| | |  | A snow covered residential street lined with large trees whose branches are weighed down by snow. (RJ Sangosti / MediaNews Group / The Denver Post via Getty Images) |
| 🌲 How to Keep Your Trees Alive Over Winter | Just because the temperatures are dropping doesn’t mean your trees have enough water. Colorado’s dry fall and winter months can take a toll on trees, shrubs, and grass, even when they appear perfectly healthy. According to Colorado State University Extension, prolonged dry spells can damage root systems, leaving plants vulnerable to disease, insects, and even death months later. Here’s what Denver homeowners (and tree lovers) should know to keep their greenery healthy through the colder months. [CSU Extension] | - Don’t put the hose away just yet: During extended dry spells without snow cover, trees and shrubs may need supplemental watering once or twice a month, even after sprinkler systems are shut off. [CSU Extension]
- Timing is everything: Water when temperatures are above 40 degrees and the ground isn’t frozen. Midday is best, giving moisture time to soak into the soil before nighttime temperatures drop. [CSU Extension]
- Give the roots some love: For established trees, water slowly beneath the branches, out to the dripline (aka, the edge of the canopy above), rather than concentrating everything at the trunk. Newly planted trees are especially vulnerable to winter drought. [CSU Extension]
- Keep an eye out for pests: Drought-stressed evergreens can be more vulnerable to Ips beetles, while ash tree owners should be aware of emerald ash borer and available management options. [CSU Extension]
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| | | | Did you know young people make up 1 in 4 Denver voters? That’s real power, and voting is how we use it. | We’re New Era Colorado. We’ve registered nearly 250,000 young voters to make sure our generation has a seat at the table. | Make your voice heard. Drop off your ballot or vote in person by 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. | Be the change this election. | |
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| | What Denver's Talking About |
|  | Colorado Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Phil Weiser, wearing a navy blue suit and glasses, speaks into a microphone while gesturing.(Timothy Hurst / The Denver Post via Getty Images) |
| 🗳️ Crossing Party Lines in the Governor’s Race? | Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Weiser has picked up endorsements from 16 current and former Republicans, including former Congressman Ken Buck and former Attorney General Cynthia Coffman. Weiser also secured the backing of the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police, the state’s biggest police union, which endorsed Republican Heidi Ganahl in the 2022 governor’s race. Meanwhile, Republican opponent Victor Marx dismissed the endorsements, arguing that Colorado voters, not political insiders, will decide the race. [Denver Post🔒] | - Thanks, Obama: Weiser picked up the former president’s endorsement earlier this week as well.
| | 💰 Why Aren’t Democrats Spending to Win a Supermajority? | Colorado Democrats are just one House of Representatives seat and one Senate seat away from securing a supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature, which would pave the way for sweeping liberal reforms. But Republicans are spending heavily to stop it. GOP-aligned groups have spent roughly $6.7 million in competitive races in Highlands Ranch, Pueblo, and Loveland, more than four times what Democratic groups have spent on those races, as of Oct. 10. [Colorado Sun] | - More election drama in Denver: Two leading candidates for the vacant at-large seat on City Council, Monica Martinez and Melissa Mejía, say voters have been confusing their names despite significant differences in their policy positions. Denver Post reporter and City Cast Denver contributor Elliott Wenzler, who is covering the race, joined today’s podcast to break down the crowded 10-candidate race ahead of Election Day. [City Cast/Denver Post🔒]
| | | | 🚌 RTD Trims Its Deficit, But a $148M Gap Remains | RTD leaders unveiled this week a $1.34 billion proposed budget for 2027, which would still leave the transit agency up against a $148 million deficit. The proposed budget would mark a major reduction in budgeted expenses, down from $1.5 billion in 2026. Cost cutting measures, staffing reductions, and restructuring have helped shrink its deficit by 47% since 2024, when it stood at $282 million. [Denver7/RTD] | | 💧 Denver Water Puts a Price on Breaking the Rules | Since the agency implemented a lawn-watering ban on Oct. 1, Denver Water has issued nearly 300 violations totaling $175,000 in fines, most of them to residential properties. Homeowners caught breaking the rules face fines ranging from $500 to $1,000. [Denverite] | - The good news? Water use so far in October has dropped 34% compared to the five-year average. But reservoirs serving the metro area are still just 67% full, compared to the usual 90% this time of year, and the lawn-watering ban will remain in effect until Denver Water’s board decides to lift it.
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| | And that’s a wrap for the week, Denver! A very special shoutout to our newest City Cast Neighbors: Sarah P., Carly L., Emily C., Michael P., Wendy V., Alux V., and Cesar C! Welcome to the neighborhood! | | As for me, I’m ready for a little weekend fun, and hopefully a few spooky season festivities! Whatever you have planned, I hope it’s a good one! | | Make great choices, Denver. Or at least choices that make great stories. |
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