Ten Cities That Sent the Most Transplants to Denver

Denver continues to grow at a crazy pace, with transplants aplenty causing the city’s population to swell. Now, a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data reveals the ten cities that have contributed the most new Denverites in recent years. And while many of them are major metropolises from across the country, the top of the roster is dominated by communities in Colorado.

Vail Resorts’ Affordable-Housing Proposal for Employees Draws Ire

A proposal put forth by Vail Resorts to build affordable housing for its employees got the first green light from Town Council on Tuesday, September 19, while residents and business leaders raised broader concerns over the inability of many workers to live and work in the Vail Valley — amounting to a heated council meeting.

The Green Solution Story: Kyle Speidell on How His Family Went to Pot

Today, The Green Solution is one of Colorado’s largest marijuana dispensary chains, and it’s expanded into four other states so far, with big plans for future growth. But co-founder and CEO Kyle Speidell, who recently spoke to us about the launch of Blazin’ Hit Radio, the ambitious new online home of former KS 107.5 favorites Larry and Kathie J, who are hosting a welcome-back party for listeners on Friday, September 22 (details below), notes that TGS is, at its heart, a family affair. Indeed, he and his three brothers have helped develop the operation over the past seven years into what seems poised to become a signature cannabis business from coast to coast.

Why Denver Is One of the Riskiest Places for Natural-Hazards Housing Damage

Given the horrific damage wreaked upon Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico by recent hurricanes, those of us who reside in Colorado may think we’re relatively safe from Mother Nature at her most extreme compared to most places in the country. But a new study suggests that we’re living in a dream world. The figures show that five counties in Colorado, mostly along the urban corridor, are at very high risk of housing damage from natural hazards, with Denver listed as the sixth most imperiled major city in the country by this standard.

The Happy Stranger Who Killed Himself

Colorado has the ninth highest suicide rate in the United States, with approximately twenty out of every 100,000 people in the state ending their own lives annually. Yet somehow, it’s always a shock when someone we know takes this drastic step. Or in my case yesterday, shortly after the end of National Suicide Prevention Week, someone I barely knew: a young man who made my life, and the lives of many others in my neighborhood, better simply because of his presence.

Why One Colorado County Took Its Sex-Offender List Offline

Montrose County, on Colorado’s Western Slope, has pulled its sex offender list offline, reportedly because of a recent court ruling in which U.S. District Court Judge Richard Matsch found that such registries constituted cruel and unusual punishment in the case of three plaintiffs. The action was taken despite the fact that the ruling is specific to the complainants in question, rather than everyone on the roster, and Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has announced her intention to appeal.

Eric Ashby Disappearance: “How to Get Away With Murder Legally”

At this writing, human remains found in Fremont County have yet to be officially identified as Eric Ashby, who vanished June 28 while searching for a $2 million treasure allegedly hidden by author Forrest Fenn. But his presumed death has inspired separate efforts to create “Eric’s Law,” a proposal intended to address individuals who don’t try to offer assistance to those in life-threatening situations, including four people who allegedly stood idly by as Ashby went under the surface of the Arkansas River for the last time.

New Shooting Shows Gentrification Hasn’t Stopped Violence Near RiNo

Just shy of 4:30 a.m. today, September 20, the Denver Police Department tweeted about a shooting near the intersection of 31st and Marion Street. The condition of the victim, who was transported to a local hospital after reportedly being found in a car, isn’t known at this time. But the incident is one more indication that gentrification in the RiNo, Cole and Whittier neighborhoods hasn’t stopped the violence that has afflicted the area in the recent past.

Why Colorado Tokers Love Toxic Kool Aid

Toxic Kool Aid, a strain popping up in a handful of dispensaries around Denver, could create its own cult. A cross between Amnesia Haze and the White, Toxic Kool Aid’s high THC content and Haze influence create one of the most absentminded highs we’ve ever experienced.

Phoenix New Times Blows the Lid Off ICE

A tip and a year’s worth of reporting later, Westword‘s sister paper the Phoenix New Times caught the nation’s attention when it published a story on September 13 detailing two Phoenix-area Motel 6s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Chicken “Rescue” Involved Awful Music, Lying to 8-Year-Old, Farm Owner Says

On Sunday, September 17, as we’ve reported, the local animal activist group Denver Baby Animal Save posted a video about what it characterizes as a rescue of three chickens from Long Shadow Farm in Berthoud. Larry and Kristin Ramey, the co-owners of the farm, call it something else: theft that involved a demonstration they believe was staged as a diversion, “terrible” music, undercover operatives, lies and taking advantage of an eight-year-old.

Fighting Back Against Plan to Trash Campus Sexual-Assault Rules

Controversial Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has called for sweeping changes in how sexual assault accusations are handled on college campuses. Now, against the backdrop of numerous lawsuits filed against universities in Colorado on behalf of men accused in such cases, who maintain that the process treats them unfairly, a group of officials, including many affiliated with colleges in the state, have combined forces to argue in favor a more thoughtful approach to the issue.