🎅 Where is Black Santa?

🏢 An Office Building Actually Converted to Housing

The Denver Housing Authority announced it has successfully remodeled a former medical office building into affordable housing. DHA purchased the building for $5 million from Denver Health in 2020 and converted the nine-story structure, located on the corner of Broadway Blvd. and 6th Avenue, into 96 units specifically for seniors and disabled residents. Move-ins began earlier this week. [Denverite]

• Related: What will happen downtown’s empty office buildings? [City Cast Denver 🎧]

🏛️ Democrats Booted off House Committee

Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie has removed Democratic State Representatives Elisabeth Epps and Bob Marshall from the House Judiciary Committee due to the “level of acrimony in the personal relationships” of the committee. Both Epps and Marshall have clashed with McCluskie on numerous occasions, including a now-settled lawsuit brought by both that accused the democratic speaker and Republican leadership of violating open meeting laws. [Colorado Sun]

🚌 Public Transit Recovery

Denver's public transit ridership is operating at 62% of pre-pandemic levels, based on September 2023 data compared to September 2019, according to the American Public Transportation Association. That’s lower than the 77% of pre-pandemic ridership nationally. [Axios Denver]

🎅 Community Pushes for Diverse Santas

A group of community leaders in Denver have signed a letter to Cherry Creek mall management asking the shopping center to provide more access to Black Santas next holiday season. The letter was written by former Denver Public Schools vice president Auon'tai Anderson, who expressed disappointment in the lack of representation for non-white Denverites wanting to experience Santa Claus, adding that, “[y]oung people should be able to see themselves represented in the diversity of the fictional characters they look up to.” [Westword]

🎧 Denver’s Biggest Win and Fail of the Year

With the first new mayor in 12 years, an NBA championship ring, and finally Casa Bonita open for business (sort of), there was a lot to celebrate in the Mile High this year. So what was Denver’s defining moment of 2023? And what about our biggest flop? Today on the show, the City Cast Denver crew casts their votes. [City Cast Denver]

Last week’s answer: World Taekwondo College

• Reader Marie M. says: “This is at Evans and Holly, above the now vacant Fireplace and Patio, which I believe is rumored to become a bookstore.” Yes, indeed, beloved local bookstore The Bookies will be moving in soon.
• And Anna B. adds: “It’s been there as long as I can remember (1990, 1991) we used to go to the post office across the street when I was little.” In fact, it’s been there since 1973, which is confirmed by the absence of an area code on the signage!

Hats off to our correct guessers:

• Nancy B. was the first to write in with the correct answer!
• But Marie M., Colette R., Lin S., Fran C., and Anna B. weren’t far behind!

This Week’s Photo:

🕵️ Peyton’s in New York right now, so she wanted to leave you all with this photo submitted by Hey Denver reader Tom G. Do YOU know where this mini Lady Liberty is? Be among the first to respond with the right answer and you’ll get a special shoutout in next Friday’s newsletter!

Why Aren’t Coloradans More Optimistic? Plus, Wins and Fails of the Year

A new poll suggests Coloradans are optimistic about Denver’s future. But it turns out that the less time you’ve lived here, the more likely you are to think things are going great. So what’s the deal with longtime residents’ negativity? Producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies are joined by regular faves Joshua Emerson and Justine Sandoval to dig into the data. Plus, it’s the end of the year and the crew is rounding up – and crowning – their biggest Rocky Mountain Highs and Lows of 2023. Will Casa Bonita 2.0’s rollout be a win or a fail? Tune in to find out!