⚱️ How CO’s funeral industry got so bad

🏈 Russell Wilson’s Last Ride

The Denver Broncos are parting ways with quarterback Russell Wilson, only 18 months after signing him to a five-year, $242 million contract. Wilson fell far short of the hopes Broncos fans had for him when he arrived in 2022, with his time here ending in an 11-19 record. The Broncos will face a record $85 million dead salary cap to release Wilson. [NFL]

🔎 Mistrust Brews Among Denver Court Employees

Denver County Court employees are raising a red flag after the city department allowed a court manager to quietly resign following an internal investigation. Allegations against the former employee include misuse of department funds, time and monetary fraud, and sexually explicit behavior in the workplace. Fellow employees say they didn’t speak up for fear of retaliation. [Denver Post 🔒]

🍎 Lawmakers Backpedal on ‘Healthy School Meals for All’

In 2022, Colorado voters approved the “Healthy School Meals for All” ballot measure that promised to expand the state’s free school lunch program, plus allocate funding to schools for the purchase of locally sourced food AND raise wages for cafeteria workers. But looking at the program now, lawmakers are saying there isn’t enough money for any of it. [CPR]

⚰️ How CO Got Away with Corpse Abuse for So Long

After several high-profile cases involving local funeral homes mishandling dead bodies made the news, legislators stepped in to tackle a deregulated industry. But how these businesses got away with such terrifying negligence is a deeper, more complicated story. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

WTF is Wrong With Colorado’s Funeral Industry?

Bodies left to decompose for years in a room temperature building; human remains found in an abandoned hearse; body parts being sold on the black market — this week, Colorado lawmakers stepped up to address these funeral home horror stories with new regulations. But what’s really going on behind the scenes at these mortuaries? We asked an expert.