Your Daily Guide

🅿️ Why is Denver Spending Street Safety Money on Parking Tickets?

In 2026, Denver’s city budget allocated millions of dollars for parking enforcement out of the Transportation and Mobility Special Revenue Fund — a street safety initiative that directs parking meter revenue to pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit projects. Now, some members of Denver City Council want to preserve the money for its original intentions, roll over unspent annual balances, and prevent the money from ending up in the city’s general fund.

• Big parking changes: Hundreds of thousands of dollars from the safety fund were redirected to overhauling Denver’s online parking ticket dispute site. Now, that system has been eliminated, and drivers must go to the City and Council Building for an in-person court hearing. Thanks to the staff cuts, however, people are reporting long lines, and many cases are being tossed out for administrative reasons. [9News; CBS News]
• Is it just a cash grab? The city changed their parking dispute process as a result of budget cuts last year, but now the Parking Magistrate Office, which formerly managed disputes, has generated nearly $500,000 less in 2026 compared to the same time period in 2025. [TikTok]
• Rewards for ticket frustration: Bring your ticket to Illegal Pete’s for a free margarita with the purchase of an entree, or to Hearth for a free coffee (drip or iced). Know anyone else in town trading parking tickets for freebies? Let us know!

🚙 How Will Waymo Change Denver?

As self-driving company Waymo gets closer to opening its services to the public in Denver, residents are asking questions about what to expect.

• How much does Waymo cost? In other cities, hailing a Waymo currently costs a few dollars more than an Uber or Lyft on average, but that could soon change.
• How many Waymos will there be? The size and scale of Waymo’s fleet depends on city size and demand. In the Bay Area of California, home to 7 million people compared to the Denver Metro’s 3 million, there are more than 800 vehicles.
• Do Waymos crash? Obstructed sensors, technical glitches, and collisions with humans and animals are just a few problems reported with Waymo in other cities. [Denverite]

🎥 The Odyssey’s Technical Difficulty Saga Continues

One of Colorado’s only two projectors capable of showing “The Odyssey” in 70mm IMAX broke down for the second time on Monday night, causing the theater to cancel at least one screening. The technical difficulty came just one week after both of director Christopher Nolan’s preferred projectors crashed trying to show the film. [Denver Post 🔐; The Odyssey]

• Why does this keep happening? The massive film projectors pose operational challenges because they are labor-intensive, difficult to repair, and in need of regular use to stay functional.

✖️ Nightclub Will Not Reopen After Shooting

After a deadly shooting at Ultra Lounge East last week, the Denver nightclub says it will not reopen. The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection forced Ultra Lounge East to close, citing ongoing violence at the club and a lack of proper licensing. The owner, Dionte Wilkins, joined other violence prevention activists earlier this week to call for an end to gun violence in the city. [Denver Post 🔐]

🔵 Could Colorado Springs’ Congressional District Really Go Blue?

A recent poll shows Democratic nominee Jessica Killin just one percentage point behind current Rep. Jeff Crank, a Republican, in the race for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District. The district encompasses Colorado Springs and has never been represented by a Democrat. However, liberals have fared increasingly well in the district in recent elections, including the 2023 election of independent Yemi Mebolade as Colorado Springs mayor. [Colorado Sun]