Three years after the pandemic arrived in Colorado, the state reached a bleak milestone: 15,000 COVID-19 deaths.

What's happening: The state reported 15,007 deaths as of Wednesday, making it the most deadly event in Colorado in history, CPR reports. The first fatality was on March 13, 2020.

• COVID-19 deaths are roughly double those of the 1918 flu pandemic that ravaged the state and far more than those from world wars.
• The coronavirus decreased the state's life expectancy in 2020 and 2021 and was the third leading cause of death.

What they're saying: "Fifteen thousand deaths is just terrible and it kind of forces us to reflect on what's happened," Anuj Mehta, a pulmonary care physician at Denver Health, said. "COVID has done so much more than just killed people. It's impacted people's lives."

The big picture: Colorado recorded the fifth-most COVID-19 deaths in the nation when adjusted for age and comorbidities at 473 per 100,000 people, according to an analysis published in The Lancet. The state trails only Arizona, Washington, D.C., New Mexico and Mississippi.

• Higher poverty, lower educational attainment, less access to quality health care and lower levels of interpersonal trust disproportionately led to higher rates of COVID infections and death, Axios' Tina Reed writes.

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The new owners of the Denver Broncos are considering building a new "state-of-the-art" football stadium — and it may not be in the Mile High City.

Driving the news: The franchise recently sent out an extensive survey to season ticket holders to get their opinions on a future stadium — whether it should be rebuilt or moved to a new location, 9News reports.

• The options include relocating to Wheat Ridge and Arvada, Commerce City, the Lakewood/Englewood/Littleton area, or the Glendale/Aurora/Centennial region.

Why it matters: The question of whether the Broncos should build a new stadium has been the talk of the town since last year's $4.65 billion sale agreement with the Walton-Penner family ownership group.

• It's even playing a role in the Denver mayoral race when it comes to who will pay for it.

Details: The Broncos' survey floats the idea of funding a portion of the stadium project with personal seat licenses, which would give the ticket holder the right to buy season tickets for the same seat in the new stadium.

• The survey also mentions the possibility of the new venue being a mixed-use development, and asks participants to rank their top five amenities.

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Last week's shooting at East High School is putting the spotlight on a safety plan the district deploys for some students.

Driving the news: The student who is suspected of shooting two faculty members was under an agreement that required he be patted down each day before classes as part of a safety plan. East staff were aware he had a criminal background.

Yes, but: Few additional details have been revealed about why 17-year-old Austin Lyle was on the plan, and how many pupils in the nearly 90,000-student district have to follow similar policies.

• A specific student's safety plan can't be disclosed by the district because it's protected by federal law, a district spokesperson told the Denver Gazette.

What we know: Safety plans for students are commonplace in districts across the country. According to the Denver Post, the goal is to curb "problematic behavior" including suicidal ideation and violent tendencies.

• They can be prompted by a student bringing a weapon to a school or writing something alarming.

What the superintendent is saying

Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington, President Biden's pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, has withdrawn his nomination amid Republican opposition, Axios' Ivana Saric writes.

Driving the news: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called Washington an "excellent nominee" and condemned the "undeserved" partisan attacks against him in a tweet confirming the news Saturday night.

The big picture: Washington lacked resounding support from the U.S. Senate, including key Democrats. His resume was attacked by Republicans, who also raised concerns about his ties to a search warrant related to a corruption investigation in Los Angeles — which was first reported in 2021 by Alayna.

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🗣️ Thousands of students and teachers rallied at the State Capitol on Friday to push for new measures to curb gun violence, marking the third such protest in three weeks. (Denverite)

🚩 A Denver student suspected of attempted murder has returned to McAuliffe International School, despite concerns from the principal and police — an occurrence the principal says is not exclusive to his campus. (9News)

🏠 Did you know you can defer your property taxes if you're hurting from rising assessment rates? The deadline to apply is April 1. Find eligibility details.

📍 Colorado is one of several states moving legislation to address eating disorders, which surged during the pandemic. (AP)

💼 Former Denver police chief Paul Pazen has joined the conservative-leaning Common Sense Institute as a public safety fellow. (Denver Gazette)

The No. 6 seed University of Colorado's women's basketball team lost to No. 2 seed Iowa on Friday, 87-77.

State of play: A late comeback fell just short. The Buffs closed it to a 4-point gap with 1:31 to play, but the Hawkeyes sealed the win at the free throw line in the final moments.