🪧 ‘Emergency’ ICE protest at the State Capitol today

🪧 Anti-ICE Protest Planned at Capitol Today

Local residents are planning to gather at the State Capitol building’s west steps tonight at 6 p.m. for an “emergency protest” of federal immigration officials and the killing of Renee Nicole Good (originally from Colorado Springs) by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Additional protests are scheduled for this weekend. [Westword]

❌ Is Trump Punishing Colorado?

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives upheld President Trump’s veto of a bill that would have helped complete a pipeline to carry clean water to southeastern Colorado communities. The president’s reasoning for the veto was to end “taxpayer handouts,” but to many local lawmakers, the move appeared to be Trump’s latest retaliatory strike against Colorado. [CO Sun]

• 💬 Sponsor of the bill Rep. Lauren Boebert said she hopes “this veto has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability.” Boebert, typically a Trump ally, went against the president when she pushed for the recent release of Justice Department files on Jeffery Epstein. [9News]

👪 What Trump’s Childcare Cuts Mean for Denver’s Children

Citing concerns over fraud, the Trump administration froze tens of millions of dollars in federal funding for childcare and other social services in Colorado and four other Democratically-led states. What could the loss of funding mean for Denver’s working parents, childcare providers, and the kids at the center of it all? [City Cast Denver 🎧]

🏥 Why DPS Is Breaking Up with Kaiser Permanente

Roughly 5,800 Denver Public School employees will be looking for new doctors once the district finalizes plans to switch to a new health insurance provider. In a letter to staff, DPS claimed staying with Kaiser would have tripled costs for employees. In a statement to CBS Colorado, the health care company disputed that assessment: “In fact, we are concerned that there was either an error or a misunderstanding of what was communicated to [DPS].” [Denver Post 🔒]

📈 Denver Evictions Filings Remain Record High

In 2024, there were a record-setting 15,960 eviction cases in court. That number dropped only slightly with 2025 seeing 15,953 cases despite rent prices dropping and vacancy rates rising. [Denverite]

• Dive deeper: We spoke with one local expert to try to better understand why. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

Last answer: The photo we shared last month before we went on holiday break was at the iconic Poppies Restaurant & Lounge in Denver’s southeast University Hills neighborhood known for its cozy bar vibes and legendary prime rib.

📣 A special shoutout for our correct guessers:

• Cavell A. was the first to write in with the correct answer!
• But Dawn B., Hayley S., Michael S., Joe C., Peg P., Jon E., and Lindsey H. weren’t far behind!

This Week’s Photo:

🕵️ Do YOU recognize this colorful wall mural on the side of a historic 19th Century church? 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!