Your Daily Guide

📝 Jewish Candidate Pursues Independent Challenge to Melat Kiros

Shimon Blau, a Jewish pain doctor, is gathering signatures to land himself on the ballot for Congressional District 1, where he’d face off against Democratic Socialist candidate Melat Kiros and Republican Christy Peterson. Dr. Blau must collect 1,500 signatures by the end of today to make it on the general election ballot for November, where he hopes to block Kiros from a victory.

• Where did this come from? In a recent interview, the reporter Kyle Clark asked Kiros if she would describe last year’s Boulder firebombing attack as antisemitic. Kiros responded by saying “I don’t know what was in the heart of the perpetrator. All I know is that he went and attacked innocent people.” Some media outlets and members of the Jewish community say that Kiros’ response was a “refusal” to call the act anti-Semitic. [Facebook; The Hill]
• Phil Weiser disagrees with Kiros: When asked about Kiros’ response to this question, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Weiser, who is himself Jewish, said, “What happened on June 1 in Boulder was an antisemitic attack.” He added, “If someone isn’t going to acknowledge that, I am concerned about that.” [X]
• Antisemitism debate continues: Dr. Blau stated that he was “saddened and alarmed” by Kiros’ victory because he views her rhetoric as antisemitic. He also cited her position opposing any kind of military aid to Israel in his Facebook campaign announcement. Kiros has said that her belief in anti-Zionism is not antisemitic, and that she has always been committed to “combating any kind of hate.” [Denverite]
• What we saw at East Side Kosher Deli: Blau told us he’d collected nearly 1,300 signatures at 4:30 p.m. yesterday. “He doesn’t have a chance to win,” Leslie Keith of Denver told us after signing. “But this is about the Jewish community doing what we can to make a statement that we are here and not going away.”
• Will Shimon Blau make it onto the ballot? We won’t know if Dr. Blau has collected enough to run against Kiros until Colorado’s secretary of state verifies his signatures, but the deadline is today and we’ll keep you updated.

🚙 Waymo Launches a New Vehicle Model in Denver

If you see a futuristic looking minivan with no driver this week, fear not: It’s an Ojai, the latest vehicle in Waymo’s robotaxi fleet. But they’re not open to the public (yet). If you do see people in a Waymo around Denver, that’s because the company is allowing employees to try out the service in a few neighborhoods. It’s still unclear when Denverites will finally be able to hail a driverless ride with Waymo. A company rep said, “later this year.” [Colorado Sun]

🌲 Aspen Acres Fire Could Burn Into Fall

Firefighters are making headway on containing the Aspen Acres fire (up to 15% containment as of yesterday), but experts say the blaze could burn for months. The size and scope of the fire means it won’t stop smoldering until we see significant moisture in the forecast, which likely won’t arrive until the fall. [Colorado Gazette; Wildfire.gov]

• In other fire news, the blaze is creeping toward the supermax prison in Florence. Though the prison has no intentions of evacuating at this time, despite evacuation orders of nearby towns, they’ve issued a shelter-in-place order. Inmates at the prison include the Boston Marathon bomber and “El Chapo.” [Westword]

📚Alex Marrero Will Stay Superintendent at DPS

Alex Marrero, Denver Public Schools’ superintendent, is no longer being considered for a job at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Marrero was also pursuing a role with Chicago Public Schools in 2025, though he withdrew after his job search was publicized in the media. Marrero said he is still “unapologetically committed” to serving students in Denver. [Denver Post 🔒]

🍸 Bar 77 Now Open for Late Nights in Denver Central Market

The main watering hole in Denver Central Market is now called Bar 77, and patrons can expect a new vision to boot. Ken Wolf, the food hall’s owner, hopes that by making key changes to the bar — including more big-screen TVs for live game viewing, karaoke nights, and live music — it will draw a late-night crowd. [Westword; City Cast Denver]

• A broader turnover is happening: Westword’s Antony Bruno reported last month that some former Denver Central Market vendors say they were “pushed out,” including High Point Creamery.