Hello Bucket Listers! We hope you had a great week and are looking forward to a fabulous Labor Day. Before you kick into long weekend mode, make sure to contribute to our Back to School fundraiser. Readers have been reaching out to tell us why our reporting is important to them, which you can learn more about in a feature by our publisher, Vicky Collins. This week, our journalists covered a variety of stories from the Denver community, including student career programs, city projects, Latina businesses and protests against Palantir. Get to know more about the story and what is going on around your community below. Happy reading!
Denver Residents Say Palantir Is “Not Welcome Here”
Last Wednesday, a crowd gathered at the intersection of 16th and Lawrence to express their dissatisfaction with The Tabor Center, the headquarters of tech behemoth Palantir. The protestors believe Palantir is a company that Colorado should not be associated with; however, they have been one of the federal government’s largest clients since 2011, making it unlikely that they will leave anytime soon. Our Cassis Tingley discusses the company, its impact in Colorado and what protestors hope to change.
Who Benefits From Businesses Getting $100M From the City
The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Board recently approved $100 million in funding for housing, business, redevelopment and park projects in downtown Denver. This included funding for the Denver Immersive Repertory Theater, converting the historic University Building into residences and improving public spaces such as Skyline Park and the McNichols Building. In an engaging feature, Dylan Barbee spoke with organizations and addressed criticism about how the DDA intends to make downtown more vibrant through small businesses.
The Latina Owned Collective is Making Business More Equitable
Victoria Garcia founded The Latina Owned Collective (LOC) to address the financial inequality and challenges faced by Latina entrepreneurs in starting their businesses. Through events, mixers, and workshops, LOC has become a hub for women to network and build businesses. We get the full picture as Diego Simental interviews the founder and members of this Latina organization to learn how it is making a difference.
Brighton’s CTE Program Sets Students Up for Success
As the new school year begins, Brighton enters the third year of its CTE (Career and Technical Education) program. This “real-world” program offers numerous courses such as agriculture, audio/video production, computer science and engineering, designed to give students relevant experience for future jobs. Learn more about the program in Daniel Montoya’s story that features interviews with the CTE director, school administration and multiple students.
Stuff We Noticed
Mayor Mike Johnston Got Real in a Reddit AMA. About a week after Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration eliminated over 900 jobs, he hosted a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) to allow citizens to ask him questions. Recurring topics included the layoffs, Trump’s national guard threat, construction and the Broncos stadium. Johnston answered as many of these questions as he could in an hour-long conversation, but many residents continue to believe that there is no action plan in place to address their concerns, and it felt like “pure PR talk.”
Denver Countersues Trump Over Sanctuary City Status. “The federal government will not be successful in bullying Denver,” stated Mayor Mike Johnston when filing a countersuit against the DOJ. The initial lawsuit filed in May claimed that Denver’s long-standing “sanctuary laws” have interfered with the federal government’s immigration enforcement. Even though the Trump administration is withholding funds over these issues, Johnston says the city hasn’t violated any federal statutes and won’t be “backing down from this meritless lawsuit.”
Governor Polis Wants to Officiate Taylor & Travis’ Wedding. In addition to being known as a politician, Governor Jared Polis is a proud and loud Swiftie. After Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift announced their engagement, he congratulated them on Twitter with a post full of references to Swift’s music and suggested a “Rocky Mountain” wedding with him as the officiant. Hey, maybe it will happen “in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha,” Governor Polis.
Thank you for reading what our journalists worked on this week. Before you leave, please contribute to our Back to School fundraiser. Bucket List is community-supported, and we need your help to keep this going and continue mentoring the next generation of journalists who serve you with free hyperlocal neighborly news. We hope you have a wonderful weekend. See you soon, Bucket Listers!
Warmest Regards,
Kathryn Cronin
Editorial Intern/Bucket List Community News
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