📬 USPS cuts 729 local jobs

🚒 Feds Join Leetsdale Fire Investigation

Investigators with the ATF are assisting the Denver Fire Department in identifying the cause of a multi-day five-alarm fire at an apartment complex in the Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood last weekend. Though contained, the fire is still burning. Officials expect the cleanup process to be long and difficult. [Denverite]

🚨 Victim in Fatal ICE Shooting from Colorado

Family members of Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old woman who was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis yesterday, confirmed she was originally from the Colorado Springs area, with relatives still living here. Good’s mother says she wasn’t aware whether or not her daughter was part of the anti-ICE protests taking place when she was killed. [9News]

🫏 Can Denver Nab Another DNC?

Denver hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1908 and 2008 (the year President Obama accepted the party’s nomination in front of a huge Mile High City crowd). Could the state’s Dems be vying for another chance at hosting the DNC in 2028? While the mayor’s office won’t confirm the bid, state lawmakers already have. But is Denver — and the Colorado Democratic Party — ready for another convention? [City Cast Denver 🎧]

📬 More than 700 to Lose Jobs in Local USPS Layoffs

The United States Postal Service plans to close its regional mail hub in Aurora on Feb. 28, resulting in permanent layoffs for 729 local employees. Jobs affected include shoppers, packers, dock clerk operators, and forklift operators — all non-union positions. The closure is part of a larger effort by USPS to bring more operations in-house. [Denver Post 🔒]

💰 City Leaders Draw Spending Criticism

Following a year of city layoffs and sweeping budget cuts, two recent city expenses are sparking frustration: $2 million in legal fees to prepare Mayor Mike Johnston for his testimony before Congress last year, and $1.5 million for renovations underway on the City Council chambers. Officials defend both expenses as necessary and unavoidable, but critics are calling it “tone-deaf” and “insulting.” [Axios Denver]

While many of us might have been on holiday break over the last few weeks, the local dining scene certainly was not, with dozens of new restaurants and bars opening, closing, and evolving. With plenty of promising new ventures on the horizon, here’s to another year of second rounds, sweet desserts, and full bellies 🤤 🥂

New to the Scene

Magic Noodle House | 1400 East 17th Ave. (City Park West)

Opened Dec. 11

Judging by the viral attention this new Uptown noodle house is gaining on social media, the hand-pulled pasta strands on offer here are exactly what the restaurant’s name implies — pure, delicious magic!

Johnny Bechamel’s | 81 South Pennsylvania St. (Speer)

Opened Dec. 12

This new neighborhood red sauce joint is a scrumptious byproduct of two other Denver dining faves — Dio Mio and Redeemer Pizza. The menu boasts pizzas, pastas, and other Italian-inspired surprises. (Can you say prosciutto-topped Parmesan-filled donuts?)

American Lore | 3965 Tennyson St. (Berkeley)

Opening Jan. 9

“No-frills cocktails, $4 beer in frosty mugs, and free bar snacks” is what you can expect at this new Saloon-style whiskey bar on Tennyson. Not only a Western-inspired watering hole, American Lore will double as a retail shop featuring hats and hat-molding services from the popular local Hats by Parker Thomas.

Adventure Time Bar | 101 N Broadway (Baker)

Opening Jan. 15

Adventure Time Bar is exactly what it sounds like: Part bar, part adventure! It will feature new themes on a rotating basis. Guests will purchase tickets for a 90-minute visit that includes a welcome cocktail, a souvenir, and an entirely unique immersive experience. The debut theme is a “futuristic cyberpunk world” inspired by the likes of “Blade Runner” and “The Matrix.”

Last Chance to Visit

Honor Farm | 1526 Blake St. (Union Station)

Closing Jan. 10

The “haunted spirit house” in the old Blake Street Vault building has run its course (and its lease). It will be closing for good this Friday. The bar’s popular second-floor sibling concept, the gay tiki bar Hell or High Water, will also leave the space, but reopen as a stand-alone concept at 3542 Walnut Street, next door to Tracks in RiNo. Owner Lexi Healy promises the future incarnation will be “Still unholy. Still phallic. Still filthy as ever.”

The Pepper Pod | 530 Fir St. (Hudson, CO)

Closing Jan. 12

The small town of Hudson (~30 minutes northeast of Denver proper) is bidding goodbye to local dining legend the Pepper Pod, which first opened 114 years ago in 1913. “This decision did not come easily,” owners wrote in a Facebook post announcing the closure, citing health concerns within the family that has operated the restaurant for nearly half a century.

Goldspot Brewing Co. | 4970 Lowell Blvd. (Regis)

Closing Feb. 1

Celebrated as a gathering space for women and the LGBTQ community, this 10-year-old taproom will pour its final beers at the end of this month as the building’s owners prepare to sell the space. But this isn’t the end of Goldspot, which will continue distributing beers and hosting events as it decides “what comes next.”

RIP

• Maggie & Molly’s Bakery | 2908 E 6th Ave. (Cherry Creek)
• Mr. Lucky’s | Cap Hill & LoHi
• Riot House | 1920 Market St. (Union Station)
• Lustre Pearl | 1315 26th St. (Five Points)
• Sunday Vinyl | 1803 16th St. (Union Station)