Denver

Axios Denver

The strike that sent more than 8,000 King Soopers employees to the picket lines Wednesday could persist for nearly a month and expand to additional stores, according to the grocery workers union. 

State of play: Nearly 80 Denver-area stores sat largely empty Wednesday as workers and supporters carried signs outside reading: "Please do not patronize." 

Meanwhile, the union announced plans to pull more workers from Colorado Springs locations. 

What's happening: Unionized employees are demanding tightened public safety measures, better PPE equipment, higher wages and more robust benefits from King Soopers parent company Kroger. 

In a "last, best and final" offer, the company proposed spending $170 million on pay bumps, health insurance and an increased starting wage of $16 an hour.

What they're saying: Mark Fry, a Bear Valley King Soopers meat cutter, told Denverite he nearly died last winter from COVID-19; Fry was on a ventilator for three weeks and in a hospital bed for 64 days. 

"We’re exposed to [COVID] all day and there’s no one enforcing [mask-wearing]. It shouldn’t be that way," Fry said.

The big picture: The Kroger strike comes as workers across multiple industries demand higher wages and better benefits, giving the workforce leverage amid labor shortages, Axios' Neil Irwin writes. 

Between the lines: A report released this week from the Economic Roundtable, an LA-based nonprofit, found that 78% of Kroger workers in four states, including Colorado, were food insecure. 

44% of the company’s employees were unable to pay rent, and 14% reported experiencing homelessness within the past year.

The other side: In a statement, King Soopers president Joe Kelley called the strike "reckless" for "putting politics before people and preventing us from putting more money into our associates’ pockets."

The company has filed a complaint against the union with the National Labor Relations Board saying the union turned down a federal mediator's offer to settle the dispute.

What to watch: It's unclear how long or widespread the strike will be, not to mention its impact inside stores and trickling into communities. 

For now, all affected King Soopers stores remain open. 

Kroger's King Soopers strike could continue for weeks

Unionized employees are demanding tightened public safety measures, better PPE equipment, higher wages and more robust benefits.

King Soopers grocery store workers wave at a passing car as they go on strike across the Denver metro area on Jan. 12. Photo: Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images

Labor strikes

The strike that sent more than 8,000 King Soopers employees to the picket lines Wednesday could persist for nearly a month and expand to additional stores, according to the grocery workers union. State of play: Nearly 80 Denver-area stores <a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="sat largely empty" data-vars-click-url="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/are-king-soopers-shoppers-staying-away-amid-the-strike" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/are-king-soopers-shoppers-staying-away-amid-the-strike" target="_blank">sat largely empty</a> Wednesday as workers and supporters carried signs outside reading: &quot;Please do not patronize.&quot;

Business

COVID

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Axios Denver, anchored by John Frank and Alayna Alvarez, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

Data: N.Y. Times; Cartogram: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

In a significant shift from previous waves of the pandemic, Colorado is seeing fewer hospitalizations due exclusively to COVID-19.

Driving the news: But public health officials warned Wednesday that the virus is complicating those patients' other ailments and further straining understaffed hospitals, which are seeing more COVID-positive people than at any other point during the pandemic.

By the numbers: The state surpassed 1 million cases this week, while Colorado's positive case rate increased by nearly 160% between Dec. 29 and Jan. 11, a New York Times analysis shows.

About 35% of hospitalized patients across the state are admitted for ailments on top of COVID-19, state epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said at a news briefing Wednesday. 

Available ICU beds are up to 133 on a seven-day moving average, an improvement compared to the approximately 100 beds available at the peak of the Delta variant wave.

And hospitalizations could peak as soon as next week, Herlihy predicted, with the caveat that there would be "lots of variability" from one location to another. 

State of play: Public health leaders are putting in place new protocols to deal with the deluge of cases while local hospitals are so swamped and shorthanded that some are even allowing staff to work while infected with the virus so long as their symptoms are mild.

Colorado re-activated crisis care standards for ambulances for the second time since the start of the pandemic due to staff shortages and demand for emergency care.

Public universities like the University of Colorado in Boulder and Colorado State University in Fort Collins are now mandating booster shots for students and staff as the spring semester kicks off, the Denver Post reports.

And Colorado's health department this week began deploying text message reminders to urge residents to stay current with their COVID-19 vaccinations. 

The big picture "March of 2020 was terrifying and this wave right now is scary in its own way. But we have vaccines, we have better treatment. The prognosis is better if people do get infected," Elizabeth Carlton, a member of the state's COVID-19 modeling team, told CPR. 

"It is obviously still this very serious disease you have to deal with," she said, "but it is not the same as March of 2020." 

This story first appeared in the Axios Denver newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard. Subscribe here.

Colorado's latest COVID wave differs from past surges

In a shift from previous COVID waves, Colorado is seeing fewer hospitalizations due just to the virus.

In a significant shift from previous waves of the pandemic, Colorado is seeing fewer hospitalizations due exclusively to COVID-19.Driving the news: But public health officials warned Wednesday that the virus is complicating those patients&#x27; other ailments and further straining understaffed hospitals, which are seeing more COVID-positive people than at any other point during the pandemic.

If you're looking for a home that's more affordable to buy than rent, consider broadening your search outside of the metro Denver area.

Why it matters: Even with home prices continuing to climb, the affordability gap is narrowing, which may signal the imminent end to what's been a steady run-up in home prices.

In roughly 90% of the U.S., home prices are rising faster than wages.

Zoom in: Owning a median-priced home is more affordable than the average rent on a three-bedroom property in Fremont, Fort Morgan, Park and Pueblo counties, per data from a new report by ATTOM, a real estate database company. 

The big picture: Here and nationwide it's cheaper to buy in rural areas and rent in cities and suburbs — particularly in the West and Northeastern parts of the country, where the least affordable homeownership markets are, Axios’ Jennifer Kingston reports.

Buying is more affordable than renting in these 4 Colorado counties

If you’re looking for a home that’s more affordable to buy than rent, consider broadening your search.

If you&#x27;re looking for a home that&#x27;s more affordable to buy than rent, consider broadening your search outside of the metro Denver area.Why it matters: Even with home prices continuing to climb, the affordability gap is narrowing, which may signal the imminent end to what&#x27;s been a steady run-up in home prices.

Real Estate

Thousands of Denverites will come together Monday to honor the legacy of civil rights giant Martin Luther King, Jr. at the city's annual Marade, a combined march and parade. 

Context: The event — one of the largest MLK celebrations in the country — is back in person this year for its 37th anniversary after going virtual in 2021 due to the pandemic.

Here are a few more ideas to put on your weekend radar: 

🤠 Head down to the National Western Stock Show for the second weekend of boot-scootin' fun. 

🩰 Buy tickets to see the Dance Theatre of Harlem — an 18-member company that uses ballet to celebrate African American culture — perform at the Robert and Judi Newman Center on Friday or Saturday.

🍻 Grab beers at Oasis Brewing Company, which is holding a fundraiser all weekend for victims of the Marshall Fire. 

What to do in Denver over MLK Day weekend

The Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration is back in person this year for its 37th anniversary.

The annual Martin Luther King, Jr., "Marade" in Denver in 2018. Photo: Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images

Thousands of Denverites will come together Monday to honor the legacy of civil rights giant Martin Luther King, Jr. at the city&#x27;s annual <a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="Marade" data-vars-click-url="https://www.denver.org/things-to-do/fall-winter/festivals-events/martin-luther-king-day/" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.denver.org/things-to-do/fall-winter/festivals-events/martin-luther-king-day/" target="_blank">Marade</a>, a combined march and parade. Context: The event — one of the largest MLK celebrations in the country — is back in person this year for its 37th anniversary after going virtual in 2021 due to the pandemic.

Things to Do

Just six months into the job, Denver International Airport's brand new CEO may have his legacy on the line.

Driving the news: The Denver City Council this week approved Phil Washington's vision to spend another $1.1 billion to complete the Great Hall project at DIA, doubling its overall cost to $2.3 billion and pushing construction completion from 2024 to 2028.

The vote wasn't unanimous and came after council members delayed their final decision by a week to further dissect the deal. 

Why it matters: The project has faced serious problems in the past, and Washington will face certain scrutiny when it comes to delivering the massive undertaking since DIA is Colorado's largest economic engine and the world's third-busiest airport. 

What they're saying: "We will do it on time and on budget," Washington tells Axios. In fact, he says, "I'm pretty confident we'll do it ahead of schedule." 

He adds: "Nothing keeps me up at night" about this project. "What would keep me up is not bringing this action knowing [passenger] numbers will increase."

Washington points to his 25 years in the U.S. Army and two decades of infrastructure building to back up his confidence in meeting the project deadline.

He also notes several other projects he led as the former head of the Regional Transportation District — like building Union Station, the A-line to the airport and the West line to Lakewood — that he says were finished ahead of schedule and under budget. 

Yes, but: Cracks in communication may already be emerging at the outset of the project's final phase.

Council member Amanda Sawyer, who voted against the expansion on Monday, suggested plans were rushed and lacked transparency. 

Washington, however, tells Axios his team has been "very, very transparent," providing the council "with all the information they have asked" and "answer[ing] all of the questions they asked us." 

What to watch: During Monday's meeting, council member Paul Kashmann called for an "in-depth look [into the deal] by a fully objective third party" in light of "the mess that preceded it."

Only time — and in this case, several years worth — will tell whether Washington delivers ahead of schedule and under budget, but his team will likely face tough questions as they publicly report on progress in the interim. 

Of note: Council members haven't been afraid to challenge Washington in the past, as they did over his appointment last July after Axios first reported he was named in a criminal search warrant and tied to public corruption allegations in Los Angeles, where he had been most recently employed.

Great Hall Project at DIA will shape new leader's legacy

Just six months on the job, Phil Washington's legacy may already be on the line.

Phil Washington, who has served as chief executive of Denver International Airport since July 2021. Photo: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images

<a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="Just six months into the job" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2021/07/13/denver-city-council-approves-airport-nominee-phillip-washington" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2021/07/13/denver-city-council-approves-airport-nominee-phillip-washington" target="_self">Just six months into the job</a>, Denver International Airport&#x27;s brand new CEO may have his legacy on the line.Driving the news: The Denver City Council this week approved<a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text=" Phil Washington&#x27;s vision" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2021/12/20/denver-airport-dia-construction-washington" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2021/12/20/denver-airport-dia-construction-washington" target="_self"> Phil Washington&#x27;s vision</a> to spend another $1.1 billion to complete the Great Hall project at DIA, doubling its overall cost to $2.3 billion and pushing construction completion from 2024 to 2028.

Alayna Alvarez

Featured stories

What to do in Denver over MLK Day weekend

Buying is more affordable than renting in these 4 Colorado counties

Kroger's King Soopers strike could continue for weeks

Colorado's latest COVID wave differs from past surges

Great Hall Project at DIA will shape new leader's legacy