🥛 Is there bird flu in your milk?

🦠🐄 A Case of Bird Flu Found in Local Cows

This month, state officials confirmed the first case of avian flu in a local dairy cattle herd. An outbreak of the disease has been creeping across the country since cases spiked in the spring of 2022. Up until now, it was mostly impacting wild birds and domestic poultry. This recent jump of the flu to cows has spurred concerns for the dairy industry at large, but FDA officials report that pasteurized commercial dairy products are safe to consume. [CPR]

📢 Auraria Leaders Comment on Protests

As the anti-war protest camp on the Auraria Campus continues to grow, the institution’s leaders assure they’re committed to maintaining an open dialogue with protesters, noting that law enforcement involvement should be “a last resort.” Meanwhile, students at CSU, UNC, and CU Boulder have begun organizing pro-Palestine demonstrations of their own. [Denverite]

• On the ground: Sara Martin, editor in chief of MSU Denver’s student-run newspaper, shares her latest, on-site reporting with us. [City Cast Denver 🎧]
• A rejected deal: Yesterday afternoon, Auraria officials offered to make a $15,000 donation to the Red Cross in Gaza if the encampment was taken down. Protesters declined. [Sara Martin on X]

🚓 Local Music Promoter Charged with Sexual Assault

Jay Bianchi — a local music promoter and former owner of a number of troubled jam band bars in Denver — has been formally charged with counts of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. The charges follow a three-year investigation that has led authorities to believe he may have even more victims. [Denver Post 🔒]

Last week photo: Sips (with a Z)

• This swanky cocktail lounge can be found inside Denver Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station. Referred to as the Executive Travel Lounge by the museum’s otherworldly “residents,” it’s the perfect rest stop “before, between, or after exploring the cosmic wonders of alternative universes.” The most common incorrect guess? Dazzle! Which is, indeed, equally swanky 😎🎷

🍸 An extra round for our correct guessers:

• Makayla L. was the first to write in with the correct answer!
• But Cheyenne M., Lisa M., Dan K., and Ben R. weren’t far behind!

This Week’s Photo:

🕵️ Do YOU know where to find this majestic beast of the sky? Be among the first to respond with the right answer and you’ll get a special shoutout in next Friday’s newsletter!

✨ Special thanks to reader Mary Lou W. for sending in the pic!

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

Campus Protest Impasse, Very Online Politicians, and a Hot Dog Bust

Palestinian solidarity protests roll into a second week on Auraria Campus as demonstrations spread to colleges across the state. Student journalist Sara Martin and political strategist and politics / green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval join to discuss the history of activism at Auraria and the current political situation, plus dig into legislative drama on X, the arrest of a local hot dog vendor, and more news of the week.