This Black History Month, Is There Anything To Celebrate?

Newrez, a large mortgage lender based in Pennsylvania, informed the state on Monday that it will fire another 271 workers in Colorado beyond the 103 it said it would dismiss in early May. “Newrez LLC will be conducting a reduction in force at its Greenwood Village, CO facility located at 6200 S Quebec Street … on August 2, 2024.

Digging for more money to inject into affordable housing, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is considering asking the City Council to refer a sales tax increase to the November ballot, administration officials confirmed to The Denver Post. It’s too soon to say whether an affordable housing tax — the amount so far unspecified — will end up on what promises to be a lengthy Denver ballot in this presidential election year.

“First Frost,” by Craig Johnson (Viking) “First Frost,” by Craig Johnson (Viking) After 19 mysteries, Sheriff Walt Longmire is getting a little long in the tooth. So in “First Frost,” author Craig Johnson takes a giant step backward to Longmire’s youth, as — get this — a 1960s surfer dude. Yes, I know, he’s now too big for a surfboard, but surfing is what he and his best friend, Henry Standing Bear, are doing that summer between graduating from college and enlisting in the military. The first hint of trouble comes when a boat capsizes, and the two surfers rescue some of the crew.

Wind, rain and hail can quickly — sometimes painfully — spell the end of any outdoor event, especially a concert, where music fans tend to occupy the same spot for hours. But when public events are scheduled for every night of the season, the chances for chaos increase. That’s what happened last year when West Metro Fire Rescue treated 80 to 90 people for injuries at Red Rocks — including seven requiring hospitalization — after a hailstorm that blew in during a June 21 Louis Tomlinson concert. Adding to the damage: The city agency that runs Red Rocks responded with an attitude that many concert-goers felt was dismissive of their concerns, essentially saying that extreme weather is just part of the outdoor music experience.

Protesters organized by a Colorado State University group staged a “die-in” demonstration over the weekend outside a Fort Collins company. They chanted, held signs accusing the company of having blood on its hands, and displayed fake body bags and red-stained dolls, according to a report by CSU’s student newspaper. What was behind the protest? Demonstrators were motivated by purported connections between the company, Woodward, and a component of a bomb dropped by Israel on a camp in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, in late May. The Denver Post looked into the connections to the Fort Collins-headquartered aerospace and industrial manufacturer.

The Denver Nuggets possess the No. 28 overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft, which will take place across two days for the first time this year: June 26-27. If the Nuggets use that first-round pick, who will they take? We react to the recent barrage of mock draft projections here. Will the Nuggets draft a backup center? The mock draft: ESPN, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo The pick: DaRon Holmes II, Dayton; 6-foot-9, 236 pounds My take: The most popular Nuggets candidate among internet match-makers, Holmes named Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon as two of the players he looks up to the most at the combine.