✏️ Council asks to add $18M to 2026 budget

🎨 A Beloved Chicano Mural Being Restored

After the 2024 Denver Walls art festival painted over “El Milagro” by David Ocelotl Garcia — a beloved Chicano mural on the Bob Ragland Library in Five Points — the original art is being restored, this time permanently.

• A larger pattern: Listen to our 2021 conversation with Lucha Martinez de Luna, founder of the Chicano/a Murals of Colorado Project, about why the community is losing so many Chicano murals, and why it’s more important than ever to save them. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

🍎 Are More School Closures Coming?

Denver Public Schools officials warn that the combination of declining enrollment, looming state budget cuts, and potential federal funding losses could be "catastrophic,” and possibly result in another round of school closures. [Denver Post 🔒]

• The details: DPS lost 1,200 students this year — largely immigrants — resulting in a loss of $18.5 million in per-pupil funding. State budget cuts are likely coming as Colorado faces a nearly $1 billion deficit. The district is also worried about losing federal funds after it refused orders from the Trump administration to remove gender-neutral bathrooms in its schools.

🎙️ Former Mayor Webb on Denver Today

Wellington Webb served as Denver’s mayor for 12 years and in that time, he oversaw massive city-changing projects like the construction of DIA and Empower Field at Mile High. Since then, he’s become a behind-the-scenes consultant for city builders. So, what does this former Denver leader think about the current administration? We asked him. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

✏️ Council Suggests 16 Changes to Mayor’s Budget Draft

Last Thursday, Denver City Council agreed on 16 amendments — totalling $18.7 million — to present to the mayor for his 2026 budget proposal. Some of the most expensive suggestions include $7 million for rental assistance and $4.5 million for the clerk and recorder’s office. The mayor is scheduled to consider the changes and release a revised proposal by Oct. 20. [Denver Post 🔒]