Leading Dem admits alcoholism

👀 Local Lawmaker Admits Alcoholism

A top Colorado Democrat, Faith Winter, has announced she is seeking medical treatment for alcoholism. Winter issued the news along with an apology the morning after she showed up, apparently intoxicated, to a community meeting in Northglenn. Following the incident, the Broomfield-based lawmaker has decided to step down from her role as chair of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee. [CO Sun]

💵 The Cost of House1000

According to a briefing earlier this week, the city’s 2023 homelessness initiative left about $36 million of its $46 million budget unspent. Officials say that’s because most of the programs and acquisitions didn’t happen until the tail end of the year. They expect to spend the leftover money this year, plus all of the $39 million 2024 budget. [Denverite]

⛳ The Latest on the Park Hill Golf Course

Following months of confusing and contentious campaigning, Denver voters rejected a proposed redevelopment of the defunct 18-hole Park Hill Golf Course last April, hoping to see the land preserved as a park. Now more than a year later, the greenspace has sat untouched and unmaintained, and the advocacy group leading the push for preservation wants to know why. [Denver7]

🐺 Wolf Attack Confirmed

Officials have confirmed that the death of a calf on a ranch in Grand County was the result of an attack by one of the 10 gray wolves released into the wilderness by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in December. This is the first confirmed attack since the release, which was part of a highly controversial voter-approved wolf reintroduction effort. The rancher who owned the dead calf is eligible for “fair-market” compensation from the state. [Denver Post]

• Why it matters: Attacks on livestock are exactly why the reintroduction plan was so staunchly contested by most Colorado ranchers and farmers. We examined the proposal from all sides. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

Last week’s answer: Second Star to the Right, 1455 S Pearl St.

• This local woman-owned children’s and young adult bookstore in Denver’s Platt Park neighborhood stocks its shelves with a vast array of genres from picture books and young fiction novels to parenting literature and Spanish reading. The shop also hosts regular book clubs, author meet-and-greets, and unique community gatherings like family yoga and drag queen storytime.

👏 Big claps for our correct guessers:

• Denise B. was the first to write in with the correct answer!
• But Kelsey C. wasn’t far behind!

This Week’s Photo:

🕵️ I’m dreaming of summer fun, and this is where I want to be. Do YOU know where to find this charming little ticket booth? Be among the first to respond with the right answer and you’ll get a special shoutout in next Friday’s newsletter!

📸 Want to submit a photo? Send me a snapshot of somewhere in Denver, and I’ll consider it for an upcoming photo trivia segment!

Wage Theft Hypocrisy, Breweries Keep Closing, and ‘Love Is Blind’ Sightings

The Denver auditor’s office has been taking on wage theft across the city, winning more than $2 million back for hourly workers. As state lawmakers also work to address the issue, one legislator finds herself on the wrong side of things. We dig into these stories, plus brewery closures, Chauncey Billups, bad landlords, and more news from around the city.