Plus, homelessness on the rise for Denver families ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Wednesday, May 20 

Your Daily Guide

Good morning, Denver! City Cast's Lizzie Goldsmith filling in today. Did you know that tickets are now on sale for September's first-ever Colorado Pizza Festival in Longmont?! 🍕Here's what we know so far about the event.

Today's Must-Know

Several tents next to a parking lot, with trees and tall buildings in the background.

53,776 Coloradans experienced homelessness in 2025, slightly less than in 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang / The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Homelessness on the Rise for Denver Youth and Families

Youth and family homelessness is on the rise in metro Denver, according to the Denver Metro Homeless Initiative's "State of Homelessness Report 2025." While the total number of people experiencing homelessness went down slightly between 2024 and 2025, youth homelessness in the metro area increased by 9.5% last year, and families-with-children homelessness also increased by 7.5%. The number of people in these groups accessing homeless services went up significantly as well.

PODCAST

Is Mayor Mike Coming for Mutual Aid Mondays? Plus, the Unhoused Woman Dividing Wash Park

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Find a Place to Belong at DPS

Every student deserves a school where they feel seen, supported and inspired. SchoolChoice Round 2 is your opportunity to explore the diverse communities within Denver Public Schools and find the best environment for your child to thrive. From specialized programs to vibrant neighborhood classrooms, we invite every family to join the DPS experience. Applications are open now, and seats are still available at many schools. Visit schoolchoice.dpsk12.org to learn more and apply.

What Denver's Talking About

A screengrab of a public relations campaign called Tea on THC

This is a screengrab from the “Tea on THC” public relations campaign that sparked a years-long conflict on the CU Board of Regents. (Tea on THC)

🗯️ CU Regent Sues Other CU Regents

CU Regent and dispensary owner Wanda James, who is also currently running for Congress, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against seven other members of the Board of Regents, according to a press release from James. The lawsuit stems from a dispute over her criticism of a university-funded public health campaign that she described as racist. The board voted 7-1 on July 2 last year to censure her over the way she leveled her critique. They also stripped her committee assignments, which she now alleges was a violation of the First Amendment. [Colorado Public Radio]

💰 Major Step Forward for Historic Hotel Redevelopment

Once a landmark jazz venue and cultural hub, the Rossonian Hotel building in Five Points has been vacant since the 1990s as multiple groups of hopeful developers have struggled to bring it back to life. The current owners, Palisade Partners, bought the building in 2017 for $6 million, and they are now asking City Council to approve $15.5 million in tax-increment financing through the Denver Urban Renewal Authority for a mixed hotel-office project that is projected to cost $100 million. [BusinessDen]

🫏 Polis Faces Growing Backlash over Tina Peters

After Gov. Jared Polis commuted former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters’ prison sentence on Friday, more than 400 Democratic Party members, candidates, and elected officials have signed a formal complaint calling for the state party to formally censure him and suspend him from speaking at party events. Denver congressional candidate Melat Kiros took the criticism one step further, calling for Polis to be investigated and impeached, while attorney general candidate David Seligman also suggested a possible impeachment or censure and speculated that Polis waited to make the announcement until after the legislature adjourned last week. [KDVR; Axios Denver; CPR; Colorado Politics]

  • Could Polis be impeached? Under the Colorado Constitution, two thirds of the state legislature would need to agree to hold a special session to consider articles of impeachment. The Colorado Democratic Party is reportedly scheduled to meet today to respond to the call for a censure.
  • Polis responds: A spokesperson for the governor told CPR that he appreciates that many Democrats are disappointed, but that Polis made the decision he felt was right.

One of the great things about the Democratic Party is that we are a big tent, and there is space to debate and disagree.

Eric Maruyama

Spokesperson for the Governor's Office

🏗️ No New Data Centers for One Year

Denver City Council voted unanimously Monday evening to approve a one-year moratorium on the construction of any new data centers, effective May 21. The moratorium will not affect data centers under construction, like the CoreSite facility at 4900 Race St. [Denver Post 🔒]

  • Talking it out: Earlier this month, state lawmakers agreed to table dueling data center bills until next year’s session. So, while Denver City Council takes a year to better understand the issue and debate regulations, Colorado’s state government will be doing the same.
  • Not just a Colorado issue: The Lever’s David Sirota joins the podcast to discuss a new Gallup poll that found seven in 10 Americans oppose data centers in their communities.
PODCAST

Backlash Mounts Against Gov. Polis Over Tina Peters. Plus, Denver Halts Data Centers

What To Do

Wednesday, May 20

Thursday, May 21

More Denver Events

One more thing: Shoutout to our newest members Susan F., Renee O., Julia L., John O., Hans T., Amy A., Olivia P., Dinah V., Jonathan C., and Anastasia R.! Click here to find out how to become a City Cast Denver Neighbor and get access to members-only events and other cool perks 😎

— Lizzie Goldsmith

Today’s What Denver’s Talking About segment was written by Paul Karolyi.

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