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| |  | Gun violence in Denver continues to take lives and outpace national averages. (Joe Amon / The Denver Post via Getty Images) |
| ❤️🩹 Denver Reckons with Gun Violence — Again | Gun violence in Denver made headlines again last week as three deadly shootings broke out across the city. Two of those shootings happened at Parks and Recreation facilities, including an adult shot at a skate park and a juvenile killed at the Montbello Recreation Center. The third shooting took place on 49th avenue. The news comes after a spate of three random shootings in North Denver in April sparked community outcry and calls for change. [Denverite; The Colorado Sun] | - Gun Deaths Rise: Last year’s 48% decline in Denver homicides was a win for gun violence prevention advocates across the city. This year hasn’t been so promising. Denver has now seen more gun deaths in 2026 than it did at this time last year. The Mile High City’s homicide rate is also higher than the nationwide average. [CBS; Axios]
- Community Responds to Montbello Incident: The 14-year-old killed in the Montbello shooting apparently knew the other young person who pulled the trigger at close range. Life-Line Colorado, a youth violence reduction program, is helping the family of the victim and spreading awareness of how to de-escalate violence among local youth. The Montbello Rec Center where the shooting took place remains closed. [9News]
- The Ongoing Conversation in Denver: We spoke with criminal justice professor Lisa Calderón back in 2024 about how she viewed Mayor Mike Johnston’s plan to reduce gun deaths, plus her own ideas for addressing gun violence. [City Cast Denver 🎧]
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| | | Denver's favorite choose-your-own-adventure arts extravaganza is back for the seventh year June 3-7, 2026 with over 80 original shows at 20 creative venues around the city! You can choose from comedy, clown, theatre, dance, aerial, cabaret, immersive and more! Plus free shows for kids at the KidsFringe. Follow @denfringe on Instagram for all the details and grab tickets and passes now at denverfringe.org. |
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| What Denver's Talking About |
|  | Polis stands outside an RTD light rail stop in 2024 to discuss plans for the transportation district’s future. (AAron Ontiveroz / The Denver Post via Getty Images) |
| 🚌 Governor Revs Up Changes to RTD Board | On an RTD bus earlier this week, Governor Jared Polis signed a new law that decreases the transit agency’s board from 15 members to just nine. Five of those members would still be elected by the public, but four would be appointed by the governor to oversee key areas such as finance and land use. The law also increases payment for board members from $12,000 to $36,000. The governor hopes this policy, which will begin in 2028, will make the RTD board more nimble, and therefore more effective. [Colorado Newsline] | | 🚭 Future Hazy for Colfax Vape Shop | A random inspection of Vibe Smoke Shop found so many violations that the city has moved to suspend its business license. Officials are citing the East Colfax shop for selling alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and psilocybin (the compound found in magic mushrooms) to underage customers. One community complaint also alleged that the store sold kratom products and 7-OH, a highly addictive synthetic compound, to two minors on multiple occasions. [Denverite] | | ⚡ AI Threatens Colorado’s Energy Landscape | Opposition to data centers has centered largely on water consumption, but now, experts in Colorado say these AI powerhouses actually pose bigger threats to energy. A representative from the Colorado Energy Office explained that, while the future of AI’s growth remains uncertain, data centers already consume a “meaningful share” of energy use, which could impact demand for electricity statewide. [Denver Gazette] | | 🛍️ A New Chapter for Stanley Marketplace | A Denver real estate developer is set to purchase Stanley Marketplace for around $41 million, marking a new chapter for the successful mixed-use community space in Aurora. In a finance memo, developers outlined a plan for building 300 apartments, a hotel, a new bar, and more expansion plans for housing, hospitality, and entertainment. [Axios Denver] |
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Feeling hungry? Milly’s Bagels is a new sourdough bagel shop in Wash Park that offers St. Louis style bagels that you rip and dip into cream cheese. Opening day hasn’t been announced, but our eyes are peeled 👀 |
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