Denver’s Latest Strategy to Kill the Denver 420 Rally

Organizers of the Denver 420 Rally have been prohibited from applying for a Denver event permit for three years as a result of complaints about security and cleanup issues at this year’s edition, and their priority status with the city was rescinded. Attorney Rob Corry, representing lead planner Miguel Lopez and his team, will formally appeal the decision at a hearing scheduled at 9 a.m. today, Tuesday, September 19, and he says the city’s pre-hearing statement, accessible below, includes a new and suspect tactic to justify actions that he sees as totally unreasonable.

Denver Vape and Play Hopes to Be Denver’s First Pot Lounge

The City of Denver started accepting applications for social cannabis consumption areas in August, but no businesses have officially applied for a license yet. That may change soon, however, now that a group of three local entrepreneurs announced their plan for brand new cannabis vaping lounge – once they find a location.

I-70 Expansion Foes Seek to Halt Stormwater Project

Opponents of the expansion of I-70 through northeast Denver have filed a motion in federal court seeking to halt any further action on the $1.8 billion project by the Colorado Department of Transportation — as well as any further construction work on a series of stormwater diversion measures undertaken by the City of Denver.

“Secretariat Was a Ham”: Remembering Penny Chenery, Famed Horse’s Owner

Penny Chenery, who owned Secretariat, a horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973, died Saturday in Boulder at age 95. She’s being remembered as an ambassador for the sport, which she helped promote long after her most famous thoroughbred retired from the track, notably by way of the 2010’s Secretariat, a Disney film in which she was portrayed by Diane Lane and made a cameo appearance.

Mile High-Five! Inside the Stadium for Broncos’ Ass-Whupping of the Cowboys

As we noted in our post about the top tweets tweaking Cowboys fans after Denver dismantled Dallas 42-17, the stands at Mile High Stadium definitely weren’t pure orange during the game yesterday, September 17. Cowboys boosters in the thousands turned out to witness their heroes get their ten-gallon hats handed to them by an inspired Broncos defense that rendered star running back Ezekiel Elliott impotent and a Trevor Siemian-led offense whose efficiency and effectiveness definitely raised expectations for the still-young season. The photos shared here, mostly captured by Lora Roberts, my daughter, provide a Snap-story-like look at the thrilling scene.

Denver Animal Group’s “Rescue” of 3 Chickens Causes Social-Media Frenzy

Yesterday, September 17, Denver Baby Animal Save posted a Facebook video detailing what the activist group characterizes as the rescue of three chickens from a local business identified elsewhere online as Long Shadow Farm in Berthoud. The clip, on view below, has resulted in an explosion of responses on social media, prompting a debate about whether this action constituted a bold gesture on behalf of respect for all living creatures or criminal behavior.

Top 20 Tweets to Annoying Dallas Cowboys Fans After Broncos’ Big Win

The Denver Broncos’ 42-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, September 17, has to be one of the most satisfying victories for the squad since Peyton Manning hung up his spurs. After all, perhaps as much as 30 percent of the sold-out crowd at Mile High Stadium yesterday was decked out in Cowboys regalia, and many of those in attendance lived up to Dallas fans’ rep for being the NFL’s most annoying. They were plenty boastful before the kickoff and mighty humble after the final whistle.

State, Stakeholders Discuss New Marijuana Research Licenses

Expected to take effect in 2018, a new Colorado program will handle state-approved research and development licenses for medical marijuana. But even though the bill passed months ago, its statutory language is still getting tweaked, and there may be revisions next legislative session.

Transgender Employee Fired by VA Hospital Contests Decision

Her supporters at the Denver Veterans Medical Center came in droves after Rachel Irwin, a transgender employee, was fired from her job as a graveyard custodian for “inappropriate conduct and unwelcomed comments, containing sexual overtures, toward a coworker,” according to a letter she received from the hospital’s human resources department.

Stephen Hamper’s Alleged War on Cops Continues — Times Three

Earlier this year, Stephen Hamper was found guilty on multiple counts in the beating of a Denver police officer who he said he would have killed if only he’d been able to get hold of her gun. Since that ruling, he’s allegedly attacked two more law enforcers while in custody awaiting a hearing to determine if he’s a habitual criminal.

Denver Is Bitterly Divided Over New Immigration Bill

Immigration enforcement is an especially contentious issue right now, and it should come as no surprise that Denver’s recent decision to pass an ordinance that limits the city’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement has divided Denver residents.

The Politics of Defending the Sex-Offender Registry

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Matsch recently ruled that Colorado’s sex-offender registry violates the due-process rights of three plaintiffs, thereby amounting to cruel and unusual punishment. Boulder attorney Alison Ruttenberg, who’s kept the case going for the past four years, lauded this decision because it acknowledged that treating every person on the registry like a violent child predator was patently unfair. But she’s not surprised Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has announced her intention to appeal the decision, especially given rumors that she’s weighing a run for Colorado governor in 2018.