Jewish community leaders on Monday reported healthy turnouts at holiday gatherings and more menorahs in windows than usual. Seldom have Jews felt a greater need for this eight-day religious celebration, said Dan Leshem, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, which represents 40 Jewish organizations in the state.

“We are in a very dark place and we need light, ” he said.

But the estimated 110,000 Coloradans who identify as Jewish also have braced against rising antisemitism and intense public criticism of Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Defense Forces launched the military campaign in Gaza after Hamas, which has been designated by the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organization, attacked Israelis on Oct. 7, killing an estimated 1,200 people. Hamas fighters also took about 240 hostages.

Now more than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed, many of them women and children, according to health officials in Gaza. The war has displaced 1.9 million Palestinians who live in Gaza — 85% of the population — prompting international calls for a cease-fire that the U.S. government has opposed. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Over the past two months, pro-Palestinian rallies on college campuses and in cities have left Jewish Americans in Colorado, including some who have ties to Israel, feeling insecure and targeted themselves, Jewish community leaders said. And as Hanukkah began, one rabbi said, many were reluctant to display candles in menorahs.

“What’s happening is that there’s been a bit of an erasure between what is Jewish and what is Israeli,” Leshem said. “People who want to protest Israel are not pausing to consider the distinctions. … These are Jewish-Americans.”

A spike in antisemitism has spread into schools. Leshem said his 10-year-old daughter, a fifth grader in Denver, suffered a verbal attack by a classmate who saw her drawing the Jewish Star of David in her notebook.

“A lot of the anti-Israel activists have wanted to say Jews are implicated because Jews support Israel,” Leshem said. “But, of course, Jews in this country — even Israelis in this country — do not influence the policy in Israel because they do not get to vote. A lot of Jews are saying: ‘We have never felt so unsafe.’ ”

There’s a diversity of opinion among American Jews regarding Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks. This month in Denver, Jewish Voice for Peace activists rallied in Denver, calling for a cease-fire as part of pro-Palestinian demonstrations targeting the Global Conference for Israel hosted in Denver.

Hanukkah as a holiday celebrates freedom from oppression. It marks the rededication around 165 B.C.E. of Judaism’s temple in Jerusalem after Jewish fighters liberated it from foreign occupiers. The fighters found a tiny supply of ritually purified oil in the temple and relied on it to light a menorah that miraculously kept burning for eight days.

During Hanukkah, which began Dec. 7, Jews gather on each of eight consecutive nights to light a candle in a menorah and remember that ancient heroism.

Security officials at synagogues around Colorado were anticipating possible protests, aware of public ceremonies canceled in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Toronto.

No events in Colorado have been canceled, said Scott Levin, director of the Rocky Mountain regional headquarters of the Anti-Defamation League, which combats antisemitism.

Hundreds gathered at the end of last week for Hanukkah first-night celebrations in Denver at Temple Sinai and Temple Emanuel — where Rabbi Emily Hyatt saw these as especially hard times. Jews in Colorado “are thinking about the war between Israel and Hamas and they are thinking about the rise of antisemitism here in the United States,” she said in an interview last week.

Many in the Jewish community are torn as they weigh whether to display menorahs in home windows, fearful of putting themselves at risk, she said. Infusing light into the community during a dark time of year lies at the core of Hanukkah.

“The whole Jewish community feels different right now — the way we are talking in the community, and what we are talking about. It is all framed with great worry and awareness that the world feels different,” said Hyatt, who also serves as president of the Rocky Mountain Rabbis and Cantors. “So many people have been injured, or worse, in Israel. We have hostages that still haven’t been released. That is top of mind, and everybody is thinking about security here.”

Around Colorado, the number of people contacting the Anti-Defamation League increased fourfold over the already-elevated level a year ago, submitting 10 to 15 reports a day earlier this month about incidents such as harassing calls to synagogues, Levin said. The number of reported incidents has decreased to about five per day this week, he said. Those include a report of swastikas scrawled in a Denver-area elementary school bathroom and the tearing down of a mezuzah — parchment that displays Hebrew verses from the Torah — from an apartment door.

The war has inflamed tensions. Nationwide, the number of antisemitic incidents documented between Oct. 7 and Dec. 7 reached 2,031, according to an ADL report released Monday. That’s more than quadruple the 465 recorded during the same period in 2022.

The new incidents included 1,411 “clearly linked to the Israel-Hamas war,” an ADL memo about the report said. Among the reported incidents were 40 physical assaults, 337 cases of vandalism, 749 incidents of verbal or written harassment, and 905 rallies where participants made antisemitic statements or called for terrorism against Israel.

Conflict over the war in Israel also was cited by the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a factor in a surge in reported bias incidents targeting Palestinians and Muslims in the United States.

In Colorado, some Jewish students have been hiding their identity, tucking necklaces inside their shirts, Levin said.

“The best thing people can do is still engage in their community and try to show confidence in themselves and their positions,” Levin said, acknowledging anxieties around displaying menorahs in windows. “I don’t think people should hide their identities. It is understandable why people are questioning it. You have got to be safe and secure in your home. But it is a great symbol to put in your window.”

At Temple Emanuel, Rabbi Hyatt said more community members are requesting consultations with her this year compared with the past. Religious matters are intertwined with conversations about Israel, where “the fate of the Palestinian people, and Gazans, is directly tied to Hamas more than anything else — a hard place for them to be,” she said.

“I feel a great sense of grief for what we have lost in Israel and for the continued war and pain and loss of life — loss of innocent life,” Hyatt said. “As humans, we are complex thinkers. We can deeply mourn the loss of all innocent lives. No one loves war. This is hard and painful and heartbreaking and challenging. We can love and support Israel and its right to exist and defend itself, without having to sign off on every decision the IDF makes,” she said, referring to the Israeli Defense Forces.

The public criticism of Israel’s war seems to have revived antisemitic tropes that, to Hyatt and other leaders, seemed deliberate. They arise from more than confusion or “a feeling of standing up for Palestinians” who are seen as “the underdog,” Hyatt said.

And Jews in Colorado, who often have stood with and marched with U.S. minority groups fighting for social justice, now feel abandoned and left out, she said.

“It is a mandate for us that we stand with other people who are fighting for rights, equality and the life they want to build,” Hyatt said. “But the Jewish community now wants to know: Where are our friends that we stood with? We feel pretty alone right now.”

Then the pandemic hit and the city, hoping to help restaurants struggling with social distancing, closed the street in front of her place.

Three years later, it’s still closed — much to Trillo’s chagrin.

She said blocking off the one-block stretch in RiNo may help the bars on the street, but it doesn’t help Heaven.

“If you’re going to come and buy ice cream, you do and leave or stay and eat it and leave,” she said. “But you don’t see them get another scoop of ice cream. When you go to a bar and get a beer, you get a second, third, fourth.”

Of the handful of stretches of road that Denver closed to vehicles during the pandemic, three remain. In addition to the RiNo block, there’s Larimer Square and Glenarm Place between 15th and 17th streets near Denver Pavilions Mall downtown.

The temporary street closure permits for the three are set to expire at the end of the year, but Denver is considering making the closures permanent, and the blocks will continue to be closed into the new year as long as there’s a pending application for permanence in.

The closure of Larimer in RiNo appears to be sparking the most controversy.

Heaven Creamery’s Trillo said she doesn’t need the street for seating; she’s got plenty inside and a patio out back.

“We understand that for other businesses it’s a good thing but we don’t have the exposure that we felt we had before,” she said.

Plus, she said, the block in front of her business hasn’t been physically transformed.

“If this was an amazing and beautiful concept, super attractive for everyone in the city …  I probably would be with it,” Trillo said. “But it’s not like that. There’s nothing special to come and see other than going bar to bar.

“But we’re not fighting too hard because at the same time, you don’t want to be fighting your neighbors.”

The potentially permanent street closure is being spearheaded by the RiNo Business Improvement District, with help from the RiNo Arts District.

Across the street from Heaven Creamery, Kraig Weaver owns The Block Distilling Co. at 2990 Larimer St. He said the closure was “instrumental” for him and other businesses. The distillery has a shipping container on the street that holds a handful of tables.

Without the closure, “We would be another street instead of having something unique that shows a collaborative effort between small businesses, land owners, the city as a whole and the neighborhood — that’s what makes it cool,” Weaver said.

He said he thinks keeping the block closed and investing money to spruce it up would not only be good for the neighborhood, but also help push Denver to become a more walkable and bikeable city. He said pro-closure business owners on the block recently created a nonprofit to fund improvements assuming the application is approved.

Other businesses on the block, such as Odell Brewing and Ratio Beerworks, previously told The Denver Post they also support keeping the block closed. Weaver acknowledged that not everybody is going to support it, but said he thinks closure benefits the entire community.

“Is this for the greater good? Is this overwhelmingly positive with a few small pain points for you personally, or for the community as a whole? What I’ve heard feels more like a personal issue,” he said.

Nancy Kuhn, spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said if approved, the RiNo BID will be able to renew the street closure permit annually for up to five years. After that, Denver will determine whether or not to permanently close the block.

One block away from the closure, at 3090 Larimer St., is Jerrod Rosen’s business Rye Society. He opened the Jewish deli in 2017, and said the pandemic made business “disappear,” but he now thinks the nearby closure is having a negative effect.

“We are on a block where the main street is Larimer, and people driving through can’t get to us,” Rosen said.

Rosen grew up in Boulder and said he would support something like the Pearl Street Mall, where a few blocks are closed to vehicular traffic, not just one.

“I love those guys down there,” Rosen said, referring to businesses on the closed block. “I have nothing against them and understand why they would want it closed but it seems like it’s to the benefit of a few businesses and not the whole community.”

Tai Beldock, who owns Erico Motorsports at 2855 Walnut St. as well as nearby real estate, said she doesn’t understand why business owners throughout the neighborhood are funding a project that doesn’t help the majority of RiNo.

“We’re paying thousands of dollars for a design that really only benefits three businesses,” Beldock said.

According to Sarah Cawrse, director of urban strategy and design for the RiNo Art District, the RiNo BID has $55,000 in the 2024 budget for Larimer street design, although it’s not yet known if those funds will be needed. Cawrse said the BID also funded “materials and effort needed to collect community feedback” this year.

While the block has roughly 13 businesses on it, only four were using the street for seating last week. Beldock has been advocating against the street closure for a while, and went to Denver City Council in November to ask councilors to vote against the RiNo BID budget, to no avail.

She also thinks the street closure is creating traffic issues in the neighborhood, which will only get worse when two large properties for sale nearby (the corner of 29th and Blake, and 29th and Walnut) get redeveloped.

“When those lots sell, they will go up five stories, become approximately 600 units, bring 1,200 additional people, a whole bunch of cars, and main arteries are blocked because of the street closure,” Beldock said.

Beldock, who’s been in the neighborhood since 1999, said ultimately the block closure doesn’t plan for the future.

“We’re not thinking of the big picture,” she said. “In the end, I get the sense the district is going to move forward, and it’s unfortunate.”

Tom Sprung owns a corner of 30th and Larimer opposite the closure, which houses a few tenants such as Oz Architecture and Arc Document Solutions, as well as his business Sprung Construction. He echoed Beldock’s concerns.

“There’s only three ways in and out – Blake, Walnut and Larimer,” he said. “We’re all about keeping the street active but we want to keep the traffic flowing.”

He said supply trucks for the restaurants on the closed off-block already clog the surrounding streets. And while he’s all for making the neighborhood more pedestrian- and bike- friendly, “you still need people driving for businesses to thrive,” he said.

Beldock and Sprung said they would be happy with some sort of compromise, like closing the block on weekends or leaving one lane open.

“It’s hurting our businesses, on either side, it’s hurting us terribly,” Sprung said.

Read more at our partner, BusinessDen.

Each year, the publication ranks its top 20 whiskeys of the year based on price, accessibility for buyers and, of course, taste, including scores from a blind panel of international judges.

Old Elk Distillery (253 Linden St., Fort Collins) made the list in 2023 with its Port Cask Finish straight bourbon. It ranked No. 15 out of 20 and received a score of 94 points (out of 100) from the tasting panel. Old Elk was the only local spirits maker on the list, which showcased liquors from a collection of whiskey heavyweights from Kentucky to Scotland and beyond.

“We are very proud to be recognized by Whisky Advocate for our Port Cask Finish Bourbon utilizing our high malt bourbon whiskey. The end product is the culmination of Old Elk’s desire to transcend the industry through innovation,” master distiller Greg Metze said by email. “The award is an honor and tribute to the passionate and skilled people that we have at Old Elk.”

What makes this recipe unique is the way it’s finished. Old Elk takes its straight bourbon and does a secondary aging for 10 months to one year in port wine barrels from Portugal, giving it ripe fruit notes against aromas of oak and sweet honey.

“The palate is redolent with spice and fruit, practically oozing with red berry compote, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and a bit of nuttiness,” Whisky Advocate noted. “Add water, and those chocolate and cinnamon notes become even more vibrant. On the finish, there’s candied sweetness and more spice, both also expanding delightfully with a dash of water.”

Old Elk Port Cask Finish bourbon retails for $90 per bottle. The distillery’s products are widely available at retail liquor stores across Colorado. Drinkers can also buy select bottles online at shop.oldelk.com.

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Fireworks are a quintessential New Year’s Eve event, whether your plans include a raucous party or a chill gathering of friends. Only a couple of cities on the Front Range will be hosting fireworks this year, so they are bound to be prime attractions.

Or you could head to the mountains where many towns will be shooting fireworks off early to accommodate kids (and the cold). Most include a torchlight parade, in which skiers carry flares for a spectacular visual effect as they come down the mountain.

Join us as we count down the 10 best places to see New Year’s Eve fireworks in Colorado.

Downtown Denver

The 16th Street Mall (1001 16th St., Denver) will be the epicenter of the Mile High City’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, with a free, outdoor block party featuring multiple fireworks shows. At 9 p.m. and midnight, fireworks will illuminate the skyline and DJs along the promenade will play a soundtrack to the 8-minute show. Live music will continue between displays, too, for NYE revelers in the area.

Find more information at denver.org/event/new-years-eve-fireworks/108069/.

Parker

Douglas County celebrates New Year’s Eve with a fireworks-inspired drone show at EchoPark Stadium (11901 Newlin Gulch Blvd., Parker) starting at 7 p.m. Attendees will be able to watch from the parking lot and because no food or drinks will be for sale, they can also bring their own.

Find more information at douglas.co.us/event/new-years-eve-drone-show/.

Keystone

The best spots for viewing Keystone Resort’s NYE fireworks display, which starts at 7 p.m., will be at the base of River Run Gondola and River Run Village (100 Dercum Square, Keystone). That is, unless you choose to go night skiing, in which case you can take in the spectacle from the slopes.

Find more information at keystoneresort.com/explore-the-resort/activities-and-events/events-calendar.aspx.

Copper Mountain

Skiers celebrating the end of the year with laps at Copper Mountain can join a party in the Center Village (206 Ten Mile Circle, Frisco) that kicks off with a torchlight parade at 6 p.m. and ends with fireworks at 10 p.m. A DJ will spin tunes as vendors sell food and drinks at this free, family-friendly event.

Find more information at coppercolorado.com/things-to-do/events/december-events/new-years-eve-2023.

Vail

The Vail Ski and Snowboard School kicks off the NYE fun with a torchlight parade down Golden Peak (75 S. Frontage Road, West Vail), followed by fireworks that will be visible throughout the mountain town. The parade starts at 6:15 p.m. and fireworks start at 6:25 p.m.

Find more information at discovervail.com/event/new-years-eve-torchlight-parade-fireworks/.

Beaver Creek

The Winter Circus comes to Beaver Creek Village (26 Avondale Lane, Avon) to add a little wonder to this New Year’s Eve. The party starts with a 6 p.m. “ski down” the mountain, during which 200 skiers equipped with glowsticks will traverse the slopes down to the base where aerialists, contortionists, jugglers, break dancers, and fire dancers will be performing. Enjoy food and drinks until fireworks go off over Beaver Creek Mountain at 10 p.m.

Find more information beavercreek.com/explore-the-resort/activities/beaver-creek-events.aspx.

Aspen

Fireworks will illuminate the sky over Aspen Mountain at 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Before the show, stop by the outdoor pedestrian mall in downtown (at the intersection of Mill Street and Cooper Avenue, Aspen) to enjoy music, firepits, hot chocolate and entertainment such as winter fairies and stilt walkers (noon to 3 p.m.). Or head to the Aspen Ice Garden and go ice skating for free from 3 to 6 p.m. (233 W. Hyman Ave., Aspen).

More information at aspenspecialevents.com/new-years-eve/.

Snowmass

So you’ve watched a torchlight parade, but have you ever participated in one? Snowmass invites intermediate skiers ages 8 and up to join its New Year’s Eve torchlight parade – no lift ticket required. The parade starts at 6 p.m. and cascades down Fanny Hill before a fireworks show at 10 p.m. To watch the festivities, head to the Snowmass Base Village (84 Carriage Way, Snowmass Village).

Find more information at gosnowmass.com/event/nye-torchlight-parade/.

Telluride

Dual torchlight parades will descend from the peak of Telluride Ski Resort down the mountains to the town center and to Mountain Village starting at 6:30 p.m. Fireworks follow the parades and visibility will be best from the Mountain Village core (670 Mountain Village Blvd., Mountain Village), which is also a public consumption area. That means you can grab a beer to-go from one of the bars to enjoy during the show.

Find more information at telluride.com/event/new-years-eve-torchlight-parade-fireworks/.

Steamboat Springs

Snowcats decorated with lights will help Steamboat Springs ring in 2024. The snowcat parade precedes a torchlight parade and fireworks to cap off the evening. The free event runs 5:30 to 6 p.m. at the base of the ski resort (2305 Mt. Werner Circle, Steamboat Springs).

Find more information at steamboat.com/things-to-do/events/new-years-eve-fireworks-and-light-up-snow-cat-parade.

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Typically, Olander would let the soil rest through the winter months, but in recent years he’s begun experimenting with new varieties of barley that have been specifically adapted to withstand cold temperatures. Growing in the winter means the crops will absorb precipitation through the spring, a vital advantage as weather in the Western U.S. continues to get hotter and drier.

As the proprietor of both Olander Farms and Root Shoot Malting, which supplies Colorado breweries and spirit makers with locally grown and malted grains, Olander has to innovate to sustain his family’s 97-year-old farm. About five years ago, he began taking proactive steps to prepare for what he expects to be the next big challenge: the water crisis.

That looming threat was enough to begin cultivating the winter-friendly Lightning, Thunder and Buck barley without yet having customers for them.

“I can see the writing on the wall just with everything going on with water in Colorado. There’s a possibility of a reduction in our allotment and also the possibility of not having runoff we typically see from snowpack,” Olander said. “That’s why I’m trying to be ahead of the game.”

As the Colorado River continues to dry, local barley growers and maltsters are seeking out creative solutions to sustain their businesses in the face of climate change. Some are embracing nontraditional and drought-resistant grains while others are investing in technology to become more efficient. Their innovations aim to reduce water usage and bring the supply chain for craft beer and spirits closer to home, in hopes of ultimately building a resilient ecosystem that supports farmers, brewers and distillers in Colorado.

In 2022, local farmers grew 4,440,000 bushels of barley, the sixth most in the nation, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. A large portion of that is purchased by Coors Brewing, which contracts with around 800 growers in the Western states and Canada, according to the company’s website.

But Colorado is also home to several craft malthouses that kiln and roast barley for smaller brewers and distillers to use in making beer and liquor. Still, buying local has yet to become the norm since craft malt usually fetches a premium price.

Brewer Eric Larkin has been working with Troubadour Maltings in Fort Collins to procure custom malts since he opened Cohesion Brewing Co. in Denver two years ago. It’s not the cheapest option, but it works because the brewery specializes in specialty Czech-style lagers.

Larkin’s other options would be to import malt from Europe or use European-style malts grown in the U.S. While sourcing local might present unique challenges, the benefits of keeping his dollars in the local economy outweigh any potential downfalls, Larkin said.

“Every crop I get from Troubadour, the malt changes and I have to make adjustments in the brewhouse,” he said, acknowledging it’s easier for a small operation that focuses on a limited portfolio of styles to do that. “Keeping your dollars with local and small producers, the impact it can have really multiplies. It stays a little closer to home. That idea has always been really valuable to me from an economic standpoint and environmental standpoint.”

Spreading the gospel of local grain

The nonprofit Colorado Grain Chain aims to spread that ethos more widely with a variety of projects that connect local producers and makers, and incentivize collaboration. For example, the organization is currently building a digital marketplace where farmers can connect with companies or entrepreneurs seeking to purchase locally-grown grains.

Project manager Lisa Boldt, who also co-owns Primitive Beer in Longmont, sees a unique opportunity to amplify the Grain Chain’s message in the beverage space. That’s why the organization recently offered $4,000 “microgrants” to brewers and distillers who used novel grains in a new product.

Cohesion and WeldWerks Brewing Co. in Greeley received one grant to team up on a special release, Foamies Czech-style pale lager, using custom malts from Troubadour. The beer debuted in August and a second batch is due for release in November.

WildEdge Brewing Collective in Cortez earned a grant to experiment with a Munich wheat from Root Shoot Malting, with which it created a Dunkelweizen-inspired beer called From the Fields. Steamboat Springs’ Routt Distillery, another grant recipient, leveraged a trial batch of barley grown in Montrose by Proximity Malts for its new West Slope Sarvis Gin, which also features locally foraged sarvisberries.

Perhaps the most intriguing microgrant project came from Dune Valley Distillery in Mosca, which will release a vodka made from quinoa in January. The distillery, which opened this summer in the historic Mosca Community Hall and Gymnasium, shares a campus with a local food hub and a potato and quinoa processing plant. It specializes in making potato vodka specifically because of the resources at its disposal, said managing partner Nicholas Chambers.

“The local food approach is that you learn to consume what’s grown right near you,” Chambers said. “We are at literally the center of North American quinoa right here. It’s such a good crop for us because of low water use and it fits with our valley.”

Reducing water usage

One underutilized opportunity Audrey Paugh, marketing and networking specialist at the Grain Chain, sees for beverages is in millet. Colorado is the country’s top producer of proso millet, a gluten-free and drought-tolerant ancient grain. The state is also home to Grouse Malt House, one of the few U.S. maltsters dedicated to gluten-free grains.

Twila Soles founded the company with her late partner in 2013 after years of having celiac disease and being dissatisfied with gluten-free beer options. Malting even gluten-free grains requires a lot of water. Recently, Soles upgraded her system to include a steep tank that uses up to 40% less water than her original equipment.

Soles sources most of her grains within 200 miles of the malting facility in Wellington and has seen her producers weather unpredictable and sometimes devastating growing seasons.

“Using a crop (such as millet) that takes less water to thrive is important now and will be even more important as climate change continues to impact weather patterns,” said Soles, whose biggest Colorado client is the gluten-free Holidaily Brewing Co. “I’m hopeful that the use of more drought-tolerant crops for craft beer grows.”

In Alamosa, Jason Cody knows the value of diversifying crops and revenue streams. Cody saw firsthand the desire for local, craft malts when he opened Colorado Malting Co. in 2008. At one point, Cody had more than 100 breweries waiting for the opportunity to buy his products. The venture saved his family farm, which first began growing barley for Coors in the 1990s.

But business has slowed amid economic pressures and larger companies cashing in on demand for cost-effective malts. So these days he focuses on serving a niche base of distillers and brewers.

Water usage is always top of mind for Cody, who manages the 300-acre farm his ancestors purchased nearly a century ago. In 2018, Cody began making original beers at his Colorado Farm Brewery, which highlights sustainable practices from grain to glass. He grows and malts his own grains, uses an original strain of yeast and recycles all the water from the brewing process to irrigate his farm.

“Every single gallon of water we use in the brewery that goes down the drain, goes out to the center pivot irrigation sprinklers and is injected into the line that the sprinkler is running on,” Cody said.

An added bonus: The brewery’s wastewater repeatedly tests high in nitrogen, sulfur, potassium and other compounds that reinvigorate soil, so he needs fewer fertilizers to keep the ground healthy.

Back in Berthoud, Olander has yet to malt last year’s winter crop, so he doesn’t know what it tastes like or if brewers will be interested in using it. Olander is hopeful Lightning in particular will be an apt pilsner-style product and catch on, but he’s not waiting for feedback to continue his experiment.

Last year, he planted 15 acres of Thunder, 15 acres of Lightning and seven acres of Kernza. This year, he planted 20 acres of Lightning and 10 acres of Buck.

“We decided, let’s roll the dice and go with Lightning,” he said. “Hopefully winter treats everything well and they’ll survive.”

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On Monday, the Denver City Council approved a contract that will allow an airport concessionaire to open a Fat Sully’s Pizza restaurant inside Concourse A.

Known for its ginormous New York-style pies, Fat Sully’s is owned by the Atomic Provisions group, which also owns Denver Biscuit Co. and Atomic Cowboy. Airport concessionaire FM Juice Company will operate the pizza shop under the Fat Sully’s name. (All of DIA’s branded concessions, from Tattered Cover to Great Divide Brewing, do business this way.)

The restaurant group declined a request for comment.

The city council also approved a second Chick-fil-A and a second Shake Shack in Concourse A. Both Chick-fil-A and Shake Shack opened their first DIA locations in Concourse B.

Atomic Provisions, owned by former CU Buffs football player Drew Shader, boasts seven Colorado locations with all three restaurant brands, including the newest, which opened this fall, in Golden, and two locations in Kansas City.

Other local businesses with their names at the airport include: Snooze, Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli, New Belgium Brewing, Smashburger, Elway’s, Etai’s, Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs, Boulder Beer Tap House, and Mercantile Dining & Provisions.

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Through a lawsuit filed in federal district court Monday, the industry organizations are seeking a court order to delay the release of gray wolves into Colorado by Dec. 31, a deadline required by the state’s Gray Wolf Introduction Initiative narrowly approved by voters in 2020.

The complaint alleges the two agencies violated the National Environmental Policy Act by not conducting an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement on the “environmental consequences of reintroducing gray wolves to Colorado.”

Previous environmental impact studies released this fall did not address those issues, the lawsuit states.

The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, which represents 6,000 members, has long opposed the ballot measure to reintroduce gray wolves, with officials describing it as a threat to humans, domestic pets, livestock and wildlife.

Under the state’s reintroduction plan, up to 10 wolves will be brought to Colorado from Oregon by plane or truck and released in Summit, Eagle or Grand counties by the end of the year, where they will likely disperse by up to 70 miles.

The agency plans to bring up to 50 more wolves to Colorado over the next five years.

But despite years of planning and development, state and federal wildlife officials did not take the required steps to analyze the impact of gray wolf reintroduction as required under the National Environmental Policy Act, the lawsuit alleges.

In a statement, Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association President Andy Spann said concerns raised by the group during the reintroduction plan’s development were not sufficiently resolved.

“We believe that much of our input, and that of many others across Western Colorado, was diminished by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission,” Spann said. “We regret that a course of litigation on this and other issues seems to be the only recourse left to have these concerns legitimately addressed.”

The lawsuit seeks a declaratory judgment that the federal and state wildlife agencies violated the law by renewing an Endangered Species Act agreement without preparing an environmental impact statement on the reintroduction of gray wolves and a court order to delay reintroduction until it is complete.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials could not be reached for comment late Monday night.

This is a developing story and may be updated. 

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The council unanimously supported applying the pack of new rules, collectively known by the active centers and corridors design overlay, to a stretch of Colfax that by 2027 is slated to be home to Denver’s first bus rapid transit line.

That transportation system is designed to use dedicated bus lanes and high-frequency, quick-boarding buses to transform the way people move along East Colfax. The design rules stand to change what the street offers to people walking and rolling along its sidewalks.

The rules will apply to all new buildings within two blocks of a planned bus rapid transit, or BRT, station between Sherman and Yosemite streets. Not only will projects in those areas be required to feature an active, non-residential use on at least a portion of the ground floors, they will also have to be set back at least two feet farther from the street to widen sidewalks.

“This overlay is not just as a zoning change, this really signals the beginning of an investment in the future of our city and the Colfax corridor,” Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer, one of the measure’s co-sponsors of the zoning change, said. “It really underscores our commitment to creating a vibrant and walkable neighborhood that is unique to the city of Denver.”

Sawyer represents east Denver’s District 5, one of four council districts that will have properties impacted by this change. The rules were now applied to every property along the 5 miles to allow for some larger housing developments to pop up, she said. Residential density will be needed to feed the new businesses city leaders hope will populate the new ground floor spaces.

Denver resident Robin Rothman was among a trio of Denver residents who spoke against the design overlay Monday, saying it did not go far enough because fast food drive-thru restaurants could still develop along portions of Colfax. She noted a Jack in the Box restaurant is being planned for the corner of Colfax and Williams Street, a property not covered by the rules changes.

“Businesses like fast food operators, banks and gas stations have overcome far more onerous requirements than what (the zoning overlay) asks for and the result has health consequences,” she said, pointing to unhealthy food choices and air pollution for idling cars.

Councilman Chris Hinds, the measure’s other co-sponsor, said that while he favors regulations that tip the scale more toward pedestrians and road users other than cars, he felt the design overlay stuck a balance.

Twelve projects already in the planning stages are exempt from the rules, senior city planner Libbie Glick said Monday, but the rest of the properties in the ordinance are now subject to the requirements.

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Phillip Lieurance, a 36-year-old man from Emporia, Kansas, will face one charge of second-degree murder and two charges of tampering with a dead body in the deaths of Linda Estrada, 44, and Amy Ford, 39, when he returns to Colorado, according to a Kiowa County arrest affidavit.

Lieurance is detained in the Lyons County Jail in Kansas on charges unrelated to the Colorado homicides, including vehicular assault and other traffic violations.

Kiowa County sheriff’s deputies issued an arrest warrant for Lieurance in connection with the deaths of the Kansas women after their remains were found by law enforcement in rural eastern Colorado on Sept. 20.

Lieurance told Kiowa County deputies that the two women had gotten into a fight in his vehicle while he was driving on Interstate 70, and he pulled off the road when it escalated to punches being thrown, the affidavit stated.

According to the affidavit, Lieurance told Kiowa County deputies that the two women got out of the truck and Ford picked up a rock and hit Estrada in the head with it. Lieurance claimed that he ran into Ford with his truck to try and break up the fight, hitting her with the front driver’s side of the vehicle.

Lieurance then moved the two bodies to a remote area to hide them from law enforcement, the arrest affidavit stated.

The two women were reported missing in Kansas on Sept. 11, and on Sept. 16, Kansas officials reached out to the Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office to open up a multi-state missing persons investigation.

Lieurance had been arrested returning to Emporia on Sept. 10 when he intentionally rammed into multiple cars on the road and was taken into custody by the Lyons County Sheriff’s Office in Kansas, according to the arrest affidavit.

When Emporia officers towed Lieurance’s car after his arrest, they noticed what looked like blood stains on the center console, passenger seat and rear area of the car, the arrest affidavit stated.

After finding knives, needles and two cellphones in the car, Kansas officials were worried Lieurance had dumped the women’s bodies and traced the phones’ movement back to Kiowa County using cellular data and security videos, according to the affidavit.

According to a search warrant from the Emporia Police Department, Ford called 911 from a gas station in Denver, claiming that Lieurance had made threats to kill her and Estrada, and threatened them with a knife. By the time Denver police arrived, Ford was gone.

Investigators from the Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office also noted a hang-up 911 call that the sheriff’s office received Sept. 10 in the arrest affidavit. During the initial call, dispatchers could hear a female voice saying something about 911 and screaming in distress.

According to the affidavit, when the phone call disconnected, a 911 dispatcher attempted to call the number back, but a male voice answered. He claimed everything was fine, but refused to give a name or address before hanging up. Dispatchers were unable to reach anyone at that number again.

Lieurance confessed to at least one homicide during a Sept. 18 interview with Kansas officers, telling police they would find the bodies southwest of Eads next to a cow pond, the arrest affidavit stated.

The following morning, Deputy Avery Snover with the Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office gathered a search party to begin looking for the two women in the area Lieurance described, but deputies were unable to find anything, according to the affidavit. Later that day, Lieurance told Emporia detectives that he wanted to voluntarily show Colorado law enforcement where the bodies were.

On Sept. 20, Lieurance arrived in Colorado under a police escort and led officers to the women’s bodies.

Lieurance has not been officially charged by the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Colorado as the case remains under investigation, a spokesperson for the department said Monday. He is awaiting a Jan. 19 sentencing hearing for his charges in Kansas.

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A registered nurse at the hospital who is pursuing a master’s degree in a behavioral health field said she can’t apply for financial aid before the next semester starts in January. While Children’s will still pay employees up to $5,250 a year for tuition, that won’t cover the full cost of her program, which the hospital previously had paid in full, she said.

“They gave us about a one-month notice,” said the nurse, who spoke to The Denver Post on the condition of anonymity over fears she could lose her job. “A lot of us don’t have five, six grand saved to pay for our next term.”

Children’s contracted with a third party to fully pay for some degree programs and partially cover others. The programs the hospital chose weren’t necessarily the cheapest ones, the nurse said, and she doesn’t think she can transfer to a less-expensive school two years into her degree.

Leila Roche, a spokeswoman for Children’s, said when the Aurora hospital conducted its annual benefits assessment, it found that far more people than anticipated had used the full-tuition option. She said the hospital has paid about $11 million for tuition since May 2022.

“This was a very difficult decision and one we did not make without serious consideration of various options,” she said. “Children’s Colorado remains dedicated to making a significant annual investment in this benefit and the education of more than 1,000 team members.”

The nurse said the financial blow of having to pay tuition next year was stacked on top of a sudden notice that she would have to pay taxes on this year’s tuition, which wasn’t clear when she signed up for the program. Children’s deducted it from her checks in December, rather than spreading it out over the full year, which would have been easier to manage, she said.

“I wasn’t able to pay rent this month, so I’m going into more credit card debt for that,” she said.

The Internal Revenue Service requires employees who receive more than $5,250 in tuition reimbursement to pay taxes on the amount above that threshold. In Colorado, the rate comes out to about 34% after including federal, state, Social Security and Medicare taxes.

A behavioral health specialist who is pursuing a degree in counseling said he managed to stay afloat on smaller checks after taxes, but this month wiped out his emergency savings. He plans to take a semester off to assess his finances and look at transferring to a different school, because he can’t afford to cover the tuition balance at Regis University.

People working in behavioral health already feel unappreciated and aren’t paid well, said the specialist, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was worried about retaliation. Full tuition coverage gave him a chance to build a career in the field without adding to his existing student loan debt, he said.

“I felt like, for the first time, my future was laid out in front of me and goals were achievable,” he said. “My life has got completely turned upside down in a matter of days.”

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