HAPPY MLK DAY! And I know some of you eyeroll about this being a federal holiday but I'm fine with it. It's good that we can take the day and remember how far we've come from those days of Jim Crow and separate water fountains. Here are some fascinating facts about the man we are celebrating today. Check the one where it says James Earl Ray as set up to take the blame for a government conspiracy. Sure sounds familiar, doesn't it?
IT'S THE MANDY AND ROSS SHOW! Since Ross and I are both working today we figured we'd do a spectacular crossover event so I will be joining him at 11:30 and he's going to hang until 12:30 so we can chit chat about interesting stories, most of which he found. I want to talk about what animals you can beat in a fight.
HEIDI GANAHL HAS A NEW PROJECT She joins me at 2 today to discuss the Rocky Mountain Voice which is designed to help rebuild the conservative grassroots in Colorado so we have some chance of saving our state from further disaster. Find it here, and don't miss Heidi at 2.
THE IOWA CAUCUS WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT And this is a good article on what to watch and what to expect from Iowa. I'm just ready to get this show on the road.
THE COLORADO GOP TRASHES PRECEDENT TO BACK TRUMP Proving once again how out of touch the GOP here is with voters in Colorado, they did something the party has never done before and that is endorse in a presidential primary. The vote exposed how captured the Colorado GOP is by Trumpets, with 65% voting to endorse Trump. This is why Dave Williams will be known as the Worst GOP Chairman in the history of chairman, among other reasons. I guess his empty promises to be fair in the primaries have been utterly exposed, so I fully expect him to use the party apparatus to push himself into the nomination in the 5th Congressional district.
MINIMUM WAGE HIKES HAVING THE EXPECTED EFFECT And that is massive layoffs in the food industry. Read this for more but expect to see far more automation at fast food restaurants in the very near future. I hope the Democrats are happy.
OOOH OOOOH THAT SMELL! If you smelt a funky odor this weekend you weren't alone. Denver area firefighters spent the weekend trying to track down the source of a sort of natural gas smell and couldn't find anything. They think the odor just got trapped beneath the heavy cold air sitting on us.
FOUR OUTDOOR DEATHS OVER THE WEEKEND Although this report says they aren't all homeless people and that toxicology reports are needed. Read it here.
HOW CONSTRUCTION DEFECT LAWS KILLED THE CONDO MARKET This is a great column by the mayors of Broomfield and Thornton about the need for condo construction defect legislation changes. In a move to give trial lawyers a new line of business they screwed the builders who used to build affordable housing in the form of condos. Read their column about it here to understand why this needs to be fixed right now.
I'D LIKE TO BE CALLED PRINCESS CONSUELA BANANA HAMMOCK PLEASE I'm sure nothing could go wrong with the Colorado Legislature passing a law requiring that schools use a student's "preferred name" at school or face consequences. That's what a new bill is proposing and I can hardly wait to learn about the creativity of passive aggressive high school students on this one.
JUST DON'T DRIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS TODAY, OKAY? I feel for all who went into the mountains this weekend and are planning on coming home today. It's a mess, with cars being buried by snow slides on Berthoud pass and numerous roads currently closed. What a mess.
CONGRATS TO MISS AMERICA 2ND LT MADISON MARSH! She was Miss Colorado and now she's Miss America and the first active duty soldier to win. What a cool story!
MY FRIEND VALDAMAR IS RUNNING TO UNSEAT DIANA DEGETTE IN THE 1ST! And I think he strikes the perfect tone in his campaign video announcing his run!
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH SUICIDE IN OUR MOUNTAIN TOWNS? This is a very depressing story on Colorado's place in the so-called "suicide belt" of states where suicide rates far outstrip the national average. It offers no solutions but certainly does shine a light on the issue. I still think a lack of God is a big part of the problem.
HAMAS VIOLATES THE GENEVA CONVENTION AGAIN And though the argument could be made that they never signed the Geneva Convention but as we expect Israel to abide by them it seems fair to expect Hamas to abide by them too, right? We all know that standard flew out the window when the barbary of October 7th occurred. Now Hamas is violating the Geneva Convention again by releasing a video of hostages taken that day. Watch this story about it.
THINKING ABOUT RETIRING ABROAD? This article has info about the pros and cons of doing so with some great options to consider.
TAIWAN IGNORES CHINESE PUSH IN ELECTIONS And the voters elected a pro-independence guy as their new President. China was not happy, as they had been working overtime to cast this election as a choice between war and peace. It didn't work. Read about it here.
WHAT APPLE IS THE HEALTHIEST APPLE? You guys know I don't like fruit but I make an exception for crunchy apples. Good to know my favorites, Granny Smith and Honeycrisp are tops for fiber content. Read the rest here and find where your favorite apple comes in.
EVS HAD A REALLY BAD WEEK LAST WEEK And if you've ever thought the full electrification of transportation isn't ready for prime time this column will confirm that.
I LIKE THE AMERICANS MOXIE IN THIS SURVEY This made me laugh really hard but at the same time, I'm pretty sure I could take a housecat so.... What animals could you beat in a fight? YouGov asked Brits and Americans and the survey results are in this story and they are hilarious.
THE LABOR SHORTAGE IS DRIVING UP CHILD LABOR VIOLATIONS When my sister was in high school she worked at McDonalds and often closed the store on a school night. Ideal? No, but she was an excellent student and worker and managed to get everything done anyway. Now there are strict laws about how many hours kids can work and when they can work them, but the current labor shortage means that many places, especially fast food places, are violating those laws. Read more here.
WHY IT TAKES FOREVER TO GET YOUR FOOD AT THIS DISNEYLAND RESTAURANT Because everyone freezes like a toy or something. Watch below or click here.
AND NOW MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY IN TIGHT PANTS
HOW TO UP YOUR CHOCOLATE GAME With the help of a pastry chef. Read it here.
O'HARE IS USING SPACE TO HOUSE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS That used to house the hotel shuttle area.
THE TRUTH ABOUT HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME STARS I already knew this, but did you? Watch below or click here.
THE BEER DEFINITELY DIDN'T GET WARM AT THE CHIEFS GAME Here are a bunch of photos that demonstrate how brutally cold it was at the game, but just check out below.
WHY THEY MOVED THE BILLS GAME TO TODAY This was taken on Saturday afternoon.
I HOPE THESE DIVERSITY HIRES CAN FLY PLANES Because United says that 50% of their hiring will be women or persons of color. I just hope they can fly planes.
IF YOU'RE GONNA BE STUPID, YOU BETTER BE TOUGH As these young scamps found out. Watch below or click here.