The Elephant Not In The Room

Denver’s Landmark Preservation Commission on Tuesday gave the green light to demolish two historic but derelict buildings on East Colfax Avenue, with all but one board member agreeing the multimillion-dollar restorations would be an economic hardship to the owner. It’s a reversal of the commission’s rejection of a similar request by property owner Pando Holdings in June, and some commission members said they were torn over the decision. “I’m going to feel bad about this one way or the other at the end of this,” commission member Rusty Brown said before the vote. Most of the neighbors living near the 130-year-old former mansions at 1600 and 1618 E.

A Denver judge this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by Douglas County — and supported by five other Colorado counties — that challenged state laws limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal authorities on immigration matters. Denver District Judge David Goldberg concluded in a ruling issued Monday that Douglas County didn’t have standing to bring the action against the state. The ruling comes after the issue of illegal immigration played a key role in shaping last month’s presidential election, which will result in former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.

Those with a hankering for a Wendy’s Frosty are going to have to drive a little farther in some parts of Denver. Three of the restaurants in the city have closed. The signs at the recently shuttered sites have been removed and boards or brown paper are covering the windows at two of the restaurants. In November, Wendy’s announced it would close 140 restaurants over the next few months.

The cuisine of the Latin American diaspora can be found all over Denver. To taste the differences is to understand how countries, cultures, and immigrants to this nation have taken foods common in the largely Spanish-speaking continent and splintered them into their own special creations. Take the empanada. There are varieties of it all over the world: meat pies or pasties (pronounced pass-tees) in the UK, salteñas in Bolivia, calzones in Italy.

Sometimes, due to schedules or budgets, it’s impossible to plan a big vacation in the winter or during the holidays, or maybe you want to stay close to home and not travel a long distance. It can be a thrill to play tourist in your city or take a short excursion within an hour’s drive, especially when places are decorated for the festivities of the winter months. The mountain towns have the draw of the slopes and likely more snow, but Colorado’s Front Range cities offer big city amenities.

After beating the Colts on Sunday, the Broncos secured their first winning season since 2016. More importantly, they’re one win away from clinching their first playoff berth since the Peyton Manning era. It’s a short turnaround this week with a Thursday Night Football game against the Chargers. Win and you’re in. Here’s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week 16: The Athletic (No.