🚩 Is a Westwood nonprofit union-busting?

🍽️ How Many More Diners Can Denver Stand to Lose?

When Pete’s University Park Cafe closed recently, the city was hit with yet another loss to our dining scene. But diners, a once ubiquitous form of affordable restaurant, don’t just serve food — they’re also community gathering spaces. If diners are on the verge of extinction in the Mile High, what does it say about the city? [City Cast Denver 🎧]

💩 Owner of ‘Poop Protest’ House Fires Back

Flavia Montecinos, the owner of an abandoned historic mansion in Congress Park that has been at the center of a nasty neighborhood fight, is accusing her neighbors of harassment. Over the past year, residents along the East 7th Avenue block have taken to throwing bags of dog feces on Montecinos' property to protest the house’s neglected condition. They took it a step further in October and sued Montecinos. Now, she is suing back. [BusinessDen 🔒]

• Her side of the story: Montecinos says work on the house is stuck in the city’s permitting process, and neighbors are only making things worse. She is seeking compensation for cleanup efforts, damage to the house, and emotional distress.

❄️ Denver Expands Cold Weather Emergency Protocols

As outside temperatures begin to dip, the City of Denver is implementing some changes to its cold weather shelter protocols for families experiencing homelessness. Through improvements that include expanding help hotline services, offering walk-up aid, and opening an emergency shelter specifically for families, the city hopes to keep a growing number of unhoused families out of the cold this winter. [Denverite]

🚩 Westwood Nonprofit Faces Union-Busting Allegations

Local activist and former State Rep. Tim Hernández is sounding the alarm after Re:Vision, a nonprofit food co-op in the Westwood neighborhood, fired five employees, most of whom were immigrant women of color. They were also spearheading union efforts, and just days away from their first scheduled bargaining meeting. Hernández called the move “anti-union and anti-immigrant.” [Instagram]

• The other side: Shortly after Hernández posted to Instagram about the situation, Re:Vision released a statement citing funding challenges for the terminations, which the organization claims were decided on “weeks before” employees announced their intent to unionize.