WHO KNEW THERE WAS SO MUCH DRAMA WITH AURORA WATER? If you've lived here for a hot minute you know water is a very big deal. Where it is, who owns and who has paid for it. David Migoya from the Denver Gazette has been doing a great series on Aurora water and the drama around a water purchase from an old mine in Park County and you should read it all. The parts in order here and here and here and here. This is a primer on Colorado water rights and how they work that is very useful. David joins me today at 1 to discuss the tangled web between Aurora Water and the developer who doesn't seem to be the best businessman in the world. It's Aurora's own Chinatown.
THE DNC IS NEXT WEEK! And me, Arod, and Rob Dawson will be at it again in Chicago and I CAN'T WAIT! Rob is going to pop in at 2 for a preview and we will chat about what you can expect from our coverage. I am stoked!
THE AFFORDABLE ARTS FESTIVAL IS ALMOST HERE! And if you need art for any space this is the event you CAN'T miss. It's coming up August 25th and I've got Jim DeLutes on the show at 2:30 today to talk about it. Find out more and buy a very affordable ticket by clicking here!
$155 MILLION GETS US MORE HOMELESS PEOPLE It's almost like you get more of what you incentivize, amiright? After spending a pantload of money on warehousing homeless people in hotels the new annual Point In Time survey shows Denver has MORE homeless than before. But how about unsheltered homeless people? Surely we've got way less of those after all that spending? That number went down by 150. Of course the Mayor's office is blaming affordable housing and touting the new tax increase to pay for more affordable housing rather than considering what they are doing is bringing more people to Denver who are homeless. I wonder if the Mayor's office has convened a meeting with housing developers to find out how to make it easier for them to build affordable housing units? I will ask him someday. Councilmember Stacy Gilmore was unhappy that the Mayor's office used this survey to lobby for the tax increase and she did not hold back:
“To use these figures to further campaign for an incomplete potential tax increase ballot initiative that lacks thorough public input from constituents tells you everything you need to know about the spend first, ask questions later mindset of this administration,” Gilmore said in a statement to The Denver Gazette. “I would encourage the public to be skeptical of anyone rushing to celebrate the fact that 1,273 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and a continued increase in homelessness as a success.”
...
While Gilmore thinks any money spent on helping people experiencing homelessness is "worth the investment," she said people need to remember the context of Johnston's spending.
“(It was) a blank check ask made in a rush, months after the mayor was elected, with minimal public input and a myopic understanding of how those rushed efforts would affect different parts of Denver in the long-term," she said. "Yes, there has been a decrease in the rate of unsheltered homelessness. We should celebrate that."
Ouch.
THE GOVERNOR DOESN'T WANT US TO VOTE ON PROPERTY TAXES And now that two separate ballot issues have made the ballot he's calling for ANOTHER Special Session to address Property taxes. The two initiatives that will likely be on the ballot (one already is, the other is waiting for signature verification) will sharply curtail government spending and property assessment rates, which local governments do NOT want for obvious reasons. Now a new framework is being negotiated in an attempt to get the sponsors to pull the ballot initiatives before September 6th, which is the deadline. Read more here, but this is why I love our direct to the voter petition system. It allows citizens to put immediate pressure on lawmakers to do the right thing.
THE RTD CHIEF DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK MUCH At least according to his security badge usage which shows him inside RTD facilities a paltry nine days a month during his two year tenure. That average is juiced by the first month when he was in RTD facilities a whopping nineteen days. Where was he working? Why wasn't he on site? Is this why he's being investigated? CBS 4 is looking into it here. It seems to me that leadership of a law enforcement agency requires face time with the rank and file, so where was he?
SPRINGS VOTERS WILL DECIDE ABOUT RECREATIONAL WEED STORES Because right now they are not allowed but there is a ballot initiative that may make the ballot to allow them in the city limits. The City Council voted to send an initiative to the ballot that would ban them in the City Charter, which would trump the other issue. Voters will now get to decide on the issue and though it lost last time as 57% said no. We'll see how this turns out.
TINA PETERS IS GONNA APPEAL At least that's what it seems like from her post on X after being convicted. Read it here. This is never going to end.
LANDMARK THEATERS IS BEING AUCTIONED OFF And no one knows what this means for the Landmark and Mayan theaters and the independent film market here in Denver. The owner of the Landmark chain defaulted on a massive loan prompting the sale of assets to pay it back. We'll see if the Landmark Theater survives.
LEAVE YOUR NEIGHBORS CAMPAIGN SIGNS ALONE Because taking them off the lawn is considered theft.
THE SHOOTING AT THE 16TH STREET MALL WAS CAUGHT ON FILM And there is some bad language in the commentary but can you blame her? You will hear gunshots in this clip. You've been warned.
WHAT DO PEOPLE AT A KAMALA RALLY THINK OF HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS? Oh Lord y'all, this is who Trump is going to lose to if he doesn't get his head out of his rear end.
IT'S TIME FOR CELL PHONES TO BE LOCKED OUT OF SCHOOL TIME And there are ways to do this that will still allow parents to reach kids in an emergency. Read this for more, but this is at the core of the mental health struggles of our kids and we've got to fix that. That is more important than overly worried parents whose own parents never reached them at school. Colorado Springs just did this.
WE AGE FASTER AT MID 40 AND EARLY 60s THAN AT OTHER TIMES This article discusses how our body seems to go through rapid periods of aging during certain times of life, and they focus on 40 and the early 60s to demonstrate. This makes sense, as we do through periods of rapid aging when we are toddlers and then again when we are teens. Read more here and plan accordingly. Read this bit:
The first wave of changes included molecules linked to cardiovascular disease and the ability to metabolise caffeine, alcohol and lipids. The second wave of changes included molecules involved in immune regulation, carbohydrate metabolism and kidney function. Molecules linked to skin and muscle ageing changed at both time points. Previous research suggested that a later spike in ageing may occur around the age of 78, but the latest study could not confirm this because the oldest participants were 75.
The pattern fits with previous evidence that the risk of many age-related diseases does not increase incrementally, with Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease risk showing a steep uptick after 60. It is also possible that some of the changes could be linked to lifestyle or behavioural factors. For instance, the change in alcohol metabolism could result from an uptick in consumption in people’s mid-40s, which can be a stressful period of life.
You've been warned.
FAKE FOLLOWERS AND REVIEWS ARE NOW ILLEGAL The Federal Trade Commission has passed a rule against buying bot farm followers to lie about your actual social media following. They are also banning fake reviews like those generated by AI. I have no clue how they are going to enforce this but we'll find out.
WANT TO STAVE OFF DEMENTIA? GET A PURPOSE This is a really cool study that should get us all thinking about our purpose after we retire. Too many people have tied their overall purpose to their work and when that goes away they have no idea where to hang their hats and that could actually lead to dementia and Alzheimers. Read more here.
THE TSA IS GIVING BOMBS TO HOMELESS PEOPLE Oh wait, my bad, they are just giving away all the products they take from travelers because they MIGHT be bombs. My bad.
ROSS AND I IN OUR THROWBACK CLOTHES That jacket is still super sharp and Ross's shirt could be worn today without the giant pocket on the front.
A CYBERSQUATTER STRIKES IT RICH WITH HARRISWALZ.COM This is kind of a cool story but I find cybersquatting to be super annoying. This guy bought up a bunch of domain names years ago and just sold HarrisWalz.com for 15k. Not to the Harris campaign, by the way.
THINGS THAT MAKE US FEEL OLD And YES TO EVERY ONE OF THESE. Those damn kids mumble mumble mumble.
THE ERA OF THE FREE RIDE IS OVER As more and more membership based companies from Costco to Netflix crack down on sharing with others who don't pay the fee. Read more here and get your own membership you dang freeloader.
THE WILL SMITH SLAP HELPED AN UNEXPECTED PERSON And Joe Rogan and Adam Sandler say it helped Chris Rock. They aren't wrong.
A HUSBAND TRIED TO GIVE PROPER NOTICE TO HIS WIFE But I don't think she bought it. Watch below or click here.
KAMALA HARRIS WAS FOR GRABBING TIPS BEFORE SHE STOLE TRUMP'S PLAN
IF YOU LOVE THE FAKE MOVIE THEATER "BUTTER" Watch below or click here.