, while DOTI defends its handling of the complex project and overall performance.
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Ok Denver! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A sponge (Thank you Netty W. for sending it in!)
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