Beautiful Earth - Butterfly (photos)

For nearly a century, Colorado’s Monfort family has cashed in on the right idea at the right time and place. So it is with Coors Field, a publicly funded stadium that became a gold mine for one of the state’s most famous families. The $tadium Game Part I: Amid another nationwide stadium boom, will Broncos build new home to land what Rockies have and what Nuggets, Avs are getting? Part II: Is Coors Field the model for publicly financed stadium success?

The Colorado Rockies have had 23 losing seasons since they arrived in Denver in the summer of 1993. The Nuggets have had 12, the Broncos 11, and the Avalanche five. But from a business perspective, Denver’s Major League Baseball franchise has something the Broncos, Nuggets and Avalanche all envy — a destination stadium with an adjoining neighborhood that acts as another money stream. The $tadium Game Part I: Amid another nationwide stadium boom, will Broncos build new home to land what Rockies have and what Nuggets, Avs are getting? Part II: Is Coors Field the model for publicly financed stadium success?

Dave Keefe, the owner of The Original Brooklyn’s just south of Empower Field, has witnessed the evolution of the neighborhoods around the Broncos’ stadiums over the 41 years he’s operated his restaurant at the corner of Old West Colfax Avenue and Morrison Road. Like many, he’s unsure what the area’s future holds, now that the Broncos are exploring building a new stadium elsewhere. But there is one thing he’s positive of should Empower Field cease to be the Broncos’ home: Sun Valley will be OK. “If they leave, this is going to be the biggest empty hunk of land in the central part of Denver that’s undeveloped,” Keefe said as he pointed toward the stadium and its lots packed with tailgaters.

When Stan Kroenke entered himself into a messy, drawn-out bidding war for ownership of the Nuggets and Avalanche, the vacant land next to Pepsi Center might’ve seemed like the least attractive portion of the potential winnings. The arena itself was brand-new. The star-studded Avs had christened it on Oct. 13, 1999, with a 2-1 win over the Bruins.

The Colorado Avalanche dug deep, fueled by some officiating-driven anger, and authored a wild, remarkable comeback two nights ago in an electric evening at Ball Arena. This was not that. The Montreal Canadiens ended Colorado’s six-game winning streak with a 2-1 shootout victory Saturday at Ball Arena. Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach scored for the Canadiens in the shootout. There are some 2-1 thrillers, with great saves, end-to-end action and high drama. This was not that. “We were just OK,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said.

A flight instructor was teaching a student how to restart a plane’s engine midflight when mechanical problems forced the pair to attempt a landing on Interstate 25 near Larkspur last year, according to a federal report. The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report describes the circumstances of the emergency landing and crash, which occurred after one of the plane’s wings clipped a road sign, causing it to veer into a nearby marsh. The report did not say what caused the malfunction aboard the Tecnam P2006T aircraft, and the NTSB’s investigation into the crash is ongoing. On June 16, the pair departed Centennial Airport in Englewood and completed five landings before taking off again to practice in-air emergency procedures. When they turned off one of the plane’s engines, it took two tries to restart.