🔥 Bougie MAGA Bodega sparks uproar

🔥 Is Denver Turning On Mayor Mike?

Another elected official — Clerk and Recorder Paul Lopéz — is speaking out against Mayor Mike Johnston’s handling of 169 layoffs this week. He accused the mayor of “cowardice,” but how do Denver voters feel about the escalating drama? [City Cast Denver 🎧]

• Related: In light of the layoffs, Denver City Council has postponed the “professional development and team-building” retreat in the mountains it had planned for this month. The trip was estimated to cost about $26,000. It’s unclear if the city will be able to recoup any of the money spent. [Denver7]

🌶️ Bougie Bodega or MAGA Mercantile?

Town Pump Provisions, a new convenience store/cafe in Cherry Creek that brands itself as a neighborhood “bodega,” is stirring up a social media firestorm after a local TikToker outed the store’s owner as a “MAGA Republican.” When Denverites took to socials and Google Reviews to blast the shop, the business clapped back. [TikTok]

⚖️ City, State Defend Friendly Immigration Policies

City and state officials recently informed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi that they will be defying her order to repeal local policies restricting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement — even under the threat of prosecution. [Denver Post 🔒]

• What they’re saying: A spokesperson for the Gov. Jared Polis said the governor encourages Congress to focus on “real immigration reform.” A spokesperson for the city said, “Denver is not going to be bullied.”

🚻 East High Debuts Second All-Gender Restroom

East High School has converted a former boys restroom into a gender-neutral one. The school is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for a civil rights violation after it converted a girls restroom in January. The DOE claimed that female students had one less restroom than their male counterparts. DPS says the new converted boys’ restroom voids the issue. [Chalkbeat]

Last week’s answer: This is the hidden passageway behind East Colfax’s premier destination for the odd and unusual: The Learned Lemur. It’s where you’ll find monthly performances by The Conspiracy Circus, “Colorado’s longest running sideshow,” featuring contortionists, fire twirlers, jugglers, feats of strength, and other acts of “unruly nonsense.”

In a moment of Friday Trivia Photo rarity, nobody got this one right! Y’all gotta spend more time getting ~weird~ on Colfax 😉

This Week’s Photo:

🕵️ This mural is on the side of an iconic Denver breakfast joint. Do you know which one? 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!