Urban Field's founders are experimenting far beyond classic Detroit-style pizza — from banh mi pies to gyro-topped creations — as they expand across northern Colorado and lean into collaborations in Longmont's crowded food scene.

Why it matters: Original pizza concepts are reimagining what a neighborhood slice looks (and tastes) like — and Urban Field is betting creativity and a little friendly competition will help them stand out.

Driving the news: Chef and co-founder Nick Swanson is fresh off the International Pizza Expo last month in Las Vegas.

• He didn't perform as well as he'd hoped, but he said he treats every competition as a chance to refine his craft.

Dig in: Swanson, a French Culinary Institute graduate, thinks of dough as a canvas.

• That shows up in his Detroit-style pies, including gyro and banh mi varities he's entered into competitions.
• Urban Field goes beyond pizza, with a menu that includes burgers, pastas, salads and craft cocktails.

State of play: Swanson and co-founder Paul Nashak met while working under the Mountain Sun pub and brewery group before opening Urban Field four years ago.

• Since then, they've expanded to Loveland and Windsor, with an eye on more Front Range locations.
• Now that the concept is established, Swanson said he's looking to push further — adding more experimental pies to the menu.

My thought bubble: As someone who loves Detroit-style pizza, I was all in on Swanson's creations, particularly the banh mi version.

• I also learned I will not be entering any pizza competitions after absolutely destroying my dough.

Zoom out: Urban Field entered a crowded pizza scene on Longmont's Main Street, but instead of competing head-on, they've teamed up with their neighbors.

• Alongside Antonio's Real New York Pizza and Rosalee's Pizzeria, they launched a nonprofit, Pizza With Purpose, that helped feed families during recent cuts to assistance programs.

What we're watching: In September, the three restaurants will host the inaugural Colorado Pizza Festival.

• "It's a way to give back to Longmont and meet our neighbors," Nashak said.

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Social media platform Nextdoor is generating exaggerated fears about crime and more support for aggressive policing tactics, a recent University of Colorado Boulder study finds.

Why it matters: Nextdoor bills itself as an essential neighborhood news source in an era when local journalism is declining, but the platform's content is warping some users' perception of reality, the study says.

What they found: Frequent Nextdoor users report greater concern about crime, leading to more openness to harsh policing tactics than people who use the platform less or not at all, the researchers said.

• The study, published in the journal New Media & Society, is based on an online poll of 1,806 adults in 2023 about the platform.

Even though violent crime in major metro areas is declining, posts about porch pirates, bad drivers and loitering — often accompanied by doorbell surveillance footage — make crime seem more prevalent, the study said.

• That view leads to more support for constitutionally questionable police tactics like stop-and-frisk, routine vehicle stops and searches, and providing police with military-grade weapons.

Yes, but: Researchers can't make a causal link about whether people who worry about crime join Nextdoor or whether using the platform heightens their anxieties.

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💰 About half of the staff at Boulder's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Monitoring Lab will be furloughed next month if federal funding is not released. (Boulder Reporting Lab)

⚖️ The owner of former Boulder dance studio Frequency Dance has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of forgery, fraud and theft. (Daily Camera 🔑)

🚨 A man was fatally shot at Kimbark Street and 15th Avenue in Longmont on Friday afternoon. (Times-Call 🔑)

🦾 AI-related tech roles such as software developers, data scientists and computer systems analysts are three times more common in Boulder than the national average, a study found. (Denver Business Journal 🔑)

🥤 Colorado's proposal to ban SNAP purchases of soft drinks is on hold while a lawsuit against the federal government plays out, but Gov. Jared Polis is planning an executive order to limit state soda purchases. (Denver Post 🔑)

NASA just posted one of the first photos from Artemis II, capturing "Spaceship Earth" in all its blue-and-white glory.

• In the picture, taken by mission commander Reid Wiseman, you'll see two auroras (top right and bottom left), plus "zodiacal light" in the bottom right.
• That's sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust.

Driving the news: Artemis II is Moonbound, with a six-hour lunar orbit planned today.

• Newly added to the plan: A solar eclipse, with the Sun hidden behind the Moon from the crew's perspective.

NASA calls it an "opportunity for them to look for flashes of light from meteoroids striking the Moon's surface, dust lofting above the edge of the Moon, and deep space targets, including planets."